#all happening in rapid succession is when he's like forced to reckon that he's also down atrocious for rook

[rattlung]

again idk if this has been said before but i love the lucanis approval when you're going after zara and illario meets you half way. lucanis is trying to get him to fuck off but illario ignores him and addresses rook, flirts w them, tells them that they should let him give them a tour. and when they also tell him to fuck off cause their honey said so, lucanis likes it. he follows up with "this isn't your job, there's no one you can charm into dropping their guard". and idk it kind of reminds me of the comment lucanis makes during the coffee date cutscene where he says smth along the lines of "even before i was captured, most things were determined for me" and adding that w the implication of illario absolutely hating when attention isn't on him paired with his resentment toward lucanis for being their grandmother's favorite AND lucanis telling emmerich that he "doesn't have illario's gift for flirting" like idk i imagine illario poaching any person he sensed lucanis had even a passing interest in just cause he's a spiteful mf

so here "there's no one you can charm" = "this one is mine, they won't fall for it"

i just think the mutual possessiveness is neat :)

[downwiththemutantnjnjaturtles]

We Met Within This Screen (chapt. 2)

[Donnie x fem reader]

Sfw, part 1 here

Intellectually, Donnie was the best matchup for their leader as today was sparring day. He'd gone against his oldest brother many times, sometimes even coming out the victor himself, but today was just not his day.

He held his staff with that iron grip of his and waited for Leo to come at him. Donnie was more on the defensive than any of his brothers; he had to be. Out of all he was weakest physically but superior in calculations, but he was missing range in this matchup. Leo had a hard time disarming him as his katana could sometimes get lodged in the solid wood staff, giving Donnie leverage to perform the finisher in the short time it took him to dislodge his sword. He thought this time would be how that would happen.

"You're slow today, Donnie," Leo said as he lunged at his brother with a swing of his katana, forcing Donnie to step back. He was too focused on blocking Leo's rapid succession of attacks to respond.

Leo reeled back to swing his blade again but Donnie parried and struck his arm with his staff, shoving it aside. For a split second, Leo actually thought he was fixing to go down by this move if Donnie could hit him again quick enough. But his brother hesitated in thought, and without any reluctance himself, he used his other katana to put him in a compromising position. The match was over and Donnie was forced to stand down.

"Why did you hesitate?" Leo questioned him, lowering his blade. Raph watched from the sidelines with Mikey as they prepared to go up next. Since Leo was the winner, it was Raph's turn next to spar in his younger brother's place.

Donnie huffed and dropped his stance, putting his staff away. "It's just an off day," he replied. Splinter wasn't there to dictate today's training session and tournament, so Donnie was already on his way out to go to his lab by the time Raph stepped up to spar. But Leo sheathed his sword and put a hand on Donnie's shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

"You've been pretty eager to run back to your lab lately," Leo said matter-of-factly. He was wondering what was going on, why Donnie seemed weirdly distant the last couple of weeks. He had gone through a very withdrawn phase in earlier times upon entering his teenage years, but now, he was legitimately making everyone guess. He didn't snap at his brothers, and he wasn't any more impatient than usual. But something was different. He'd been spending a lot more time holed up in his lab, which everyone began to notice. Leo wanted to know what was wrong.

Donnie shifted and shrugged, "Like I said, I've been busy with some projects. Also, it's not like I have much to do out here beside training and patrol."

Leo opened his mouth to speak, but Mikey jumped on between them. "You missed game night last week! You never miss it," he butted in. Both Donnie and Leo gave him a look as if to say really? and he added in, "Well, uh...not usually."

Gently moving Mikey aside, Leo wanted to continue, but he saw Donnie staring at him expecting a follow-up when he didn't really have one. Whatever this was, Leo knew that coming at Donnie with questions was not the way to go about it. So he stepped back and gave his brother some space.

"We all have off days," Leo said finally after an awkward moment of silence. "Just work on your speed, Don."

"Got it."

With that, Donnie turned to leave, and Raph entered the ring to go against Leo in the last match of the night.

Once Donnie was gone, Leo got ready to spar with Raph. As they got into position, he contemplated bringing this recent development up with the other two, but decided against it in the end. He didn't want to incriminate Donnie, especially with Raph's assertive approach to handling things. Donnie could be somewhat flighty at times when it came to resolving matters of emotion, at times a little too introspective, but Leo couldn't fault him—he had his own struggles with that very thing, too.

Done, finally, Donnie thought as he skirted into his lab and started up the game. He was late to the party quite literally; training lasted longer than he'd thought, and he was disappointed to see that his newest friend was online, but not responding to his invite. Did everyone get together and play without him? After a few minutes, he almost decided on giving up. The instance made him contemplate whether he even wanted to continue this. Perhaps he'd been too eager.

He sighed. And then the menu pinged, and he was there reading the message in an instant.

Hey, sorry I partied up without you, I just didn't know if you were gonna be on or not :/

Without even thinking, he licked his lips typed back, repeatedly deleting and retyping his message to make sure it was casual but not too casual, apologetic but not desperate—

It's okay, don't worry about it

Likewise sorry it took me so long to get here.

That would do. He'd be lying to say he wasn't feeling that flutter in his stomach; the excitement of something new got to him in a way that only a discovery in his research did, or how he felt when he mastered a new technique in his training.

Let's get started then :)

They started the game, and this time he kept the mic on, as she did. They talked back and forth as they fought creatures and enemies and looted things, eventually coming to learn that she herself was in New York City. He was surprised; suddenly, the world felt a lot smaller, and he couldn't concentrate on just playing after that. The time they spent became more of an opportunity to converse than to play a mundane game for hours on end.

At some point, she switched the topic to his whereabouts. Donnie's breath hitched.

"I'm...not anywhere near. So it doesn't really matter," he told her, cringing. If the guys found out—if Splinter found out—he would be in such trouble.

"Oh," she paused for a moment, trying to find something to say. "That's alright, I don't want you to feel like you have to tell me, you know?"

