#utah archers

[acemeg]

connor mcdavid and tom schreiber were separated at birth

[somethingaboutvampires]

Connor Fields, Utah Archers

ID: screenshot of Bill Nye the Science Guy with a light yellow CC caption: if you don't think that's the tightest shit then get out of my face.

[blueiscoool]

Panathenaic Prize Amphora: A Pot With Olive Oil Awarded at The Ancient Greek Olympics

Instead of a gold medal, victors at the ancient Greek Panathenaic Games received terra-cotta pots filled with Athenian olive oil from sacred trees.

Name: Panathenaic prize amphora.

What it is: A Greek terra-cotta pot known as an amphora.

Where it is from: Vulci, Italy.

When it was made: Circa 530 B.C., during Greece's Archaic period.

Unlike in today's Olympics — in which competitors receive gold, silver and bronze medals — each ancient winner received dozens of terra-cotta vases emblazoned with their specific sport and filled with Athenian olive oil, a highly "valuable prize," according to Harvard Art Museums.

The olive oil award given to Olympic champions came from the sacred groves of Athena, the patroness of Athens, according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. In general, ancient Greeks considered olive trees "sacred," and they symbolized Zeus, the god of the sky and, later, the god of the Olympics, according to the Journal of Olympic History.

his particular amphora features a lineup of five runners during a footrace, a competition considered the "earliest known event in the Panathenaic Games," according to the Met. Athletes competed fully naked, since they thought their physiques might intimidate their competition, according to Southern Utah University.

The pot, which stands 24.5 inches (62 centimeters) tall, is attributed to "Euphiletos Painter." This anonymous artist was known for an art style called black-figure pottery, in which subjects were drawn in silhouette, according to the British Museum. This is just one of the many vases awarded to the victors at the Games, with other pots featuring charioteers, archers and boxers.

By Jennifer Nalewicki.

[usafphantom2]

Inside The Air Force’s Biggest Live Air-To-Air Missile Shoot

Jamie HunterPUBLISHED Jun 12, 2023 11:32 AM EDT

An F-16C fires an AIM-9M Sidewinder during Exercise Combat Archer in May 2023. Jamie Hunter

“It’s incredibly important for us to get a weapons system evaluation of all of our munitions, whether it’s air-to-ground or air-to-air,” Col. Brian DeWitt, 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group (WEG) commander explains to The War Zone. To meet this requirement, the U.S. Air Force regularly invites its fighter squadrons to Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida to gain experience and hone their skills firing live missiles at real airborne targets.

In this exclusive five-part, week-long series, The War Zone brings unprecedented inside access to Exercise Combat Archer, also known as the Weapons System Evaluation Program, or WSEP, where not only U.S. Air Force, but also U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps units work hard to ensure that when a pilot locks up a target, it can be dealt a lethal blow.

The missile firing that occurs at Tyndall has a dual purpose. “Under U.S. Code Title 10, there’s a mandated requirement [for the military] to undertake both development and operational testing of its equipment, and part of that is to take fielded weapons and test them to ensure they meet requirements for sustainability, reliability, and lethality,” Col. DeWitt explains.

F-16Cs from the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw AFB and from the 93rd Fighter Squadron "Florida Makos" head out for a Combat Archer mission, with live missiles carried on their starboard wings. Jamie Hunter

The military airborne range complex over the Gulf of Mexico that abuts the Florida coastline is a hotbed of development testing for new weapons, as well as being a training environment for frontline forces.

WSEP dates back to the Vietnam War when squadron pilots and their weapons systems failed to meet expectations. During that conflict, sophisticated new air-to-air missiles didn't perform in the manner predicted by their developmental test data. It was recognized that the testing often failed to represent the environment pilots would actually face in combat.

WSEP was therefore established to give fighter squadrons the opportunity to employ air-to-air weapons in situations that are as close to a combat environment as possible. “This isn’t just a weapons evaluation, it’s about weapons performance through unit effectiveness,” says Col. DeWitt.

A Raytheon AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) loaded on an F-15C during Combat Archer in May 2023 complete with a brown band to denote a live rocket motor, and a yellow band to denote that it has a live warhead. Jamie Hunter

The 53rd WEG is a critical element of Air Combat Command (ACC), and part of the renowned 53rd Wing, which is one of the lead units responsible for Air Force operational testing and major test exercises such as Black Flag, which features strongly in evaluating cutting-edge USAF capabilities, as previously reported by The War Zone on more than one occasion.

The WEG is headquartered at Tyndall AFB, on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico in the Florida Panhandle. It is responsible for a key part of the Title 10 test and evaluation work for the Air Force in the form of the Combat Archer and Combat Hammer WSEPs.

While Combat Hammer is typically run out of Hill Air Force Base in Utah and focuses on air-to-ground munitions evaluations, Combat Archer is all about firing live air-to-air missiles, designed both to ensure the weapons work as expected, and that squadrons are suitably trained and equipped to effectively employ the weapons.

The packed Combat Archer flight line in May 2023 with a mix of F-16s, F-15s, and F-35s. Jamie Hunter

The WEG includes a number of distinctive units at Tyndall that each bring a key capability to the overall effectiveness of Combat Archer. The 83rd Fighter Weapons Squadron (FWS) is ultimately responsible for running the exercises. It includes weapons specialists and Program Managers (PMs), who coach each fighter squadron in the Air Force and Navy as they take their turn to participate in a WSEP.

“The Program Managers are aircrew instructors in each specific aircraft type,” explains Col. DeWitt. “They are the experts when the units come here. They teach the aircrews and fly with them, chase them through each shot and ensure they are employing correctly with the different missiles, which are typically Raytheon’s AIM-9M and -9X Sidewinders and AIM-120 AMRAAMs [Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles]. Some WSEPs also include aerial gunnery, firing at towed banners.”

A 93rd Fighter Squadron "Florida Makos" pilot gives the squadron hand sign of the jaws of the Mako shark. Jamie Hunter

Each year the WEG runs approximately nine Combat Archers at Tyndall (there are also occasional events at Hill AFB), and the visiting squadrons prepare for the exercise, deploy to Tyndall, and participate in the live firing, under the expert guidance of the PMs. Ultimately, the squadrons come to Tyndall to fire live missiles, to both check out new hardware and software on those weapons, and to give squadron weapons teams and aircrew the experience of actual end-to-end employment of their primary weapons.

