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jigglypurin · 3 years ago

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Lego Racers

I distinctly remember the smell of the big box PC game's packaging as my parents pulled out of the Costco parking lot. Peppery, for some reason. I was about four or five. I couldn't help but crack the box open on the way home to read the manual and stare at the art, still bathed in that odd peppery smell. Rocket Racer, the game's final boss and posterboy, looked at me with his smug grin, and I knew I had to beat him. I was relatively new to playing video games and using the computer, but I knew enough to put the disc into the big tray, and wait for the autorun to hit Install.

LEGO Racers is a 1999 kart-style racing game released for Windows (and N64 and PS1, but I never touched those), and it is the game I most closely associate with my very young childhood. There were definitely others I played around the time, my first personal console being a Gameboy, but I'll get to those eventually. When I think of Lego Racers, I lovingly remember the feeling of being at the family Windows 98 computer in what we called the sunroom (basically an afterthought built-on room to our house that faced west and had gigantic windows), and having my very first truly heart-poundingly tense moments before triumph in a game.

I don't exactly remember how long it took me to finish. I spent most of my time in front of it coming up with little characters and making them the coolest little cars a five-year-old could imagine. Then, I'd take them into the test drive area and show off to the little pixel crowd in the stands.

The game's box art and intro cutscene proudly display the game's seven circuit bosses: Captain Redbeard, a stock pirate fella with a simple but sleek treasure chest-engine car - King Kahuka, a hindsight racist tribal islander stereotype with a throne shaped car - Basil the Batlord, a vampire with a rad dragon-headed red and black low-profile car - Johnny Thunder, an Indiana Jones parody with a rather non-descript but cool looking car with head and tail lights - Baron Von Barron, Johnny's archnemesis with a sleek retro Jeep - Moth (whose name I will not say in its entirety), a blue alien queen with a cool blue moon-rover, and finally, Rocket Racer himself, whose autograph is scrawled across the game's cover art; a man with his very own circuit named after himself, and a machine that screams *speed* with its arrow-shaped nose, cockpit style windshield, and rear rocket boosters. To my little 5 year old mind, these boss racers were on another level; truly skilled drivers I would need to give my all to defeat.

Gameplay-wise, it's a standard kart racing fare. Press gas at the right time during the countdown to boost, avoid obstacles, get power-ups and win. But getting to build and race your own car creations was half the fun as well. Legos being a special interest of mine as a kid made the game much more than the sum of its parts. I had a huge plastic tub filled with them. I still love building Lego cars to this day. It's unfortunate that the game is 2-players at most. Obviously important were the items: Red bricks were attacks like cannonballs and rockets, Yellow were hazards like oil-slicks and a mummy's curse that played with your controls, Blue were shields, and Green were speed boosters, with smaller White bricks that acted as level-ups for your items. I pretty quickly figured out that Green was the best. Why hit everyone or protect myself when I could just get so far ahead they couldn't touch me?

The game has 13 tracks, 12 of which you will see before you are halfway finished. Each grand prix has 4 tracks, so the latter half of the boss racers simply have mirrored versions of the former's. Each track is based on a distinct Lego set from tech themed space and arctic, pirate laden and tomb raiding adventure and island, and wizard and warrior style medieval and magic. As you start a grand prix, you get a short scene of the boss driver taunting you and showing off their car. Against the boss, there was little room for error if you wanted 1st overall. Like most kart racers, you got points based on your position at the end of each race. And no matter what, the boss racer will finish first if you do not. No lie, making it to the final track with gold in sight never failed to get my little heart racing. Especially since you stopped dead in your tracks upon any crash. Getting hit by an enemy's attack was one thing. Annoying, but you could recover. Crashing into a wall and having to back up? Agony. Many of the later tracks had just such obstacles jutting out at right angles to end any hope of victory.

After finishing a grand prix, the game shows you two cutscenes (unless you got 2nd or 3rd, then you get one, and it's not particularly flattering), first of your character triumphantly dancing upon a gigantic 1st place pedestal, showboating their gold trophy with fireworks and flash bulbs. After that rush of dopamine, because being five and winning enough points in the circuit to earn your way to 1st was already so much, the game gives you an extra mind-blowing moment of the circuit's boss racer, kicking the sand and 'aw shucks'-ing as they accept their defeat and present you with a brand new set of bricks to use for your cars and drivers (which initially, I remember scaring me as a kid? at least at first? They first appear in silhouette and I had no clue what was happening. I was an easily scared kid, you will learn more about that. It comes up a lot). I was stunned. Not only did the boss just tell me I'm a better racer - now I can *play as him*? And build *his car*? Transcendent.

Aurally, the sounds of this game are completely burned into my brain. The goofy, catchy theme that plays on the main menu, the bouncy garage theme, the squeaks and clicks of placing bricks, and the loud, distinct sounds of each powerup. Just watch a few moments of gameplay and you'll see (hear) what I mean. A few of the track themes as well I can still catch myself humming from time to time.

Some good specific memories:

-A moment where my sister, 6 years my senior, was watching me, rooting for me as I took on Johnny Thunder's grand prix. On the final track, the reversed Captain Redbeard stage, I managed to snag a last minute un-powered up green boost brick. My blood ran cold and my pulse jumped as I leaned back in the chair, and barely rocketed ahead to take the win. We both cheered.

-The day where I both finally defeated Moth, an extremely fast racer with exceedingly difficult tracks, and finally met Rocket Racer himself, face to low-poly face. His cutscene is, for lack of a better word, epic in the mind of a child. Veronica Voltage, another racer who heads the Time Attack mode, congratulates you on your series of wins against the previous boss drivers, and says there's someone you should meet. A midi-orchestra begins to play. A massive metal door raises slowly, and Rocket Racer walks out of the shadows to your drivers shock. He acknowledges your skill and challenges you to race on his own track before turning and walking toward a swirling portal, laughing as he says "I'll be waiting for you... at the finish line." Tiny me was awestruck. This game rocks. Rocket's track, funnily enough, is kind of a joke once you've got it down. It's chock-full of green bricks and white upgrade bricks, so you can get the way overpowered Space Warp boost that just teleports you further ahead on the track. While Rocket also knows how to use those bricks well, at this point, you probably know how to use them better.

-Cracking open my big CD case some years later, age 10 or 11, and installing it on my own laptop. Getting to play Lego Racers in the comfort of my own bed was a dream come true.

This first one is a little rambly and more about the game itself than my memories surrounding it. Honestly, that's because the game follows me to this day. I still own the disc. It's not installed (new lappy doesn’t have a disc drive lol), but I reminisce on it often. I've since emulated the N64 and PS1 versions, but neither hold a candle to the one I grew up with. It's a warm reminder of my days where Rocket Racer was the coolest motherfucker, getting a new Lego set would make my week, and little victories in games meant the world.

#LEGO #LEGO Racers #PC #Retro #Ages 4-6

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snow-den · 5 years ago

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Road Rage [Ficlet]

(Inspired by the Criminal Masterminds Trash episode and Ryan’s road rage)

Jeremy could see Ryan’s hands tightening around the wheel.

“Don’t,” he said, both a warning and an attempt to calm him down.

“But Jeremy, it’s her. Again.”

No amount of torture could ever get Jeremy to admit it out loud but Ryan was kind of cute when he was whining.

“She is stalking us!” Ryan went on, staring daggers at the woman in the black car in front of them. Jeremy’s mind quickly went through the locations of Ryan’s actual daggers and knives and let out a silent sigh of relief when he remembered that they were all in the other car.

“She is just going to the same places as we,” Jeremy then pointed out.

“But it’s the third time! The third fucking time!”

Ryan was usually not bad with undercover missions. He could charm and smile or lay low and hide with the best of them. But something about the seven hours they had now spent basically just driving around Los Santos to confuse the tracker inside their car seemed to be taking its toll on Ryan.

It might just be that Geoff had handed them a grocery list alongside this mission. Something about effectively using their time, he said.

Jeremy believed that he had just run out of coffee and cereal.

“And now she is parking in my spot. Again!”

Ryan’s voice, getting both louder and angrier, interrupted Jeremy’s train of thought.

“Look, we came from Costco and we are now at Target. And so did she, this is completely normal,” Jeremy argued.

Frankly, if he wasn’t trying to keep Ryan from killing an innocent civilian whose only crime was doing her grocery shopping at the same stores as they were, he’d have started to get suspicious too.

“I don’t care! She is taking my parking spot,” Ryan hissed.

He did have to give this one to Ryan. The woman had been behind them the entire drive but had somehow managed to cut them off before they had reached Target, making a beeline for the only currently empty parking spot.

“This is a plot,” Ryan suddenly said. “She is a LSPD plant and following us.”

“I mean she is doing the opposite of following of us,” Jeremy said.

“She is stalking us.”

Ryan’s voice had turned from whining into outright growling and Jeremy had just spent two hours at Costco trying to find Geoff’s favorite coffee roast, he was absolutely not in the mood for this.

“I’ll just have a friendly conversation with her and we will see if she is actually following us.”

With that Ryan reached into the glovebox and Jeremy had been wrong about the location of at least one of Ryan’s knives.

“Don’t,” he hissed, while reaching for Ryan, forcing his hand with the knife down.

“We’re undercover! Don’t fucking blow this!”

“Jeremy, she took my parking spot!” Ryan was trying to get his hand free from Jeremy. Jeremy was trying his best to prevent this.

“We are going to buy new toothbrushes for Geoff! We are not going to stab somebody in a Target parking lot!”

“I will only stab her very lightly!”

It was either the yelling or their fighting or both but the woman who had finished parking and had left her car suddenly turned her attention towards them.

Jeremy froze, as did Ryan. The woman stared at them and Jeremy became painfully aware of what they must looked like right now, fighting each other in their car, almost holding hands to keep the knife hidden.

Jeremy would like to say that he acted on instinct but since he didn’t pull out a gun and started shooting that would have been a lie.

So whatever made him yank Ryan closer and smash their mouths together came from another place.

He could feel Ryan still against him, his mouth slightly opening, probably in shock. Then very slowly Ryan stared kissing him back and wow, Jeremy had thought about this for quite some time now but hadn’t thought that it would actually feel quite this nice and…

“Son of a bitch,” Jeremy suddenly hissed and abruptly pulled away. Ryan followed him for a brief moment before he seemingly caught himself but Jeremy was fully focused on the woman now.

The woman who had rolled her eyes when they had started kissing and had opened the car trunk. Wherea for a brief moment a black box had become visible.

A black box Jeremy recognized. They also had one of those. Very useful for tracking things. Things like the transmitter in their car which they had spent half the day trying to figure out who exactly was tracking them with.

“You were right,” Jeremy said. “She is following us!”

Seemed they had found the person they were looking for.

“Park over there,” Jeremy said, gesturing to the other side of the road. “Time to do some stalking of our own.”

“Ah, yes, sure,” Ryan mumbled. He sounded a bit dazed. Jeremy threw him a searching look. His cheeks were slightly red and for a bizarre moment Jeremy thought he was blushing.

Then Ryan dropped the knife back in the glovebox before starting the car and Jeremy dismissed the thought.

Ryan didn’t blush. There was no reason for him to blush, Jeremy thought. They had done nothing blush worthy expect for…

Oh, Jeremy though, a small grin spreading on his face.

Out of the corner of his eyes he threw Ryan a look. The other man was licking his lips, staring straight ahead, his check still flushed.

Once they did some light stabbing in a Target parking lot, Jeremy thought, he would have to see just how far that blush went.

