#Concrete Companies in Parker CO

[snconstruction]

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[gumnut-logic]

We’ll Be Home For Christmas 5.1

Title: We’ll be home for Christmas

Day Five – Here on Tracy Island – Part 1 Prologue | 1.1 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 5.1

Author: Gumnut

20 Jun 2020

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: The boys can���t fly home for Christmas, so they have to find another way.

Word count: 3313

Spoilers & warnings: language and so, so much fluff. Science!Gordon. Artist!Virgil, Minor various ships, mostly background.

Timeline: Christmas Season 3, I have also kinda ignored the main storyline of Season 3. The boys needed a break, so I gave them one. Post season 3B, before Season 3C cos I started this fic before we saw it.

Author’s note: For @scattergraph​​​​​. This is my 2019 TAG Secret Santa fic :D

No, I haven’t forgotten about this fic, and yes, it hit the six month mark about two weeks ago. I started writing this 8 Dec 2019. I’m nearly there.

Landmark, though. It is now officially my longest Thunderbirds fic, overtaking Gentle Rain today at around 60,000 words, depending on which word processing program it is sitting in. Never expected it to be this long.

This chapter pretty much wrote itself. It is almost like a role call of the five brothers and their states of mind. So a little bit of all the bros in this. I hope you enjoy.

Many thanks to @i-am-chidorixblossom​​​ @scribbles97​​​​​ and @onereyofstarlight​​​​​ for reading through various bits, fielding my many wibblies, and for all their wonderful support.

Disclaimer: Mine? You’ve got to be kidding. Money? Don’t have any, don’t bother.

-o-o-o-

Day Five: Here on Tracy Island

Virgil woke late the next morning. It was a pleasant awakening, slipping from deep sleep to doze to a peaceful warmth beneath the covers. His room was dark. Darker than his cabin on A Little Lightning and with decidedly less sway.

He lay there for a while, enjoying the lack of need to get up and do anything and the absence of pain. He had slept the sleep of the dead and was thoroughly rested. There was something to be said about sleeping in your own bed at home that no holiday anywhere could provide.

But honestly, he wasn’t one to sit and do nothing for long, his brain kicking into gear while he lay there, listing off things waiting to be done. A visit to Two to reassure himself she had been checked over and was ready should she be needed. Not that he didn’t trust his family, it was just for his own peace of mind.

He should be able to get away with it so long as he didn’t spend too much time down there.

It took him a full half an hour of random rumination to realise that it was Christmas Day.

Oh shit.

The clock said eleven am.

His family...

He sat up abruptly and was thoroughly reminded of how stupid such a move was.

Oh, for the love of...

He grunted and rolled over until his face was smothered in his pillow.

The medic in his brain listed off the reasons why he shouldn’t have done that and why he needed to be careful and, goddamnit, he was sick of this. It was only an appendix, for crying out loud.

Stupid surgery.

That could have been so much worse.

He was being a spoilt child.

He let out a breath into his pillow, its warmth wrapping around his face. Another week and he would be fine.

But now, it was eleven oh five on Christmas morning and he was holding his family up.

He clambered out of bed with minimal complaint from his body, into the shower, a shave and into his familiar red flannel, jeans and boots.

It was such a comfort to be home.

He blow-dried his hair, gelled it up and made himself presentable.

The man who stared at him from his bathroom mirror was one appendix less and a whole pile of experience more.

He hummed to himself, tasting the notes in his throat. He could feel the soft whale skin under his fingertips, hear the lap of the water, the breeze in his hair...

And the music.

His eyes were closed without permission, the imagery taking over his mind. His fingers tapped against the bathroom vanity marking out the beat and rhythm of what he was trying to say, the pictures warping into abstract and lack of understanding.

Salty and long spoken, the notes repeated.

He didn’t know how long he stood there under the bathroom light, eyes seeing another world somewhere below the ocean surface.

By the time he shook off the haze it was eleven forty-five.

Almost lunchtime.

Alan would be foaming at the bit.

He pushed himself away from the sink and killed the light. Walking carefully across his room, he shook himself, rolling his shoulders. Get it together, Virgil. Your family is waiting for you.

Out through the door, down the corridor and, screw the stairs, he was taking the elevator.

It swallowed him whole.

-o-o-o-

Gordon had been up since before the sun. It was a sign that he was home. A session in the pool brought familiarity into the equation. There was definitely a difference between swimming in the pool versus the ocean and it had nothing to do with water salinity.

The ocean was beautiful and he adored it. But the pool sported no threat, no need to monitor his surroundings beyond the presence of a mischievous brother or two, leaving him to be able to focus on his stroke and let his mind wander.

The pleasant warmth of well used muscles pulling him forward through the water, simple thought processing...and considering the last few days, there were a lot of thoughts awaiting examination.

Some he had managed while piloting A Little Lightning on the home stretch, but there were still more needing answers and tactical decisions.

Sam. Mel. Scott. John. Virgil.

As far as he knew, Scott was still planning on inviting the neighbours over today. That would place Sam within reach of the apparently resistant Virgil.

He understood where both men were coming from. Virgil needed time and Sam was just a ball of eager energy.

Gordon was stuck between the two.

Push came to shove, he would side with Virgil regardless. He had too. But he really didn’t want to be divisive. If Virgil would talk just a little, it would help not only Sam and himself, but it might assuage the ball of worried energy that was Scott.

His arms sliced through water until he reached the end of the lane, his body automatically flipping and turning into the push off surge in the opposite direction. Air, splash and his hands slicing through the water again.

Okay, he would admit that he was worried himself. At first it was just amazing. His brother could sing to whales! A breakthrough. But yesterday he witnessed exactly how spaced Virgil became when singing and everything screamed wary. Humpback whales were beautiful creatures, but so big and so possibly unintentionally dangerous.

He couldn’t let Virgil anywhere near a whale alone. It just wasn’t safe. There was so much they didn’t know and the urge to protect his gentle brother just swelled in his heart.

They needed to investigate further. Find out exactly what was going on. Make sure his brother was safe. That it didn’t affect any water rescues.

They couldn’t afford to have Virgil spacing out in the ocean at random. As it was, Gordon wasn’t going to let Virgil anywhere near the ocean during rescues for the foreseeable future. He could stay up in Two.

Safe.

Whale song could travel around the globe.

His native realm had become a hazard for his big brother and that was unacceptable.

They had to find out what was going on.

John and Eos had made a good start, but Sam and himself needed to investigate further and soon.

Virgil needed to cooperate for his own safety.

Gordon broke his stroke, pushed himself to the side of the pool and rested his head on the concrete a moment, letting his body float randomly.

Blood pumped through his ears, his heart still running at exercise rate.

He needed to convince Virgil.

Somehow.

-o-o-o-

Scott revelled in the early dawn light. His feet pounded on his wonderfully familiar route around the Island. A trek he hadn’t laid eyes on for a week.

His runners crunched volcanic gravel beneath them.

The sun was just rising on Christmas Day, the beautiful weather hanging strong, the sea a stretch of glass disappearing off into the horizon. His current trajectory pointed him directly south where he knew beyond the glass lay Raoul Island. A single spot in a sea of blue, so similar to the even tinier spot that was Tracy Island.

Same sea of blue.

A pokey tree appeared on the side of the track, its red flowers quite glorious in the morning sun, and he found himself grinning. Sure, he knew the correct name of the pōhutukawa tree, but Alan’s name was so much easier to pronounce and it made Mel laugh.

His legs took the strain as he jogged up the rapidly steepening trail.

If he was honest with himself, the whole no strings attached thing was a lie. He found himself thinking about the woman more the longer they were away from Raoul.

And they only left yesterday.

As soon as the sun was high enough in the sky to be polite, he would be contacting Raoul with his invitation to her, Sam and Liam. It wasn’t the only time he had invited people to the Island, they weren’t entirely hermits, but it was rare and the first time in a long time.

And he was so looking forward to it.

Penny and Parker were due after breakfast as was the tradition. As soon as everyone was awake, they would have their present opening party, always a major family event. More for the company and laughter than the presents themselves.

He could almost hear Gordon declaring it ‘Tracy style’ complete with the arm movements to compliment the claim.

But Mel...it was like he was excited to show her the Island, perhaps because he knew she would be very interested in the ecosystem that had developed here since their father had begun repairing it over a decade ago.

And he was staring at it right now as he followed the path around the back of the Island. Pokey trees, palms and ferns were everywhere a foothold was available. Scott knew very little about their ecosystem beyond the need to keep it safe. Gordon and Virgil were the ones who knew most about it among the brothers. Gordon focussed on the sea and Virgil sometimes helped out with animal numbers and photography for the scientific group.

But Mel hadn’t been here since Dad...

He grunted and hurdled a rock he hurdled every morning as the slope inverted and started heading down. The view was stunning.

Despite the glass of the ocean, the swell still crashed on the back cliffs of the Island, jagged volcanic rock resistant to the relentless pounding.

Hopefully she would consent to the visit even though it was late notice.

He did have a Thunderbird, after all.

-o-o-o-

John hadn’t slept much. He never did when something was on his mind. His everything drove him to find a solution, particularly when a brother was involved.

Eos never slept, so she was the perfect insomnia companion.

There was also the factor that he was home, but he really wasn’t.

He was missing Five.

Now he was back on the Island, everything was screaming at him to go home.

Not that he didn’t like the Island, quite the opposite. The Island contained his brothers, his grandmother, Kayo, his family and he adored his family.

But the stars were calling to him. His body ached to feel the release from gravity. He wanted his home.

He ignored it.

His body needed gravity. It was an undeniable fact. It had evolved under the pressure exerted by the planet and while his mind adored the stars and the lack of gravity, nature demanded its return under the ‘use it or lose it’ mandate of life on Earth.

So, tired, but awake anyway as the sun hit the front of the villa, John made his way down to the pool where he found Gordon, as expected, in the water, but unexpectedly, not swimming. His head was lying on one arm at the edge of the pool, his body floating lazily behind.

John dropped his towel on a lounger and, bare footed to the edge next to his brother. Folding himself into a seated position he dropped his feet to dangle in the cool water.

“Gordon?”

“Hmm?” His head rose a little blearily. “Oh, John, hey.”

“Merry Christmas.”

“Huh? What, oh, Merry Christmas, John.”

A frown. “You okay?”

Gordon flexed his shoulders. “Yeah, just thinking.”

“Virgil?”

“Yeah.”

John sighed. “Same. But you do know he’s okay?”

“Yeah, just thinking it through.”

John pushed himself into the water and couldn’t help a relieved sigh as the water took away so many of the effects of gravity, cradling his body. “Swim with me?”

Brown eyes turned to him and John saw a reflection of his own worry in their depths. “Sure.” Gordon pushed off from the edge, his movements graceful despite his distraction.

John moved to the lane next to Gordon’s preferred and lined up beside his fish brother. Gordon shot him a brief but grateful smile before pushing off the end in a careless surge into stroke. He was metres ahead before John had even shifted into form.

Typical.

Show off.

But he couldn’t help but smile as he pushed off the edge himself, automatically moving into a strong but leisurely stroke in warm up.

Swimming denied verbal communication, but it wasn’t needed, the two of them just keeping each other company.

By the fifth lap, John started pushing himself, putting his body through the exercise needed to keep it healthy. He had no delusions of keeping up with Gordon. He just paced himself as his body needed it. Twenty laps in, he eased up a little and checked on his brother.

Gordon was still going. John brought himself to a halt, treading water, muscles pleasantly buzzing.

“Hey, John.” The astronaut startled, turning in place to find Scott standing on the edge of the pool. His running gear appeared well used, sweat stains prominent, and he was still breathing heavily. “Just letting you know that I’m going to be taking One out in about half an hour.”

“You going to get Mel and Sam?” Gordon was suddenly beside him. It was a sign of how tired John actually was that his younger brother startled him almost as much as Scott had a moment earlier.

“Yeah.”

“Can I come with?”

“Don’t you want to be here for when Penny arrives?”

John arched an eyebrow in Gordon’s direction. The fish had been looking forward to Christmas for that very reason. Before Virgil’s illness, it had been Penelope this, Penelope that. Apparently, he had the ‘best’ gift lined up for their first Christmas as a couple. Whether or not that was still going ahead considering recent events, John had no idea. Gordon hadn’t mentioned it since Virgil fell ill.

“I thought you had the fastest plane on the planet, Scotty.”

Their eldest brother snorted. “Plane, yes, younger brother, no.”

“Hey, I can be fast.” A strawberry blond frown. “Regardless, I need to speak to Sam.”

Scott eyed him a moment. “Virgil?”

Gordon sighed. “Yeah, Virgil. Gotta handle this delicately.”

Scott’s lips thinned. “Okay, then you better be ready in thirty because that’s when I’m leaving.”

The fish was already climbing out of the pool. Wet footprints marked the concrete as he strode to his towel.