He'd muted his mic to release a deep breath. He got lost in thought thinking about how in that moment, he wanted to be human. If he weren't a giant mutant turtle, he could actually form a connection with someone. It was a very "Mikey" thing to think, he reckoned, but at times he wanted friends just like his brother did.

"Yeah, sorry, I just…"

"It's really no problem, dude."

He felt as though he could hear the smile in her voice. What did she look like, he wondered. He wanted to see her, but he couldn't ask for that when he could never do the same. If he could get her name, he'd be in the clear to do some preliminary lookups on this person, but so far, she'd been dodgy about sharing info about herself as well. He couldn't blame her. They were two strangers online, one with a huge secret and the other completely in the dark about who he truly was. For all she knew, he could have been a creep, looking to stalk her online and perhaps do even worse. The thought made him feel almost nauseous, how she could be considering that about him as a possibility as they spoke. But she seemed comfortable enough. Unlike him, who was still slightly skeptical of the entire thing, because after spending his whole life in practical isolation, he was at a loss as to what to say or do after a certain point. The conversation died off and both of them thought simultaneously about how weird the sudden silence between them felt.

She hummed, as if searching for something to bring up. When she spoke, he was taken aback—"Hey, I'm gonna be honest, I really like talking to you but this game is getting boring. Do you wanna chat somewhere else?"

"Uh…" he trailed off, mind shooting blanks. Oh, was it just a horrible idea. He couldn't keep the jig up forever; the truth was bound to get revealed somewhere down the line. He was fixing to reject the proposition, tell her that he didn't want to take it that far. She could be anyone. The likelihood of it being a clever ruse on account of the Foot Clan was slim, but the paranoia still worked ambiently in the background noise of his mind. But his other doubt stopped him—when would he ever have a chance at this again? He wanted to have the strength to say no and leave it at that. The loneliness that crept up on him from time to time had something else to say.

"Yeah," he answered after a terribly long pause of mumbling, fighting with himself all the way as she told him where to add her. He could have kicked himself had it not been for the fact that he knew how to encrypt data, and that as long as he didn't leak a word about his inner circle or life, it would be okay. It didn't feel okay, though.

"Nice! I'll text you, see you later, Bo. I had a lot of fun tonight," she chirped.

Before he could respond, she was gone from the party, and the mic went silent. It happened so fast. He was barely caught up with the fact that he was now receiving messages and prompts to talk, but he couldn't bring himself to answer right away. He had to refocus his logic; how could this be used by the enemy as a way to get to them? Could they have somehow anticipated he'd download this game and find this random on there? The more the thought about it, the more glaringly obvious it was that it was not the case. It was just too improbable.

"The probability of the Foot being able to simulate such a specific scenario in order to get intel on us is so slim, it is practically non-existent," he told himself as he finally pulled up the messages. He read through them. "Approximately a zero-point-zero-zero-zero..."

My name is (Y/N), by the way :)

Well, that was easier than expected. He figured that somehow, the name suited you—a fitting name for such a personality. But it also gave him a glimmer of hope. It made him want to ask why you appeared to trust him, as he could be anyone on the Earth over the screen, not his benevolent self. Which she had no way of proving, technically. But he soon came to realize the screen painted him in a whole new light that it casted on him. It hit then that he could be anyone. He didn't have to be himself; not necessarily. She'd never have to know, as he could wear a human mask and she'd be none the wiser. Problem was, the lying made him feel guilty, and slowly would develop to be the thorn in his side.

Donnie thoughtfully stared at the screen. Now that he was here, some of his anxiety began to fade. He found himself actually able to talk, someone to listen to his tangents and even build upon them. They spent hours texting back and forth about anything and everything until it was almost time for him to put the phone down to leave for patrol. He felt giddy, like a kid, all over again.

________________________________________

Had you ever been able to talk to someone this easily?

You asked yourself that question as you exchanged with the faceless and nameless stranger over your screen, chatting from afternoon to night. Time flew by in an instant, with him, and you loved every minute. He was someone intellectual, but funny and so easy to talk to that it was as though the conversation carried itself. After some time he came out about his age after you revealed yours. Oftentimes, he'd just present to you a random question when the subject tapered off and run with it, like now:

What do you think of reptiles?

Puzzled, you took a second to reply. Odd question.

Why do you ask? Do you have one?

I was just curious

What do you think of them?

The chat indicator flip-flopped between "typing" and "idle" a few times before a message finally popped up, and you smiled. You'd learned over this short time that he was a dork in a cute way.

Well...I think they're pretty cool.

They've got natural armor and you would be surprised to know just how fast a turtle can be

You laughed a little to yourself. It was such a random thing to bring up, yet you were endeared. Deciding you'd go along with it, you asked him what else he knew about turtles.

Well...

__________________________________________________

Donnie was wondering what he was talking about just as much as she probably was. Stupid, he thought, facepalming. His first time really speaking with a human as an equal and he starts talking about turtles. Of course he knew a lot about them, he was one himself—but for some reason he found himself wanting to dispel myths and misunderstandings about turtles as if they reflected on him, when as far as she knew, he was just a human guy like herself.

He groaned lightly and typed, thinking up a fact that wasn't too conspicuous.

Red eared sliders are semi-aquatic.

As he typed the next part, he caught himself writing "we" instead of "they", to his dismay. He quickly fixed the error and continued, feeling weirdly exposed as it was almost as though in sharing this information, he was putting himself under a microscope for her to inspect.

They can hold their breath for up to thirty minutes, usually

Holding his breath was something he'd tested numerous times before. He and his brothers had actually made a game out of it on a few occasions, with Leo leading at thirty-three minutes, Donnie in second at thirty-one. Raph broke at twenty-nine minutes and Mikey followed behind in last at just twenty-seven. The ability could be trained, nonetheless.

That's interesting, I wonder what it's like to be able to go underwater so long?

It's kind of cool, you should try sometime

For THIRTY MINUTES?

Shit. He promptly replied:

No—not like I can hold my breath that long, I just mean you should try to see sometime I guess

I tested it just for the fun of it.