“I also have a number of maintainers here that are weapons evaluators,” Col. DeWitt adds. “They follow, observe, and assist the deployed units to see how effective they are. Have they shown up with the right equipment and the right training? How can we help them so that when they go and do this for real downrange they have the practice, they feel good about what they’ve been trained on, and it’s not their first time doing it.”

An F-15C of the California Air National Guard gets airborne during Combat Archer. Jamie Hunter

Firing off live, high-tech missiles, near the Florida coastline isn’t without its challenges, including major safety and security concerns. Creating a realistic and safe training environment includes fitting missiles with telemetry packs instead of warheads and the jets themselves carrying telemetry pods to track their position in the airspace. Ultimately, the aim is successfully shooting at fighter-representative targets. Each performance — from the weapons-loading team to the pilots — is scored based on the probability-of-kill (pk) rate and targets hit during the sorties.

The huge Eglin Gulf Test Range and Training Range, which lies adjacent to Tyndall, is monitored, and controlled by the resident 81st Air Control Squadron. With oil and gas exploration, shipping, fishing, and a range of surface activities, the missile shooting areas must be ‘sanitized’ before the daily exercise activities can commence. This involves use of two surveillance-radar-equipped E-9A Widgets, which are operated by the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron (ATRS) and used to build an up-to-the-minute picture of the ocean’s surface inside the ranges. This enables the 83rd FWS team to build a safe ‘shoot track’ for each day’s WSEP activities.

Part of the 82nd ATRS mission also aligns directly with the Title 10 mandate in that the unit provides combat-configured, combat-representative, target drones for the missile shots. The Air Force uses both the Kratos BQM-167 sub-scale drone, and the Boeing-converted QF-16 Full-Scale Aerial Target (FSAT) to fulfill this role, and both are a critical element of each Combat Archer exercise.

A BQM-167 sub-scale drone operated by the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron is launched for a WSEP mission. USAF/Sara Vidoni

Combat Archer — focusing on air-to-air — is designed to make sure the complete weapons system works. That includes the munitions themselves and the process that takes them from storage, build-up, configuration, and loading, the jets being correctly maintained and configured to fire them, the mission planning, training, and ultimately the moment they are fired and guided to the target. Under scrutiny are the techniques and tactics that are used, to ensure they are all valid and work as planned when called upon. It is ultimately designed to ensure America’s fighter squadrons are ready for combat.

“In the past, we would focus purely on the weapon, from when [the pilot] pressed the ‘pickle’ button to how the weapon performed from there,” explains Col. DeWitt. “Today, we take a wider view of the whole picture to gauge what we need to improve on and where we need to spend money and employ training in order to make this whole process better. Training our people to build the weapons correctly, designing the weapons correctly — all the things that need to happen so that when the pilot presses the button the target blows up when it’s supposed to.”

An F-35A of the 4th Fighter Squadron taxies out at Tyndall AFB in May 2023 for a Combat Archer mission. Jamie Hunter

“It used to be a case of whichever unit was available on their schedule would come and do these evaluations, because previously we were mainly focused on the weapon," says Col. DeWitt. "However, we have now changed that to fit with the USAF’s Force Generation model. This means that we are now generally working with units that are getting ready to deploy on combat operations or be ready for combatant commanders to pull downrange when needed. So, they come here and get an outside look at how they're performing, whilst getting them some training and experience. So today, it’s a kind of certification program before they go into combat.”

WSEP has evolved. More than ever, it’s designed to put squadrons and their weapons to the test. These squadrons must be ready for the fight when called upon. WSEP makes sure the entire system works as advertised. But this is a complex exercise with a raft of distinct elements that are key to success.

In this week-long series, we go take an unprecedented look into Combat Archer and its many moving parts, including flying on multiple missile shoot sorties. In part two of the series, The War Zone focuses on the targets that pilots fire at, including how they are equipped and operate, and why some pilots have to fly 'hands-off' in QF-16 drones that are controlled from the ground.

[tsercele]

Everything I Published in 2023

After a long hiatus, I finally got back into creative writing this year -- and what a busy year it was! I published eight pieces on the SCP Wiki, including three entries in The Eternal MxTape. Here's the rundown:

Somewhere Empty: In this black comedy, Mx. Wren Masterson hitches a ride into Utah to settle the score with two anomalous terrorists.

SCP-6476 — Let A Die Be Cast!: Codename NEMO infiltrates a TTRPG group that plays with probability-bending dice. Shenanigans ensue.

NTE-2858-Cyan-Blaecca — "Village Jeweler": The Global Occult Coalition fights for control of "Other London", a Victorian-era asteroid colony populated by anarcho-syndicalists. Charles Babbage is there, and he's a real jerk.

So we sang the chorus from Atlanta to the sea: A hard-nosed Union investigator and a merrymaking veteran haggle over a miraculously compelling one-man band. An alternate-history tale cowritten with ch00bakka for RemixCon2023!

SCP-2444 — Flea Circus: A traveling venue for extradimensional misfits and unloved merchandise. Rewrite of a Series III article by Anonymous.

SCP-7492 — No Matter Where You Live: Post-secondary students receive disembodied reminders of their stress and turmoil. This popular entry was written in the style of SCP Series I.

Nightmare on Archer Row, Part 2: Movie night becomes a fight for survival when "Mr. Slasher Villain" crashes GAW's Halloween party.

The Lambton Ghoul: An eccentric groundskeeper is pushed to his breaking point… and beyond. A "Canadian Gothic" horror story presented in wiki format. Winner of Unofficial Paracon 2023!

Curious about my creative process? Want to learn more about the hidden details? There's commentary on Tsercele's Author Page!

If you enjoy my work and it's within your means, consider supporting me on Ko-Fi!