Blue eyes turned to John. “You okay? You look tired.”

John let water run through his fingers. “I am, but I’ll live.”

Voice quiet. “Virgil?”

A single nod, voice equally quiet. “Virgil. Eos, Gordon and I will work it out. We just need time.” And patience. Admittedly, he didn’t have much of that where his brothers’ health was concerned. He could fake it, but it didn’t mean he felt it.

Scott’s expression was thoughtful. “I know you will do your best. Don’t forget to look after yourself.”

A groan. This was why Virgil was always adamant that he was fine. I single hint of something wrong and their biggest brother was all over them, his concern obvious. “I’m fine, Scott.”

That earned him a grunt and John actually struggled not to smile at his brother’s exasperation. John swam to the pool edge and pushed himself out of the water. A wave in the direction of the rising sun’s reflection. “The pool is all yours, dear brother.”

Scott eyed him. “Thank you.”

The morning breeze cooled John enough to raise goose pimples on his arms. Before he could reach for his towel, Scott was handing it to him.

Ever the big brother. It was John’s turn to eye him back. “Thank you.”

Scott smiled at him, a definite smirk on those lips. He knew exactly what John was thinking and had likely done it on purpose. “Anytime.”

Hmmm. “Merry Christmas, Scott.”

Those blue eyes widened as his big brother obviously realised that despite all the preparations underway, despite the tree they had stacked with presents the night before, he had still managed to forget the significance of the day.

It was John’s turn to smirk.

But Scott recovered quickly, tilting his head, a small smile on his lips. “Merry Christmas, John.”

With that he turned and headed off into the house.

-o-o-o-

Alan loved to sleep in. He shared this love with his second eldest brother. Getting up early sucked big time and he had no coffee addiction to help him.

But there was one day of the year when you could witness the youngest Tracy out of bed, while not early, at least a decent time where breakfast could still be called breakfast and not lunch or even brunch.

Christmas Day.

Alan adored the day. Presents, food and family, what more could a guy ask for?

So, eight am found him stumbling down the stairs to the kitchen in search of the second and third items on the list. He found Grandma at the kitchen table eating her fruit and yoghurt.

Alan made no effort to be quiet, but she didn’t appear to realise he was there, staring out across the lagoon. “Grandma?”

She dropped her spoon with a clatter as it hit the bowl. “Alan!” She clutched her hand to her chest, gasping. “You frightened me. Gave my old heart a kick in the pants.”

“Sorry, Grandma. Are you okay?”

“This time. Though I wouldn’t recommend doing it too often.” She held out an arm. “C’mere and give me a Christmas hug.”

Now that was something he was quite happy to do. Grandma hugs were always appreciated. “Merry Christmas, Grandma.” He held her tight.

“Merry Christmas, honey. Are you hungry?”

Uh, that was always a loaded question and there were important indicators related to that. “Where is everyone?” He had expected to find at least John down here. His space brother would eat his breakfast staring out into the lagoon and follow it with work on his tablet just to be around family in his own way. But not today.

“Scott and Gordon have gone to Raoul to collect Ms Fisher and that scientist friend of Gordon’s.”

“Sam?”

“I guess. They were both in quite a hurry to leave.”

That set Alan grinning. “I think Scott likes Mel.”

An arched eyebrow. “I thought she liked Virgil.”

A snort accompanied the grin. “I don’t think she is Virgil’s kind of girl.”

Of course, that was the very moment Kayo decided to enter the kitchen. She had obviously been on a run, dressed in shorts and a high cut top.

“Who’s Virgil’s kind of girl?”

Alan’s eyes widened. “Um.”

Green narrowed at him. “What are you up to, Alan?”

“Nothing!” He held out his hands. “What did I do?”

“I’m more concerned with what you are going to do.”

“Suspicious, much? I’m going to eat breakfast, that’s what.”

She continued to eye him. “No practical jokes today.”

“I wasn’t planning on it. Gee, you’d think I was Gordy or something.”

“Gordon will be contained by Lady Penelope. You, however, are not.”

“And what? That makes me some kind of prank genius?”

“Genius, no, annoyance, yes.”

“Hey, Merry Christmas, Kayo. How about a little of the spirit?”

She glared and him and grunted before turning away and stalking off.

“What’s up her skirt?”

“Alan!”

“Well, you saw her. I didn’t do anything!”

Grandma was quiet a moment. “She has things on her mind.”

“When doesn’t she?”

“Let her be.”

“I didn’t do anything!”

Grandma sighed. “Things will work themselves out for the best.”

Alan stared at his grandmother. What on Earth was going on? Did everyone know something that he didn’t. He sighed. Wouldn’t be the first time. “I’m going grab some breakfast.”

“Yes, dear.” And Grandma was staring out at the lagoon again.

What the-?

Alan grabbed the refrigerator door and flung it open, his eyes raking its contents. Perhaps food would fix things.

A glance at Grandma found that she hadn’t moved.

There was definitely something going on.

-o-o-o-

End Day 5 Part 1

[cryptiboy]

Just as a fun fact, here’s a list of many of the companies that are directly affiliated with amazon- my computer doesn’t have internet connection so I can’t make a text transcript right now, but if you’re able to, PLEASE help me make this accessible to everyone and spread the list, don’t be a scab

EDIT: ( transcript: image is a list. List is as follows:

Clothing:

28 Palms

7 goals

A for Awesome

Arabella

Buttoned Down

Cable Stitch

Camp Moonlight

Clifton Heritage

Coastal Blue

Comfort Denim Outfitters

Core 10

Crafted Collar

Daily Ritual

Denim Bloom

Ella Moon

Emma Riley

Essentialist

Good Brief

Goodsport

Goodthreads

Hale

Haven Outerwear

Hayden Rose

Indigo Society

Isle Bay Linens

James & Erin

Kid Nation

Kold Feet

Lark & Ro

Lily Parker

Madeline Kelly

Madison Denim

Mae

Mariella Bella

Mint Lilac

Moon and Back

Ocean Blues

Painted Heart

Paris Sunday

Peak Velocity

North Eleven

Plumberry

Quality Durables Co.

Rebel Canyon

Rugged Mile Denim

Savoir Faire

Scout + Ro

ShopBop

Signature Society

Smart Is Beautiful

Smitten

Social Graces

Something For Everyone

Spotted Zebra

Stocking Fox

Suite Alice

Sweatermen

The Cambridge Collection

The Luna Coalition

The Plus Project

The Slumber Project

Trailside Supply Co.

True Angel

Ugly Fair Isle

Velvet Rope

Wild Meadow

Wood Paper Company

 Shoes:

206 Collective

Franklin & Freeman

The Fix

Zappos

 Food:

365

Amazon Fresh

Happy Belly

Single

Single Cow Burger

Whole Foods Market

Wickedly Prime

    Medicine:

Basic Care

 Bed, Bath, and Cleaning:

Pike Street

Pinzon

Presto!

Soap.com

 Baby Products:

Diapers.com

Family Hood

Mama Bear

 Pets:

Wag

 Furniture:

Bloom Street

Rivet

Stone & Beam

Strathwood

 Make Up:

Beauty Bar

Instant Pretty

 Wallets:

Leather Architect

 Handbags:

The Lovely Tote Co.

Find

 Tech:

NuPro

 Tools:

Denali

 Auto:

GT Prime

RV Me

 Media:

Abebooks

Audible

Box Office Mojo

Comixology

Double Helix Games

Goodreads

IMDB.com

Skate Creek

Twitch

    Assorted Goods:

Concrete New York

MyHabit

Small Parts

Solimo

 Other:

Alexa.com

Amazon

Amazon Basics

Amazon Elements

Amazon Essentials

Amazon Prime

Quidsi

end transcription )

[bucky-my-barnes]

Preference #1: How You Meet!

Tony:

Walking down the sidewalk minding your own business on the way to work you overhear a loud crash followed by a woman screaming. Throwing your phone in your bag you headed towards the screaming to see if you could help, you were a nurse after all. Upon reaching the scene you see a lady standing over a child who wasn’t moving and a car smoking against a fire hydrant that was spraying everywhere. Leaning down you wanted to tend to the child seeing he wasn’t breathing at all and covered in injuries.

Quickly you started administering CPR not noticing the sounds going on around you as something large clearly landed beside you. Coughing the child gasps for air, turning you see Iron Man next tp you. “Please take him to the hospital, I’ll phone ahead and tell them you are coming!”You pleaded with him taking the child and setting them in his suit covered arms.

Obviously you knew who it was, you did watch the news after all, and there was no one better to help than a Superhero! Seeing him nod and take off the jets thrusting him up into the air. For some reason you couldn’t help but hope you would see him again.

Steve:

A long time ago your parents had become in debt to the wrong people, and now you found yourself forced to be an agent of HYDRA. Not that you wanted to be of course, but it was the only way you could secure your little sisters freedom. Not only did they make you to hurt people, but they also forced you to undergo experiments at their whimsy. Unfortunately none of the powers you developed could hurt anyone, quite the contrary as you found yourself able to speed up cell growth and heal people. It also worked on plants which if you saw nature much might excite or even help you.

Stalking down the corridors doing your usual guard duty since they didn’t trust you to do much else at that point, you heard a loud banging followed by the alarms sounding. A breech was made somewhere, and that meant that you were now very much in danger from whatever force could infiltrate a HYDRA base. Someone wearing a red, white, and blue costume rounded the corner making you feel as if your heart was in your throat. Taking a deep breath you close your eyes and wait for what was going to happen next but nothing came.

“Drop your weapon and I won’t hurt you.”The deep voice rang out firmly causing you to drop it almost immediately. “Come with me you don’t have to do this.”He pleaded the look behind his eyes telling you that he was being truthful.

“I can’t they will take my sister if I leave.”You say biting your lower lip softly before taking off running in the opposite direction dreading the consequences you would face later for not addressing the threat.

Clint:

Coming out of the military, the Army to be specific you had no idea what you were going to do now that you were just a civilian. It felt weird to be out of fatigues and back into jeans but after serving your time and then some you were looking forward to having some sort of semblance of a life. Where the choices you made were your own, and you had a soft bed to sleep in at night especially the same bed every night. However as you walked around your old stomping grounds in New York you felt the ground start to rumble. Suddenly out of almost now where there were Chitauri everywhere to be seen, people screaming and things turning to chaos around you.

Grabbing your pistol out of your ankle holster you knew you only had a good six shots at most in it, so you would only use it when necessary. Quickly you began helping people get out of the way and into a place that would hopefully be safer. One of the creatures decided to try and take you out, so you quickly shot it in the head watching it drop to the ground in front of you. Unfortunately that kept you distracted long enough that you didn’t hear the one land behind you, and it swung out grabbing your leg forcing you into the air.

The next thing you knew you were hurdling towards the ground, an arrow now sticking out of it’s skull killing it immediately. There was nothing you could do but fall from that height and embrace your death… until you felt a pair of warm arms around you effectively catching you. “Falling for me already?”The blonde man asked with a chuckle.

Bruce:

Today was an exciting day because at your university there was going to be a couple of guest speakers to talk about the importance of studying science. While it wasn’t exactly the type of science you were studying which was Environmental Science, it was open to you as a science major. So when you had the chance to listen to two Avengers speak, there was no way you weren’t going to take on that opportunity. Opening the door you knew you were kind of early, but as you had always been taught to be. Taking a seat in the front row you didn’t even acknowledge that they were setting up on the stage.

Looking down at your phone you made sure to let your roommate know that you weren’t going to be home until later because of the talk. Hearing someone clear their throat in front of you jarred you from your current thought. Gazing up your (e/c) eyes met with soft brown ones in return, clearly this was Dr. Bruce Banner standing before you. “You are a little early aren’t you?”He asked with a clear amused expression.

“Well like my Dad always told me, if you are on time, you’re late. I guess it’s still ingrained in me today.”You replied blushing.

“He seems like a wise man.”Bruce chuckled before winking and walking back towards the stage after someone beckoned him.

Thor:

When Jane called you and asked you to help break her and some others into a top secret SHIELD facility you couldn’t believe your ears. So you met up where she asked you to randevu them just outside of the fenced in area. Opening the back of the van you set your tools down and began getting them situated. “Alright so does someone want to explain to me what is going on?”You begin looking to Jane and Darcy with a confused expression.

“Well (Y/N), I think it is best if he explains.”Jane said pointing to a blonde haired man now standing beside you. Curiously you turned your expression towards him to let him speak, although you were taken aback by how handsome he was.

“If I may Lady/Sir (Y/N), my name is Thor, and my hammer Mjolnir is being held captive in there. If I can just get to it, I can prove who I am. We need your help, Lady Jane here says that you are our only hope. Please, I beg of you.”He said falling to his knees before you.

“Thor, as in Norse mythology Thor?”You asked scoffing almost unable to believe his story, but a part of you wanted it to be true. “Alright lock and load, let’s do this before I change my mind.”You sighed leading the way, your bag of tools in tow.