Looking up how long humans could hold their breath on average (between thirty seconds and two minutes), he bumped the number up a little bit and added:

Personally, I'm at two minutes and forty-five seconds

He was embarrassed, partially covering his face as he waited for a response. Such a foolish slip-up; he couldn't afford to say anything cryptic. But he still was fairly sure that he had recovered that alright. He couldn't help but think about how awkward or weird he seemed to her. Who talked about this?

I don't think I could hold my breath for more than a minute, kudos to you haha

Anyway, sorry to switch gears all of a sudden but if you don't mind me asking, what's up with your family? You have any siblings?

He told her no. He would not bring his brothers into this, lest it be the slim chance of a ploy, after all. He said his family situation was unconventional and left it at that.

With that, he said to her goodnight and put his phone away, getting up to go get geared for patrol. It was only then he noticed the figure leaning against the doorway.

Chapter 3

[toovirgins]

Le Rêve - Part 5

Summary: John goes to a certain friend to seek advice. Paul has an eerily similar idea.

The door cracked open, and Brian stared back at him in surprise.

John pushed his way into the room, ignoring the flutter of guilt as Brian stumbled backwards. His eyes followed John closely as he crossed the room, surely taking in the unsettling blend of anger and nerves. Brian slowly closed the door behind him as John irritably shoved a stack of papers off of the armchair and lowered himself into it. It was then that he realized he must have been in a bad sort, because the action garnered no sour or disapproving glares.

“Everything all right, John?” He tugged self-consciously at the belt on his gown, pulling the fabric closer around him.

No. John scoffed. Everything is quite the opposite of all right, thanks. Making no attempt to hide the bitterness in his voice, John replied stiffly: “Eppy, I need your help with something.”

Brian took a seat opposite him on the edge of the bed, crossing an ankle over his knee apprehensively. John averted his gaze, seeing and hearing only Paul as the bed dipped with a creak. He fingered the fringe on the armchair, pushing the scene away and with it, hopefully, some of his animosity. It would be no use if he uncontrollably berated perhaps the only man he knew that could help him.

“Right,” Brian replied. John could practically feel the probing gaze burning into his side. “What is it?”

John stared back at him, dumbfounded. The idea that he’d have to explain himself to get Eppy’s advice had never actually occurred to him before this moment.

What could he possibly say? Hey, Eppy. Paul’s been having wet dreams about me, so we almost fucked. Did practically everything but the actual shagging. But we didn’t, because George walked in on it and ran to tell Ringo and God knows who else, while Paul and I screamed at each other and may have effectively ended the Beatles and also our lives.

John almost laughed. Oh, and one more thing. It was my idea in the first place, because I think I’m fucking in love with him.

He was buzzing with hundreds of thousands of thoughts, his mind never having felt so full. Dozens of clips played simultaneously in his memory: Paul’s stare, his shame, his wonder, his willingness, his arousal, his unraveling. His fear, his shock, his pain. And then nothing.

John would punch himself, if he could. Perhaps that’s what he should’ve done instead. Snuck out the back alley and taunted a right frightening lad, until he could get what he bloody deserved and be beaten to a pulp. It sounded far better and warranted than sitting in Brian’s room in heart-wrenching silence.

He had to be fucking crazy to suggest the reenactment. There was no other explanation for it; no one in their right mind would put their entire livelihood on the line for such fleeting pleasure. There were what-if’s about his future and the band’s endurance, of course. But they took the backseat to his concerns over him and Paul. As individuals, rather than bandmates or friends or even lovers. John’s mind knew all too well that their dynamic could never be: societally speaking, yes, but personally, too. Paul knew John—and was far too smart to chain himself to such a burden.

All of John’s fears that had developed over the past few weeks had looked him in the eye tonight and told him that they’d dreamt of having sex with him. They had moaned into his ear, the most beautifully obscene sounds expressed just for him. Just for him, and not some other bird; for a moment, there was no need to pretend anymore.

What might have been the most painful, John reckoned, was that they had let him kiss them. A shock traveled down John’s spine. Paul had let John kiss him, and Paul had kissed back. It was the first time in their sudden union that feeling shot somewhere besides John’s cock. When Paul’s lips nipped at his with abrupt insistence, John could’ve wept.

John could be stripped of everything he had, and still go on. Possessions, wealth, fame, dignity, sense of self—it was all meaningless. The only thing he couldn’t bear was the thought of losing Paul. A life where John could not cling to the hope of holding Paul tightly; of feeling Paul’s breath on his own; of cradling his head in his hands and ghosting his fingertips across sinfully sweet eyelashes and arched eyebrows that would taunt Marilyn and a nose sculpted by Phidias and lips that were made from the stardust on Mars; was not a life worth living.

For a long time, they were silent.

Brian was watching him with guarded apprehension. John could ask the practical questions that even then felt too incriminating. How do you know if you’re gay? When did you realize? What did you do? What do I do?

“I’m not sure how to help you,” Brian started, his voice careful and soft despite jarring John out of his trainwreck of thought, “if you don’t share what’s got you so worked up.”

John swallowed. The next part had to come very carefully, or his cover would be blown. Though he knew he was only delaying the inevitable, somehow, the fact that Brian remain oblivious to the details was crucial to him.

“I’ve done something I shouldn’t have.” He spoke slowly, refusing eye contact. “It was something I’d thought about, but I went too far.” A shaky breath. “A-and… I’m not sure—I don’t know if I can fix it.”

Something just short of clarity sparked in Brian’s eyes. John’s face grew hot with shame, albeit swearing he didn’t give away anything unnecessary.

“Well,” Brian opened. His eyes were too kind. If only he knew. “We all make mistakes. Even if you think you’ve never messed up this badly, it’s all right. Time moves forward and life goes on. You can’t change what’s been done now. But you can take your best shot at apologetics. If this person—if there is a person—and they really love you, you can always fix it.”

John’s heart gave an uncomfortable twitch at the mention of “love”.