[ausetkmt]

The chained hand of Archer Alexander, who was the last slave captured under the fugitive slave law, is depicted in a statue commemorating the Emancipation Proclamation. A bill to study reparations for slavery advanced through a House committee this year but hasn't gotten a floor vote.

Karen Bleier/AFP via Getty Images

Seven months ago, a House committee advanced a bill to study reparations for slavery, after more than three decades of efforts to build support for the idea.

But the bill has not been taken up for consideration by the full House of Representatives even though it has the backing of some of the country's most prominent Democrats.

"Since April there has been very little movement on the bill by the leadership in Congress," said Kamm Howard, a national co-chair of the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America.

Advocates for reparations are frustrated despite the fact that the proposal faces steep odds of fully passing the closely divided Congress even if the House did take it up.

The bill is H.R. 40, and it gets its name from the unmet promise that former slaves would be given "40 acres and a mule" as the Civil War drew to a close. It would establish a 13-person commission to study the effects of slavery and racial discrimination in the United States, from before the country's finding to present day.

The commission would hold hearings, submit its findings to Congress and recommend "appropriate remedies." It would also consider a "national apology" for the harm caused by slavery.

The bill's original sponsor, the late Democratic Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, first proposed the bill in 1989, and did so year after year for nearly three decades, until he retired in 2017. After that, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas began sponsoring the bill.

"I don't think anyone could argue against the fact that the trajectory of slavery has gone through the centuries, the decades and is in the DNA of descendants of enslaved Africans," Jackson Lee, a Democrat, said in an interview with NPR. "America would do well to try to bring healing and repair, in this time and in this century."

The bill finally gained political traction among Democrats as the country grappled with race and systemic racism and protests sparked by the killings of Black Americans by police flowed through the streets of U.S. cities large and small over the last two years.

Republicans oppose reparations. Democrats say even studying them has value

The bill has nearly 200 co-sponsors in the House, including members of House Democratic leadership. But it is widely opposed by Republicans and was advanced by the House Judiciary Committee in April with only Democratic votes.

Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, the Judiciary Committee's top Republican, argued that because the committee's members would be appointed by the president, the House speaker and the Senate pro tempore, who are currently all Democrats, the commission would obviously come to a conclusion in support of reparations.

"Spend $20 million for a commission that's already decided to take money from people who were never involved in the evil of slavery and give it to people who were never subject to the evil of slavery," Jordan said during the hearing on the bill. "That's what Democrats on the Judiciary Committee are doing."

Rep. Burgess Owens of Utah, one of two Black Republicans currently serving in the House, said that the concept of reparations is "divisive."

"Reparation where you take people's money that they've earned — it's punishment, it's theft, it's judgement," he said in the hearing. "It's saying that because of your skin color, you owe me. That is not the American way. We're not racist people. This American country is based on meritocracy."

Jackson Lee says arguments like this miss the point. The bill does not prescribe what form reparations should take, a question that is a point of debate among supporters of reparations for slavery.

"It is not the study of getting a check. It is not giving you a check. It is not the bill on a check," Jackson Lee said. "It is to study slavery and develop reparations proposals, which would create, first of all, the platform for understanding."

Rep. Jamaal Bowman talked about reparations frequently when he campaigned for his New York congressional seat.

"We haven't taken a moment to stop and pause and reflect and look ourselves in the mirror as a country and really be honest with ourselves about how those harms continue to persist," Bowman said.

A group of advocates has been pushing Democrats to bring the bill up for a vote, arguing that it is deeply popular.

"We are working diligently to basically get them all in a room with us and tell us directly how we can move this bill forward," said Nicole Austin-Hillery of Human Rights Watch, one of the advocates calling for a meeting with House leaders. "They have the power to do it, and we're imploring them to do so."

Some argue that House leadership has yet to bring the bill up for a vote because they fear a backlash among voters. Democrats are coming off of a series of bruising off-year elections that featured fresh Republican attacks on race and culture. In next year's midterms, Democrats will be defending incredibly slim majorities.

"The Democratic leaders are saying that they are scared if they move this legislation today, that it will hurt their chances of keeping control of the Congress," said Howard.

Advocates are urging Biden to act without Congress

A senior Democratic aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the status of pending legislation, said that conversations about the legislation are ongoing, and that Democratic leadership and the White House are working together on the path forward. The aide said that equity is a central priority of the party.

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a co-sponsor of the bill, told reporters earlier this year that he hopes that President Biden considers establishing a commission similar to the one called for in H.R. 40 using executive authority, noting that the chances of the bill passing the Senate "are pretty dim." In the evenly divided Senate, legislation requires 60 votes to overcome a filibuster. A Senate companion bill, sponsored by Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, has just 22 co-sponsors, with no Republicans.

The idea of Biden establishing a commission on his own has also won the support of some activists, including the Rev. Mark Thompson.

"What sets H.R. 40 apart from all of those other pieces of legislation that 'Manchinema' are blocking, is this" he said — using a compound reference to moderate Democratic Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona. "H.R 40 is the only one ... that Biden can sign and enact by executive order."

The White House hasn't said whether Biden would consider creating a commission on his own.

"He supports a number of components of the bill, including the funding and the proposal for a study, which he feels would be the next important step forward and something that he feels would be absolutely correct in addressing ... these moments in history," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in June.

Jackson Lee said she's focused on the legislative process and still hopes to get a "successful result" in the House, but said that there's a "great deal of power in the White House and in the presidency."

"I think there is certainly a sufficient body of people that would give President Biden a standing ovation if that was the direction that we needed to take," she said.

[bottleblondefeelingconned]

This is probably extremely weird, but I have an idea for a DSMP x Fate Holy Grail War AU

Okay, for starters for those who don't know, a Holy Grail war is when the manifestation of legends of "Heroes" are summoned (Servants), and they and their Masters compete Battle Royale style to the death. The winning Master and Servant get their wishes granted from the Holy Grail.

There are seven classes of Servants:

1. Sabers

2. Lancers

3. Archers

4. Riders

5. Casters

6. Assassins

7. Beserkers

Seven Servants and seven Masters. There's normally a Ruler Servant who oversees the Holy Grail War and makes sure non-participants.