Loki:

Running around with your sister Lady Sif when you were a child it was only natural that you would encounter the Princes’ at some point. It seemed your sister was infatuated with Thor even then, but you didn’t see what she saw. In fact it was Loki that caught your attention, he just had an air about him that appealed to you. You admired his intelligence, and the fact that he could wield magic even though you had never seen it in person.

However you would never utter those words, and you didn’t have to for he read your mind. It was shocking to him that you would prefer his company over his brothers, it wasn’t everyday that people even paid attention to his presence but here you were. “Would you like to accompany me to the gardens and see the flowers?”Loki asked holding out his small hand waiting for you to put yours in it.

“I would love to my Prince.”You smiled taking his hand giving him a little bow/curtsy before following him, your sister long since forgotten. Not that she noticed your disappearance anyway, too caught up in Thor.

Pietro:

It was rather quickly that the two of you met, it was when everyone was fighting Ultron, you being a mutant and in the area you decided to lend your help to the Avengers. Everything was going on so fast but luckily you had the power to slow down time so when you saw a white haired man going to protect another man and a child it was a clear recipe for disaster. Keeping time as slow as possible you teleported over grabbing all of them before teleporting away again, resuming time as normal. The bullets hit the concrete but Wanda didn’t know that she thought her brother was gone ending the fight once and for all.

“Y-You saved me.”Pietro said blinking still not quite sure what had happened but he was grateful to be alive to say the least. “Thank you, I can’t thank you enough.”He blurted out hugging you tightly before letting go.

“Keep out of trouble Speedy.”You chuckled before winking and teleporting back to Xavier’s school.

Peter Parker:

When your father told you he was going to enroll you in Midtown, Peter’s school so you could keep an eye on him it didn’t exactly sit well. Not only was Peter not even aware of your existence, but he had no idea your father wanted someone to watch over him. However when he offered to pay you a pretty penny and offered to finally build you, your own suit you couldn’t pass up that opportunity. He explained to the school who you were, and how you wouldn’t be going by your last name as he didn’t want someone to be able to threaten you if they knew who your father was. Then he requested that Peter be the one to show you around which they quickly agreed to, because let’s face it who turns down Tony Stark?

Leaving you to your own devices to wait for Peter you started to feel bad that he wouldn’t know why you were really there, or who you really were. That all melted away when you saw a cute boy with brown curly hair and a pleasant smile on his face. “Hi I’m Peter Parker, I assume you are (Y/F/N) (Y/L/N)? I’m supposed to be showing you around today if that’s okay, it looks like we have the same schedule.”He said introducing himself holding his hand out for you to shake.

“That’s right, and that would be great Peter thanks!”You said as cheerfully as you could muster on a Monday morning taking his hand.

Bucky:

Tony had called you in to help someone as you had helped him many times before with his PTSD and other issues. When you were on the phone he didn’t sound exactly happy to be helping this person but said it was a personal favor for Steve or as the rest of the world knew him: Captain America. Walking into the building you knew it was serious when you were met with not only Tony but Steve and Sam as well. “Hello boys, to what do I owe the pleasure of being invited to Stark tower?”You ask trying to lighten the mood a little catching on that this was a source of tension so it could only be one person… The Winter Soldier.

“You see we need someone that Bucky can talk to that isn’t an Avenger, he is getting better in some ways and falling back in others. Every night he seems to have nightmares about the things he did for HYDRA and it wasn’t him.”Steve explained getting a scoff from Tony but when Steve glared at him he stuck his hands in the air defensively. Leading the way through the hallways you felt like there was pit in the depths of your stomach, it wasn’t fear...it was curiosity? Obviously you knew who he was and what he had done, specifically to Tony no less. However it was you that made him see the other side of things and brought them together.

Pushing you into a room Tony shut and locked the door behind you. “Well that was a little excessive Anthony.”You said receiving a scoff that almost sounded like a laugh from the other side of the room where Bucky sat. “Sorry he does seem to have a flair for the dramatic after all.”You apologized sitting in the chair across from him earning another scoff in your direction. “Alright let’s get down to business. I’m Dr. (Y/F/N) (Y/L/N), I’m a psychologist, I’m not going to lie about why I am here. Your friends are worried, and I am here to help provided that you want me to.”You explain holding your hand out for him to shake.

“James Barnes, but everyone calls me Bucky.”He said shaking your hand apprehensively.

Sam:

Working as a volunteer for the VA hospital was one of your more rewarding efforts that you had taken on. Ever since your brother was killed in action it was the thing that helped put you back together in the end. Currently you were going around asking people if they needed anything to drink or eat, pushing a snack cart along. Not paying attention you accidentally rammed someone with it rather harshly enough to send the handle back into your stomach. “Oh my goodness I’m so sorry!”You cried out rushing over to help the man off the floor. As he became eye level you couldn’t help but notice how attractive he was, and that didn’t help the blush go away any faster. “I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing, are you alright?”You asked checking him for injuries.

“I’m okay, it’s really no big deal. It’s not everyday that I run into someone like you.”Sam said looking you up and down curiously. “I’m Sam, and it’s nice to see another dedicated volunteer, so much so that you didn’t see me coming.”He joked winking at you.

“I’m (Y/N), and this place really does miracles if you let it, not just for the Veteran’s it serves but for their families too.”You explained with a smile knowing that you could very easily become good friends with Sam.

Natasha:

How you got where you were today, you didn’t know but it wasn’t a happy place to be sure. It was a small dilapidated cell with a rotting mattress on the floor and a chamber pot in the corner. The only thing on the walls were the small tally mark scratches you had started to make just to keep track of the days, not that it mattered. It’s just where they kept you when they weren’t taking your blood, or injecting you with God knows what. Sure you had the power to manipulate the elements but you refused to hurt anyone, and that rubbed them the wrong way. More than once it led to them trying to torture you into using them, and last time it almost worked.

It was only a matter of time before they cracked you, and it was coming sooner rather than later. Hearing the door slam open you jumped and slid to the corner of the cell, even though if they truly wanted to get to you it would do no good. The cell opened and you closed your eyes hoping that the fear you were experiencing didn’t set off your powers. Instead you heard a woman’s voice which was new to you, usually it had been all males. “Are you okay?”The voice called again.

“Please don’t hurt me.”You said softly barely above a whisper, having not used your voice in what felt like years.

“I promise I’m here to help you, my name is Natasha. Let’s get out of here, what do you say to that?”She asked making you smile taking her hand.

“I think my name is (Y/N).”You said trying to recall what your parents had called you as a child for the first time in a long time you felt...safe.

Wanda:

Being the manager for The Avenger’s was fun to say the least, but they did not make it easy by any stretch of the word. Tony called you and the others in because he and Fury were going to introduce the two newest additions to the initiative. Great two more people to chase after to make sure they weren’t doing something they weren’t supposed to do. A PR nightmare in the waiting is what you kept thinking before you walked into the room seeing the most beautiful woman you thought you had ever seen. Clearing your throat you put on a smile and tried not to think about her knowing full well she could read minds after reading her file.

“Ah right on time as always (Y/N)”Tony said with a smile motioning for you to come closer. “This is our manager, so please take it as easy on her as possible. We all make her job so much worse than it has to be I’m afraid.”He said introducing you with a laugh.

“I’m Wanda, and this is my brother Pietro.”The woman said introducing them with a timid smile, one just like it mimicked on her brothers face.

“It’s nice to meet you both, don’t worry I’m sure we will be good friends. I am just here to try and keep you guys out of trouble, or deal with it if you can’t.”You said letting out a giggle, seeing them both physically relax a little seeing that you weren’t a threat of any kind. “It’s definitely understandable to be a little tense after all you have been through, please if you need anything let me know.”You said sincerely.

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"You’ll Never See His Like Again!": Revisiting Comics Legend Stan Lee’s Best, Most Literary (and Vastly Underrated) Story, The Silver Surfer (1978)

By Jarret Keene

Stan “the Man” Lee is dead, but his creations are alive, pouncing across theaters, game screens, and t-shirts with equal parts vitality and sorrow. Today, Spider-Man and Thor and Captain America and Black Panther and so many others dominate our media landscape to a degree unthinkable 40 years ago when my father bought me The Silver Surfer graphic novel from a B. Dalton inside Tampa Bay Mall.

Back then comics (22-page floppies) were relegated to a single spinner rack in mall bookshops, a gimmick to draw kids into the store so their parents felt obliged to pick up garbage Sidney Sheldon’s thriller Bloodline. But The Silver Surfer didn’t fit in a metal rung; instead it was displayed amidst the regular literary trade paperbacks. Today it is vaguely praised on obscure blogs as being among the very first efforts to push comics into the realm of the literary epic during a brutal moment in the history of the comics industry. Staggering inflation, a crushing 1977 (and then a 1978) blizzard, and rising paper costs nearly sank DC Comics. Marvel, though, endured such challenges with Stan Lee’s relentless cheer, his grace under pressure, his courage to always try something new when everyone else cowered, caved.

In the late 1970s, the U.S. continued to fall apart. There was the ongoing energy crisis, serial killers like Ted Bundy lurked in every shadow, the Jonestown mass suicide played out like a dress rehearsal for a larger and more diabolical event, toxic waste burbled in landfills adjacent to pleasant neighborhoods, and Soviet Russia  rattled its nuclear saber. You wouldn’t know this from reading Marvel Comics, every issue offering a column called Stan’s Soapbox, wherein Lee waxed passionately, positively, and with the eloquence of a poetry-reading pitchman, about what was forthcoming from “the House of Ideas.”

Today Marvel is an idea-resistant shell of the company Lee built and oversaw, a house of ideology teeming with dour, OMG-chirping social-justice superheroes (gay mutant Iceman, lesbian Latinx warrior America Chavez, Muslim teenager Kamala Khan a.k.a. Ms. Marvel, female cancer-stricken Thor). Instead of debuting new characters, the current editorial team is content to reverse race and flip gender of, and add a dash of disability to, classic characters. In its prime, though—and starting in 1961 with the first issue of Fantastic Four — Marvel excelled at depicting authentic outcasts who felt a fierce responsibility to protect even those who hated them, feared them, wanted them dead. Lee’s characters — which he co-created with Jack Kirby, the artist who visually defined comics for an international audience — didn’t nurture wounds of identity and grievance; they waged their internal battles on a mythic scale. In the same way Oedipus confronted the ignorance of his birth, in the same way petulant Achilles struggled to overcome his narcissism, so did hapless high school reject and science nerd Peter Parker combat his own teenage doubt and ego and feelings of inadequacy.

Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962) containing the debut of Spider-Man, is arguably the single greatest and most important comics story ever written, its 11 pages defining not just the Marvel superhero but also the last half-century of U.S. comics. “With great power comes great responsibility” wasn’t merely an inspirational and moral slogan; it was also a metaphor for American exceptionalism, which could only result in senseless death (like, say, the murder of Peter’s uncle, Ben) if not applied toward just and proper ends. Parker is spoiled, his own worst enemy. He’s a purveyor of fake news, taking photos of himself in action as Spider-Man and selling them to the Daily Bugle to cover the cost of college tuition. We love Parker for his flaws, though, and for his commitment to overcoming them. We cherish his humanity even as we’re thrilled by his brawls with violent predators like Kraven the Hunter, bulky crime boss Kingpin, hideously armed Doctor Octopus.

The Silver Surfer isn’t human like Parker. The Surfer is carved from the “doomed messiah from beyond” mold a la Superman (or Beowulf or Jesus). But he isn’t adopted as a baby and given a Midwest upbringing. He is a silver-skinned alien riding a floating board, arriving on Earth to determine if it’s suitable for his planet-eating master Galactus. Lee and Kirby made a wise choice in never pinning down the exact size of this god of interstellar death, who, like the Surfer, was first introduced in the pages of Fantastic Four #48–50 (1966). That three-part story is a must-read, yes, but then, a decade later, Lee and Kirby collaborated on a 100-page retelling of the Surfer-and-Galactus saga, only this time the superheroes were removed, leaving just the god and his fallen angel. The result is a romantic, philosophical, and artistic statement that outstrips everything else Lee and Kirby collaborated on prior — which is saying a lot. It is also the last major work either of them would produce for Marvel, or for any company thereafter.

Today Marvel is an idea-resistant shell of the company Lee built and oversaw, a house of ideology teeming with dour, OMG-chirping social-justice superheroes

The Silver Surfer was published by arrangement with Fireside Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster in New York known for publishing a famous chess book. Based on a Kirby sketch, the cover is by artist Earl Norem, known for painting the covers of men’s adventure magazines and more than a few Marvel mags (like Savage Sword of Conan). Indeed, the painted cover gives the book literary gravitas. The interior art is all prime Kirby, with eloquent inks by Joe Sinnott, colors by Glynis Wein (first wife of the late Len Wein, who created Wolverine). The Silver Surfer is a feast for a comics-lover’s eyes; my battered copy still radiates visual power. But it’s the heartbreaking story and dialogue that set this effort apart from anything else in the history of comics and in the bibliography of Lee and Kirby.