Brian shifted closer to John, reaching towards the arm of the chair. He tentatively rested a hand on top of John’s, and though he knew the intention was reassurance, the gesture made him feel sick. An odd expression crossed his face, the twitch enough to capture John’s gaze, but it was gone before he could interpret it. John’s gaze flicked to Brian’s lips. They were pressed together tightly, forming a worried line.

A striking realization occurred to him. John could lean in, right now. He could pry the lips open with his own. A bit of a shift in his chair, and all he had to do was tip forward. Brian would let him; he knew that.

Then, as he deepened the kiss, heightened the circumstances, he would know. He wouldn’t have to try and ambiguously skirt around the problem to get Eppy’s advice. John would know, for sure. Whether it was himself, or whether it was…

“Eppy? Eppy, you in there?” Despite the rapid succession of about seven knocks, the voice wasted no time waiting for a response and slipping inside the door. John lurched back into the chair, despite not actually having gotten closer.

Whether it was just Paul.

“Eppy, I need your help with something.” The words tumbled out of Paul’s mouth, his back still turned to the room as he went to close (and lock, mind you) the door. When he turned around, his eyes immediately fell on John’s face and he went still.

“Oh,” he said, hoarsely.

John’s mind was absolutely blank, his stomach twisting grossly. His mind had lost the ability to spontaneously produce language as he gaped at the man in front of him. He hadn’t intended on seeing Paul for quite a while after tonight, and the shock of his presence right now was utterly baffling. The two stared at each other for far too long, neither making any effort to move or speak. It was only when Brian piped up that their stares finally shifted from the other.

“Paul?” The inquiry held much more than the one word. “Are you all right?”

John watched Paul’s head twitch a bit, almost as if he were about to shake it. Both boys very well knew the answer to that question.

Paul forced a distracted smile in Brian’s direction. “Right chuffed.”

Interesting choice of words, there. John’s nose crinkled into a scowl.

Brian’s gaze continued to drag between the two of them almost curiously. He was no fool; John knew he was sensing the tension that seemed far from their regular spats. He didn't intervene, though. Only watched.

Finally, John worked up the courage to spew in Paul’s direction. The words carried just as much bitterness as he’d intended. “What are you doing here?”

Paul blinked. “I need Brian’s…” He faltered. “Advice.”

John snorted. His heart was hammering so violently in his chest he was sure the room could hear it. The reality of seeing Paul again so suddenly was blinding. God, he wanted to hurt him. He wanted nothing more than to break Paul, to cut so deep that Paul could never in a million years guess what was truly going on in his head. “Ain’t that so,” he spat. “But, if you can’t tell, we’re in the middle of something. So kindly fuck off.”

“John.” Brian’s voice, a warning tone.

Paul’s expression twisted in sudden vitriol. His voice was low, directed entirely at John. “What is your fucking problem? I didn’t make you do a goddamn thing.”

Something cool settled in the pit of John’s stomach at Paul’s final quip. Don’t you think I fucking know that? he wanted to scream. Don’t you know that’s what I’m here for? To find out why?

Suddenly, the reality of the situation came rushing to him, and a newfound fury spiked his veins. Was Paul coming in here to tell Brian what happened? To tell him that John had made a pass at him, or something? John would be painted as the villain. As an attacker.

“Did you finish after I left?” John asked quietly.

The look on Paul’s face was a glittering trophy. Before he could answer, however, Brian abruptly rose to his feet. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but—”

No, no, no. “Don’t go,” John choked out hoarsely.

He shot John a warning glance. “—It doesn’t seem like any of my business. You two need to talk this out on your own.”

John hardly registered Brian grabbing his coat from the rack by the door and slipping out of the room. His eyes were trained on Paul’s, a vicious visual battle between the men that conveyed more than all words ever could. John felt Paul radiating towards him in ways that had no conceptualization, no name; just raw, unadulterated emotions. The pair had always been on that telepathic wavelength, though certainly it was no great pleasure for them now. The only identifiable sensation was vulnerability.

After a long time, Paul spoke. “John.”

John’s breath inexplicably caught in his throat. The words came out choked. “Don’t,” he rasped. “Don’t say it like that.”

Paul threw up his hands in exasperation, casting his gaze sideways. “I don’t know what you want me to do, John. I don’t know what you want from me. Do you want me to say I’m sorry? Is that what you want? An apology?”

It wouldn’t be until long after that John would realize it was an offer Paul never followed through on.

“It shouldn’t have happened. There’s a million reasons for that. I don’t know if either of us really even wanted it to. But it did, and you can’t—” Paul ran a shaking hand through his hair. “You’re not helping me figure this out. You can’t run away from this like it’s just another bother in your life, like… like I’m an inconvenience.” Paul’s lip trembled slightly. “Am I an inconvenience, John?”

John shrugged helplessly. It seemed like the wrong answer, but how do you give an answer to a question you don’t know?

“Fucking say something.”

John looked him dead in the eye. It was funny; Paul had always been teased for his eyes. They were droopy and wide in a cartoonish fashion, remarkably like that of a puppy, or a doe. His lips could form the most filthy utterances (as they often did, the cheeky bastard), but the meaning was washed away by the pure innocence of the eyes. They betrayed him at every turn; despite his best efforts, he would always be the “gentleman”, the “romantic”, the “cute Beatle”. A curse, or a blessing, who was to say? But it was different now. John no longer felt the childlike wonder they often conveyed, the underlying pep and charisma. They were blank now, laced with something quite sinister. They darkened, and rather than a warm pool of molasses John would dip into, they were an abyss. John wanted to claw away from them in a panic, but they had frozen him still.

Despite his mind screaming it was the right decision, it was impossible for John to swallow down the violent wrench of his heart. “Let’s just forget it ever happened.”

Paul’s eyes dropped to the floor, blinking rapidly. John dully noted the shine in them as tears threatened to breach the brim. Paul cleared his throat. “Okay.”