#Fake AH Crew #Ryan Haywood #jeremy dooley #jeremwood #battle buddies #fic #fanfiction #Jeremy calming Ryan down was hillarious and cute

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fire-bear · 5 years ago

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I have had a really eventful week - so much so that I lost track of days at the start of the week... Here are some things that happened (mostly unrelated to Covid-19):

I went to the theatre last Saturday to see Curtains (before Scotland/the UK banned gatherings over 500) which is really good and people should go see it in, like, 6 months when we can go out again.

That same day I drove over a massive pothole - like, it was a huge square in the middle of the road that I didn’t register as a problem (I think I thought it was a patch of road that had been dug up and covered over) until the last second. This resulted in...

Discovering that I had a slow puncture exactly a week ago (confirmed by my more knowledgeable sister when we went to a farm café along the road from us for a get together) and had to go buy a pump to pump it up as the garage my mum suggested wasn’t open on a Sunday. So I decided to go up early on Monday morning when...

My mum discovered that our washing machine had decided to pack it in - it’s been playing up for a while, but it wouldn’t stop (it had 1 minute to go! according to it) and wouldn’t open to get the clothes out. So when we went to the garage (who asked me to come in the next day to get it sorted) we also stopped at Argos to get a new washing machine - it’ll be delivered this coming Thursday... I hope. In the meantime, handwashing it is! And also using the washing machines at the Gulf petrol station nearby.

Got my tyre replaced.

On the Monday, my mum had to get my Grandpa to come over to help disconnect it (he’s 69 so it’s okay!) but when he reconnected it he had some trouble and accidentally pulled the pipe out of the other one it was connected to in the cupboard under the stairs. When my mum started to move stuff to get the things she’d arranged an uplift for (we’ve been meaning to do it for ages), she discovered that the carpet in the hall was soaked because any time we used the kitchen sink there was water going everywhere. Cue using a basin and then crossing the road to throw it down the drain because the one at our front door was covered with all the stuff getting uplifted.

Monday evening is when my mum found out that she needs to socially distance/self isolate/stay at home - she’s an at risk person cause she gets the flu jab for underlying health conditions so she’s been doing housework and reading books and she’s gonna be bored in a couple of weeks.

Started cleaning everything at work because they gave us stuff and they had notices up saying we were gonna do it more and no-one else seemed to be doing it. This was both good and bad - I have a very mild dermatitis which is exacerbated by heat and certain soaps/cleaning products. And also by washing my hands too much. So...

When they put up a sign in work on, like, Thursday, about gloves, I asked about it when they talked to us about what was going to happen. (We get paid for the first couple of weeks at our normal rate as if we were actually working and then get sick pay. Plus company sick pay but I think that’s only if you’ve been with the company since 2012 and I’ve only been there since 2016 so...)

People at work kept going on about big announcements and then watching it on their phones, hoping they were saying they were closing the shops (because it makes sense and because it’s been so quiet that we had nothing much to do) - and then nothing happened.

On Friday morning, I went to run errands for my mum and couldn’t get out of the parking space in the way I wanted to because of the van parked across the road from me and the angle. I ended up scraping the car beside me and I only found out because of some old guy. I still have the P plates on and he helpfully said, “You need to go back and pass your test again.” I bet that guy doesn’t drive so... Urgh. Also, like, I was worried about it and decided to leave a note with my name and number (still no call about it, though) and the guy was all, “Just leave it. I would just leave it.” Why did you stop me to tell me about it, then??

Drove to and fro across town yesterday doing the shopping - and also looking to see if anywhere had toilet paper. Thankfully, my sister shops at Costco sometimes and she’d gotten a lot from one of their deals or something a while back so she gave us some today so we don’t need to worry about that for a couple of weeks. And our local village shop has industrial toilet roll for sale if we’re struggling so that’s cool.

Got called today about how the chain of shops I work in is closing all its shops in the UK (already closed them in other countries) so I can get stuff done at home now. (Such as rearranging my room and stuff.)

#things

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angelsbbculvercity · 2 years ago

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Things to do in Culver City

Culver City is steeped in moviemaking background, and also a vivid nightlife scene functions gastropubs, high end restaurants and comfortable cocktail bars. You can likewise explore the historical soundstages of Sony Pictures Studios, which occupies the previous MGM whole lot from 1924. The city additionally flaunts innovative art galleries as well as a historic hotel.

The city was home to numerous well-known moviemakers, including Howard Hughes. The location was additionally the site of part of the movie Grease. A number of working workshops stay today, including the Sony Pictures Studios, which opened in 1924. The area has a vibrant nightlife, featuring dining establishments as well as gastropubs influenced by different societies as well as foods.

The city is residence to several major workshops as well as television manufacturing facilities. One of the most famous studio in the area, the Sony Studios, is open to the general public, yet it is not an amusement park like Universal City. Culver City also has a couple of museums, a lot of which are little as well as focus on a details subject. Bigger museums are located in neighboring Exposition Park, however the galleries in Culver City are still worthwhile for people with unique rate of interests.

In the very early 20th century, the city began to grow, thanks in huge component to the development of the close-by suburb of Los Angeles. Culver City grew from a little town of 503 individuals to a flourishing area of almost 9,000 individuals. A greyhound auto racing track was opened in the city's western edge in 1931. This area is now house to a Costco warehouse store.

The Wende Museum of the Cold War

Located in Culver City, California, the Wende Museum of the Cold War is an art museum and historical archive regarding the Cold War. The gallery likewise functions as a facility for area interaction with imaginative tasks. Its mission is to assist create a better understanding of our past and our present, by providing both art as well as background.

The Wende Museum of the Cold War is located in a Culver City workplace park as well as has actually been housing its collection for more than a years. The museum homes artefacts from Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, as well as history archives. It holds the biggest collection of Cold War art and comes to the general public by consultation. Additionally, the museum offers programs for the neighborhood at local organizations and also at partner organizations in the United States and also around the world. Parking is restricted and you should arrange a timed entry booking.

The museum is intending on adding real estate systems and community area to its existing site on Culver Boulevard. The job will certainly be split into 2 phases. In the first phase, a three-story community center with a museum store, conference room, archives, a yard, and artefact storage space would certainly be included. This development would additionally call for the demolition of an existing two-story structure.

The museum's campus includes initial Cold War fallout shelters that will be maintained and also noticeable to the public. It will certainly additionally include a new 13,000-square-foot building for event space. The gallery's brand-new style team includes the popular Benedikt Taschen, and the architectural firm PARAVANT. The new Wende gallery is readied to reopen on November 18, 2017, and also a free open house is prepared for November 19th.

Museum of Jurassic Technology

Though the name seems like it is from Noah's Ark, the gallery's goal is the advancement of science as well as public recognition of the Lower Jurassic era. While you may not find any exhibitions motivated by Spielberg movies, you will certainly locate a selection of art and innovation on display.

The exterior of the gallery is reminiscent of a Harry Potter book store, complete with sculpted rock fountains and also niches full of artifacts. The gallery is likewise residence to the Borzoi Kabinet Theater, which reveals poetry as well as science-related documentaries.

Site visitors are encouraged to see the gallery on Thursdays from 2pm to 8pm, as well as on Fridays from noon to 6pm. A suggested contribution is $8 per person. Children under 12 are cost-free. There is free parking, and also the gallery is conveniently obtainable from Metro's Expo Line.

The Museum of Jurassic Technology is located at the crossway of Badgley and Venice Boulevard in Culver City. The museum includes exhibits such as a Pope John Paul II sculpted from dust, an Eskimo pet dog sandal, a "piercing adversary" bat in a lead wall, as well as a decapitated head of an American grey fox.

Culver City Park

Culver City Park has a variety of features for households. Its 41 acres supply recreation area for outings, ballgame, and also grilling. There is likewise a skateboard location and also dog park. The park is open from daybreak to sunset. Its outside skate park is optimal for families with canines.

For youngsters, the park has 2 play area locations. One has a 6-foot pocket and also the various other has a 9-1/2 to ten-foot deep end. The skate park provides numerous skate lines and is the best skate park in the location. Grownups can also utilize the play ground to play basketball and also volley ball.

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This park is located at 9700 Jefferson Boulevard in Culver, CA. It is open daily from 5:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and also is dog-friendly, with individual fenced-off areas. The park likewise has a preferred Interpretive Nature Trail, which adheres to wooden boardwalks and also provides the impression of a woody area.

Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery

The Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery is a well-kept, wonderfully manicured burial ground in Culver City, California. Situated near the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto, the burial ground is residence to lots of widely known Hollywood Catholics. The cemetery is likewise home to attractive statuary art and also a mausoleum.

There are lots of remarkable Hollywood celebrities hidden in Holy Cross, including Bing Crosby, Loretta Young, Ray Bolger, Jimmy Durante, Rosalind Russell, Fred MacMurray, and also numerous others. It is likewise house to the tombs of several various other well-known actors as well as actresses, consisting of Bela Lugosi, Rita Hayworth, Pat O'Brien, and also Joe Flyn.

The site is a remarkable one, covering over 200 acres of rolling land. It was first declared by Agustin Machado in 1819, as part of Rancho La Ballona. Agustin was just one of the few selected horsemen in the region, as well as the California Land Act confirmed the land give to him.

The cemetery also has a grotto section, designed by Japanese architect Ryozo F. Kado, and is house to lots of renowned names. These include Charles Boyer, Jimmy Durante, Jackie Coogan, Rita Hayworth, and also Bela Lugosi.

Star Eco Station

If you're a nature enthusiast, you'll enjoy the Star Eco Station in Culver City, California. This ecological museum is home to over 200 birds as well as reptiles. The displays feature saved wildlife. You can take a trip or discover more about a specific species at the museum.

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The STAR Eco Station belongs to the not-for-profit organization STAR, Inc., which deals with government and also environmental companies to protect endangered species and their environments. STAR also works with regional schools to show about ecological preservation and also the connection of all living things. It's an outstanding place to obtain your youngsters involved in environmental education.

The STAR ECO Station has both a science gallery as well as an unique wild animals rescue facility. The gallery is themed like an old Mayan temple, and supplies up-close encounters with threatened animals from worldwide. Visitors can engage with saved sea life, wildcats, and also tropical birds. The center likewise works with the U.S. Fish as well as Wildlife Service and the Surfrider Foundation to conserve endangered pets.

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whipplefilter · 6 years ago

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All of the pictures you take are always absolutely amazing!!! I wish I had a better camera so that I could take pics like you ^_^

Thank you! I’m glad you enjoy them! That makes me really, really happy. ^^ Tumblr has played a huge role in my developing interest in photography and, in particular, car photography. But I’ll let you in on a trade secret, and this is especially true of the pics I uploaded this past weekend: You don’t need a fancy camera to take pics like mine.

For example, there were all taken with a 5-year old iPhone, and none of them are even SUPER great, amazingly skillful thoughtful technical shots--they’re just pretty good, and I decided I liked them:

I’ll own that there are many kinds of photos where yeah, the equipment’s gonna matter.

Why Car Shows Are the Worst

Luckily or unluckily, for car shows, the playing field gets leveled significantly. Outside of--or, depending on whom you ask, instead of--equipment quality, what will really set shots apart is: subject, composition, lighting/time of day, post-production (in particular editing unwanted elements out). But with car shows, you can’t choose the time of day for your photo, because the show is when the show is (i.e. during the worst time of day to take photos). You’re probably not carting around your own lighting rigs, cars all parked together reflecting off each other and getting people’s reflections in them is pretty much garbage, etc. etc. And as an added bonus, if you’re uploading to Tumblr, Tumblr downsamples the images so much it doesn’t matter what resolution the originals are--you’re going to be looking at something at a resolution that even an OG iPhone could produce.

In my opinion, shooting at car shows is the perfect storm of almost every possible terrible photo condition, with the exception of there being cool cars to shoot. (And even then, I prefer seeing them in the wild. Ideally with a nice backdrop, but the Costco parking lot is...fine...)