Here the protagonist must choose between living forever to serve a devourer of worlds, or else die alongside eight billion earthlings to be rejoined with the obliterated love of his life, lovely and golden Ardina. In The Silver Surfer, Lee gives us a hero who sells his soul to the devil so as to thwart a holocaust and save a populated globe. He only meets a few dozen — many of who attack him physically. But he understands their potential to grow beyond their limitations. It’s not a story in tune with the 1970s, that post-Vietnam, post-JFK, post-Watergate era during which Marvel delivered dark, humorous characters like Ghost Rider. No, this was something else entirely.

The opening splash page is the closed fist of the planet-eater: Behold! The hand of Galactus! Behold! The hand of him who is like unto a god. Behold! The clutch of harnessed power — about to be released! The tone here is elevated, serious, Lee is writing in a style that evokes the Old Testament of the King James. The second page is a splash, too; in it, the mitt of Galactus opens and from it erupts the Surfer, who “streaks through the currents of space — ever-seeking, ever-searching — for he alone is herald to mighty Galactus.” The image is the visual distillation of an artist’s self-confidence, his arrogance. After all, doesn’t every artist believe himself to be God as he  manipulates his characters, his images, to suit his imaginative fancy? It’s also a breathtaking rendering of a big bang, or a biblical birth of the universe, without a benevolent designer in control. Here the god of the universe is a destroyer.

The universe seems endless and infinitely alluring to this mysterious star-wanderer, who yearns for  his own homeworld, Zenn-La, lost to him forever for reasons Lee doesn’t initially explain, but we presume Galactus ate it.

The Surfer enters the atmosphere of “a verdant sphere” unlike any he’s seen before. Soaring high above the streets of New York, he doesn’t hide from view. He is fascinated by the fear in the eyes of people, noting “how it is always the young who are the first to accept — and to trust.” He sees a woman who reminds him of Shalla Bal, a woman the Surfer loved on his own world. Haunted by her memory, he pursues this woman through the alleyways of Manhattan while imagining a conversation with this Shalla Bal lookalike. We learn that, years ago, the Surfer sacrificed his mortal body to Galactus to save Zenn-La from destruction.

Finally, the woman abandons him to his painful recollections… and then Galactus suddenly appears in a whirlwind of crackling energy, ready to devour Earth.

He congratulates the Surfer on a job well done and articulates in excruciating detail how he plans to sate his appetite: “Here shall I drain the gently rolling seas. Here shall the bountiful land yield to me its gift of life.” It is an impending act of reverse creation, a backward Genesis. But the herald of Galactus isn’t having any of it. When the Surfer fails to convince his master that the price of eight billion souls is too high, he lashes out at Galactus with “the power cosmic,” using it seal the destroyer in a concrete cocoon. It doesn’t hold Galactus for long. Disgusted, the world-eater blasts the Surfer from the sky, cursing the herald to live amidst “the dunghills of man” for a spell in order to ponder his mistake. Then Galactus disappears.

The Surfer recovers from his fall, then disguises himself by altering his appearance to resemble a male fashion model from a billboard. He wanders the city with admiration for its denizens until muggers approach him in Central Park. The Surfer shoos them away with a pyrotechnical display, then pledges to walk around without hiding his identity; concealment did nothing for him anyway. Meanwhile, we witness Galactus gorging on a planet in another solar system. Sated, his thoughts turn toward his missing herald. What can Galactus do to make the Surfer submit? The world-eater’s counsel, a sniveling Master of Guile, advises Galactus to provide the Surfer — our alien Adam — with an Eve, someone to betray the Surfer’s heart.

And so beautiful Ardina enters the picture. She sneaks the instantly smitten Surfer beyond Earth’s atmosphere, and they share in the pleasures of the spaceways. Floating now on a patch of green ringed with bright flowers in a neighboring galaxy, our hero is tempted to give up his standoff with Galactus. In the same way Dido tempted Aeneas to give up his destiny to found Rome, so does Ardina begin to entice the Surfer to submit to her — and by extension Galactus. He refuses, says he’s willing to die to save Earth, and so Ardina leads the Surfer on a journey into human darkness. “You will perish for a worthless cause,” she warns. She shows him “brutal images, a morbid montage of heart-rending scenes filled with carnage and strife.” Domestic violence. A child killed by a hit-and-run driver. A mass execution. Bombed ruins of a once-thriving city. The Surfer is jarred but not dissuaded.

And then something interesting happens: Ardina, designed to coldly seduce the Surfer to make him betray his convictions, ends up feeling a warm love for him.

So much so that when the Surfer, driven mad from having set foot inside a suburban home where the walls seem to be closing on him:

The ceiling — almost touching my head! No room to move! No place to soar! I see no sun — no sky — no endless reaches of rolling space! Wherever I face — wherever I turn — I am surrounded by smothering objects! Shelves and books! Pictures, clocks, and lamps! Chairs and drapes and shuttered windows! But where is the sky? Where is the cold, crisp touch of rolling space? Where are the hills, the seas, the nourishing stars in endless profusion? Without them I perish! 

Interestingly, the aspect of humankind that nearly causes the Surfer to surrender his mission is man’s stultifying existence inside tract-housing boxes.

Troubled by the experience, the Surfer races to escape Earth’s atmosphere. Riding bitch, Ardina screams: “The barrier! You have forgotten the barrier!”

The Surfer falls to Earth while Ardina re-materializes before Galactus inside his giant space vehicle. She admits she has failed. She confesses her love for the Surfer. Displeased, Galactus recalibrates her cloned body for one last mission. A mission that involves shattering the Surfer’s heart.

Meanwhile, the Surfer continues to be attacked by various humans. He is shot at, shackled and hammer-smashed, then the U.S. military blasts him with an ultra-sonic cannon, which nearly kills him. Ardina consoles him for a moment, kisses him, telling the Surfer she is with him and by his side, even after death. Which is when Galactus dissolves her into dead particles using a matrix-drone.

Now Galactus asks the Surfer to again join him in scouting the universe for other edible planets. It’s the only way Earth can be saved. The command is agonizing, for what Galactus offers is a living hell. To save Earth, the Surfer must cast off death, the ultimate escape and the one chance he has at being reunited with Ardina. But as the Surfer himself says: “Never was there a choice!”

The curse of immortality at the cost of true love is a familiar idea in ancient epics. The sea nymph Calypso offered Odysseus eternal life, but he refused it in order to be with his wife Penelope. But the Surfer has no options; he can’t be selfish enough to die and thus doom the Earth. What makes him a hero is his refusal to surrender and his willingness to embrace the agony of existence, of enslavement. He must deny himself every exit for humans to live on until they hopefully change themselves for the better. They must have a chance; the Surfer and Galactus give them one. 

The Surfer returns to the gauntlet of Galactus, disappearing within the destroyer’s fist.

✶

In this story, there is no Fantastic Four. No cameo appearances by Lee and Kirby. No clever narrative captions. Just the purest narrative of a hero fighting for an ideal, for the steadfast belief in our ability to one day rise above our petty evils, our arrogance and wrath. Lee wrote so many masterpieces of comics literature, but this one is his best because it best speaks to the principle he and his characters lived by: Never succumb to nihilism and despair. Never forget that we are similar in our anxieties and weaknesses, and that our individual identities matter less than our collective aspiration to improve our world and the lives of the people who inhabit it.

It’s a moral stance that today remains obscured by Internet social-justice frothing and the political insanity of being ruled by a reality-TV star. But the embers of Lee’s views are there for anyone to ignite and carry forward. Make no mistake: the world is poorer now without Lee. As the blurb on The Silver Surfer ’s back cover announces: “You will never see his like again!” We can, however, always see Lee’s passion and his love for humanity — for life! — in the work he and Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko and others left for us to enjoy.

Lee didn’t need to die for our sins. He endures, and so will we.

Never was there a choice.

Jarret Keene is an assistant professor in residence in the English Department at UNLV, where he teaches creative writing and ancient and medieval literature. His fiction, essays and verse have appeared in literary journals such as New England Review, Carolina Quarterly, and the Southeast Review. He is the author of several books and editor of acclaimed short-fiction anthologies. He is currently working on a critical biography of comic book legend Jack Kirby.

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Surface Treatment Chemicals Market Share, Industry Growth, Trend, Drivers, Challenges, Key Companies by 2027

The global Surface Treatment Chemicals Market is forecasted to be worth USD 19.90 Billion by 2027, according to a current analysis by Emergen Research. The market is witnessing an increased demand owing to the rising demand for durable and wear-resistant products. These chemicals are used in different fields, such as wood, glass, jewelry, medical, and others. The product is in high demand in automotive coatings. As the market for automotive is growing, the surface treatment chemicals are also witnessing an increased growth.

The report is refurbished with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global Surface Treatment Chemicals market. The pandemic and subsequent social restrictions have dynamically changed the market and impacted the economic scenario of the market through disruptions in the supply chains, financial difficulties, and changes in the demands and trends of the industry. Moreover, a shift in consumer behavior has also affected the Surface Treatment Chemicals industry. The report provides an in-depth impact analysis of the pandemic on the market to better understand the latest changes in the market and gain a futuristic outlook on a post-COVID-19 scenario.

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Key Highlights From The Report

In the industrial sector, surface treatment of plastic is not an uncommon process. An innumerable plastics are treated with the chemicals for enhanced wettability leading to proper adhesion of inks, paints, and coats.

The transportation sector held the largest market share as the industry is experiencing significant growth. The usage of surface treatment chemical coating in the automotive industry is a trend that helps in maintaining the aesthetics and quality of exteriors of the vehicle.

The Asia Pacific region is forecasted to grow with a CAGR of 6.6% during the forecast period. Countries such as China, Japan, and India are quickly catching up with the developed region in terms of the automotive and industrial sectors, which is augmenting the demand for surface treatment chemicals product in the region.

Key participants include NOF Corporation, Platform Specialty Products Corporation, Chemetall Inc., Atotech Deutschland GmbH, Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, A Brite Company, Nihon Parkerizing Co. Ltd., PPG Industries Inc., Advanced Chemical Company, and DOW, among others.

For the purpose of this report, Emergen Research has segmented into the global Surface Treatment Chemicals Market on the basis of chemical type, base material type, industry vertical, and region:

Chemical Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2017-2027)

Base Material Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2017-2027)

Industry Vertical Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion; 2017-2027)

Plating Chemicals

Cleaners

Conversion Coating

Plastics

Metals

Others

Construction

Transportation

General Industry

Others

Regional Landscape:

The report offers a comprehensive analysis of the current growth opportunities for various regions of the Surface Treatment Chemicals market, calculating their revenue share over the forecast timeline. Furthermore, the report analyzes the year-on-year growth rate of these regions over the forecast duration. The leading geographic regions encompassed in the report include:

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America

Middle East & Africa

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Key Questions Addressed:

What is the estimated value of the global Surface Treatment Chemicals market by the end of the forecast period?

What are the fundamental factors propelling the growth of the global Surface Treatment Chemicals market?

Which are the leading regions in the Surface Treatment Chemicals market with the highest market shares?

Which regional segment is likely to record the highest CAGR during the forecast duration?

What are their strengths and weaknesses of the leading companies in this market?

Highlights of the Table of Contents:

Report Overview  1.1 Research Scope 1.2 Key Surface Treatment Chemicals market segments 1.3 Major players 1.4 Market analysis by product type 1.5 Market analysis by application 1.6 Report timeline

Global Growth Trends 2.1 Global Surface Treatment Chemicals market size 2.2 Latest trends of the Surface Treatment Chemicals market by region 2.3 Key growth trends

Competitive Outlook 3.1 Global Surface Treatment Chemicals market key players 3.2 Global Surface Treatment Chemicals size by manufacturers 3.3 Products of major players 3.4 Entry barriers in the Surface Treatment Chemicals market 3.5 Mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and strategic alliances

Surface Treatment Chemicals Market by product type

4.1 Global Surface Treatment Chemicals Sales by Product

4.2 Global Surface Treatment Chemicals by Product Revenue

To know more about the report, visit @https://www.emergenresearch.com/industry-report/surface-treatment-chemicals-market

Thank you for reading our report. For more details on the report or to inquire about its customization, please let us know. We will offer you a report well-suited to your needs.