This is how it's supposed to work in theory. It normally doesn't, for spice ✨

Feel free to look at posts I've reblogged or TV Tropes for a better understanding of the framework.

Back to the AU idea, it involves the DSMP, but in a more modern setting. Normally, the Holy Grail War is supposed to take place in Fuyuki, Japan (the OGs: Fate Stay Night, Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven's Feel, but it has happened in America (Fate Strange Fake) Romania (Fate Apocrypha) and the Moon (Fate Extra) among others.

First of all, I'll begin with Tommy, because I had an epiphany as to who his servant should be. Here me out: Beserker Servant, Kriemhild.

Kriemhild (from the German Nibelungenlied) was a tragic figure. Her husband was the heroic and selfless Siegfried (slayed the dragon Fafnir with Balmung) who was murdered along with their only child Gunther due to Kriemhild and her family being betrayed by her older brother Gunther (son was named after brother to add salt into the wound) and Hagen in order to get access to the treasure (originally Fafnir's) that was rightfully Kriemhild's inheritance. Kriemhild also had a brother called Giselher who says he's on Kriemhild's side but just doesn't do anything and helps out his brother and Hagen. The vengeful window then married Etzel, the epic's Attila the Hun (a pagan when she was Christian, a Big Thing back then) and by god did she get her bloody, bloody revenge on the family who took everything from her. Back then, however, a girl turning against her family like that, despite them murdering her husband and son was despicable, and thus she went down in history as a crazed villainess. Oh, Hagen killed the son she had with Eztel too, just to add salt to the wound. Just to be clear though, Kriemhild is tragic, but she also got a lot of innocent people killed, and was the downfall of both the Burgundians and the Huns. Her story is essentially a dark exploration of the lengths one has to go to and the lines one has to cross to conduct revenge.

Moving onto why I think she should be partnered with Tommy:

Tommy is a child soldier who while looks selfish is actually super selfless (fought in L'mangburg war, lost two lives for it, gave up his discs for country's independence, fought Dream the villain, etc.), who was exiled twice by his nation and was backstabbed by his friends and family (Tubbo (under sympathetic circumstances) was forced to exile him, Wilbur hurt him while mentally ill and ultimately abandoned him to go to fucking Utah, Techno betrayed Tommy first, he offered him to Dream when he and Tommy were supposed to be friends), Tommy thought Dream was a friend until he realised how fucking evil he really was, Sam failed to rescue him from the prison, and Tubbo and Ranboo fucked off and got married when Tommy needed them (I love them but I can admit they fucked up there).

My point is: Tommy is a tragic child who was hurt and betrayed by everyone he ever loved, but holds no ill will towards them because he's that good of a person (even empathises with fucking Dream: "how do you not hurt?")

And you know who that seems similar to fate's interpretation of? SIEGFRIED

Kriemhild would see Tommy and know that a person who puts everyone's else's happiness before themselves is doomed to tragedy, just like Siegfried (and while her brother and Hagen murdered him in cold blood, she also feels guilty because she Told them Siegfried's weakness (his back, man was literally backstabbed by his brother-in-law and friend) because she Trusted her brother and it costed her Everything), and Tommy's also young enough to remind her of her innocently murdered sons Gunther and the one she had with Eztel too (points for Tommy also being murdered by Dream, a semi-older brother figure).

I think she'd feel protective of Tommy because of it. Tommy would remind her that there's still good people in the world and Kriemhild would hopefully get Tommy to stand up for himself and learn that it's okay to hate people who hurt you.

I just reckon you'd have a really interesting relationship between the two.

Other characters I'd have are:

Wilbur (returned from Utah so we get that angst)

Dream

Quackity

Techno

Sam (working with Quackity)

And someone else

I'm not too sure on all the Servants yet, but I have two ideas:

Quackity - Ushiwakamaru (Rider)

Quackity acts heartless but he's a softie at heart who is full of love but refuses to ever let him get hurt again. He was in an abusive relationship and killed his abuser before eating his heart, because he's just that metal. Quackity tortured Dream for what he did to Tommy (I personally headcanon that Quackity gave Dream the same scars that green bitch gave Tommy. Quackity would look out for Tommy, but not in an obvious way. He has his Cool Persona, after all.

Quackity needs someone loyal to him but someone who isn't afraid to be pragmatic and play dirty. That's Ushiwakamaru to a T (homegirl has killed kids before [Babylonia]). Not only would Quackity be secretly So Concerned that this kid is a Servant, but you also have Ushiwakamaru's backstory in being betrayed by her older brother Minamoto-no-Yoritomo. Fate's appeal is how different characters from across space and time interact with one another, and you have delicious parallels with Kriemhild (Ushiwakamaru loves her brother while Kriemhild fucking hates hers) as well as Tommy (his messed up pseudo brother relationship with Wilbur, Techno and even Dream), and all these characters' philosophies to it all.

My second idea is for Techno's Servant. He's obsessed with Greek mythology, so you'd think I'd pair him with someone strong like Achilles, or Hercules or Castor and Pollux. Here me out though: Jason. Jason is a slimy man whose a brilliant tactician and works best when cornered. The story of Jason and Medea is well known. We all know how Jason betrayed Medea (he did point out how terrifying a woman who murdered her innocent little brother for you is though) which lead to Medea killing their children and eventually Jason died penniless and alone, crushed by his own ship with no one to mourn. A classic greek tale of hubris. Let's make it clear though, I love both Medea and Jason (hard not to after Atlantis).

I think Jason's reaction to Kriemhild would be interesting. A homicide woman triggers his Medea Button, plus he has regrets about how he treated Medea (if Fate [Greek]) allowed it, they could have been happy together, OSP does a good video on it if you're interested), and he loved his kids. He might see a bit of them in Tommy, the only child in the Holy Grail War.

I can personally see Dream and Techno teaming up too, and Jason would be so creeped out and disgusted by Dream. I also think Kriemhild would have it out for Techno too, a backstabbing 'older brother' triggers her Gunther Button.

I'll add to this later, but tell me your ideas please I want this to be a multi-person project.