John offered a half-hearted handshake; a truce. It was a miserable attempt at reconciliation. Paul glanced at it with distain before shaking his head and turning on his heel.

John momentarily considered calling out after him. He took in a breath once, twice, but the words wouldn’t come. What could possibly be said?

Before Paul turned the doorknob, he glanced back in John’s direction. John’s stare raked over his form, and for the first time all night, the weight of the situation fully hit him. John’s vision blurred abruptly, and before he could make any move to stop it, silent tears began to slip out.

“John,” Paul started, his voice breaking. He paused for a moment, before wrenching the door open and leaving as promptly as he entered. There was nothing left to do, even if they tried.

They didn’t.

[orbemnews]

What to Save? Climate Change Forces Brutal Choices at National Parks. For more than a century, the core mission of the National Park Service has been preserving the natural heritage of the United States. But now, as the planet warms, transforming ecosystems, the agency is conceding that its traditional goal of absolute conservation is no longer viable in many cases. Late last month the service published an 80-page document that lays out new guidance for park managers in the era of climate change. The document, along with two peer-reviewed papers, is essentially a tool kit for the new world. It aims to help park ecologists and managers confront the fact that, increasingly, they must now actively choose what to save, what to shepherd through radical environmental transformation and what will vanish forever. “The concept of things going back to some historical fixed condition is really just no longer tenable,” said Patty Glick, a senior scientist for climate adaptation at the National Wildlife Federation and one of the lead authors of the document. The new research and guidance — which focus on how to plan for worst-case scenarios, decide what species and landscapes to prioritize, and how to assess the risk of relocating those that can’t survive otherwise — represent a kind of “reckoning” for the Park Service, Ms. Glick said. For a profession long tied to maintaining historical precedents, the change is brutal, said Gregor W. Schuurman, a scientist with the climate change response program at the Park Service who helped to write the new guidance. “It’s bargaining. Nobody wants to do this. We all got in this game, as the Park Service mission says, to ‘conserve unimpaired,’” Dr. Schuurman said. “But if you can’t do that in the way you thought, you have to see what you can do. There’s often more flexibility there than one imagines.” The team behind the report kept a low profile during the Trump Administration, when the Park Service was at the center of frequent political battles. In 2018, for example, managers tried to delete humanity’s role in climate change from a report on sea-level rise. The day before President Biden’s inauguration, they began publishing their papers, which were years in the making. The first one, titled “Resist, Accept, Direct,” aims to help park employees triage species and landscapes. In some cases, that will mean giving up long efforts to save them. The second outlines how to assess risks when relocating species. That may be crucial to saving plants and animals that can no longer survive in their natural habitat. Those two papers were the basis for the guidance published last month. On the very first page of that document, set over a photo of the charred Santa Monica Mountains after the 2018 Woolsey fire, the authors state that “it will not be possible to safeguard all park resources, processes, assets, and values in their current form or context over the long term.” Decisions about what to protect are especially imminent for forests, where changes are leading some researchers to wonder if the age of North American woodlands is coming to an end. In the United States Southwest, for example, research suggests that, in the event of wildfires, up to 30 percent of forestland might never grow back because global warming favors shrubs or grasslands in their ranges. Joshua trees appear likely to lose all of their habitat in their namesake national park by the end of the century. The new guidelines essentially ask park managers to think beyond resistance to change, begin considering transformation as the prevailing theme to be greeted and managed. In some isolated cases, resisting ecological change might work for a while. In other cases, losses must be accepted. But just as often, there may be room to shepherd changes in a less calamitous direction. For example, some native tree species in Acadia National Park, Maine, are struggling to survive as temperatures warm. Invasive, brambly shrubs, brought to the United States as ornamental plants, are much better at adapting to the warmer temperatures than native species and are quickly moving in to take their place. The invasives produce leaves earlier in spring than native species, shading out any young tree that tries to emerge. And, as mild weather arrives earlier and earlier (the growing season has already lengthened by two months in coastal Maine over the last century and a half because of global warming), the brambles only get more successful and abundant. “They’re dense thickets and you can’t walk through them,” said Abraham Miller-Rushing, an ecologist and the science coordinator at Acadia National Park. They’re also a perfect habitat for ticks that can carry Lyme disease. For the last 30 years, the park has sent out teams of people to cut down and pull out the shrubs. But that won’t work for long. “The models show that of the 10 most common tree species in the park, nine of them are predicted to lose habitat over the next 80 years, either declining a lot or disappearing entirely,” Dr. Miller-Rushing said. That includes red spruce, which make up 40 percent of the trees in the park. If those disappear, much of the forest floor would suddenly open to the invasive shrubs, which would fill the open space faster than any manual effort could stop them. Right now, park managers are still finding new red spruce saplings around the park, which is a good sign. But things could change very quickly — much sooner than 80 years from now. “That decline could be rapid,” Dr. Miller-Rushing said. Red spruce is very sensitive to drought. “You could imagine a scenario where we get a drought combined with an insect pest or pathogen. That could knock back the spruce really quickly.” It’s already happened to the red pine. Almost every one of the species in the park has been wiped out over the past 6 years by a single invasive insect, the red pine scale. “That’s likely how a lot of these transitions will happen,” Dr. Miller-Rushing said. “Not slow, but fast.” Acadia park managers are already using the Resist, Accept, Direct framework to decide what to do. Right now, they are considering selecting certain southerly tree species to hand-plant inside the park, in the hope that they will avoid a forest full of brambles. Whatever action they take, in the coming decades, the park won’t look like the Acadia of the past. “When our forests change to hardwoods, or, God forbid, invasive shrub land, the postcards would look different then,” Dr. Miller-Rushing said. “There’s definitely a sense of loss,” he added, but also ��a sense of urgency.” Dr. Miller-Rushing finished his doctorate in conservation biology in 2007. At the time, he said, protected areas like the national parks were still being thought about as static places that could be preserved forever with the right techniques. “We weren’t being trained on how to manage for change,” he said. “We were being trained on how to keep things like they were in the past.” That means nearly everyone in his line of work was caught unprepared for the current reality. “You have a whole profession of people having to shift how we think,” Dr. Miller-Rushing said. The changes come at a time when other aspects of America’s traditional approach to conservation, like the forced removal of Indigenous people from the lands they had managed for thousands of years, are also being re-examined. Far from being untouched expanses, it is now understood that those lands were actually shaped by Native American stewardship. Researchers have found evidence, for example, that Native burning practices helped keep the lush oak and pine forests that Europeans colonists encountered along the East Coast healthy and free of undesirable species. Amid those big shifts, the new framework appears to be gaining acceptance, including outside the Park Service. In April, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service published a new webpage about Resist, Accept, Direct, acknowledging that climate change is fundamentally shifting the ecology inside several of its wildlife refuges. In 2017, Canadian officials got in touch, looking for new approaches to conservation under climate change. Parks Canada has been considering the concept since then. And, in March, Dr. Schuurman was invited to present the framework to officials at South Africa’s park service. “I think what the Park Service is proposing here is a well thought-out, reasonable response,” said Susan G. Clark, an adjunct professor of wildlife ecology and policy sciences at the Yale School of the Environment who was not involved in producing the new documents. “It does signal the Park Service rethinking its responsibilities, and also what it can and can’t do in the face of all this change.” “We’ll have to learn as we go, and we’ll have to learn very quickly,” Dr. Clark added. “There’s clearly a lot more coming.” Dr. Schuurman said he hoped the framework would help managers make smart choices in an uncertain world. For now, he said, climate change is teaching them to abandon the concept of “forever.” It doesn’t apply to the parks they manage today. “Climate change busts that up.” According to Dr. Miller-Rushing, the former approach might have been flawed from the beginning. The rule of nature, after all, is change. Now, the climate crisis is making that clear. “We were probably always wrong to think about protected places as static,” he said. Source link Orbem News #brutal #Change #choices #Climate #forces #National #parks #save