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Industrial Lubricants Market@ https://www.emergenresearch.com/industry-report/industrial-lubricants-market

Plastic Waste Management Market@ https://www.emergenresearch.com/industry-report/plastic-waste-management-market

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Adhesives & Sealants Market@ https://www.emergenresearch.com/industry-report/adhesives-sealants-market

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[acetreecare]

3 Things to Consider When Choosing a Wildfire Mitigation Company

If you live in an area prone to frequent wildfires, fire mitigation should be a priority for you, because it minimizes potential catastrophic damage. Fire mitigation refers to a proactive approach to create a safe area around a house and modify the construction in order to make it as fire-proof as possible. The defensible space is created by removing or modifying the surrounding vegetation, to reduce the intensity of wildfires and prevent them from spreading. Additional measures taken into account include reconsidering the size and the shape of the house, the construction materials it is made from (replacing combustible materials, such as wood and plastic, with non-combustible materials: natural stones, brick, concrete or metal) and the slope of the ground. If it sounds complicated, do not worry. There are wildfire mitigation companies out there that can develop an effective management plan to increase the protection of your property. When you choose such a company, make sure to consider these 3 things:

Credentials

Always choose a licensed wildfire mitigation company, which has certified and experienced employees.

Free estimate

Make sure you get a free and personalized offer, with no obligations. You should not feel pressured to sign a contract, until you make up your mind and decide to do it.

Professionalism

The best wildfire mitigation specialists do not simply clear cut your property from vegetation; they actually work with the existing natural aesthetics and use selective thinning practices.

from Fire Mitigation & Tree Removal CO | Colorado Springs, Parker, El Paso, Douglas & Elbert Counties - Blog https://www.acetreecareservices.com/blog/3-things-to-consider-when-choosing-a-wildfire-mitigation-company via https://www.acetreecareservices.com/blog

[wineanddinosaur]

In 2021, Who Are Beer Reviews Actually For?

The word “saturation” pops up a lot in conversations about the current American craft beer scene. It’s often in regard to hazy IPAs, but it can also apply to the industry as a whole. In 2020, the United States reached 8,764 for its brewery count. That’s almost double where we were in 2015, and more than four times 2010’s 1,758 total.

BeerAdvocate and RateBeer were founded in 1996 and 2000, respectively. DRAFT Magazine (R.I.P.), which regularly ran beer reviews alongside other industry and culture content, kicked off in 2006. At the time, reviews helped those interested in beer discover new brews and make purchasing decisions. They were all valuable navigation tools as options suddenly grew exponentially from a handful of mass-produced light lagers to riffs on European styles pouring from microbreweries all over the country. Reviews were worth the time investment, both in writing them and reading them, because people were still learning what different styles were and the beers being reviewed stuck around — one could read about a brew and then actually go find it.

Considering the staggering growth in the beer industry since then, though, it’s worth questioning: What’s the point of beer reviews anymore? Is that kind of time investment logical? When we’re speaking about professionally assigned, researched, written, and published reviews (compared to quick “4.7” ratings on Untappd), who are these reviews even for?

A quick scroll through Instagram, or through the “press release” section of industry news site Brewbound, is enough to confirm that, yes, every day is a fresh flurry of new releases from breweries across the country.

“We have a lot more breweries than we had five years ago,” says Brewers Association chief economist Bart Watson. “So there’s more to keep track of, but it doesn’t necessarily mean every individual brewery is putting out a lot more beers. Even if the average number of beers per brewery remains constant, we still have tons more releases.” Watson adds that craft beer’s business model has shifted in the last five years or so, too; it’s now more predicated on getting people to your taproom, a goal many breweries accomplish with relentless novelty and variety.

Writing and editing for outlets like Good Beer Hunting and Craft Beer & Brewing, Kate Bernot was an editor at DRAFT before the magazine shuttered. “Ten years ago, there were just fewer beers, let’s be real,” she says. “These small taproom-only releases were not the phenomenon they are now. People were having, I think, a more homogenous beer experience across the U.S.” Fewer beers and this more homogenous market of options, Bernot says, made it easier for reviews to reach readers and introduce them to craft styles they could actually find.

With so many breweries and limited shelf space to compete for, there’s a constant pressure to keep consumers excited. There’s the path of consistency, sure, promising fans they’ll be happy with the same core beers you’ve been brewing for a decade, but in the age of Untappd, with craft beer enthusiasts on a perpetual hunt for what’s new and now, releases that tick the boxes of limited, rare, and novel seem like a more surefire method. When Elysian Brewing opened in Seattle in 1996, says co-founder Joe Bisacca, there were only about 450 breweries nationwide.

“The rule of thumb was you needed a pale ale, ESB, stout, wheat, and maybe an amber or pilsner,” Bisacca says. Now, he adds, there are nearly 9,000 breweries packaging their beer, vying for retail accounts. “Innovation is a necessary thing to just get a seat at the table. If you don’t, you’re left out in the cold.”

Rob Day, senior director of marketing at Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers in Framingham, Mass., thinks craft beer has hit a peak in terms of pace. “I’m not sure people can release beers much faster or more limited than now,” he says. “We’re down to single-barrel batches and it’s such a small amount of beer to talk about and promote.” In Nashville, Jackalope Brewing Company CEO and co-founder Bailey Spaulding says that while it was prompted by pandemic restrictions shutting down their taproom for six months, her brewery’s team released 27 different limited brews in 2020.

While certainly not every brewery is churning out the same number of releases yearly — some are debuting even more — the very basic math of 8,764 breweries keeping consumers engaged with limited releases equals a constant deluge of beers nearly impossible to keep up with, especially for beer publications covering the entire country. Add to the equation that not only has the number of breweries, and therefore releases, skyrocketed, but the number of beer media outlets has dwindled. Jessica Infante is a reporter at Brewbound who has worked in the industry for almost 11 years. “There was plenty more beer media around than today,” she says of the scene five, 10 years ago. “There were lots of outlets to review products, and a lot fewer breweries making those products.”

Now, it seems the fastest and easiest way for people to discover releases is social media, namely Instagram. Jackie, a Virginia-based beer Instagrammer known as @thatonebeergirl, says she mostly finds new beers via Instagram or email subscriptions with breweries and bottle shops. In Tennessee, Anita Carter, a.k.a. @nashbeerfluencer, says she also finds Instagram most useful. And in Florida, Jamal D., or @thehopcircles, says “Instagram plays a huge role in what beers I’m trying or looking to try outside of Florida. Before Instagram, I would just drink local beer or a new IPA on tap at one of my local bars.”

A beer journalist who now has his own beer and so has experienced beer reviews from both sides, Ale Sharpton points out that Instagram has an unrivaled ability to broadcast so many components of craft beer to so many people at once.

“Social media shows off different styles of beer, different cool artwork on cans, different things going on socially,” Sharpton says. “It brings attention to brewing, and what different brewing choices bring, good and bad. It’s helped with diversity, showing Black, women, Latinx, and underrepresented communities both brewing and drinking, so it’s bringing all these people into beer.” With a quick post of an image on Instagram, a beer can reach thousands instantly, power that a publication’s beer review just can’t boast.

Beer reviews may no longer serve a discovery and navigation purpose in an industry where, by the time you read a review, the beer it’s about may well be long gone. But that doesn’t mean they serve no purpose. In fact, there are two important jobs for beer reviews now: education, and helping breweries stand out to retail accounts.

Beer reviews have always been tricky because of their subjectivity. There are hundreds of beer styles, thousands of beers, and millions of beer drinkers; varying opinions and preferences abound.

“Everybody doesn’t have the same palate,” Sharpton says. “It’s not like buying a car, where you’d read reviews to find something concrete, like what has the best gas mileage. Someone could hate sour beers and give them a low rating, then a sour fan comes along and says, ‘What are you talking about? This is fantastic.’”

Social media and Untappd have democratized beer. People can find beers on their own feeds and develop their own reviews for themselves, feeling less of a need to rely on professional reviewers for suggestions.

“People who use Untappd don’t necessarily want to read reviews by ‘experts,’” says beer writer and author Jeff Alworth. “Indeed, while a number of influencers and consultants call themselves experts, there’s really no famous reviewer or tastemaker in the beer world (à la [wine’s] Robert Parker of 2000). Beer is the people’s drink, and people feel entirely comfortable in their own tongues.”

What even the most subjective beer reviews can offer, however, when written by professional writers and beer judges, is education. Infante says she thinks reviews can help consumers become more informed beer drinkers. Rather than reading reviews to find out what beer to buy, consumers might today be best served by reading reviews for beer they’re already drinking, to see how their experience tracks with that of the reviewer’s, which could help build a stronger understanding of their own palates.

Jamie Bogner is the co-founder and editorial director of Craft Beer & Brewing, which caters to professional brewers, homebrewers, and dedicated beer enthusiasts. Reviews are a big part of the magazine’s content. “For us, there’s a component [of our reviews] that’s about helping folks develop their own language around beer and understand the connection between flavor and language,” he says. “You can try this beer and read this review and as you’re tasting the beer, you’re understanding what it means when someone says catty or woody or bright.”

@thatonebeergirl’s Jackie says she uses reviews for this purpose rather than individual beer discovery. “[It]t is usually because I have already opened my beer and tasted it and I want to see what others thought of the beer and compare their tasting notes to mine,” she says. “Also, if it is a new hop or a new-to-me hop and I can’t pinpoint the flavor, I’ll read reviews to help me decipher what I’m tasting.”

Those who are interested in growing their own beer education are one of the major audience groups for beer reviews in 2021. Writing for both Good Beer Hunting, which focuses on business and culture, and Craft Beer & Brewing, which drills down into brewing, ingredients, flavors, and aromas, Bernot identifies the latter’s readership as “deeply invested in beer recipes, processes, and development.”

“They care about homebrewing and beer judging, so a beer scoring high with professionally trained judges, they care about that,” she says. “They use scores and reviews to calibrate their palates to certain styles, and to know they’re drinking something reliably good.”

The other major audience for beer reviews today? Retail buyers. Along with innovation and consistent quality, another necessary piece of the puzzle when it comes to snagging precious shelf space for breweries is storytelling: What are you and your beer all about? Bogner says we are increasingly seeing breweries build their reputations on strong reviews and medal wins at competitions to stand out from the crowd to buyers at stores, restaurants, and bars. And buyers can use professionally written reviews from trusted critics and judges to delve deeper than Untappd ratings on beer quality when making purchasing decisions.

“Trying to get your beer into a new account, reviews lend some credibility,” Jackalope’s Spaulding says. “That’s still a useful tool for us. A brewery might be trying to say, ‘Hey, we’re doing this new thing,’ where maybe they don’t need to have every single one of their hazy IPAs reviewed, but want to show off something else they can flex their muscles in. That’s where it’s helpful to have a beer reviewed well.”

Positive reviews and competition victories can help build legacies for beers breweries would like to make flagships (which subsequently erases reviews’ relevance). Elysian’s Space Dust IPA is No. 1 in the brewery’s portfolio, Bisacca says, with a huge volume compared to its limited-release beers. Reviews help beers like Space Dust grow into retail accounts and solid sales numbers, but then, as Infante points out, who really needs to read a review for a beer that’s been around for years, like a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale? The reputation is already there.

Still, breweries looking to build brand stories off their core beers with limited releases will want those positive reviews in order to portray consistency to retail accounts as well as consumers. Jack’s Abby pioneered the hoppy lager style with Hoponius Union. That brew’s been a core beer for the brewery for a decade now, so for many craft beer fans, Jack’s Abby devotees, and even retail buyers, reading a review on it would be unnecessary. But reviews can and do help build on Hoponius Union’s brand when Jack’s Abby releases limited offerings that tie back to that flagship, like the Kiwi Rising hoppy lager, Day explains.

The days of craft beer enthusiasts flipping through a magazine to learn about beer styles and find beers brewed in those styles to try via reviews are, for better or worse, gone. Beer reviews have not, however, lost their ability to help breweries develop solid track records nor their value in pushing drinkers’ palates and beer knowledge forward. Those two factors make reviews relevant no matter how many single-barrel releases or limited offerings bombard your Instagram feed on the daily.

The article In 2021, Who Are Beer Reviews Actually For? appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/who-are-beer-reviews-for/

[johnboothus]

In 2021 Who Are Beer Reviews Actually For?

The word “saturation” pops up a lot in conversations about the current American craft beer scene. It’s often in regard to hazy IPAs, but it can also apply to the industry as a whole. In 2020, the United States reached 8,764 for its brewery count. That’s almost double where we were in 2015, and more than four times 2010’s 1,758 total.

BeerAdvocate and RateBeer were founded in 1996 and 2000, respectively. DRAFT Magazine (R.I.P.), which regularly ran beer reviews alongside other industry and culture content, kicked off in 2006. At the time, reviews helped those interested in beer discover new brews and make purchasing decisions. They were all valuable navigation tools as options suddenly grew exponentially from a handful of mass-produced light lagers to riffs on European styles pouring from microbreweries all over the country. Reviews were worth the time investment, both in writing them and reading them, because people were still learning what different styles were and the beers being reviewed stuck around — one could read about a brew and then actually go find it.

Considering the staggering growth in the beer industry since then, though, it’s worth questioning: What’s the point of beer reviews anymore? Is that kind of time investment logical? When we’re speaking about professionally assigned, researched, written, and published reviews (compared to quick “4.7” ratings on Untappd), who are these reviews even for?