Why Car Shows Are the Best

On the upside, this also pretty much means that no matter what your equipment, everyone at the amateur/enthusiast level has the opportunity to take pretty much equally good car show photos, provided you really lean in to what is available to you: Composition. That’s how you’re going to get an interesting shot in almost any situation, but it’s especially true of car show pictures. Additionally, I think the main thing that phone cameras aren’t good at these days is zoom--and if you’re at a car show, there’s no need to do any zooming.

Ergo, all you need is a device capable of taking a photo, period, and some thought/experimentation/practice. Admittedly, I don’t put a lot of thought into shots (I really should), so for now I try to make up for this by making a point of going to as many events as I can to try to make up the difference with copious practice. My photography skill level is so low that just taking a bunch of pictures still does a lot for my development.

Of the 300 photos I took this weekend, I kept about 150 and posted, what, 30? And not all of those were GOOD photos; a lot of them were just part of the narrative. And/or were shots of tires/wheels, because why not.

tl;dr You can take good pics with whatever you’ve got! We all can. This is more true now than it has ever been in the technological history of the world. It just takes interest, planning, and practice. :)

Quick Car Show Photography Ideas

1) Hero Shots: A lot of the time a full-body shot is what everyone is going to take. And they can be great, because you get to take in the vehicle’s design as its intended whole. But I think mostly I’ll take the hero shot so I can keep track of what car my character and detail shots go with, haha.

2) Character Shots: What do you like about the car? What’s interesting about it? What do you think makes it distinctive? That’s what you want to capture here. Does it have a distinctive Corvette butt? Challenger grille? Is it lifted? Light bar? Aero accessories? I also like shooting cars from low angles, because to me that’s the POV of another car--that’s the angle at which fellow cars would see a car’s front end, or its butt. So you’re getting a car’s eye view of the car you’re shooting. Up-high shots for hood or roof detail are also cool.

3) Detail Shots: This is where things get all artsy, if you’re really into a particular detail of a car, like its rims, or the tread of its tires, its headlights, its side vents, etc.

#asks #starshot82801 #car photography #photography #amateur photography #n00b photography

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locationscloudusa · 3 years ago

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Which Are The Largest Discount Stores In The US?

There are around 37,000 discount retailer stores in US. Texas (3.7K) has the highest number of stores. There is a total of 80% stores from Dollar stores.

Discount retailers are distinguished by their price structure, which features prices that are substantially lower than either their competitors and suggested selling prices from manufacturers. Unlike their more expensive competitors, these stores appear to be expanding well and avoiding e-commerce.

Dollar General, Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, Five Below, Big Lots, TJ Maxx, Sam’s Club, Costco, and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet were among the greatest discount stores in the United States.

Insights In Brief

In the United States, there are about 37,000 bargain stores.

Dollar General has the most locations (16.9K).

The state with the most stores (3.7K) is Texas.

Dollar businesses account for more than 80% of all bargain stores.

In the United States, there are 674 fewer dollar chains in December 2019 than there were in December 2018.

How Many Discount Stores Are There In The US?

We looked at 37,530 stores from nine budget stores in the United States.

Dollar General is the biggest discount retailer chain in the United States, with 16,952 locations in 46 states. With 7,873 locations in 46 states, Family Dollar is the second-largest retailer. Dollar Tree is in third place with 7,477 locations. Dollar store companies account for more than 80% of all bargain stores in the United States.

Dollar Chain Trend In The US

Dollar Tree owns Family Dollar, and the three dollar-chain brands, when joined with Dollar General, have even more retail locations than Subway and Domino’s combined. While Dollar General and Dollar Tree have quietly opened locations across the United States, Family Dollar has been closing stores at a faster rate.

There are 674 fewer dollar chains in the US than there were in December 2019. In December of last year, there were 32,976-dollar chains in the United States.

Dollar General Location US

With 16,952 locations, Dollar General is the largest retail chain in the United States. The states having the most Dollar General stores are California (621), Texas (620), and Florida (562).

Dollar General Corporation has made a concerted effort to increase its food and beverage business. The Better-For-You initiative was created in response to client input that they are looking for healthier food options at a reasonable price. In 17.4 percent of retailers, Better for You is now available.

Dollar General also offers curbside pickup and Dollar General Go, a fast-track option that allows you to scan purchases on your phone and skip the checkout line.

Family Dollar Locations US

In the United States, there are 7,873 Family Dollar locations. The states with the most Family Dollar stores are Texas (1,060), Florida (574), and Ohio (440). Family Dollar stores have decreased by 17% since December 2019.

Alcoholic beverages are sold in 31% of Family Dollar stores, however, only a limited selection of beer and wine is available.

Dollar Tree Locations US

In the United States, there are 7,477 Dollar Tree locations. The states having the most Dollar Tree locations are Texas (1,601), Georgia (953), and Florida (926).

Dollar Tree launched the ‘Snack Zone’ in roughly 200 shops in 2018, to provide customers with a tempting assortment of instant consumption products for $1 to generate incremental sales. Snack Zone has increased foot traffic and is now accessible in over 2.5K Dollar Tree locations.

Five Below Locations US

Five Below, which claims that nothing costs more than $5, has 1,018 locations around the United States. The states having the most Five Below locations are Texas (110), Florida (96), and Pennsylvania (67).

Big Lots Locations US

Big Lots Inc., based in Columbus, Ohio, has 1,404 locations in 47 states. The states with more Big Lots locations are California (152), Texas (112), and Florida (105). Despite being a furniture business, Big Lots has profited from the coronavirus pandemic since it is a necessary retailer that also offers food and household products.

SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) is accepted at 89 percent of Big Lots locations. SNAP was created to assist low-income people in maintaining a healthy diet by having relatively expensive commodities, such as fresh vegetables, available to them.

TJ Maxx Locations US

TJ Maxx has 1,274 locations in the United States. The states with some of the most TJ Maxx stores are California (121), Florida (95), and New York (84).

Sam’s Club Locations US

In the United States, there are 598 Sam’s Club locations. The states having the most Sam’s Club locations are Texas (82), Florida (46), and California (29). Sam’s Club offers a wide range of consumer healthcare services, including consumer health clinics, optical facilities, dental care, and mental health treatment. In addition, more than 90% of Sam’s Club stores include in-store pharmacies.

The hearing aid retailer is a major player in the industry. In 78 percent of its sites, hearing aid accessories and equipment are available.

Costco Locations US

In the United States, there are 551 Costco locations. The states having the most Costco locations are California (130), Texas (33), and Washington (32).

Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Locations US

In the United States, there are 378 Ollie’s restaurants. The states having the most Ollie’s stores are Pennsylvania (45), Ohio (33) and Florida (31). Ollie’s stores are now only available in 25 states; however, the company plans to build 50 new locations by the end of 2020.

States Having Highest Number Of Discount Stores

Texas will have the most discount stores (3,701), followed by Florida (2.4K) and Ohio (1.4K) (1.9K). Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, Five Below, and Sam’s Club are the most popular bargain stores in Texas.

Expanding Discount Shops

In a decreasing and confusing retail climate, discount businesses are booming. These shops all have good business plans that show they know their stuff when it comes to the industry and their target demographic. Discount stores will continue to be a component in purchases for retailers in 2020, despite department stores’ decline, as consumers seek greater purchasing power from their limited means.

The Locationscloud Data Store keeps track of retail, grocery, fast food, financial, and healthcare store closures and openings. You can access datasets with data points like store openings, store closures, parking availability, in-store pickup option, services, subsidiaries, nearby competitor stores, and much more by subscribing to our store data plans.

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perksofwifi · 4 years ago

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2021 Toyota Mirai XLE First Test: Delightful and Grounded

The 2021 Toyota Mirai has transformed itself from the oddball eco-friendly four-door that you occasionally see in a California Costco parking lot to a handsome, slick-looking sedan. This second-generation Mirai now looks like a fully developed car, and it’s more upscale and more dominant in the fledgling fuel cell class.

Featuring different design language and a confident personality, the all-new Toyota Mirai is 2.5 inches lower, 2.7 inches wider, and 3.3 inches longer. Exterior highlights include the dual-stacked headlights, a broader streamlined grille, 19-inch five-double-spoke wheels, and a full-width LED taillight panel.

The new platform, rear-drive configuration, and newfound ability to seat five instead of four are significant improvements. Above all else, though, the one feat that should matter to proponents of a cleaner future and capture the attention of competitors is the newly improved 402-mile EPA-estimated driving range.

Our test vehicle, priced at $52,330, came in the XLE trim with Heavy Metal paint ($425) and the Advanced Technology package ($1,410). In addition to the reconstructive surgery, the newly redesigned Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) from Toyota delivers a smooth-sailing driving experience and is exceptionally comfortable.

2021 Toyota Mirai: Slightly Quicker and Smooth as Hell

The Mirai drives delightfully no matter what road you travel on. Sharing its GA-L architecture with the Lexus LS, the Mirai gets through road defects, parking lot speed bumps, and dips without causing a scene. The nicely tuned front and rear multilink suspension, in addition to a rock-solid chassis, translate to premium drivability, resulting in a pleasantly easygoing ride.

Backed by 182 hp and 221 lb-ft of torque from an electric motor (now mounted on the rear wheels instead of the front), the Mirai is noticeably quick on initial acceleration but then cools off to an acceptable hybrid-like pace. Based on our testing, the 2021 Mirai is 1.2 seconds quicker down the line than our long-term 2016 Mirai achieving a 0–60 dash in 7.4 seconds. If you insist we mention the quarter-mile test results here (because why not), the Mirai accomplished it in 15.8 seconds at 87.2 mph.

On the topic of acceleration, road test editor Chris Walton said, “The best part is 0–20 mph, where you can feel the torque. Quiet and repeatable. It is fun to watch the power display, and you cannot tell at all when the handoff from battery power to fuel cell power occurs.”

2021 Toyota Mirai: Grippy, and Balanced, BUT …

Braking, for the most part, is consistent. However, it can sometimes be unclear how much stopping power is necessary from the driver due to regenerative braking. From our track test, the stopping distances were as follows: 118, 122, 119, 122 feet.

Moreover, the second-gen Mirai performed about a second faster than the outgoing Mirai on our figure-eight course. While undergoing the skidpad assessment, it managed a maximum lateral grip of 0.86 g. The hydrogen fuel cell electric sedan completed its best lap in 27.4 seconds at an average of 0.61 g.

Walton, on how the Mirai performed: “That wooden brake pedal was a detriment to the car on the figure eight. It must be brake by wire because it’s nearly impossible to modulate. It has a very digital feel. As a result, it was difficult to release the brakes (progressively) at the appropriate time going into the turns.”

Despite handling better than the previous generation in everyday driving, the Mirai is no sport sedan. Driven hard for our testing, the Mirai exhibited vague steering and “a decent amount of grip and acceleration with good balance,” Walton said, “but it’s everything else that suffers. This fuel cell is a smooth-riding, decently quick transportation pod.”

2021 Toyota Mirai: Breaking Down the Powertrain

By combining stored hydrogen with oxygen from the air, the Mirai’s fuel cell produces an electric current, and the only emission is water. 11 pounds of hydrogen are stored in three 10,000-psi carbon-fiber-reinforced tanks. Combined power from the fuel cell and the battery goes to a rear-mounted electric motor that drives the wheels using a single-speed transmission.

The battery (located between the rear seat and the trunk) stores excess electricity generated by regenerative braking and the fuel cell. Equipped with a more compact lithium-ion battery than the first generation, it has a higher capacity (4.0 amp-hours compared to 6.5 amp-hours).