Just note, I want to include the good and bad elements of a person's character. That's what makes them interesting. Point out their flaws too.

[heather-chandlers-weirder-cousin]

OKAY.

The Official, (so far) Up To Date, TAACC Timeline

-1957: Kameron Kramer is born in Springville, Georgia.

-1961: Cory Caspers is born in San Sobelle, California. Andy Armstice is born in Lateral, Washington, with the power to create shield constructs.

-1967: Mezi Manders is born.

-1972: Bella Burns is born in Lateral, Washington.

-1975: Cory is electrocuted messing around with the fuse box in the basement while home alone, gains powers. She dons the mantle of Charge and starts fighting crime.

-1978: Cory’s parents find out she is Charge at age 16. When she refuses to give up the mantle to settle down, she is thrown out. Bella starts out as a sidekick of Andy under the mantle of Brace, a superhero with the power to turn invisible.

-1981: Queenie Quinton is born in [REDACTED]

-1985: Mezi enlists in the US Army. Kalypso Kramer is born in Springville, Georgia. The Division for Research and Development of/on Superheros, or DRaDoS is formed.

-1986: Mezi is used as part of a DRaDoS experiment. She comes out of it with the power to do necromancy. 

-1989: Mezi goes awol. Britta Burns is born in Lateral, Washington, with the power to create arrow constructs.

-1990: DRaDoS adds chemicals to the water supply of an area of Portlake in an attempt to study how it affects the local birthrate of superpowered individuals. Kylie Kangross, a shapeshifter, is created by DRaDoS.

-1991: Harper Harris is born in Portlake, Oregon, with the power of precognition. Bella moves with Britta to Beachwood, California. Her and Cory start talking as friends, Cory mentoring Bella to an extent.

-1993: Iasu Ito is born in New Yak, New Yak.

-1992: Leander and Livia Lawrence are created as part of a cloning experiment by DRaDoS.

-1994: Artemis Altamirano is born in Fort Beaumont, Mexico

-1995: Aria is genetically engineered and constructed to be the superpowered guardian of Chanago, Illinois.

-1998: The Harris family moves to San Sobelle so that both Harper’s parents can take jobs in the mayor’s office. The animated children's film 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer' comes out. The Harris family watches it on Christmas day.

-1999: Both the Harris parents are killed in a hostage situation at the mayors office. Charge takes in Harper as a legal guardian. Maggie Mendoza is born in San Sobelle, California.

-2000: Harper Harris dons the mantle of ‘Highlighter’, a superhero with the ability to see things a split second before they happen. He meets Brace.

-2003: Queenie is hired by DRaDoS.

-2004: Kalypso is murdered. Kameron starts his quest to bring him back.

-2005: Feeling unappreciated by Cory, Harper runs away and stays with Bella Burns and her daughter Britta for a year. Leander and Livia escape the DRaDoS facility they were being kept in. 

-2006: Harper goes back to live with Cory. Charge and Brace stop speaking. Livia tries to murder Leander for the first time- see Heartbeat.

-2008: Britta Burns runs away from Bella’s house. Kylie and Leander meet. Aria crash lands in Way’s Gap, Illinois.

-2009: Kalypso is brought back from the dead by Kameron with the (non-willing) help of Mezi. Artemis Altamirano and Maguire Midson are  kidnapped and experimented on by DRaDoS.

-2010: Harper moves out of Cory’s place, starts handling crime primarily alone and in the downtown area of San Sobelle. Fern Farring is born in Bernhill, Utah. Leander meets Archer, and officially starts Kallistic. The Raptors are formed, initially consisting of Artemis Altamirano, Maguire Midson, [the dead guy] and handled by Queenie Quinton.

-2011: Maggie Mendoza loses her parents to a lab fire at age 12, and gains the power to turn into magma from this same event due to being exposed to certain chemicals. Charge takes her under her wing. Iasu Ito is picked to be part of a DRaDoS experiment.

-2012: Maggie Mendoza makes her debut as Charge’s sidekick by the name of Magma. Iasu joins the Raptors after training.

-2013: At Maggie's request, the Caspers-Harris-Mendoza family starts celebrating a version of Christmas. As part of it, they watch Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1998) on Christmas day.

-2014: Fall of New England.

-2015: Maggie and Charge start having frequent arguments about various aspects of superheroism. [The dead guy] is ‘decommissioned’ from the Raptors.

-2016: Fern Farring gains the ability to create portals after being locked in a closet for dangerously long.

-2018: Harper Harris commits suicide by toaster bath at 27. Magma, in a fit of rage, reveals her identity to the public and denounces vigilantism. She moves out of Cory’s at 19. Fern Farring runs away from their parents.

-2022: Fern Farring takes up the mantle of Folly when they're on the streets.

-2024: Fern ends up on the streets of San Sobelle and is taken under Charge's wing. They take up a new identity- Failsafe, Charge's latest sidekick. Present.

[sportofusalacrosse]

Top lacrosse video today: This Long Pole Made THE BEST PLAY of The PLL Championship ?? #shorts

Top lacrosse news

„Last Week around the Leagues” – PLL Lacrosse

„McGee (Abington) returns to Colorado Boulder as assistant women’s coach” – phillylacrosse

„Philly connection led Utah Archers to another PLL championship” – phillylacrosse

Best tweets – 2024. 09. 17.