A quick scroll through Instagram, or through the “press release” section of industry news site Brewbound, is enough to confirm that, yes, every day is a fresh flurry of new releases from breweries across the country.

“We have a lot more breweries than we had five years ago,” says Brewers Association chief economist Bart Watson. “So there’s more to keep track of, but it doesn’t necessarily mean every individual brewery is putting out a lot more beers. Even if the average number of beers per brewery remains constant, we still have tons more releases.” Watson adds that craft beer’s business model has shifted in the last five years or so, too; it’s now more predicated on getting people to your taproom, a goal many breweries accomplish with relentless novelty and variety.

Writing and editing for outlets like Good Beer Hunting and Craft Beer & Brewing, Kate Bernot was an editor at DRAFT before the magazine shuttered. “Ten years ago, there were just fewer beers, let’s be real,” she says. “These small taproom-only releases were not the phenomenon they are now. People were having, I think, a more homogenous beer experience across the U.S.” Fewer beers and this more homogenous market of options, Bernot says, made it easier for reviews to reach readers and introduce them to craft styles they could actually find.

With so many breweries and limited shelf space to compete for, there’s a constant pressure to keep consumers excited. There’s the path of consistency, sure, promising fans they’ll be happy with the same core beers you’ve been brewing for a decade, but in the age of Untappd, with craft beer enthusiasts on a perpetual hunt for what’s new and now, releases that tick the boxes of limited, rare, and novel seem like a more surefire method. When Elysian Brewing opened in Seattle in 1996, says co-founder Joe Bisacca, there were only about 450 breweries nationwide.

“The rule of thumb was you needed a pale ale, ESB, stout, wheat, and maybe an amber or pilsner,” Bisacca says. Now, he adds, there are nearly 9,000 breweries packaging their beer, vying for retail accounts. “Innovation is a necessary thing to just get a seat at the table. If you don’t, you’re left out in the cold.”

Rob Day, senior director of marketing at Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers in Framingham, Mass., thinks craft beer has hit a peak in terms of pace. “I’m not sure people can release beers much faster or more limited than now,” he says. “We’re down to single-barrel batches and it’s such a small amount of beer to talk about and promote.” In Nashville, Jackalope Brewing Company CEO and co-founder Bailey Spaulding says that while it was prompted by pandemic restrictions shutting down their taproom for six months, her brewery’s team released 27 different limited brews in 2020.

While certainly not every brewery is churning out the same number of releases yearly — some are debuting even more — the very basic math of 8,764 breweries keeping consumers engaged with limited releases equals a constant deluge of beers nearly impossible to keep up with, especially for beer publications covering the entire country. Add to the equation that not only has the number of breweries, and therefore releases, skyrocketed, but the number of beer media outlets has dwindled. Jessica Infante is a reporter at Brewbound who has worked in the industry for almost 11 years. “There was plenty more beer media around than today,” she says of the scene five, 10 years ago. “There were lots of outlets to review products, and a lot fewer breweries making those products.”

Now, it seems the fastest and easiest way for people to discover releases is social media, namely Instagram. Jackie, a Virginia-based beer Instagrammer known as @thatonebeergirl, says she mostly finds new beers via Instagram or email subscriptions with breweries and bottle shops. In Tennessee, Anita Carter, a.k.a. @nashbeerfluencer, says she also finds Instagram most useful. And in Florida, Jamal D., or @thehopcircles, says “Instagram plays a huge role in what beers I’m trying or looking to try outside of Florida. Before Instagram, I would just drink local beer or a new IPA on tap at one of my local bars.”

A beer journalist who now has his own beer and so has experienced beer reviews from both sides, Ale Sharpton points out that Instagram has an unrivaled ability to broadcast so many components of craft beer to so many people at once.

“Social media shows off different styles of beer, different cool artwork on cans, different things going on socially,” Sharpton says. “It brings attention to brewing, and what different brewing choices bring, good and bad. It’s helped with diversity, showing Black, women, Latinx, and underrepresented communities both brewing and drinking, so it’s bringing all these people into beer.” With a quick post of an image on Instagram, a beer can reach thousands instantly, power that a publication’s beer review just can’t boast.

Beer reviews may no longer serve a discovery and navigation purpose in an industry where, by the time you read a review, the beer it’s about may well be long gone. But that doesn’t mean they serve no purpose. In fact, there are two important jobs for beer reviews now: education, and helping breweries stand out to retail accounts.

Beer reviews have always been tricky because of their subjectivity. There are hundreds of beer styles, thousands of beers, and millions of beer drinkers; varying opinions and preferences abound.

“Everybody doesn’t have the same palate,” Sharpton says. “It’s not like buying a car, where you’d read reviews to find something concrete, like what has the best gas mileage. Someone could hate sour beers and give them a low rating, then a sour fan comes along and says, ‘What are you talking about? This is fantastic.’”

Social media and Untappd have democratized beer. People can find beers on their own feeds and develop their own reviews for themselves, feeling less of a need to rely on professional reviewers for suggestions.

“People who use Untappd don’t necessarily want to read reviews by ‘experts,’” says beer writer and author Jeff Alworth. “Indeed, while a number of influencers and consultants call themselves experts, there’s really no famous reviewer or tastemaker in the beer world (à la [wine’s] Robert Parker of 2000). Beer is the people’s drink, and people feel entirely comfortable in their own tongues.”

What even the most subjective beer reviews can offer, however, when written by professional writers and beer judges, is education. Infante says she thinks reviews can help consumers become more informed beer drinkers. Rather than reading reviews to find out what beer to buy, consumers might today be best served by reading reviews for beer they’re already drinking, to see how their experience tracks with that of the reviewer’s, which could help build a stronger understanding of their own palates.

Jamie Bogner is the co-founder and editorial director of Craft Beer & Brewing, which caters to professional brewers, homebrewers, and dedicated beer enthusiasts. Reviews are a big part of the magazine’s content. “For us, there’s a component [of our reviews] that’s about helping folks develop their own language around beer and understand the connection between flavor and language,” he says. “You can try this beer and read this review and as you’re tasting the beer, you’re understanding what it means when someone says catty or woody or bright.”

@thatonebeergirl’s Jackie says she uses reviews for this purpose rather than individual beer discovery. “[It]t is usually because I have already opened my beer and tasted it and I want to see what others thought of the beer and compare their tasting notes to mine,” she says. “Also, if it is a new hop or a new-to-me hop and I can’t pinpoint the flavor, I’ll read reviews to help me decipher what I’m tasting.”

Those who are interested in growing their own beer education are one of the major audience groups for beer reviews in 2021. Writing for both Good Beer Hunting, which focuses on business and culture, and Craft Beer & Brewing, which drills down into brewing, ingredients, flavors, and aromas, Bernot identifies the latter’s readership as “deeply invested in beer recipes, processes, and development.”

“They care about homebrewing and beer judging, so a beer scoring high with professionally trained judges, they care about that,” she says. “They use scores and reviews to calibrate their palates to certain styles, and to know they’re drinking something reliably good.”

The other major audience for beer reviews today? Retail buyers. Along with innovation and consistent quality, another necessary piece of the puzzle when it comes to snagging precious shelf space for breweries is storytelling: What are you and your beer all about? Bogner says we are increasingly seeing breweries build their reputations on strong reviews and medal wins at competitions to stand out from the crowd to buyers at stores, restaurants, and bars. And buyers can use professionally written reviews from trusted critics and judges to delve deeper than Untappd ratings on beer quality when making purchasing decisions.

“Trying to get your beer into a new account, reviews lend some credibility,” Jackalope’s Spaulding says. “That’s still a useful tool for us. A brewery might be trying to say, ‘Hey, we’re doing this new thing,’ where maybe they don’t need to have every single one of their hazy IPAs reviewed, but want to show off something else they can flex their muscles in. That’s where it’s helpful to have a beer reviewed well.”

Positive reviews and competition victories can help build legacies for beers breweries would like to make flagships (which subsequently erases reviews’ relevance). Elysian’s Space Dust IPA is No. 1 in the brewery’s portfolio, Bisacca says, with a huge volume compared to its limited-release beers. Reviews help beers like Space Dust grow into retail accounts and solid sales numbers, but then, as Infante points out, who really needs to read a review for a beer that’s been around for years, like a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale? The reputation is already there.

Still, breweries looking to build brand stories off their core beers with limited releases will want those positive reviews in order to portray consistency to retail accounts as well as consumers. Jack’s Abby pioneered the hoppy lager style with Hoponius Union. That brew’s been a core beer for the brewery for a decade now, so for many craft beer fans, Jack’s Abby devotees, and even retail buyers, reading a review on it would be unnecessary. But reviews can and do help build on Hoponius Union’s brand when Jack’s Abby releases limited offerings that tie back to that flagship, like the Kiwi Rising hoppy lager, Day explains.

The days of craft beer enthusiasts flipping through a magazine to learn about beer styles and find beers brewed in those styles to try via reviews are, for better or worse, gone. Beer reviews have not, however, lost their ability to help breweries develop solid track records nor their value in pushing drinkers’ palates and beer knowledge forward. Those two factors make reviews relevant no matter how many single-barrel releases or limited offerings bombard your Instagram feed on the daily.

The article In 2021, Who Are Beer Reviews Actually For? appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/who-are-beer-reviews-for/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/in-2021-who-are-beer-reviews-actually-for

[orbemnews]