An increase of power output from the fuel cell from 114 kilowatts to 128 kW came through optimizing the gas channel separator electrodes and seals and relocating the air intake manifold. The 650-volt fuel cell, which is 20 percent smaller and 50 percent lighter in the 2021 model, was relocated under the hood. Integrating a lightweight power control unit with the fuel stack also helped reduce the system size. A longitudinally mounted tank in the center of the car decreases legroom; this is why even though there’s a fifth seat now, rear passengers seated in the middle may not be as comfortable.

2021 Toyota Mirai: H2O on the Highway

Even though the Mirai XLE we tested at our Auto Club Speedway venue is approximately 170 pounds heavier than the previous generation, the fuel-cell-based sedan moves positively despite its 4,243-pound curb weight. Thanks in part to improved weight distribution and a lower center of gravity, the attractive FCEV feels firmly grounded all the time.

On the highway, the Mirai handles like any other mainstream car, so much so that sometimes you forget it is a fuel cell vehicle. Until the H2O release button on the dashboard reminds you to use the accelerator prudently. We wonder what other drivers were thinking at the sight of the Mirai ridding itself of its water contents in the middle of the road.

At any rate, wind noise at highway speeds is moderate, but it’s nothing that amounts to a nuisance—even with the JBL sound system turned off. The steering wheel feels nice in your palms, and the inputs are quite precise during swift lane changes. Suffice it to say that the 4,000-plus-pound Mirai does not have trouble passing or keeping up with the flow of Los Angeles traffic.

2021 Toyota Mirai: Testing the Range

Our test fell short of the EPA-estimated 402 miles; however, considering how uncivil we were with the accelerator pedal, it comes as no surprise. We spent a weekend driving the 2021 Toyota Mirai XLE in everyday situations and drove it more aggressively than we ideally should have. And in all fairness, most of the driving took place on the highway. After using approximately half a tank, our average mpg-e was 63 over a total of 158.6 miles, at which the indicated range remaining showed 143 miles. Had we continued on this trajectory, we’d have only managed 300 miles on the tank. With the dearth of hydrogen fueling stations at present, it’s imperative to take your driving style into account when planning your refueling schedule, especially on long trips.

Still, subjected to further testing, it turns out we like the zero-emissions cruiser more than the forecast had been predicting.

2021 Toyota Mirai XLE BASE PRICE $50,495 PRICE AS TESTED $51,905 VEHICLE LAYOUT Rear-motor, RWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan MOTOR 182-hp/221-lb-ft permanent-magnet elec TRANSMISSION 1-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 4,243 lb (49/51%) WHEELBASE 114.9 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 195.8 x 74.2 x 57.9 in 0-60 MPH 7.4 sec QUARTER MILE 15.8 sec @ 87.2 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 118 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.86 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 27.4 sec @ 0.61 g (avg) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 76/71/74 mpg-e ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY 44/47 kWh/100 miles CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 0.00 lb/mile (at vehicle)

The post 2021 Toyota Mirai XLE First Test: Delightful and Grounded appeared first on MotorTrend.

https://www.motortrend.com/cars/toyota/mirai/2021/2021-toyota-mirai-xle-first-test-review/ visto antes em https://www.motortrend.com

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easyfoodnetwork · 4 years ago

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Shoppers Miss Grocery Store Samples. Brands Miss Them More

Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock

With sample stands canceled due to COVID-19, emerging food brands have few options to reach shoppers

Last year, Daniel Maloney could often be found working a sample table at specialty food markets around New York City. From his side of the table, Maloney would tell shoppers about Sol Cacao, the chocolate company he co-founded with his brothers Dominic and Nicholas. He would explain the brothers were brought up in Trinidad and Tobago, where their own great-grandparents once farmed cacao, before going on to found the Bronx’s first chocolate factory, and one of the few Black-owned chocolate businesses in the city. He would talk about the company’s commitment to ethically compensating farmers for cacao beans, as well as its support for environmental preservation and organic farming.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced grocery stores to set new limitations on handing out samples in stores, so shoppers today won’t learn those details that, when added up, make Sol Cacao’s $6 price tag seem fair. Without Maloney there to tell people about it, shoppers might not even know that Sol Cacao exists.

“When we give out samples and we get to talk to the customers, it validates the price,” Maloney says. “People got an opportunity to meet one of the owners, to get really intimate with the brand. When COVID-19 happened, that went out the door, and it was right around Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Easter, which is our key season.”

Following industry leaders like Costco and Whole Foods, who nixed in-store samples in March, the vast majority of grocery retailers have canceled sampling during the pandemic. That’s had an impact on brands of all sizes, but especially small and emerging brands, which rely heavily on sample stands to gain exposure and build a customer base. A free taste of chocolate can rouse shoppers from their shopping tunnel vision and help small brands attract attention if they can’t afford pricey product displays.

Rodrigo Salas, president of Molli Sauces, says samples are critical to differentiating his products from thousands of competitors on the shelf. They’re also important for educating people about the brand’s regional Mexican sauces, not only unfamiliar customers but also store employees, who are Molli’s best advocates during everyday business. Without sampling, business has suffered.

“We’ve lost about 30 percent of our sales since we started seeing the effects [of the pandemic] here in America,” he says. Like many business owners, he has pivoted to increase digital sales, but it’s not enough. “Online we’ve been able to recover about 5 percent of those sales,” Salas says. “We haven’t found a way to really compensate for the lack of in-store presence.”

Sam Miller is founder and CEO of Phoodie Marketing, a third-party company that helps brands arrange in-store demos. He explains brands use sampling to establish a “data story,” which is important to establishing a brand’s viability to retailers. Illustrating consumer demand and interest allows brands to win and maintain space on store shelves. That data is also crucial to gaining priority at distribution centers, where distributors decide which products get precious space on delivery trucks.

Chitra Agrawal, owner of Brooklyn Delhi, points out trade shows, which run on sample stands, are also on hold. Pre-COVID, those events were a cost-effective way for small brands without sales teams to meet directly with store buyers. “Not being able to sample at these types of events will definitely take a toll as well,” she says.

With grocery stores under pressure to keep shelves stocked, there’s little chance they’ll go easy on underperforming brands. “A lot of brands think they’re going to be cut some slack because of COVID. It doesn’t seem to be that way. The merchants are still doing their reviews, they’re still consolidating,” says Jesse de Agustin, founder and CEO of demo and retail sales firm EDS Strategy.

That’s clear to Salas too, who says, “I am worried. At the end of the day, you have to prove to retailers that your product is going to sell with or without in-store promotion. You have to prove it’s relevant. They don’t care if you’re sampling or not. They just want to see the sales and volume going up.”

To combat dropping sales, brands and retailers have devised a variety of pivots to maintain contact with consumers, including “dry” versions of in-store demos in which customers receive closed packages of food to enjoy at home, along with the usual brand spiel.

That’s what members will see at some Costco locations, where in-house marketing company Club Demonstration Services has outfitted the usual sample carts with plastic barriers. Just as Costco drove many retailers to pause samples in March, the megaretailer inspired excitement across the industry when it announced the return of samples in late May. A handful of other retailers have begun offering dry samples as well, and a few are even offering standard tastings.

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A map of retailers, including grocery stores, shows stores across the country reintroducing demos in some form. According to de Agustin, EDS has had a lot of success with dry demos, comparing them to a QVC pitch in which sales rely more on quality presentations than samples. He argues the pandemic may raise the bar for demoers, ultimately improving standards across the industry.

But the dry format has its own challenges. “Brands either have to give away a full unit because it has to be a prepackaged sample, or they have to figure out a way to make a smaller sample size that they can do in bulk,” says Andrew Therrien, director of business development at demoing company Samplers Inc. “Often packaging is more expensive than the product itself,” he adds. That can be especially hard on smaller brands with limited budgets, but Miller wonders whether even Costco can make dry demos profitable in the COVID-19 era.

Samantha D’Amico, director of operations at Samplers Inc, also addresses how demos might play to an extremely anxious audience of harried grocery shoppers. “Our reps were never aggressive, but they were assertive. We’re training them to dial that back a little bit,” she says. “Obviously they’re there to promote the product and sell, but in this environment you have to handle that more delicately than we did pre-COVID.”

Therrien explains the company has seen success with low-interaction alternatives like drive-thru samples, where someone distributes goody bags from a branded tent as shoppers enter a retailer’s parking lot. Meanwhile, Miller says a lot of brands are pushing coupons, as well as promotions to entice customers with lower prices. He has also seen some brands adding free products to grocery delivery orders, enabling them to reach customers who avoid the store altogether, but he adds that this method is limited to large brands with big budgets.

Before the pandemic, demoing could cost thousands of dollars, making it a big but potent investment for small brands. Therrien says COVID-19 has raised some of those costs, requiring brands to spring for outdoor tents and pay a premium for high-risk labor. The payoff could be bigger too, since customers may find a successful event more impactful, but it’s a risky maneuver.

With many consumers preferring to shop online, some smaller brands are giving up demos entirely and spending resources on digital marketing instead. Molli Sauces and Sol Cacao have both shifted more attention to social media in recent months: Salas has been streaming cooking demonstrations on Facebook Live to show customers how to use Molli products, while Maloney has been leading chocolate tastings through Instagram.

De Agustin believes this is a knee-jerk reaction that may hurt in the long run. Unless brands are prepared to go entirely online, he says, they should be careful about ignoring their retailers, which could cause them to lose regional accounts or cede shelf space.

But Agrawal suggests digital could be a way for smaller brands to overcome the many ways they’re disadvantaged compared to big brands. “There are just a lot of costs associated with selling your product at grocery stores. Going direct-to-consumer, you own all of the information on your customer base. That is so valuable,” she says, adding that there are extra advantages for international brands that may not be deemed “mainstream” by retail buyers.

Maloney believes digital engagement will help Sol Cacao make meaningful contact with consumers. “There’s a lot going on in the news, and I feel like people are looking to social media to see what else is going on in the world. Brands who are able to tell their story effectively during these times, those are going to be brands who people will remember,” he says.

It’s unlikely samples are going to return to normal before a widespread COVID-19 vaccine, and marketing companies are planning to closely track comfort for demos among consumers and retailers for the next year at least. But the pandemic may affect the industry much longer.

“I think it’s going to reshape everything. I think it’s going to make it harder for people to start a food business like this in a traditional way,” Salas says. Even as he predicts dire things for sampling in the future, though, Salas believes there’s opportunity for brands willing to get creative. “I think there’s going to be a lot of innovation, just like any revolution in the past. We can’t rely anymore on this tool, so we need to rethink the whole strategy, to find ways to get people to discover us outside of the store.”

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With sample stands canceled due to COVID-19, emerging food brands have few options to reach shoppers

View this post on Instagram

SAMPLES ARE BACK AT Costco. All safe. Here is how they do it. . . #costco #wearamask @costco #costcosamples #samples #besafe

A post shared by Jared Plushnick (@plushnickwx) on Jul 14, 2020 at 10:57am PDT

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jobsearchtips02 · 4 years ago

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Pickup Trucks Getting Huge. Got Problem With That?

A FEW MONTHS ago, on an ordinary day in an unremarkable

Costco

parking lot, I was nearly squashed by an unusually large pickup. Thank God I was wearing a mask.

As that chrome grille closed on me like a man-eating Norelco shaver, time slowed. It seemed I was watching myself from afar, being nimble for a man my age, darting from the path of a towering, limousine-black pickup with temporary plates, whose driver barely checked his pace. Jerk.

What the hell was that thing? A 2020 GMC Sierra HD Denali? It was huge! The domed hood was at forehead level. The paramedics would have had to extract me from the grille with a spray hose, like Randall Jarrell’s ball-turret gunner.

He didn’t even see me.