[laresearchette]

Sunday, September 15, 2024 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?: TULSA KING (Season 2) (Paramount+ Canada) 60 MINUTES (Global) 7:30pm 76TH PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS (CTV2) 8:00pm SISTER WIVES (TLC Canada) 10:00pm

WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT?: MOONFLOWER MURDERS (PBS Feed) RIDLEY (PBS Feed) VAN DER VALK (PBS Feed) ANIMAL GENIUS (TBD - Nat Geo Canada) MURDER BELOW DECK (TBD - Lifetime Canada) NATIONAL PARKS: USA (TBD - Nat Geo Canada)

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

NETFLIX CANADA 19-2 (Seasons 1-4) THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS ESCAPE ROOM THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS

NFL FOOTBALL (TSN/TSN4) 1:00pm: Buccaneers vs. Lions (TSN/TSN4) 4:00pm: Rams vs. Cardinals (TSN/TSN4/TSN5) 8:20pm: Bears vs. Texans

MLB BASEBALL (SN) 1:00pm: Cardinals vs. Jays (SN Now) 4:00pm: Rangers vs. Mariners (TSN2) 7:00pm: Dodgers vs. Braves

NWSL SOCCER (TSN3) 1:00pm: Washington Spirit vs. Houston Dash

WNBA BASKETBALL (SN1) 3:00pm: Wings vs. Fever

PREMIER LACROSSE LEAGUE (TSN2) 3:00pm: Championship - Maryland Whipsnakes vs. Utah Archers

MLS SOCCER (TSN3) 7:00pm: Seattle vs. Kansas City

WEATHERING WITH YOU (Starz Canada) 7:05pm: A boy runs away to Tokyo and befriends a girl who appears to be able to manipulate the weather.

THE STONES AND BRIAN JONES (documentary) 9:00pm: Candid interviews and never-before-seen footage reveal how Brian Jones, the founder of "The Rolling Stones," is left behind in the shadows of history.

LOST TREASURES OF ROME (Nat Geo Canada) 9:00pm (SEASON PREMIERE): New discoveries reveal the secrets of Roman gladiators' enduring appeal.

TROPPO (Super Channel Fuse) 9:00pm: Amanda takes a huge risk playing Twist and Bryce against each other and uncovers the truth about Lars' death.

ROCK SOLID BUILDS (HGTV Canada) 10:00pm: Inspired by Newfoundland fishing stages complete with a staggering ocean view, the team breaks ground on a five-star chicken coop where Randy is the one with the creative vision and Nikki is the one holding the chainsaw.

[suckitsurveys]

Put your music player of choice on shuffle and list the first 10 songs. 1. Kid Gloves - Voxtrot 2. The Archer - Taylor Swift 3. Wake Up - Arcade Fire 4. Under Pressure - David Bowie 5. Capricorn - Vampire Weekend 6. Doin’ Time - Lana Del Rey (Sublime cover) 7. A-Punk - Vampire Weekend 8. Billie Bossa Nova - Billie Eilish 9. This Island - Le Tigre 10. Time Is Up - Poppy ft. Diplo

Do you have connections to any celebrities (even minor)? Uhhhhhh I don’t think so.

Name 3 items you could pick up from where you are. My phone, my coffee, a Princess Carolyn Funko Pop.

What kind of headphones do you use? Some crap from Amazon.

What musical artists have you seen perform live? A LOT.

Does virginity matter to you? Virginity is a social construct.

What gaming consoles do you or your family own? We have a Wii lol.

Name at least one book you loved as a child. The Ramona Quimby books.

What’s your native language? If that language has distinct regional variations, which variation? (eg. AU English, US English) US English.

What’s your favourite number, and why? 24, because it appears a lot in my life.

Earliest moment in your life you can remember? I remember bits and pieces of living in the apartment before we moved to the house when I was 5.

What’s your favourite candy/chocolate? Kit Kats.

How would you describe your sense of humour? Sarcastic, witty, punny, dumb.

Do you wear much jewellery? Not much. I always have earrings in my cartilage and a ring in my nose as far as piercings go. And I have a permanent bracelet on my left wrist and I almost always have at least a hair tie on my right, though currently I have two Vampire Weekend friendship bracelets on there too.

Last 3 blogs on your dashboard, not including any of your own. Nah.

Longest drive you have ever been on? The drive to and from Boston. On our way there we stopped overnight but on the way back we just went for it and rested here and there. It took us 21 hours total.

Furthest away from home you have ever been? Utah/Nevada.

What programs do you currently have open? This and shit for work.

Last strong smell you can remember smelling? Clorox wipes.

Ever written fanfiction for anything? Hehehehehehehheheheheheh maybe.

Do you track any tags? No. I don’t do shit on tumblr any more except for this.

What is something you feel you’re “due for”? I don’t know, some fucking mental stability?

What is the earliest online space you remember joining/inhabiting? How old were you and what do you remember or miss (or not miss) about that space? I was 12 when I joined a Yahoo chatroom for the first time. I don’t miss it at all and looking back I should not have been interacting with the people who were in there.

Has a hobby or interest of yours been so obsessive to the point of interfering with your responsibilities or “real life”? Uhhhh probably.

If you had to reread a book right now, which book would you reread? There’s a lot I want to reread but I just don’t have the mental capacity for books right now.

What are some media that epitomize an ideal relationship to you — be it a platonic relationship/friendship, a parental relationship, a romantic or sexual relationship, etc.? Bob and Linda Belcher come to mind first but I am sure there are lots of examples.

Have you ever hit your significant other? Has he/she ever hit you? Only with consent.....heheheheh.

What colour is your hairbrush/comb? It’s black and purple. I also have a round brush that’s blue.

Do you care about anyone that doesn’t care about you? Feels that way sometimes.

Which one of your relatives is most likely to embarrass you? My sister.

Do you usually get popcorn or soda at the movie theatre? Yes, of course.

How many bank accounts do you have? Two.

Have you ever had the flu? Yes.

What is your goal for the next few months? Not die.

Have you ever had some kind of sleep-disorder? Nothing diagnosed, no.

Have you ever had food poisoning before? No, thank god.

What are two things that you have no problem paying full price for? Tattoos and parking.

Ever been to a haunted house? How scared were you? Yes. Not for me.

Would you marry somebody who was intensely religious? They probably wouldn’t wanna fucking marry me hahahaha.

Did you pull a senior prank? I didn’t myself, but my friends did. We had TVs in every classroom that played morning announcements and news stories and shit every morning and two of my friends were helpers in the AV room and one day they figured out how to broadcast Debbie Does Dallas on all the TVs instead of the usual announcements and it was honestly so funny because I went to a private religious school and the teachers were mortified.

Did you graduate? High school, yes.

What was the last song you listened to? Last Night by The Strokes.

Is fashion one of your interests? I mean, I am interested in it on other people, but I don’t care about being fashionable myself on a day to day basis.