[advxjennie-blog]

the games we play: solo!

Months.

Of reconnaissance. Of dressing up and dressing down to fit the backdrop of her gamers’ lives. Of rewiring personalities to become someone she’s not, but to fit the ideals of someone she longs to kill. Of smiling till her cheeks hurt, even though the bitter taste of contempt is present on her tongue. Of being stoic and hiding the effervescent joy that her late father so loves her for. Of being touched even when it’s the last thing she wants. Of pretending it’s the very thing she wants. Of having to bite her tongue and endure the odd looks like she’s not affected by it in the slightest—because such is her in-your-face behaviour, so she must be comfortable with the judgement that comes with it, right? Of being screamed at due to her persistence. Of running back to the drawing board as she blocks out all emotion of sadness and disappointment, because all she has endured may very well have been for nothing. Of never giving up regardless.

Weeks.

Of sleepless nights and blocking the release of melatonin—the hormone responsible for tiredness—released by the pineal gland. Of cans upon cans of energy drinks and an uncountable number of coffee cups of different shapes and sizes. Of cracking codes. Of breaking through the defences of anything from military databases and police files, to social media accounts. Of having to read through every painful conversation and looking at the occasional scandalous pictures, in hopes of finding that one piece of information she can use to end this suffering and move on to the next. Of having those pieces of information escape her. Of having her days and nights blur into a single moment: her, sitting at her cluttered desk as she forces the sleep out of her eyes and blink away the tears caused by the bright laptop screen. Of having to start again.

Days.

Of planning. Of dissecting the mysteries that are her gamers’ personalities. Of trying to figure out the boundaries of their comfort zone, and trying to figure out how to push them past it. Of guessing what they’re willing to do and what they’re not, and of how suspicious they are. Of tailoring tasks that are unique to their skill set, courage and respect for the justice system. Of having to piece everything together perfectly, because she is about to tangle her gamers’ lives together intricately, and if one rope happens to be faulty, the whole system collapses. Of finally avenging her father. Of finally taking revenge on her mother.

It all ends here.

Here is a boy with adventure written into his genetic code. There is an insatiable lust erupting within him that longs for adrenaline to pour under his flesh, an unexplainable need for the spark of life to run through his veins. If there is ever a man who would choose to live out of suitcases and in the snug economy seats of a budget airline in place of living in an extravagant mansion and lying on silk sheets and beds that are unnecessarily large, it would be Kiwoon. But the thing about him is neither the former nor the latter is an option: because on days when he is not off chasing the stars, he is scrubbing floors and washing dishes in a local diner.

He is the embodiment of peaks and troughs living a life of flat-line, and God, all he longs for is to escape.

And so he fills his idle moments with activities that trigger the release of adrenaline. It starts oh, so very vanilla: walking up to a pretty girl to ask for her number, or joining the local dance competition. But very gradually, it turns much, much darker: grabbing anything he can from the local mart and hiding the items under his jacket, jacking a parked car to test its control and acceleration and attempting to put it back with none the wiser. It is as though he starts to get used to the activities that once charged his bones with electricity, starts to see them as simply another part of his monotonous life, and so he begins to look for more dangerous, adrenaline-triggering things to do, and oh, how slippery he finds the slope. His heart sings when he partakes in activities that are decidedly bad, and although his mind is plagued by guilt and regret, it does little to stop his fingers from shaking as they itch to feel the smooth texture of a leader-covered steering wheel of a car his bank account most certainly cannot afford.

/

His reckoning comes in the form of a series of joyful pings from his phone while he’s busy at work, and he quickly steals a glance at the texts—surely his boss wouldn’t mind this much—but what he sees sends his phone falling to the ground due to a loosened grip and the forces of gravity. Because in it are video footages from hidden security cameras of him stealing from the local mart, as well as him breaking into a moderately priced car. It seems odd for the guards watching the security footage to have missed all of this, but perhaps it is because they had been oddly deleted, as though someone wishes to save him from the police only to exercise justice in their own, special way.

[private number] I wonder what mommy and daddy would think if their baby boy went to jail?

[private number] Maybe you shouldn’t have been so chatty with the regulars at the diner.