Later, returning to my car, I noticed something: The parking lot was dotted with similarly enormous luxury pickups—many new, many taking up two spaces: Ram,

Ford,

Chevy, GMC. They stood out like Percherons in a herd of Shetland ponies.

“ Are pickups really getting bigger, on average, or do they just look scarier? Both. The average pickup gained 1,142 pounds between 1990 and 2019. ”

What is going on here? When did pickups get so big? And why are XL-sized pickups so big now?

I know. Pickup trucks at Costco. Film at 11. Except that in April, U.S. sales of pickups surpassed automobiles for the first time ever—about 112 years, give or take. Trucks and truck-based sport-utilities now account for roughly 70% of new vehicles sold in the U.S.

How we came to be Pickup Nation is a longer story (cheap gas, the Chicken Tax, IRS Section 179, marketing). But this year, to help move the tin during the pandemic, U.S. auto makers laid out a bounty of discounts and cheap financing, including 0% interest for 84 months and deferred-payment plans.

“Pickups without a doubt benefited from the great deals,” said Mark Schirmer, spokesperson for market service providers Cox Automotive. “And the deals were particularly great for consumers buying expensive vehicles.” The data suggest these incentives also juiced a boomlet in XL-sized, heavy-duty pickups, otherwise known as ¾-ton and 1-ton pickups, for private use.

That’s right: Gucci cowboys. Historically aimed at commercial customers, sole proprietors, horse-haulers and mega-RVers, heavy-duty pickups are stronger and taller than ordinary (half-ton) trucks, with cabs mounted high above reinforced frame rails and heavy, long-travel suspensions. But HD trucks have evolved in the past decade, irradiated with the same prestige-luxury rays as light-duty trucks.

Behold MotorTrend 2020 Truck of the Year, the Ram Heavy-Duty. In Limited trim (about $65,000 with four-wheel drive but before options) the 2500 HD sports an elaborate chromified grille that gleams like a tea service. Its flight deck glows with untrucky amenities such as acoustically insulated glass; active noise canceling; 12-inch center touch screen; wood trim, premium leather—all paired with a maximum 19,680-pound towing capacity. With the optional cab lights, it measures over 6-feet-9 inches tall.

Thus has been born a uniquely American vehicle type: the mega-luxury mega-pickup.

MEASURE FOR MEASURE

The dimensions of Chevy’s 2020 Silverado 2500 HD LTZ. Just how big?

Photo: Chevrolet

81.85 in. wide

79.82 in. tall

249.95 in. long

It seems to be resonating. While sales of Silverado light-duty were off 18.6% in the second quarter, sales of the HD model sales were off less than a point. GMC’s light-duty Sierra was down 9.5%, while sales of our menacing new friend, the Sierra HD, were up 7.6% in the second quarter and 21.5% year-to-date.

Ford and

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

don’t break out HD sales from pickups overall. However, Ram’s average transaction price in the second quarter soared above $50,000, according to a Cox Automotive analysis of data from Kelley Blue Book. Ford F-Series sales fell 23% (to 180,825 units) but its ATP was mostly unaffected—$51,688, the highest among pickups.

In July, J.D. Power declared Sierra HD the king of the bro-dozers, placing it first in its 2020 U.S. APEAL Study of Large Heavy-Duty Pickups, which tracks owners’ excitement and emotional attachment in the first 90 days.

“The front end was always the focal point,” GM designer Karan Moorjani told Muscle Cars & Trucks e-zine. “We spent a lot of time making sure that when you stand in front of this thing it looks like it’s going to come get you.”

Mission accomplished.

But are pickups really getting bigger, on average, or do they just look scarier? The answers are somewhat and definitely. The average pickup on the road gained 1,142 pounds between 1990 and 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and 730 pounds since 2000.

“One of the most significant changes in that time was the arrival of crew-cab configurations, which added cab space to make them more family and work friendly,” said Mike Levine, Ford spokesperson.

In 2011, a change in the way the feds calculate vehicle fuel economy (the so-called “footprint rule”) gave domestic truck makers incentive to go big. Ever since, GMC, Chevy, Ram and Ford have been locked in a competitive feedback loop chasing best-in-class attributes and capacities—the “towing/hauling” wars. For MY 2019, for example, Ram’s 1500 Crew Cab gained 3.9 inches in overall length over a 4.1-inch longer wheelbase. In the same model-year, the Chevy Silverado gained 1.7 inches in length on a 3.9-inch longer wheelbase.

As a result, new light-duty pickup dimensions are approaching those of heavy-duty pickups. While the 2021 F-150 is about 18 inches shorter than the equivalent F-250, it is the same width (79.9). Mr. Levine noted that the company has gone to a common-cab design, using the same four-door living quarters for both light- and heavy-duty models.

“ ‘The face of these trucks is where the action is, a Chevy must shout Chevy. Every pickup has become a rolling brand billboard and the billboards are big.’ ”

Ask any kid with a crayon. If you draw the box in the middle bigger, you have to make the ones on the end bigger, too.

Which brings us to the 2020 Silverado HD—10 inches longer, 1.8 inches wider, and 1.6 inches taller than the previous model. The big Chevy’s challenging kisser comprises a thick, knee-high bumper; a central grille opening; several sets of lighting assemblies; a full-width transverse element helpfully informing with the message CHEVROLET…and then, above that, between very square corners, is a whole other layer, then a peaked hood with a central inlet. This hood line meets the base of the windshield about 6 inches above the side window sill.

Another cause of facial swelling? Marketing. “Full-size pickups are generally identical in profile,” Mr. Schirmer said. “The face of these trucks is where the action is; a Ford has to say Ford from head on, a Chevy must shout Chevy. Every pickup has become a rolling brand billboard and the billboards are big.”

You don’t have to be Steven Pinker to see that truck designers are leaning into the bully with these lantern-jawed bumpers and walls of chrome. Detroit’s blithe codifications of purposeful and powerful pickup design fail to describe the intimidation factor from the outside.

“A few brands, Ram and Ford, have taken to an overscale brand identity [and] applied it onto the grille,” said Kimberly Marte, associate professor of design at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena. “The Chevy team did benchmarking of new models and followed the trend.”

It’s not clear how long pickup designs can keep getting their chrome on. In 2018 the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) released a study examining the connection between SUV design and pedestrian fatalities. In a separate study released in June, IIHS found fatal single-vehicle crashes involving SUVs striking pedestrians increased 81% from 2009 to 2016.

While IIHS studied SUVs and not pickups, “The key is the geometry of the front end, the high and flat shape,” said Becky Mueller, a senior research engineer for IIHS. “It’s like hitting a wall.”

XL-pickups’ high-rising hoods also create significant blind spots just ahead of the vehicle. I know because apparently I was in one of them. While truck makers like Ford offer automatic emergency braking and pedestrian detection systems as standard equipment on most trims, and forward-view cameras as an option, such systems are not mandatory, as they would be in Europe.

NHTSA proposed that new pedestrian-safety tests for SUVs and trucks be included in the New Car Assessment Program in 2015. But as of this writing, the agency had not issued guidance on new standards. When asked, the industry trade group Alliance for Automotive Innovation had no comment.

And what if the next administration should issue pickup-pedestrian safety rules? Could the extra tall hoods and bluff grilles, the sightlines, the scale, the very form language of the traditional American pickup ever be made pedestrian safe? “Of course not,” said Ms. Marte. “No way.”

So watch yourself at Costco.

TOO BIG FOR ITS BRITCHES?

Sizing up Chevy’s 2020 Silverado 2500HD

Photo: Chevrolet

HIGH-END HOOD: Modern pickups like the Silverado 2500 HD LT with Z71 Off-Road Package appear huge not just because roofs have gotten taller (topping out around 80 inches), but because hoods have grown relative to a truck’s overall height.

KING-SIZE BED: The 2020 Silverado 2500 HD Crew Cab with Standard Bed is 10.3 inches longer, 1.3 inches wider, and 1.6 inches taller than the 2019 model.

GAUDY GRILLE: The vast chrome rictus of Chevy’s Silverado has been coolly received by some critics and customers. But Silverado sales are up, and there’s a booming business in aftermarket grilles.

A STEP UP: To assist you in boarding its very tall seat—which maintains proportionality with the height of the hood, the 2021 Silverado HD High Country is available with power running boards that automatically slide out to meet you.

GRILLE MASTERS

The changing face of pickup trucks over the past century

Photo: Ford Motor Company

1926: Ford Model T Runabout

Dearborn’s first pickup shared a distinctive radiator shape with the Model T, and sported a cargo box that measured 56 inches long by 40 inches wide.

Photo: Getty Images

1949: International Harvester KR-1

Old school even by 1949 standards, the KB-1 model got a little bling with chrome plated wings lateral to the grille and even a hood ornament.

Photo: Getty Images

1949: Dodge Power Wagon

This medium-duty pickup was based on a WWII-era Dodge military truck and retained the “flat fender” for which they became known.

Photo: Alamy

1949: GMC Model FC pickup

Like competing Chevys of the era, GMC Trucks were fronted with “Bumper Bar” grilles—large horizontal bars surrounded by a thick frame on the top and sides.

Photo: FCA US Media

1963: Jeep Gladiator J-200 Thriftside

Are you not entertained? The Gladiator’s early years featured the coolest grilles—centrally mounted, canted forward, with the Jeep badge in the lower-left.

MORE SWANK, LESS SCHLEP

How Ford’s uber-popular F-150 pickup has changed shape and style since 1995

PICKUPS AND SUVS have become the vehicles of choice for U.S. drivers over the last 25 years. Along the way, they’ve also become less trucklike, emphasizing comfort as well as capability. Take the F-150, the flagship of Ford’s F-Series, America’s bestselling vehicles 43 years running, which has morphed from rural work truck into a daily-driving people-mover as suburbanites ditched minivans in droves. The bestselling F-150 of 1995 was a rigid two-door set with a 6.5-foot bed; today’s bestselling F-150 has four doors, copious creature comforts, and a cargo box that’s a full foot shorter. —Aaron Stern

Photo: Ford Motor Company

1995 F-150 SuperCab XL 4×4

Length: 235” Width: 79”

Curb Weight: 4,600 lbs. Payload Box: 6.5’

Photo: Ford Motor Company

2020 F-150 SuperCrew XLT 4×4

Length: 231.9” Width: 79.9”

Curb Weight: 4,858 lbs. Payload box: 5.5’

from Job Search Tips https://jobsearchtips.net/pickup-trucks-getting-huge-got-problem-with-that/

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locationscloudusa · 3 years ago

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Which Are The Largest Discount Stores In The US?

Dollar General, Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, Five Below, Big Lots, TJ Maxx, Sam’s Club, Costco, and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet were among the greatest discount stores in the United States.

Insights In Brief

In the United States, there are about 37,000 bargain stores.

Dollar General has the most locations (16.9K).

The state with the most stores (3.7K) is Texas.

Dollar businesses account for more than 80% of all bargain stores.

In the United States, there are 674 fewer dollar chains in December 2019 than there were in December 2018.

How Many Discount Stores Are There In The US?

We looked at 37,530 stores from nine budget stores in the United States.

Dollar Chain Trend In The US

There are 674 fewer dollar chains in the US than there were in December 2019. In December of last year, there were 32,976-dollar chains in the United States.

Dollar General Location US

With 16,952 locations, Dollar General is the largest retail chain in the United States. The states having the most Dollar General stores are California (621), Texas (620), and Florida (562).

Dollar General also offers curbside pickup and Dollar General Go, a fast-track option that allows you to scan purchases on your phone and skip the checkout line.

Family Dollar Locations US

Alcoholic beverages are sold in 31% of Family Dollar stores, however, only a limited selection of beer and wine is available.