Robinhood’s Existential Moment ‘The entire community is outraged’ Robinhood had to raise $1 billion from investors yesterday to help it cover cash demands during the week’s trading frenzy, while traders and lawmakers sharply criticized the online broker for halting some trading in Reddit-touted stocks. In short: The consequences of the mania in GameStop, AMC and other stocks are becoming more concrete — and, in Robinhood’s case, more serious. The surge in trading forced Robinhood to raise cash. As waves of investors poured into the markets, Wall Street’s central clearing hub, the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation, demanded billions more in collateral from brokerages to shield it from the volatility. Robinhood, which had already drawn millions from its credit lines to meet margin requirements, turned to existing investors for additional capital so it wouldn’t have to impose further limits on customer trades. A more detailed explanation: Brokerages post money with the D.T.C.C. to cover customers’ transactions while they wait for the trades to settle. With such a big surge in trading, the clearing hub wanted more assurance: “It’s the D.T.C.C. saying ‘This stuff is just too risky,’ ” said the Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Larry Tabb. Other online brokerages also cited the D.T.C.C. as a factor in decisions to impose trading restrictions. Robinhood faces a loss of confidence from customers. After becoming the venue of choice for small investors, the app risks alienating a core customer base — and feelings of betrayal over the trading limits may be harder to address than annoyance over technical outages. (Small groups of protesters gathered in New York and outside Robinhood’s Bay Area headquarters yesterday.) “Brokers are now ‘protecting’ customers as a facade so that they can appease their institutional backers,” one individual trader told Bloomberg. “The entire community is outraged.” It’s also feeling the heat from Washington. An unlikely mix of lawmakers — including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ted Cruz — accused Robinhood of imposing trading limits to help out hedge funds caught out by the retail trading frenzy. The heads of the Senate Banking Committee and the House Financial Services Committee called for hearings. It poses a big challenge for Robinhood’s policy team, including its chief legal officer, Dan Gallagher, a former S.E.C. commissioner. Does the populism angle hold up? Though many traders and commentators — including The Times’s Kevin Roose — see the GameStop mania in part as an internet-enabled pushback against Wall Street elites, financial bigwigs like the investment firm Silver Lake were among the big winners.“Are you entirely sure there aren’t wealthy people on both sides?” Senator Elizabeth Warren asked yesterday. Lost amid the noise: What about the companies at the center of all this? AMC, for one, is reportedly considering selling shares to take advantage of the huge run-up in its stock, further adding to its cash reserves while many of its theaters remain closed because of the pandemic. What happens next? We have some thoughts: Does Robinhood’s business model need a rethink? It couldn’t raise capital by increasing transaction fees, because it doesn’t have any. The company benefits from more trading — but more trading also means it needs more capital. Going public will help give the company more sources of financing, but this kind of frenzy may emerge again and again. Will lawmakers and regulators step in, perhaps with higher margin requirements for brokerages to prevent similar runs in the future? That might make trading costlier for users, which would be politically awkward. How will Wall Street reckon with the rise of social media as a market force? Hedge funds are already poring through Reddit and Twitter for the next GameStop, but short-sellers in particular may now be at risk of ruin by masses of small traders who have found a new strategy. HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING G.M. announces the end of petroleum-powered vehicles. The automaker said it would sell only zero-emission cars and trucks by 2035, an ambitious goal that could reshape both the automotive and oil and gas industries. Democrats prepare to pass stimulus measures without Republican support. Biden administration officials and Congressional leaders signaled that they would start the process for approving the measures through reconciliation, as new data showed that the economic recovery faltered late last year. WeWork weighs going public via a SPAC. The office-space company has held talks with blank-check funds to join the public markets, DealBook has learned, confirming a report in The Wall Street Journal. It is also considering raising more money from private-market investors, which may be more likely. Another Covid-19 vaccine shows promise, except against a new strain. Early trial data on a treatment by Novavax showed nearly 90 percent efficacy, but less than 50 percent against a coronavirus variant in South Africa. Facebook might sue Apple, escalating tensions between the tech giants. Facebook has considered formally accusing Apple of anticompetitive actions in its App Store. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and Apple’s Tim Cook continue to take shots at each other over their diametrically opposed privacy practices and business models. Two more thoughts on GameStop On the media: After the financial crisis in 2008, the financial news media was blamed for not blowing the whistle — or not blowing it loudly enough — before the collapse. It made many of us acutely aware of our responsibility to look out for the so-called little guy. The GameStop situation turns this on its head: The investors piling into the company’s shares say they don’t want — or need — protection. In fact, they argue that by urging caution, the media is actually protecting hedge funds and the Wall Street establishment. There is no question the “system” could be changed to level the playing field. Which “side” is the media supposed to be on? The answer, simply, is the truth. On short sellers: Traders identified GameStop as ripe for a “short squeeze” rally because of a peculiar development: more than 100 percent of its float was sold short. That is, more of its shares were out on loan to investors than were available to trade. (The average S&P 500 company has less than 4 percent of its float sold short.) Is it something nefarious? Not really: There’s a technical answer, but put simply, betting against GameStop became so popular that chains of traders were lending shares that they had already borrowed to others who also wanted to short the stock. So, when someone in the chain asks for their stock back, it can set off a messy cascade of buying and selling as the shares make their way back to their original owner. The stocks at the center of this week’s mania all had high “short interest,” amplifying the scramble to buy shares to return to lenders before they got even more expensive. “Look, before I begin my prepared remarks, I want to preemptively state that we will not be commenting nor answering questions on the recent activity in our stock price.” — Doug Parker, the C.E.O. of American Airlines, at the start of the company’s earnings call on a torrid day for its stock price. Facebook’s ‘Supreme Court’ makes its first rulings Facebook’s Oversight Board issued its first round of decisions yesterday, overturning four of five decisions in which the company removed posts that it said had violated policies on hate speech and violence. So far, 20,000 cases have been submitted for review by the board, which is made up 20 journalists, scholars and former officials and judges. What does it mean for Donald Trump’s ban? The board is still debating its highest-profile case: Facebook’s suspending the former president’s account after the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. This week’s decisions could bode well for Mr. Trump, but as our colleague Shira Ovide writes, that eventual ruling will have bigger stakes: “Should Facebook continue to give world leaders more leeway than the rest of us?” For more about the oversight board, the co-chairs wrote an Op-Ed for The Times. Davos goes virtual It’s the final day of the World Economic Forum, normally held this time of year in the exclusive Alpine resort of Davos, Switzerland. The gathering of the global elite went virtual because of the pandemic, so the C.E.O.s and heads of state who gather amid snow-capped mountains beamed in from their offices and living rooms instead. What caught our eye this week: Climate change is a perennial conversation topic at Davos, but this year businesses appear to be taking more concrete action to address it. More than 60 corporate chiefs committed to a set of environmental, social and governance measures that they will disclose for shareholders and other stakeholders. Specific, standardized measurements of things like environmental impact are in short supply, but influential investors like Larry Fink of BlackRock have been pushing for more disclosures, and threatening to divest from companies that aren’t forthcoming on E.S.G. metrics. John Kerry, the White House’s special envoy for climate change, also made a high-profile appeal to business leaders to prepare for “a zero emissions future”; Bill Gates talked carbon markets; and a new book by the forum’s founder, Klaus Schwab, and its head of communications, Peter Vanham, frames it in the context of “stakeholder capitalism.” Catch up on all the sessions at the forum’s live blog: Here’s the session with Mr. Kerry; here’s one on digital inclusion moderated by Andrew; and for something different, here’s a chat with the star architect David Adjaye. THE SPEED READ Deals Shares in the survey software company Qualtrics jumped 40 percent in its New York trading debut yesterday, after pricing its I.P.O. above expectations, while the boot brand Dr. Martens rose by 20 percent in early trading in London today, after its I.P.O. priced at the upper end of its range. (Reuters) The cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase said it planned to go public through a direct listing. (Bloomberg) The gaming company Roblox delayed its I.P.O. after the S.E.C. raised questions about how the company recognizes revenue. (Reuters) Politics and policy President Biden’s nominee for attorney general, Merrick Garland, reportedly favors a former aide, the Kirkland & Ellis litigator Susan Davies, to lead the Justice Department’s antitrust division. (The American Prospect) During his presidential campaign, Mr. Biden warned family members about their business dealings, telling one of his brothers, “For Christ’s sake, watch yourself.” (Politico) Tech Elon Musk news: SpaceX is said to be close to raising new funds at a valuation above $60 billion, and after he changed his Twitter bio to one word, “bitcoin,” the price of the cryptocurrency soared. (Business Insider, CoinDesk) SoftBank reportedly approved $600 million in loans to four top executives to let them buy shares in the company, potentially netting them a huge windfall. (FT) Best of the rest McKinsey is reportedly in talks to settle investigations by state attorneys general over advice it gave to opioid manufacturers. (WSJ) It isn’t just GameStop: the joke cryptocurrency Dogecoin is having a moment, thanks to Reddit. (CNBC) We’d like your feedback! Please email thoughts and suggestions to dealbook@nytimes.com. Source link Orbem News #Existential #Moment #Robinhoods

[myraelvira]

TX Cold Cases Part 4

TX COLD CASES

Norman Lamar Prater 

Norman was born on June 6th, 1956. He was white, 5'8", 130 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes, and attached earlobes, at the time that he went missing. On January 14th, 1973, Norman left his house in Dallas, Texas, saying that he would be back in a short while, to help his mother move the next day. He never returned. According to his bio on the Charley Project, he went to an all night coffee shop where his mother worked and had a soft drink. He was accompanied by two teen boys with shoulder length hair that his mother didn't know, and an older hispanic man that she knew by sight. Authories believe that Norman may have been the victim of a serial killer named Dean Corll. Corll was nicknamed the 'Candy Man' and the 'Pied Piper' because he and his family had owned a candy factory and gave away free candy to the local children. Corl had two teenaged accomplices named David Brooks and Elmer Wayne Henley. The teens partook in the sexual assault, torture, and murders of at least 28 young men and teens in Texas from 1970-1973.

Coincidentally, Norman went went to Jackson Junior High School in Houston, which Henley had also gone to. From 1970-1971, Norman lived with his father in a neighborhood where many victims of Dean Corll's came from. When Norman went to live his mother in Dallas, he continued to visit Houston regularly on the weekends. It hasn't been proven that Norman was a victim of Corll's, but there is the possibility that Corll may have had more victims. It should be noted though, that Corll was white. In 2021, Norman would be 64, going on 65 years old. There have been 66 unidentified people compared to his cases, all have been excluded. Investigating Agencies: Dallas Police Department, 214-671-4268

Danny Lee Jones

Danny was born on January 26th, 1959. He was a white male, that was 5'5", 150 pounds, with blond hair and blue eyes. He had a scar on his right arm from a near amputation. At the age of 15, on September 1st, 1974, Danny went missing from Gilmer, Texas. Authorities believe that he left on his own accord. There have been 54 doe comparisons to his case, of which all have been excluded. As of 2021, Danny would be 61 years old. Investigating Agency: Gilmer Police Department 903-843-5545

Robert Douglas Sparks

Robert, also known as Bob, was born on either January 20th, or 22nd 1927. He was white, with brown hair, and brown eyes. He was 5'10', and 168 pounds, with a large scar on his right leg. At the time that he went missing, he was 46 years old. Bob was a retired Air Force Officer and private pilot. At the time that he went missing, he was wearing slacks, a short sleeved shirt, and a tan sweater. On November 19th, 1972, he was hired by a man named Lonnie D. Shaw (who went by Lon), that wanted Bob to fly him around the lower Rio Grande Valley for two hours to take pictures. Robert rented a 1970 Piper Cherokee 235 that is described as wine and white with gold trim from Upper Valley Aviation.

Robert and Lonnie Shaw departed McAllen, Texas with Shaw's two small pieces of luggage and a camera. At 1:50 pm, Robert advised over the radio that he was en route to Tampico, Mexico, cancelling the original flight plan. A few minutes later, he sent the message again, knowing that he didn't have the right paperwork to fly into Mexico at the time, investigators believe that Robert was under duress at the time. The plane had enough fuel for a 500 mile trip. Lonnie D. Shaw had been in and out of mental institutions. He was born around 1934, was 6'1, and 160 pounds. He his described as having had a slim build with gray or greying hair. I am unsure what family Lonnie may have had. Neither were ever seen or heard from again. Robert Shaw left behind a wife and four children. The ID number for the plane was N8529N, that the FAA de-registered in 1988. Neither Lonnie Shaw or Robert Sparks are listed on Namus.

Personally, I believe that Robert must have been set up by Lonnie to take him to Mexico, Lonnie potentially fleeing the country for some reason. It's possible that Lonnie may have had a gun and forced Robert to fly into Mexico. I imagine that the two may have gotten into a fight and crashed somewhere in the gulf of mexico. This is my own personal theory though. Contact the San Antonio FBI Office if you have any information: 210-225-6741 | reference case: 7-772

David Wayne Waggoner

David was born on November 11th, 1947. He is listed to have served in the Marines at some point. He was a white male with black/dark brown hair, with brown eyes. He was 5'9" (or 5'10") and 160-170 pounds. David had small vertical scars on his cheeks and horizontal scar on his chin. He had previously had two small fractures and a broken collar bone from a motorcycle accident.

David is listed as hard of hearing in his left ear. At the time of his disappearance he wore dark rimmed glasses, and was usually known to have worn dress shirts and slacks or blue jeans. He was known to wear a watch. David went missing at the age of 23, on October 9th, 1971 from Pasadena, Texas. He was last seen at this home which was around the 2700 block of Lafferty. His car was found parked in a front of his apartment with the keys in the ignition. There were clothes, a suitcase, and a small amount of money left inside the house. Two weeks later, a hunter located David's red Honda 350 motorcycle with the helmet sitting on top, in the woods off of highway 59 in Cold Springs, Texas, about 70 miles north of Houston. Allegedly, David only took his wallet and .9 millimeter pistol. His family believe that he may have had a run in with James C. Parker, also known as 'Humpy', who was the sheriff of San Jacinto county, Texas (which is just north of Harris county). James Parker and two of his deputies went to prison for detaining and torturing young men they met on 59 in the 70's and 80's. They liked to target hippies, black men, motorcyclists, and men with bumper stickers advertising rock stations. He has not been linked to David's case, and died in federal prison in 1999. At the time of his disappearance, David was unemployed, and quit his last job because it bored him. His family do not think that he would have left without warning, and that David wasn't depressed or suicidal in 1971. Even though his parents are now deceased, David's sister is still searching for him, and believe that he may have been taken against his will. There have been 70 does compared to his case, all of which have been excluded. His sister has a facebook page dedicated to the search of him.

I decided to take a look at some unidentified people that were found in the Harris, San Jacinto, and Fort Bend county areas. The first is a male that was found on May 20th, 1972. They have no exclusions to their case and are estimated to have died sometimes around 1971-72. They are listed as having been less than 50 years old, but at least 35. The deceased was but skeletal remains found behind an abandoned building, no torso, and missing limbs. Race is uncertain. [https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/9761?nav ] Second is a male also found on May 20th, 1972. Their race is listed as white, and they were potentially less than 60 years old. Their age group is anywhere from 40-50 years old, and they were 5'10, and about 145 pounds. John Doe was found drifting downstream at the Portland Cement Company, with all parts recovered and had a recognizable face. They had brown hair, brown eyes, and full side burns. He is listed as wearing blue pants from Sears, a size 32. He had on brown boxer shorts, size 18, a yellow shirt, and brown wing tip well worn shoes and socks. There have been no exclusions to this case.

[https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/4545/details?nav ]

Next is a man found on February 7th, 1974. He is listed as having been white, and anywhere from 35-55 years old. He was 5'9, and estimated to have been 165 pounds. John was found floating in Buffalo bayou year the Houston Shell and Concrete Co. in Houston, Texas. His namus profile states that he was not recognizable, with partial remains and soft tissues, with limbs missing. He was found wearing only grey or green pants, and white shorts with blue stripes. There is only one exclusion, but it is not David.

[https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/4552/details?nav ]

Another male is from November 17th, 1974. He does not have any exclusions to his case. He is listed as having been 18-25 years old, and was 5'5 and about 135 pounds. He was white. John Doe was found in Houston, involved in a pedestrian motor vehicle accident with all parts recovered and a recognizable face. He had black hair that was thick and 6 inches long, with long sideburns and a thick mustache with stubble. His eyes are listed as having been brown.