[private number] Wait for my instruction! xoxo

His eyes dart to the many customers in the diner as though afraid someone had caught him, and if he’s noted the ‘regulars’ comment, he doesn’t bother wondering which as he has bigger problems to deal with. He’s quick to pick up his phone, drop it into his pocket and pretend like he is not phased, but the sweat that breaks out on his forehead and the permanent wrinkle between his eyebrows betray his countenance.

/

He is awaken by the next text that comes in the middle of the night.

[private number] Knock, knock! You ready, Woonie?

[private number] Let’s go on a ride! Get dressed and be at the nearest convenience store in twenty minutes.

[private number] Might be smart for you to wear all black today. A hoodie would be good! Also maybe one of those surgical masks you use as fashion statements.

Perhaps he is angered from being rudely awaken, or perhaps he is just angered by the blackmail in general, because he is quick to slam a reply that consists mostly of cursing and threats. But he doesn’t get a reply back, and because he is truly, truly afraid of going to jail—or of having to force his parents to pay a fine when they’re already struggling as is—he decides to do as the texts say.

When he gets there, the first thing he does is scan the store for his perpetrator. Unfortunately, all he sees are two cops chatting over an early breakfast of cup ramen. Kiwoon pretends to be busy deliberating over candy bars when really, he just longs for his phone to ring so he can get this nightmare over and done with. And then, he’ll never steal again; this is enough adrenaline to last him a damn lifetime.

The phrase ‘speak of the devil and he doth appear�� proves itself to be true when his phone rings just as he had wanted it to before, but now that his wish has bled into reality, he finds that it is not as satisfying as he had imagined it to be. Still, he fumbles with his phone before reading the texts.

[private number] You’re early… I’m really impressed!

[private number] Anyway, you still know how to jack a car, yeah?

[private number] Show me. Black hummer parked on the far right. It’s the only car in the parking lot.

[private number] Sorry I didn’t tell you to bring your equipment. I forgot. Maybe. :P

[private number] But the good news is there are a lot of rocks! You can break the window.

When the police are this close? The person must not be aware of the situation. He texts his concerns, but he gets a simple ‘:/’ emoticon in return. What the hell could that possibly mean? After five minutes of waiting for another text, he decides to leave the store and check the car out, just in case.

The car is a beauty, there is no denying it. As his eyes land on the silver of light made by the reflection of the sleek, gloss finish, Kiwoon’s hands begin to tremble. Fingers reach out to caress the side mirror in adoration, and he belatedly pulls himself back and reaches for his phone in hopes of finding a new series of text messages that he may have missed in his haze. What he gets instead makes his heart sing, but his teeth grit in frustration.

[private number] Pick a rock for your favourite girl. I happen to like the big, sparkly ones, just FYI.

So it’s a girl; he guessed as much from her use of x’s and o’s. His mind spins as he thinks of what he could possibly do with this information, but agitation grows when he finds that he can do absolutely nothing, and so a succession of slamming the side of his fist against his forehead in frustration follows. But Kiwoon has no time to think: the cops are in the store, and they could be done with their ramen and chatter at any moment. And so he grabs a rock the size of his palm and slams it repeatedly against the window. The window shatters shortly after the alarm blares, and Kiwoon hops into the driver’s seat and reaches for the wires hidden beneath the plastic cover of the steering column. The addictive hum of the engine starting causes a wild, euphoric smile to pull on his lips, but the mood is ruined by shouts that he later realises are coming from the two cops whom have since left the store, and so Kiwoon steps on the gas and escapes with the car.

He’s driving on some small road, a large smile plastered on his lips in response to the rapid beating of his heart against chest that he is so desperately addicted to, and he is so taken with joy that the ringing of his phone does not dampen his mood. He parks on the side of the road and unlocks his phone hastily.

[private number] That was impressive! You’re so cool!

[private number] Drive the car to the address attached and leave it near the front door.

[private number] Leave the door unlocked and the engine running.

[private number] No time for sleep, sorry. :( You have a big day ahead of you!

His heart falls at the text. He’s done everything she’s asked for; is it too much to ask for her to let him go now? He types up a series of texts conveying his anger and brokenness, but he is greeted only with silence. Dejected, Kiwoon slowly drives the car towards the given destination. He’ll deal with everything else later.

There was once a girl with galaxies in her eyes. Her soft kisses could turn beast into man, her innocent heart making a sinner fall to his knees in awe and repentance. And perhaps her alluring nature has sparked the jealousy of the snakes she calls her friends, because they bare fangs that are sheathed with layers upon layers of lethal venom, and they poise to strike. It starts small: in place of Yeonjoo, they call her ‘piggy’, their thin fingers pulling back the tips of their noses as they snort in mockery. And it escalates: they catch her off guard by pinching her belly, they point and laugh, they push her down until her knees are scraped and her tears fall to the ground. It all hurts the same.

They tell her that she is ugly, and that no one is capable of loving her, and she starts to believe it; but what she doesn’t realise is that if she’d only see her true worth, she’d see that there are fairy-tales written of her, and in those stories, her love is the treasure below the x, the ethereal princess guarded by a menacing fire-breathing dragon, and still, it would not deter the many who would fight for and gladly die for her affection. But as she stares at her reflection, all she sees are their shallow words that, beneath the veil, lies jealousy in its rawest form. As she stares bitterly at the girl she so loathes in the mirror, she finds that she becomes her worst critic, and she morphs into the very girls who crush her spirit—the very villains of her fairy-tales.

In the vacuum of space, a star burns out.

/

Here is a girl with heavenly lips and an angelic face; but do not be deceived by her cherubic appearance, for she snarls and snaps at anyone who dares approach her. She is venomous tongue and biting words, and she has black holes for eyes that whisper a tale of once having brilliant stars beneath her flesh, stars that have since died and in its place, lies a petrifying vacuum that swallows men whole and leaves only their shell behind. Through secretive surgeries, Yeonjoo has now attained the shell she has always wanted, but she has lost the person she had desired to be in the process.