Dollar Tree Locations US

In the United States, there are 7,477 Dollar Tree locations. The states having the most Dollar Tree locations are Texas (1,601), Georgia (953), and Florida (926).

Five Below Locations US

Big Lots Locations US

TJ Maxx Locations US

TJ Maxx has 1,274 locations in the United States. The states with some of the most TJ Maxx stores are California (121), Florida (95), and New York (84).

Sam’s Club Locations US

The hearing aid retailer is a major player in the industry. In 78 percent of its sites, hearing aid accessories and equipment are available.

Costco Locations US

In the United States, there are 551 Costco locations. The states having the most Costco locations are California (130), Texas (33), and Washington (32).

Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Locations US

States Having Highest Number Of Discount Stores

Expanding Discount Shops

Request a quote!!

Contact Locationscloud Today!!!!

#latest discount store locations #location data #largest location data scraping #Retail Store Location Data #Retail Store Location Data Scraping

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esytes69 · 5 years ago

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Hottest cars of 2020 that turned cold due to Covid-19

A total Ferrari production halt on March 14 included production of the 611-horsepower, V8 Roma, which was supposed to roll into dealerships toward the end of the year. By Hannah Elliott and Kyle Stock At least three years and about $1 billion. That’s roughly what it takes to make a new vehicle, from drafting table to dealerships. Car companies live and die by that long-range gamble—but every once in a while, the bet coincides with an economic disaster. The coronavirus pandemic and its attendant recession may be the worst time to launch a car since, well, since we’ve had cars. Selling a Model A was a tough task during the Great Depression, but at least dealerships were open and some assembly lines still humming. The global auto industry of 2020 is witnessing an unprecedented, near-instantaneous drop in demand as potential customers steer clear of car lots, and dealers close up shop to comply with public health mandates. Volkswagen, Honda, Hyundai, and Mazda each reported a more than 40% decline in U.S. sales last month. For the year, S&P expects global auto sales to plummet almost 15%. For sales of the most anticipated cars of 2020, the timing couldn’t be worse. In a normal economy, the first few months for any shiny new machine are relative magic. Overeager customers clamor for the fanciest, most profitable versions, and dealers seldom have to offer discounts or incentives. Now, every sale (done online or over the phone) will be considered a coup. What’s more, the newest machines aren’t just grocery getters—they’re the result of product decisions made during one of the industry’s hottest streaks—the fruits of bull market research and development. Many are bold bids for incremental business, niche cars that might not have received a green light in a shakier economy. Among them are a few futuristic electric vehicles, which suddenly must contend with some of the lowest gas prices on record. Others are six-figure speed machines that were banking on Wall Street bonuses and swelling stock markets, neither of which seem likely in 2020. What follows are some of most needle-moving whips rolled out in years—all for a pre-coronavirus world. With would-be buyers now focused on the grave crisis at hand, this is less a preview of automaker glory than a wistful look at what might have been. SUVs The much-anticipated new Land Rover Defender launches this year with the historic brand’s manufacturing sites shuttered. While the vehicle’s release remains on schedule, the first media test drives planned for April were predictably canceled. The good news for the British automaker though is that the off-road rig, a stalwart of British royalty for four decades, got a fair amount of publicity last year: The Defender’s official debut took place at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show, and it has been making the rounds on Instagram ever since. Along with the Defender, the reborn Ford Bronco is one of the most hyped vehicles in years. In 1996, Ford parked the Bronco name (which dates back to the mid-1960s) after O.J. Simpson provided the worst kind of publicity. In subsequent years, the seminal SUV became a design icon and collector’s item as Jeep took over ownership of the off-road adventure market. We were supposed to see the new Bronco on April 2, but its debut has been delayed. In North America alone, the pandemic is destroying $12 billion in potential sales each week while scrapping 331,000 vehicles that would otherwise have come off of assembly lines, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. Still, U.S. automakers like Ford hope the second half of 2020 will allow them to make up some lost ground. Crosstown rival Chevrolet has turned to Trailblazer, a nameplate that’s been defunct in the U.S. since 2009, to carry its newest, small, crossover SUV. With an optional three-cylinder engine and a sticker price below $20,000, the little rig is aimed at young, outdoorsy folk. Chevrolet, however, already has three smallish SUVs to sell. Moreover, Kia is aiming for the just-right-size SUV market with its new Seltos, another middle child in a big family. The Seltos began selling in the U.S. in February, before the coronavirus shutdowns began in earnest. For now, the machine is coming from factories in Korea, which are still running. Aston Martin’s make-or-break DBX, another latecomer to the luxury SUV game, is the first of its kind from the 107-year-old brand. The automaker first showed the 542-horsepower DBX at the L.A. Auto Show in November 2019; media drives were planned for May. Those have been postponed and production at all the company’s manufacturing sites halted. Meanwhile, Aston Martin doesn't have working capital and still desperately needs the SUV to deliver drivers. The global crisis and its effect on demand may leave the company in a very bad place. Spokesman Nathan Hoyt says the vehicle’s U.S. launch remains on track for the second half of the year. In the more opulent tier, the upcoming Mercedes Maybach GLS 600 SUV will compete against Bentley's Bentayga and Rolls-Royce’s Cullinan. It has a V8 engine that churns out 550 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque, plus a 48-volt “EQ Boost” system that helps smooth out all that power. The machine was scheduled to go on sale in the U.S. in the second half of this year. But with Mercedes manufacturing at a standstill, it’s too early to say if that will remain the case, says a Mercedes representative. Electric Vehicles When it comes to futuristic electric vehicles designed for an $80-a-barrel world, Tesla products remain at the forefront, though the company has remained tightlipped about timing, given current events. The all-electric flatbed Cybertruck that almost broke the internet when it debuted last year is one hanging in the balance. The Blade Runner-style vehicle boasts driving range estimates of up to 500 miles and a zero-to-60 mph sprint of 2.9 seconds. Production is tentatively slated to begin in 2021, and Tesla is already taking deposits, but all this could change. Though initially unwilling, Elon Musk eventually shut down his California factories last month. That shutdown also applies to Tesla’s Model Y, a compact electric SUV the company started delivering to customers in March, but has yet to be seen in the wild in significant numbers. Rivian Motors set out to do for SUVs and trucks what Tesla had done for electric sedans. It promises its R1S will be able to travel 400 miles on a single charge, drive through three feet of water and zip up to 60 mph in three seconds, all with Costco-capable cargo space. Rivian was planning to deliver its first SUV late this year; at the moment, its facilities ate shuttered, including the former Mitsubishi plant in central Illinois, where it was mapping out assembly lines. Ford has also been hustling to finish its Mustang Mach-E, an all-new, all-electric vehicle whose November debut won broad praise for checking three critical boxes: good looks, long range, and performance specs that best gas-powered pony cars. Now, dozens of early versions are cycling among the world of Ford engineers, who disinfect each before continuing work. Pre-coronavirus, Ford said that the number of deposits for the machine was sizable, with a greater-than-expected share from drivers who had never owned a Ford. An additional electric offering has experienced unlikely progress: Against all odds, the fastback Polestar 2, Polestar’s second vehicle and first all-electric car, started production on March 23 at Zhejiang Geely Holding’s plant in Luqiao, China. First unveiled in February 2019 as a fierce potential rival to Tesla, the Polestar 2 produces 408 horsepower and 487 pound-feet of torque, with an estimated range of 292 miles. It remains unclear, though, how many units will be produced or when deliveries might begin. Last month, BMW “e-revealed” the BMW i4 Concept, which had been slated to premier at the since-canceled Geneva Auto Show. The company has yet to show the production version, but it’s expected to be an all-electric sedan that uses an 80-kilowatt-hour battery to get 530 horsepower and 372 miles of driving range. Despite the current closure of BMW production plants, the i4 is expected to start selling toward the end of 2021. Says spokesman Thomas Plucinsky: “We don’t anticipate any delays.” Sports Cars Spurred by a heady stock market, super expensive, super fast sports cars were enjoying a moment until March arrived. Porsche had big plans to roll out the 640-horsepower, muscle-y 911 Turbo S version of its franchise machine with group media drives. Instead, the company delivered the 640-horsepower machines one by one via fleet drivers prepped on disinfection and social distancing. Porsche’s German manufacturing plants in Zuffenhausen and Leipzig have been silent since March 21, and Porchce Experience Centers in L.A. and Atlanta, where the Porsche-curious take test drives and track lessons, sit empty. The $225,000 Ferrari Roma super car debuted in November in, of course, Rome. But a total Ferrari production halt on March 14 included production of the 611-horsepower, V8 Roma, which was supposed to roll into dealerships toward the end of the year. Ferrari hopes to eventually make up for the lost production with additional shifts. “No material impacts on deliveries and waiting list are foreseen at the moment,” a spokesperson says. Over in England, the $1.7 million McLaren Elva super car packs a punch: 804 horsepower on a V8 engine and rear-wheel drive. It’ll do zero to 124 mph in just 6.7 seconds, which makes it faster than its sibling, the track-suited Senna. McLaren had planned to build just 399 of them, each one customized through the company’s special-ops MSO division and delivered at the end of 2020. “We will continue with all possible design and engineering activities that we can at this stage,” says Roger Ormisher, vice president of communications at McLaren. The carmaker will “then finalize physical development once staff are back at MTC, with the plan to deliver Elva into production as close as we can to Q4 2020.” Finally, Lotus is trying to piece together its first new vehicle in more than a decade. The machine, dubbed Evija, is stunning—and costs $2.1 million. Shaped like a spaceship with trimmed sides and massive wheels, it boasts nearly 2,000 horsepower generated from four electric motors, as well as a zero-to-60 mph sprint of fewer than three seconds. Only 130 will be built by the legendary U.K. automaker. As for when they will be built, that will be determined later. Production has halted at Lotus’s Norwich headquarters while engineers continue tweaking designs from home. “The vehicle development process is as it was—just not in the offices,” says Rob Borrett, a company spokesman. Super car architects, it turns out, are just like the rest of us. They Zoom. Read the full article

#ashtonmartin #coronavirus #Ferrari #sportscars

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zealoptics · 7 years ago

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The Outsiders by ZEAL Rider Ian Wood

Words by **[Ian Wood](https://www.instagram.com/eanwood/)** | Photos by **[Jordan Ingmire](https://www.instagram.com/jordaningmire/)**

The sound of explosions stir me from a deep slumber. The bombs may be going off thousands of feet away but the blasts shake me from my dream world. Barely awake I sit up to investigate the violent action, bouncing my head off the bunk above. The “rude” awakening knocks me back down, a dry mouth from the propane heater running off and on all night reminds me where I am. Rubbing my eyes to adjust to the light, and a quick pull of the window blinds, reveals a winter wonderland. The bombs that stirred me from my fantasy world are the result of hard working ski patrollers doing their best to keep us safe from avalanches in the available side country. Comfortably nestled in my 16 foot tiny home, I am amidst the cascade mountains in Washington state. From the looks of my neighbor RV’s we have received a healthy amount of fresh snow over night. Rolling out of my bunk and placing my feet on the noticeably cold floor sends a quick signal to my brain that its going to be nice blower pow. Where are my slippers?. . . It’s 7 o clock in the morning and the chairs don’t start spinning until 9. With the resort lifts and split board trails being accessible out my front door I have plenty of time to get ready. Living in a trailer in the parking lot of a resort, you build morning routines. So much time spent by yourself allows you the freedom to do what you want, when you want. Meditation has made it into the start of my day, followed by a nutrient packed fruit smoothie. Somedays I listen to an audio book or inspiring tunes, maybe a quick stretch, and then I put on my space suit for the wild frontier. Isn’t this what we are striving for our whole lives? - Complete freedom, nobody telling us what to do or how to live. Shouldn’t we be fine tuning physical/mental health with joy, adventure, and a lust for life? I chuckle to myself as I ponder the perspective of my life, how did I get here? - 32 years old, no kids, no wife, no mortgage or salary career, living in a trailer that is smaller than some peoples closets. If you were to write this down and read it to someone, they would feel sorry for me. If they were to see my smile or feel my energy as this pervasive lust for living, they just might question the way they look at life.