Is acting something you enjoy? Sure.

What was the last thing you broke/sprained? I haven’t done either of those things in a while, knock on wood.

Has a stranger ever yelled at you for your language? Once, yeah. I said a curse word to a friend while waiting to cross a street and and a mom with her kid glared at me and said, “real nice language” in a loud menacing tone.

Whose house, other than yours and your families’, are you most comfortable at? Lolly’s.

Have you ever burned someone’s picture? Yes.

Would you ever get a lip tattoo? Nah.

Do your parents smoke cigarettes? Nope.

What does one of your T-shirts have written on it? I have a shirt with Daria on it that says “I’m overcome with emotion.”

Name a pet you definitely wouldn’t want. I’m not sure. I’d be open to any kind of pet if I had the means.

What did you love the most about the town you grew up in? The food, the culture, downtown, the summers, the architecture. I love Chicago.

What’s a book that you read because everyone else was reading it? I mean, I did that for school.

Underwater or outer space? Underwater.

Bird watching or whale watching? Either would be nice.

What is your spirit animal? This term isn’t for white people to use.

What was your best subject in school? Art or sociology.

What was your worst subject in school? The rest of it.

Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds.

[acemeg]

never mind

zach geddes decided to be boring and score

[somethingaboutvampires]

Welp my least favorite team won the PLL championship, but onto bigger and better next year

[incorrectnwsl]

Christen Press: Since when do you carry a switchblade?

Kelley O'Hara: It’s a long story.

[Flashback to Kelley looking at a switchblade through a shop window]

Kelley: Neat.

[usafphantom2]

Inside The Air Force’s Biggest Live Air-To-Air Missile Shoot

Jamie HunterPUBLISHED Jun 12, 2023 11:32 AM EDT

An F-16C fires an AIM-9M Sidewinder during Exercise Combat Archer in May 2023. Jamie Hunter

“It’s incredibly important for us to get a weapons system evaluation of all of our munitions, whether it’s air-to-ground or air-to-air,” Col. Brian DeWitt, 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group (WEG) commander explains to The War Zone. To meet this requirement, the U.S. Air Force regularly invites its fighter squadrons to Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida to gain experience and hone their skills firing live missiles at real airborne targets.

In this exclusive five-part, week-long series, The War Zone brings unprecedented inside access to Exercise Combat Archer, also known as the Weapons System Evaluation Program, or WSEP, where not only U.S. Air Force, but also U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine Corps units work hard to ensure that when a pilot locks up a target, it can be dealt a lethal blow.

The missile firing that occurs at Tyndall has a dual purpose. “Under U.S. Code Title 10, there’s a mandated requirement [for the military] to undertake both development and operational testing of its equipment, and part of that is to take fielded weapons and test them to ensure they meet requirements for sustainability, reliability, and lethality,” Col. DeWitt explains.

F-16Cs from the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw AFB and from the 93rd Fighter Squadron "Florida Makos" head out for a Combat Archer mission, with live missiles carried on their starboard wings. Jamie Hunter

The military airborne range complex over the Gulf of Mexico that abuts the Florida coastline is a hotbed of development testing for new weapons, as well as being a training environment for frontline forces.

WSEP dates back to the Vietnam War when squadron pilots and their weapons systems failed to meet expectations. During that conflict, sophisticated new air-to-air missiles didn't perform in the manner predicted by their developmental test data. It was recognized that the testing often failed to represent the environment pilots would actually face in combat.

WSEP was therefore established to give fighter squadrons the opportunity to employ air-to-air weapons in situations that are as close to a combat environment as possible. “This isn’t just a weapons evaluation, it’s about weapons performance through unit effectiveness,” says Col. DeWitt.

A Raytheon AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) loaded on an F-15C during Combat Archer in May 2023 complete with a brown band to denote a live rocket motor, and a yellow band to denote that it has a live warhead. Jamie Hunter

The 53rd WEG is a critical element of Air Combat Command (ACC), and part of the renowned 53rd Wing, which is one of the lead units responsible for Air Force operational testing and major test exercises such as Black Flag, which features strongly in evaluating cutting-edge USAF capabilities, as previously reported by The War Zone on more than one occasion.

The WEG is headquartered at Tyndall AFB, on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico in the Florida Panhandle. It is responsible for a key part of the Title 10 test and evaluation work for the Air Force in the form of the Combat Archer and Combat Hammer WSEPs.

While Combat Hammer is typically run out of Hill Air Force Base in Utah and focuses on air-to-ground munitions evaluations, Combat Archer is all about firing live air-to-air missiles, designed both to ensure the weapons work as expected, and that squadrons are suitably trained and equipped to effectively employ the weapons.

The packed Combat Archer flight line in May 2023 with a mix of F-16s, F-15s, and F-35s. Jamie Hunter

The WEG includes a number of distinctive units at Tyndall that each bring a key capability to the overall effectiveness of Combat Archer. The 83rd Fighter Weapons Squadron (FWS) is ultimately responsible for running the exercises. It includes weapons specialists and Program Managers (PMs), who coach each fighter squadron in the Air Force and Navy as they take their turn to participate in a WSEP.

“The Program Managers are aircrew instructors in each specific aircraft type,” explains Col. DeWitt. “They are the experts when the units come here. They teach the aircrews and fly with them, chase them through each shot and ensure they are employing correctly with the different missiles, which are typically Raytheon’s AIM-9M and -9X Sidewinders and AIM-120 AMRAAMs [Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles]. Some WSEPs also include aerial gunnery, firing at towed banners.”

A 93rd Fighter Squadron "Florida Makos" pilot gives the squadron hand sign of the jaws of the Mako shark. Jamie Hunter

Each year the WEG runs approximately nine Combat Archers at Tyndall (there are also occasional events at Hill AFB), and the visiting squadrons prepare for the exercise, deploy to Tyndall, and participate in the live firing, under the expert guidance of the PMs. Ultimately, the squadrons come to Tyndall to fire live missiles, to both check out new hardware and software on those weapons, and to give squadron weapons teams and aircrew the experience of actual end-to-end employment of their primary weapons.