[ https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/4554/details?nav ]

On October 24th, 1975, a man was found in Harris County. He is listed as having been white, and anywhere from 20-30 years old. He was 5'11 and 145 pounds. His body was recovered from an abandoned house, with all parts recovered but listed as not recognizable. His remains were in putrefaction. John Doe has light brown to blond hair, and his eye color is unknown. There are no exclusions to his case. [https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/4558/details?nav ] On August 5th, 1975, a man was found in Houston. He is listed as white, and anywhere from 30-40 years old. He was 5'8", 137 pounds with brown hair. His eye color is unknown. John's hair is listed as having been 6-7 inches long. His body was found in Buffalo Bayou with his remains unrecognizable. There is only one exclusion to his case, James Kendall Maxey from Alabama.

[https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/4557/details?nav ]

On November 24th, 1974, a man was found in Houston. He is listed as having been white, and anywhere from 18-40 years old. He was 5'11 and about 145 pounds. John Doe was found in the Houston Ship Channel off City Dock 30, with his remains unrecognizable. He is known to have had brown hair, and 34 dollars in cash on his person. He was found wearing a brown knit sweater, a tan shirt, brown trousers, brown socks, brown shoes, and blue-green silk ladies underwear. The only exclusion is John Dial from Texas.

[https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/4555/details?nav ]

There are many more John Does in the Houston area, all before 1985 alone, but two from San Jacinto County really caught my eye. First is the male found on December 7th, 1979. He is listed as less than 50 years old, and anywhere from 30-45 years old. He is estimated to have been 5'6, but his race is uncertain. The estimated year of death is virtually unknown, listed as 0-1979 (the year he was found). There are many things unknown about this doe, who was only skeletal remains by the time he was found. John was discovered by hunters in the woods, at these GPS coordinates (30.478340N , -95.247087W ). There aren't any exclusions to his case. The only image of his items are the shoes found, that as listed on the autopsy report are said to be green, but brown in the photo. John had two pairs of pants, one green, and one blue with stripes. He also had a short sleeve green shirt.

[https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/769/details?nav ]

The second man was found on December 11th, 1983. There aren't exclusions to his case, and he was also found in San Jacinto County. He is listed as having been anywhere from 20-40 years old, white, and his height, weight, and time of death is uncertain. John doe is listed as potentially dying anywhere from 0-1983, potentially dead for one year. John was also found in a wooded area in a hunting area, that is located in a national forest. The GPS coordinates are: 30.008166N , -95.103836W. His remains were unrecognizable, with limbs missing. It is unknown what his hair or eye color were, and there aren't any accessories found with the body.

[https://www.namus.gov/UnidentifiedPersons/Case#/4575/details?nav ]

Floradean Walker

Floradean Walker, maiden name Hawes, was born somewhere around 1926-1926, give or take a year or so. She was 5'7", 135 pounds, with red auburn hair, and green eyes. She is listed as white, left handed and went by the name Pat. Pat was one of 7 children, and from Missouri. In March 1950, she married a man named Wesley E Walker, in Hext.

Floradean went missing in, 1951 from Hext, Texas, though the exact date of last contact is unknown. According to namus, she was likely last contacted around Spring or Fall of what I assume to have been 1950. There have been 21 exclusions to her case. There is very little information beyond this.

AJ and Myrisha Campbell

AJ and Myrisha Campbell were a set of siblings that went missing on September 6th, 1958 from Goliad, Texas. Myrisha was 3 years old at the time, 2'6", and 28 pounds. She had blue eyes and strawberry blonde hair, though it is noted that it was a very dark blonde. She was last seen wearing a pink dress with puffed sleeves and a Peter Pan collar, pink socks, and white buckle shoes.

AJ, Archie Jackson Junior, was less than a year old at the time, 2'2", and 25 pounds. He notably had clubbed thumbs, and a birthmark on this eyelid and lower lip. He was last seen wearing a blue and white checked shirt with a dark blue collar and yellow diaper. He had blue eyes and strawberry blond hair, styled as a burr cut.

The children lived with their mother, Jewel Bernay Campbell, and on September 6th, their father, AJ Senior, took them for a ride and never returned them. Jewel and AJ Senior had been married for 8 years before leaving him. He was very abusive towards Jewel. They originally lived in Fort Worth, but when they separated, she went to Goliad with the children, taking a teaching job. AJ Senior had court ordered visitations with the kids on Saturdays, of which is when they disappeared. He took the children at 9 am and was supposed to bring them back by 3. The car that they were seen in was a 2 door 1956 Chevy Tudor, with an unknown VIN. The base body was pink with a charcoal overlay, and license plate number MA-9996. Expiration was dated for 1959.

The last person to see the children other than their father was William Randle Jr, an acquaintance of AJ senior. William Randle stated that he and senior picked up the children in Goliad, then drove away in the Chevy. They went through Curero, and Gonzales, stopping along the way to pick up two large cans of lard. Once 3 miles or so outside of Goliad, senior asked William Randle to stop the car because he wanted to see a friend. Randle stepped out the car, and senior drove away with the kids in the car. He returned about 30-40 minutes later, the children no longer with him. AJ senior stated that he went to visit his brother in law, but they had a fight, and he left the children with another relative. Senior seemed nervous and agitated at the time, asking if there was any blood on him, and warned William Randle to tell no-one about the fight. Randle and senior then drove to San Antonio, then separated. Senior was supposed to meet Randle at a bus station the next day around midnight to return the car, but he never showed up. William Randle took a bus to Fort Worth, then reported his car stolen.

The next day, Senior spoke to a Forth Worth minister on the phone and implied that he killed the children, saying that they were "at rest with the world", and that he was going to kill himself. On September 7th, 1958, Senior's body was found inside William Randle's car on a rural road outside Austin, Texas. He had shot himself in the head with a new 16 gague shotgun, his death was ruled a suicide. He was buried in Alexander City Cemetery in Alabama. Senior left a note address to Jewel. He stated that he had buried both children, and that he loved the children and he loved Jewel, and hoped that she would be happy. There was no indication of the children's whereabouts, and no trace of them could be found.

Jewel stated, "I don't believe the note at all, because it was very difficult for him to tell the truth. I really do feel that they are alive...they may want to find me, too, and I know that". Senior was described as a smooth talker when alive. A massive man hunt was launched for the children with news article headlines stating "Father Kills Self; Two Tots Missing" and "100-Man Posse Continues Search for 2 Missing Tots".

After Senior's death, Jewel remarried and took on the name Robertson, later on having more children. Jewel's children, Regina Meynig and Phil Robertson, have keep up the search for their brother and sister, hoping that they may be located. They believe there's a chance that the kids may have been sold to someone and may still be alive somewhere. There are reports that Phil Robertson found info of a man with the same name and birthday as AJ junior, but there aren't any records of the man past the early to mid 90's.

Phil stated, "The problem is that no one knows where this guy is now. We don't know if he's an impostor or stolen identity or if he is indeed my brother....it leaves the door open that the kids may have not been murdered..that they may still be out there." "There's not a day that I don't think of them, of the children. But I try to keep a positive outlook because I know that God has a plan for our lives, and I just have to live by that." Jewel stated. In 2013, Jewel passed away at the age of 84. She is buried in the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery in Dallas, Texas.

There have been 20 exclusions for AJ, and 5 for Myrisha. The only question I have is, did Jewel keep in contact with Senior's family after the children went missing? Nothing ever seems to go over whether if the Campbell family was ever questioned or knew anything. If the children are still alive somewhere it could be possible that he gave them to someone that may have taken them to Alabama where he was from. This is just conjecture though.

[SOURCES]

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/105376629/jewel-bernay-robertson https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/119307789/archie-jackson-campbell https://www.facebook.com/MissingPleaseFindUs/posts/aj-and-myrisha-faye-campbell-missing-from-goliad-texas-since-1958phil-robertson-/1704770343105165/ https://charleyproject.org/case/myrisha-faye-campbell https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/4958/details?nav https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/4960/details?nav https://www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/tx-floradean-walker-25-hext-january-1st-1951.396731/ https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/8609?nav http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1478dmtx.html https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/6542/details https://charleyproject.org/case/norman-lamar-prater https://unidentified.wikia.org/wiki/Norman_Prater https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/6244/investigations http://www.missingveterans.com/1972/robert-douglas-sparks/ http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/3318dmtx.html https://charleyproject.org/case/danny-lee-jones https://www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/997/investigations https://charleyproject.org/case/david-wayne-waggoner http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/89dmtx.html

[perfectirishgifts]

Napster Conditioned Us To Expect Free Content And Now We’re Paying The Price

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/napster-conditioned-us-to-expect-free-content-and-now-were-paying-the-price/

Napster Conditioned Us To Expect Free Content And Now We’re Paying The Price

Promotional Napster stickers at the Napster studio in 2006. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

Napster conditioned us to expect free content from the internet, and now we’re subjected to the privacy violations of online advertising because of it. Napster, a music-streaming service founded in 1999, allowed a whole generation to discover music on the internet when it didn’t require a credit card. That blissful experience, compounded with the reluctance of other industries (especially print) to subsequently acknowledge (let alone dignify) the threat of the internet in a timely manner, led to the prominence of the ad-based revenue model that we tolerate today. 

That famous scene in The Social Network—the 2010 drama about Facebook’s founding—when Sean Parker, one of the co-founders of Napster, woos Mark Zuckerberg with sushi and advises him to remove the “The” from Facebook’s name was a collision of two figures who would come to determine our experience of the modern internet. Immortalized on screen, one of the Napster co-founders who informed consumer behavior through piracy intersects with a social media prodigy, who then builds on that legacy of illegality with the most prominent ad-based platform in human history.

Facebook succeeded in simulating the experience of free content…and poof went our privacy.

Paywalls and subscriptions are reasonable solutions, but they have to provide exceptional value in this current media environment to be competitive. It’s disturbing to consider how costly these ad-based platforms are; while it’s more difficult to attribute election interference and online harassment to an ad-based model, it’s well-established that the lackluster quality of online content is a direct result of dirt-cheap ad rates.

The larger point is how predetermined this ad-based internet was. As previously established, the foundation of the modern internet had been set by apps like Napster before Facebook or Twitter ever came along. And as a result, the house of consumer behavior faces only one direction now because the concrete was poured by pirates.

Not to be cynical, but no matter how many podcasts Jack Dorsey mopes on or how many times Mark Zuckerberg coddles Holocaust deniers, their actions and their policies are predetermined by their business models. Again, like concrete, the framework that informs our experience of the internet is set. We have to reckon with the fact that we, the users, are now products; we are exchanged as data for dollars. We can clutch pearls all we want about the NSA pinging cell phone towers to track our metadata, but unless you’re a conspiracy nut, you should recognize that they do this to protect us.

Private companies that buy and sell our data are parasitic leeches that thrive on the host of our indifference. They are the cockroaches in the basement of the house that piracy built. And while the immediate drawbacks can be anecdotally problematic, the intensity of our concern is disproportionate to how easy it is to cancel a compromised credit card. There’s no immediate equivalent to “buckle up so you don’t fly through the windshield,” but there are scenarios that get pretty grim in the short-term, especially when you factor in facial recognition and physical tracking.

We may be in a strange transitional period where we don’t have an immediate “fly through the windshield” scenario to prompt the mainstream into taking action (Cambridge Analytica only had overtones of that), but things are bound to take a more drastic turn in the future. For now, most privacy concerns are hard to mistake for anything other than vanity. Shake them up with a narcissism that is both youthful and American, and you have yourself a toxic cocktail. One sip and you get Twitter, two sips and you get Tik Tok. Swap out Millennials for Gen Z and you get Cancel Culture.

What people really want and need right now is a sense of agency when it comes to who has their data and what they can do with it. Easier said than done. Due to the faulty foundation of these homes that piracy built, the byzantine privacy settings in these apps are designed to maximize revenue. While I’m sure that there have been iterations that have addressed the public outcries, they’re the UI equivalent of crocodile tears; they gesture toward a need for transparency while still making it easy to collect the data that they need to be profitable.

No one wants to read through dense legalese, and no one should have to—not even paralegals. In time, a new generation of entrepreneurs will have to reset what we’ve been conditioned to accept. For now, all we can do is take a deep breath, but we can’t even do that because asbestos particles are floating down from the ceiling in this house that piracy built.

This death trap is a teardown. It’s time for us to move.

Theo is the co-host of Techlash. This week’s guest, Pierre Valade from Jumbo Privacy, speaks to this exact issue. Techlash is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your shows.

From Social Media in Perfectirishgifts

[thisisolwen]

20 Up-and-comers To Watch In The Decorative Concrete Floors Colo Spgs Co Industry

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