Growing up in a capitalist nation where economy is god, and success is based upon the amount of things you possess, I had all the proper training to be a compliant citizen. In the West at 5 years old we are shuffled through a school system that is based more on conforming than education. It appears to be preparation for the 9-5 world with a vibrant brochure selling the restricted life of a weekend warrior. All the tv shows portraying the “happy” rich people with all their possessions, living in big mansions, surrounded by “beautiful” people, contribute to a thorough brain washing. The deep irony is when these movie stars, symbolizing the ultimate success of the american dream, often end their own lives in misery. I can’t say how this country is viewed from the outside but it seems that a lot of foreigners come here in hope of acquiring financial wealth and pursuing this illusion. Interestingly enough this nation is comprised of foreigners. We are all immigrants except for the few indigenous natives who have almost been entirely snuffed out. The trouble begins when necessities are far surpassed and endless desires are sought one after the other. The core issue is these desires are never filled and endless consumerism runs rampant. A bi product of this foolishness is a nation that suffers from severe obesity and malnutrition simultaneously. Unfortunately the PNW of the United states is a major influence in this worlds over consumption. Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks, and Costco are just a few of the fortune 500 companies located in Seattle. A city surrounded by natural wonder, with the pacific ocean on one side and the cascade mountain range on the other. I was right on track to be another cog in the wheel, another poor sap in debt living pay check to pay check. Buying a bunch of things I didn’t need, to fit in or look good in some one else’s judgement. This is one ideal this nation whole heartedly promotes. This constant hunger for more leaves the blind consumer in debt regardless of socioeconomic status. It’s easy to get lost in this society living beyond their means. Look at our national debt for reference as to how we are taught to spend money. From this path… I slowly strayed. The mountains called and as the famous John Muir quote states; I had to go!

Hindsight is always 20 20. Looking back, I can see the friends that pulled me back into the mountains saved my life. Being a product of the NorthWest was a blessing that was hard to fully realize. Some of the greatest outsiders and heroes to exist in the snow world, come from this area. Humans that forever changed the snowboarding world were located all around me and leading lives way outside the norm. They were more like professional dirtbags than Olympians. The skills to be trained into super athletes were there, but they chose to live a life of freedom and self expression. These professionals were less about selling out and more about expressing themselves freely, on their own terms. You don’t have to be a legend to enjoy a similar lifestyle, boarding as much as you can and working as little as you have to. The locals shaped me even more so than the legends. “You work - I ride”, so the saying goes. The slogan “work to live, don’t live to work” comes up often. These people that surrounded me spent their money in a very different manner. Extravagance was a “new” used vehicle that handled the snowy roads in a supreme way, or a rig that could transform into a sleeping domain. Maybe a new gizmo for snow camping or a fancy sleeping bag that packed small and was light. Simultaneously we were becoming more self sufficient and learning how to spend money wisely. I didn’t know it at the time, but these people I like to refer to as the outsiders, were shaping me. As I became an “adult” (I put it in quotations because I think it is absolutely insane that someone being an adult is based on age and not life experience) I came to realize that most people were lost. Year after year, the older they got the more confused they seemed to be. Their connection to what mattered in life slowly dwindled as they bought into the game. Work beat them down and a diet of processed food provided them with no fuel. Coffee delivers a quick blast of energy for a long drawn out day. The ever growing list of how society tries to fill the voids will leave your head spinning. For many years I have pondered, and even now it seems, that kids have it much more figured out than adults! Youngsters are happy chasing dreams and living for the moment. The beliefs that create their realities are still uninhibited, so they are able to enjoy the little things. Snowboarding takes me back to that mental clarity. Every time I strap in, my mind grows a little more silent as the moment zooms in to capture my attention. Pushing skills to a new level can cloud the mind with fear. Making the decision to trust in your ability clears the sky and locks you in where time stands still.

The people I meet in the NW have inspired me to leap into more than just snowboard specific adventures. Every aspect of one’s life effects the other and it’s best to be well rounded. Adventures of every kind can be linked to snowboarding in one way or another. Learning how to navigate the world and trust in your life skills to get you where you need to be is one example. From Yoga, to skateboarding, even dancing, it all can help you with self expression and in turn improve the picture you paint on a board. I started the winter season going to a 10 day silent meditation retreat with photographer/best bud Jordan Ingmire. This shared wisdom solidified the lessons learned from snowboarding. The present moment is the only reality. As soon as we add thoughts or words to things, we have strayed. Our minds are trained in this society to constantly be thinking about the future or the past. Focused on likes or dislikes, we form a craving for the things we desire and try to avoid the things we dislike. So constantly we are planning for the future, or revisiting the things that have already happened. We want more of the things we like and are upset when we get what we don’t want. Both of these judgements are illusions. The images with attached emotions either no longer exist or are an interpreted creation of the future. All of our thoughts around experiences are not truly reality. They are a merely a projection of the mind which in turn creates what we believe to be reality. So those moments while ripping down a line, or riding through a technical part of the mountain, are actually creating the silent mind that brings us closer to the truest reality. Wether you are taking a conscious deep breath sitting in a cross legged position or standing on top of a glorious mountain top, you are training the mind to be aware of what is going on inside of it. Slowly bringing awareness to our daily actions muffles the constant brain chatter and creates space for the only true reality- the present moment. Any one that has been terrified by the raw elements of a mountain has lived through this mind altering experience of a silent mind.

For the last several years I was caught in a whirlwind of dreaming and creation. Desires of achieving fantasies began to develop in my mind and expanded as I shared them with others. The winters had been very active with traveling, working on video projects, and getting caught up in the go go go, do do do. This winter I set out to focus on “being” more than “doing”. Starting the season off in meditation had a huge impact on how I wanted to spend my winter and what I felt was important to focus on. I decided I was going to spend the entire winter at home in the PNW. No distant travels, no video projects, and nothing more than immersing myself in the art of snowboarding. Whether it was with my best friends, the local community, strangers, or by myself, I found room for growth in all relationships. With the climate pattern rollercoaster ride we have been locked into in the NW, it was a risky move. Travel has always been a back up plan for winters that never show up. Japan in January, Alaska in April, the interior mountains of BC , Montana, Wyoming, allow for plenty of Plan B options. With travel comes planning, and with planning comes extensive mental activity. I wanted to get rid of all the things that add to the mind game of winter. That way I could find my place in the mountains with clear thoughts and tuned senses. We are constantly searching for connection to the moment as boarders and one of the best ways to help that process is to alleviate as much mental chatter as possible. I deliberately decided to put all of my eggs in one basket and whether winter came as I desired or not, I was staying and making the best of it. Worse case scenario you can always go adventure on your split board, walk for miles and search around corners you haven’t looked past before. The stars aligned as it became one of the best winters for Washington in many years, with cold temperatures and big storms that seemed to never end. The snow just kept stacking and the energy was high in the PNW. It was a season for the soul. One of those winters where you run into all your buddies on the hiking routes or skin trails. I found myself greeting friends with big hugs and thinking “you know what. . . there are friends on a pow day.” We were riding as many of our favorite lines as we could in one day. Lines that you sometimes only ride once a year because the conditions have to be just right, were getting ridden several times a week. No video cameras, no waiting to get the shot, no worries about landing a trick or how your style was; just pure intimacy with the mountains and the people sharing them with you.

As the planet rotates around the sun the seasons will change here in the PNW. Spring time comes with longer days and stronger ultra violet rays. The rivers flow with snow melt as photosynthesis sprouts new life on the hillsides. T shirts and open vents become common on the touring trails and chair lifts, as winter pow turns to spring corn. Fresh snow can bless us all the way into May, providing up to 7 months of possible fresh snow adventures. The park rats and split boarders rejoice as their favorite season is upon them. In the same day you can lap the park with friends and in the evening tour up to soak in breathtaking views. In strong winter seasons, such as this past one, you can extend your snow season year round. The list of volcanos in the area is long and the adventures bountiful. “Variety is the spice of life”; one of my favorite expressions. Living in the PNW I can’t help but completely agree with this notion. Summer comes and the thoughts of the year ahead are born in the stillness created in the absence of daily snow obsession. Sometimes I worry about what the future holds for the PNW snow lovers. Big money is pushing hard to suck the life out of the mountains. Solace and solitude are being replaced with high speed quads and 4 star hotels. Seattle is growing and you can see the reflection of it in the traffic to all of the hills. Will we just become another destination resort? Will the dirtbag locals living in their cars at the mountain be run off by people commuting 2 hours everyday? Only time will tell. I reflect back on lessons learned in the meditation hall. Be present here in the now, and let the thoughts pass like clouds in the sky. My judgement of what is best is just a figment of my imagination. For now the mountains in the PNW are full of life, love, and soul. Explorers, adventurers, athletes, party people, weirdos, musicians, artists, and of course the city people, all share these beautiful mountains. I hope that one day you have the opportunity to visit this majestic place I call home. We can easily be considered outsiders In a world where so many equate success and happiness to financial status. Every day we strap in we are representing the importance of something greater than that. Outsider: “a person who does not belong to a particular group.” There are enough of us here in the PNW that have formed a group of our own. We are the outsiders and you are welcome to join us.

Ian’s Top Picks

[SHOP ACE](https://www.zealoptics.com/en/shop/sunglasses/lifestyle-collection/ace "SHOP ACE") [SHOP FARGO](https://www.zealoptics.com/en/shop/goggles/select-series/fargo "SHOP FARGO")

Want more? Check out the below and follow Ian’s journey this winter @eanwood.

#ZealOptics #IanWood #TheOutsiders #Japan #PNW #JordanIngmire #Snowboarding #Backcountry #zealopticsfeatured #WeAreAllZEAL #ThroughOurLenses #FindYourZeal #ExploreMore #Winter #Mountains

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uppitybeautycompany · 5 years ago

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Unilevel Compensation Plan that pays 5 levels deep

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Full Compression – this is HUGE too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W0O2hjdKpE&feature=youtu.be

4. PRODUCTS

Let me tell you something, when you join a company, you need to really stand behind the products, become a product of the product, and actually believe in them!

Well, one thing I can tell you about Senegence products is that they WORK! It’s the easiest thing in the world I have ever sold! Even the skincare! I literally can’t wait to apply makeup to a customer or have them try my nighttime or daytime routine! Every time I do, I end up selling nearly every product I apply to their skin! My customers are happy and satisfied with their results even after only a day or two using the skincare.

5. GROWTH/ EXPANSION

Right now, Senegence is only fully launched in 3 countries: United States, Canada, Mexico and Australia. We are barely scratching the surface in these countries, but lets talk international growth and what that is going to do to team volume and more importantly, your pay cheque!

With every new country opening, and a new sales team developing in those countries, teams are going to see even more momentum! Canada grew by 7000% in its first year, what if the next country does the same and you have a team growing there? What could this mean to you and your residual income? I think you know

6. TEAM CULTURE

First let me 100% transparent and honest with you. First when I joined, I heard all of this crazy, good stuff about the “sisterhood” with Senegence. This “sisterhood” sounded completely hokey to me. Like really?

But it didn’t take me long to see that, yea, whether you are upline, sideline, crossline, or hanging upside down from a clothes line, these girls came together like a real family. No matter who you asked for help, there was always a helping hand reaching out to guide you along the way!