“I also have a number of maintainers here that are weapons evaluators,” Col. DeWitt adds. “They follow, observe, and assist the deployed units to see how effective they are. Have they shown up with the right equipment and the right training? How can we help them so that when they go and do this for real downrange they have the practice, they feel good about what they’ve been trained on, and it’s not their first time doing it.”

An F-15C of the California Air National Guard gets airborne during Combat Archer. Jamie Hunter

Firing off live, high-tech missiles, near the Florida coastline isn’t without its challenges, including major safety and security concerns. Creating a realistic and safe training environment includes fitting missiles with telemetry packs instead of warheads and the jets themselves carrying telemetry pods to track their position in the airspace. Ultimately, the aim is successfully shooting at fighter-representative targets. Each performance — from the weapons-loading team to the pilots — is scored based on the probability-of-kill (pk) rate and targets hit during the sorties.

The huge Eglin Gulf Test Range and Training Range, which lies adjacent to Tyndall, is monitored, and controlled by the resident 81st Air Control Squadron. With oil and gas exploration, shipping, fishing, and a range of surface activities, the missile shooting areas must be ‘sanitized’ before the daily exercise activities can commence. This involves use of two surveillance-radar-equipped E-9A Widgets, which are operated by the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron (ATRS) and used to build an up-to-the-minute picture of the ocean’s surface inside the ranges. This enables the 83rd FWS team to build a safe ‘shoot track’ for each day’s WSEP activities.

Part of the 82nd ATRS mission also aligns directly with the Title 10 mandate in that the unit provides combat-configured, combat-representative, target drones for the missile shots. The Air Force uses both the Kratos BQM-167 sub-scale drone, and the Boeing-converted QF-16 Full-Scale Aerial Target (FSAT) to fulfill this role, and both are a critical element of each Combat Archer exercise.

A BQM-167 sub-scale drone operated by the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron is launched for a WSEP mission. USAF/Sara Vidoni

Combat Archer — focusing on air-to-air — is designed to make sure the complete weapons system works. That includes the munitions themselves and the process that takes them from storage, build-up, configuration, and loading, the jets being correctly maintained and configured to fire them, the mission planning, training, and ultimately the moment they are fired and guided to the target. Under scrutiny are the techniques and tactics that are used, to ensure they are all valid and work as planned when called upon. It is ultimately designed to ensure America’s fighter squadrons are ready for combat.

“In the past, we would focus purely on the weapon, from when [the pilot] pressed the ‘pickle’ button to how the weapon performed from there,” explains Col. DeWitt. “Today, we take a wider view of the whole picture to gauge what we need to improve on and where we need to spend money and employ training in order to make this whole process better. Training our people to build the weapons correctly, designing the weapons correctly — all the things that need to happen so that when the pilot presses the button the target blows up when it’s supposed to.”

An F-35A of the 4th Fighter Squadron taxies out at Tyndall AFB in May 2023 for a Combat Archer mission. Jamie Hunter

“It used to be a case of whichever unit was available on their schedule would come and do these evaluations, because previously we were mainly focused on the weapon," says Col. DeWitt. "However, we have now changed that to fit with the USAF’s Force Generation model. This means that we are now generally working with units that are getting ready to deploy on combat operations or be ready for combatant commanders to pull downrange when needed. So, they come here and get an outside look at how they're performing, whilst getting them some training and experience. So today, it’s a kind of certification program before they go into combat.”

WSEP has evolved. More than ever, it’s designed to put squadrons and their weapons to the test. These squadrons must be ready for the fight when called upon. WSEP makes sure the entire system works as advertised. But this is a complex exercise with a raft of distinct elements that are key to success.

In this week-long series, we go take an unprecedented look into Combat Archer and its many moving parts, including flying on multiple missile shoot sorties. In part two of the series, The War Zone focuses on the targets that pilots fire at, including how they are equipped and operate, and why some pilots have to fly 'hands-off' in QF-16 drones that are controlled from the ground.

[archermechanicalinc]

The Archer Mechanical team evaluates your interests, goals and budgets to determine the Project Delivery Method that best suits your objective.PLAN SPEC:Archer Mechanical has the experience needed for your plan-spec project. We examine the plans and specifications, determine the lowest possible cost, and then build to your design. We work closely with the general contractor, architect and engineer teams to anticipate any issues and avoid change orders by providing cost effective solutions to your construction projects. DESIGN-ASSIST:Working as a collective group from the start not only allows for the best end result, but also for the quickest, most cost effective and efficient construction process. In the Design-Assist delivery method; Archer Mechanical works closely on and off-line with the design team and all consultants. Archer aids in the coordination of systems and the completion of the design. We analyze the Mechanical systems and methods comparing both price and performance. Our teams collaborate with owners, architects, and construction managers to design mechanical systems that accomplish multiple construction objectives while reducing building costs to deliver the maximum value on your dollars spent. DESIGN-BUILD:The Design-build delivery method can streamline budgets and schedules, provide single-source accountability with minimal change orders, ultimately delivering a high-value product for the owner. Cost control. Provide a single point of accountability. Identify your objectives, manage contractual details, and evaluate options to maximize energy efficiency, sustainability and costs. Provide faster project delivery and a more reliable mechanical system. The project becomes a collaborative effort allowing for early starts on construction and early procurement of critical materials. Construction costs are locked in by eliminating the change orders. Target Value:Design Target Value Design (TVD) is delivery method that consists of designing a project to the customers predetermined budget requirements, rather than establishing costs after the design is completed. As a design-assist and design-build contractor, Archer Mechanical regularly provides input towards design, sustainability and best used practices to maintain project budgets. With the Target Value Design method you can be certain that your “expected costs” do not exceed your “budgeted costs”. GMP Development:When an expedited schedule, early product procurement and fast track project delivery are the critical factors to the success of your projects, a GMP format may be in your best interests. At Archer Mechanical we understand the importance of preconstruction services, early procurement, expedited schedule and establishing a definitive cost estimate that reflects a complete project scope. A guaranteed maximum price allows us to predetermine costs, critical paths and complete your project earlier than the standard construction process.