Just last month in December, all of the Leaders in the company came together in a special training group and shared all of their best tips about how they built their Senegence business! Have you any idea how rare that is? If you are in a network marketing company right now you might appreciate how HUGE this is! No one ever gives access to their team to a sideline or other leaders in the same company!

7. TRAINING & SUPPORT

I have to say that we have the BEST training in the company! There is live training all the time on facebook.

As a new distributor, all you have to do is plug into this system and away you go! But only after we have launched you with your new business!

8. BE YOUR OWN BOSS!

I can’t tell you how liberating it is to set your own schedule, not have to ask permissionfor time off. I have been there, done that! I struggled trying to manage a career, a home, and the care of my special needs child! Now, I get to make the rules! I set my schedule and work when I WANT to!

There is no ceiling or cap on the amount of money I can make, that is also up to ME! But just let me tell you, the sky is literally the limit in this industry!

But what I would attribute as the biggest pay off for me since joining Senegence is the amount of FREEDOM I have to spend time with my family and friends! The financial freedom is great too, don’t get me wrong, but there’s nothing that compares to FAMILY!

And we are a FAMILY here at Senegence, we’ve got you girl!

Check out these awesome testimonial videos and hear first hand how Senegence has changed the life of women just like YOU.

https://youtu.be/KUZBFGzn7a4

In many Senestories, you will hear about the power of God! This story always gets me!

https://youtu.be/xD5yHSHDWLw

Would you believe this girl was homeless?

https://youtu.be/oL3dLrJOFTI

There are three main ways you can earn commissions with SeneGence. Retail commissions, downline commissions and group sales volume bonuses.

Retail, up to 50% discount.

Downline Commissions

Commissions are based on the PV accumulated on personal orders within your team. Depending on where they are placed in your downline. This is capped at the first 100 PV per distributor in your downline.

First level recruits (directly under you) earn you 10% commissions

Second level recruits earn you 20% commissions

Second level recruits earn you 30% commissions

SeneGence’s discount levels are based off of Point Value, or PV. An item’s point value is 1/2 of the retail price. (EX. 300 PV would be $600 retail product.

Plus you can get Group Sales Volume Bonus

This is essentially a continuation of the previous income stream, but it takes effect from 101 PV onwards.

Level 1 commissions: Purchase 100 PV in products each month to qualify to earn 10% commissions from recruits in the first level of your downline.

Level 2 commissions: Purchase 300PV in products each month to qualify. As well as five level 1 and five level 2 distributors in your downline who do the same. In doing so you can earn 6% commissions from recruits in the second level of your downline.

Level 3 commissions: Same as above, except also have five distributors in the 3rd level of your downline who purchase 300PV in products each month. In doing so you can earn 4% commissions from recruits in the third level of your downline.

Level 4 commissions: Same as above, except also have five distributors in the 4th level of your downline who purchase 300PV in products each month. In doing so you can earn 3% commissions from recruits in the fourth level of your downline.

Level 5 commissions: Same as above, except have five distributors in the 5th level of your downline who purchase 300PV in products each month. In doing so you can earn 3% commissions from recruits in the fourth level of your downline.

As you cans see, things get pretty technical when it comes to the business opportunity. The name of the game with these types of programs is recruiting. The more people you recruit, the more money you make.

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brajeshupadhyay · 4 years ago

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Isaias is downgraded to a tropical storm as it tears across the Bahamas with Florida bracing

Hurricane Isaias has been downgraded to a tropical storm as it moves through the Northwestern Bahamas.

Isaias winds have decreased slightly with the storm expected to reach Florida overnight.

The storm snapped trees and knocked out power as it ripped through the Caribbean country on Saturday and headed toward the Florida coast.

Officials on the U.S. mainland are sterilizing evacuation centers and stocking them with protective gear in a desperate bid to avoid spurring new cases of coronavirus in the already hard-hit state.

‘Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion,’ the National Weather Service said in a flash bulletin on Saturday. ‘Hurricane conditions are expected to reach the coast within the hurricane warning area in Florida tonight and will spread northward through Sunday.’

‘Winds are expected to first reach tropical storm strength later today, making outside preparations difficult or dangerous,’ the NWS said.

Landfall is expected in South Florida by 8pm on on Saturday, and storm tracks predict the hurricane will veer north along the coast, threatening Georgia and the Carolinas on Sunday into Monday, and reaching New York City as early as Tuesday.

NOAA satellite imagery shows Hurricane Isaias over the Bahamas at 9.40am EDT on Saturday. Hurricane Isaias snapped trees and knocked out power as it blew through the Bahamas on Saturday and headed toward the Florida coast

Sea spray, sand and winds sweep across South Ocean Boulevard in Palm Beach on Saturday as Isaias bears down

A beach goer attempts to set up a beach umbrella Saturday in Palm Beach, Florida as the outer bands reach the state

Red no-swimming flags fly at Lantana, Florida Municipal Beach as Hurricane Isaias approaches the Florida coast Saturday

Storm clouds are seen over the city as Hurricane Isaias approaches the east coast of Florida on Saturday in Miami

Cars drive past a sign warning of Hurricane strength weather on Interstate 95, Saturday near Boynton Beach, Florida

Florida authorities said they have prepared shelters, but didn’t expect to have to evacuate people.

‘The most important thing we want people to do now is remain vigilant,’ said Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Authorities in North Carolina ordered the evacuation of Ocracoke Island, which was slammed by last year´s Hurricane Dorian, starting Saturday evening.

Isaias had maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour at 11am Saturday morning, a slight decline from earlier in the day, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

Florida’s well-honed hurricane responses have been partly upended by its grappling with one of the country’s worst outbreaks of the novel coronavirus.

The emergency operations center in Miami, usually a beehive of activity ahead of a storm, was mostly empty with plastic dividers set up between work stations and fans with ultraviolet lights hung around the room in the hope of eradicating any floating virus particles. Many emergency officials are instead working remotely.

‘It’s not a perfect system,’ said Frank Rollason, Miami-Dade’s director of emergency management, ‘but what we’re facing to today with COVID, we’re trying to avoid packing all of those people into the emergency operations center.’

Much of Florida’s Atlantic coast was under a hurricane watch on Saturday, as Isaias bore down on the state

A forecast of wind conditions on Sunday morning shows the section of Florida coast that may be hit hardest

The forecast path of the storm shows that it could hit the Carolinas by Monday and even New York City by Tuesday

Hurricane Isaias is expected to bring heavy rain as well as storm surges as it moves north from South Florida

Palm trees bend in the winds preceding Hurricane Isaias in Miami Beach on Saturday

Though there were fears the hurricane would delay the return of a historic mission to the International Space Station, NASA said on Friday that separation and splashdown would go forward as scheduled.

Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken took part in a farewell ceremony Saturday at the International Space Station, several hours ahead of their planned departure on a SpaceX Dragon capsule.

Splashdown is set for Sunday afternoon in the Gulf of Mexico, and will be the first splashdown for astronauts in 45 years.

On Florida’s Atlantic coast, a hurricane warning was in effect from Boca Raton, just north of Miami, about 150 miles north to the Volusia-Flagler county line. A hurricane watch was in effect from Hallendale Beach to south of Boca Raton.

The state was ‘fully prepared for this and any future storm during this hurricane season,’ DeSantis said, with stockpiles of personal protective equipment, generators, bottled water and meals ready to be distributed.

But DeSantis said state-run coronavirus testing sites would be closed in areas where the storm might hit.

‘Our sites, because they´re outdoors with tents, if it were to get 40-, 50-mile-per-hour winds, it would just collapse,’ he said. ‘Safety is paramount for that.’

Workers install panels and sand bags at the entrance of a CVS Pharmacy in Miami Beach, Florida on Saturday

Bonnie Gruner’s employees help board up the building she manages at in downtown West Palm Beach, Florida on Saturday

Chris Nagiewicz, left, watches as his wife Mary screws in a hurricane panel on Saturday on a trailer home in Briny Breezes, FL

A boarded up home is shown Saturday in Briny Breezes, Florida. Hurricane Isaias is headed toward the Florida coast, where officials have closed beaches, parks and coronavirus testing sites

Anthony Perrone pulls the hurricane shutters closed on his home on Friday in Lake Worth, Florida. Perrone said he closed the shutters to prepare his home for the possible arrival of Hurricane Isaias

The closure of COVID-19 testing sites is concerning in a state that has been a hot spot in the United States in recent weeks. The pandemic forced officials to wrestle with social-distancing rules at the same time as disaster response.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giménez said each person in shelters needed to have 40 square feet and no more cafeteria-style dining would be allowed.

Any evacuees infected with the new coronavirus will be isolated in classrooms separate them from the general population, Giménez said.

Meanwhile, officials in the Bahamas cleared people out of Abaco island who have been living in temporary structures since Dorian devastated the area, killing at least 70 people.

The center of the storm is expected to move over northern Andros Island in the next hours, on to Grand Bahama Island in the northwestern Bahamas later in the day then near the east coast of Florida overnight through Sunday. It is expected to weaken slowly late Monday.

Brett Hand controls a Marine Travelift with a hand held remote to lift boats out of the water and move them onto the grounds of Palm Beach Yacht Center for safe keeping as Hurricane Isaias approaches the Florida coast Saturday

People are seen stocking up on water, in preparation for the storm in Miami on Friday. Hurricane advisory in effect for the Southeast coast of Florida. Hurricane Isaias is expected to hit South Florida in some areas as a category one on Saturday.

A Fort Lauderdale resident stocks up with groceries and water in preparation for Hurricane Isaias on Friday

Cars are seen lined up to fill up their tanks with gas at a Miami Costco on Friday in preparation for Hurricane Isaias

A hurricane warning was in effect for northwest Bahamas. Isaias was expected to drop from 4 to 8 inches of rain in the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Bahamian officials said they were concerned about a Category 1 storm hitting amid the coronavirus pandemic.

‘The center of COVID-19 now is in Grand Bahama,’ the island´s minister, Sen. Kwasi Thompson, told government-run ZNS Bahamas. ‘No one wanted to see a situation where we are now facing a hurricane.’

Paula Miller, Mercy Corps director for the Bahamas, told The Associated Press that people on the island were still standing in line for gas on Saturday ahead of the storm.

The area was still recovering from Dorian, complicating preparations for this one.

‘People are doing the best they can to prepare, but a lot of businesses still have not fully repaired their roofs or their structures,’ she said. ‘Even a lower level storm could really set them back.’

People in the Dominican Republic clean and dry their belongings after the passage of tropical storm Isaias, with which heavy rains caused the overflowing of the Magua River in Hato Mayor

Locals try to rescue their belonging after the overflow of the Magua river caused by heavy rains caused during Isaias storm in the city of Hato Mayor, northwest of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

A man remains outside his home, where teddy bears were hanged from a window to dry after the passage of tropical storm Isaias, with which heavy rains caused the overflowing of the Magua River in Hato Mayor, Dominican Republic

In the Bahamas, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis relaxed a coronavirus lockdown as a result of the storm, but imposed a 10pm to 5am curfew. He said supermarkets, pharmacies, gas stations and hardware stores would be open as long as weather permitted.

The Bahamas has reported more than 570 confirmed COVID-19 cases and at least 14 deaths. It recently barred travelers from the U.S. following a surge in cases after it reopened to international tourism.

On Thursday, while still a tropical storm, Isaias toppled trees, knocked out power, destroyed crops and caused widespread flooding and small landslides in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

One man died in the Dominican Republic, where more than 5,000 people were evacuated, hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed and more than 130 communities were cut off by floodwaters.

In Puerto Rico, the National Guard rescued at least 35 people from floodwaters that swept away one woman who remained missing.

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