She blames her success—or perhaps, is it her downfall? The lines are awfully blurred—on fat camp, and she spits on all the girls who once laughed at the numbers that show up on the scale she steps on. Oh, look at her now, as her sharp heels leaves holes in the hearts of men and women alike. But she has never truly escaped the villains of her story, has she? For still, she keeps them in her presence, and still, she secretly and oh, so desperately longs for their approval. (As she looks in the mirror, the person that looks back is not her, but them.)

And that is the cause for the rapid tattoo on her chest, the gasping for breath and the way her arms reach out for something to hold as she attempts to steady herself. Because there, in her phone, lies the evidence that her rapid weight loss had been the work of doctors rather than trainers—information she was promised would never see the light of day—and there, in her inbox, lies a series of messages:

[private number] Would be such a shame if this got out and your posse hears about it, no?

[private number] This is what you get for playing nice with your stupid ex-neighbour, Kim Jinyoung.

[private number] Wait for my instruction! xoxo

And like a wilted flower, Yeonjoo falls to the ground in heaving sobs.

/

[private number] Morning, Yeonnie! Are you ready?

[private number] There’s a black hummer waiting for you outside. The door is unlocked and the engine is running.

[private number] Drive it to the next street and park in the third bay of the closest gas station.

[private number] You’ll be picking up a passenger. He’ll come to you, so all you have to do is wait!

With shaky fingers and trembling knees, Yeonjoo drags her weight to the car parked in front of her house, the low hum of the engine confirming that the text messages, unfortunately, hold no lie. The way in which she hurriedly runs towards the driver’s seat shows her desperate want to quickly get this over and done with, but the broken window that she’s first greeted with momentarily slows her pace. Slim fingers comb through her hair in disbelief as her vision begins to cloud from the tears that surface, but Yeonjoo bites her lip and pulls her hoodie further towards the front, determined to just hurry up so she can wash her hands of all this mess. She quickly slips into the driver’s seat of the car, and the other thing that catches her attention is a black, square object with a blinking red light stuck to the dashboard. If she had any suspicions that it was anything other than a camera, the confusion is quickly cleared by the loud ping of her phone.

[private number] Stop looking so glum! Smile for the camera, won’t ya? :D

An unfitting scowl graces her cherry lips, and her thumbs slam against the screen as she conjures up a reply, but as she catches sight of all her previous inquiries and pleads to leave her alone from the night before—all of which have been left unanswered—she decides that it would be wise for her to save her breath and just drive. Besides, all she has to do is pick up a passenger, yes? It shouldn’t be too hard, she reasons.

(But oh, is she in for a surprise.)

Jaesuk is a snake. There are no other words to describe him.

Perhaps there is a mistake in his genetic code, because disloyalty seems to be etched deep in his bones, and for the life of him, he cannot think about anything other than his own benefit. But he has a small mind, so he does not have the capacity to think so far into the future, and that is how he ends up angering many, many trigger happy individuals who act as though they have been given the license to kill.

Unfortunately, their weapons are all aimed at the same spot between his eyes.

But regardless of being dense, like a snake, Jaesuk’s key trait must be that he’s slippery, because he seems to be able to evade their shots and hide in places that no one would ever find him. He slithers into holes and hides between bushes, and when he thinks it is safe, he comes out yet again and hunts for his next prey.

Perhaps in an alternate universe, Jaesuk could change. Perhaps he could build friendships and strike alliances if he were only tamed into submission; but as of yet, he is like a child that has been spared the rod, and so now he is spoilt rotten. What use is it to change the only way he knows how to live, when he proves, time and again, that it is the best lifestyle for him to have?

(As said, Jaesuk is hardly the most intellectual, because as he foolishly tempts fate with rhetorical questions, he’ll find that fate always has unlikely answers.)

/

Like clockwork, at eight o’clock on a Tuesday night, Jaesuk stands in front of the window of an electronic shop with a cold drink in his hand, eagerly waiting for his favourite program to air on the many different televisions in front of him. What greets him instead is a nightmare in the form of a series of footages all staring a very familiar reptile.

There he is, slipping into his favourite hidey hole that he visits thrice a month. And there he is, slithering through the crowd and into the darkest alley of Incheon, so dark that no one—not even criminals—dares to enter. (Jaesuk had spread enough rumours of that place to keep everyone out, but it seems that his efforts are all for naught, for there it is on the screen for all of South Korea to see.) And there he is, walking towards his favourite struggling restaurant that only ever holds three customers at once. And there he is, there he is, there he is, at all his favourite hideouts that he had been so sure no one knew about.

The shrill tone emitted from his phone scares him half to death, and during that brief distraction, the screen cuts back to his favourite program, and his eyes meet with his favourite actress as she cries about a love lost. Tears build up in his eyes as well, but for entirely different reasons.

[private number] Did anyone tell you you sucked at hide and seek? Because you really do.

[private number] Relax! It wasn’t on national TV. Just on those TVs. You’re welcome!

[private number] It will be aired nationwide, though. Be sure to catch it at 8pm on Tuesday! Sorry for ruining your favourite broadcast again, oops.

[private number] You can get out of it, though. Just turn up to the Citibank across the street next Tuesday at 10am. Bring your gun and a hat. Maybe some sunglasses. Oh, also a duffel bag might be handy.

[private number] …yup. That’s exactly what it sounds like, Sukkie. :(

[private number] Probably should’ve kept your hands to yourself, and definitely off that old hag, Kim Jinyoung.

[private number] Wait for my instruction! xoxo

Jinyoung? Who the fuck is that? From the message, Jaesuk suspects it’s one of his one night stands, and if he ever sees that woman again, he’d kill her. But God, he has absolutely no idea what she looks like, for the women he shares his nights with have all blended together to make an unidentifiable face.

But whatever; none of that matters, because he’s not going to do it. To think that someone could threaten him—him, the person who has more lives than a damn feline—is laughable. So his old spots have been revealed: bad luck, but that simply means he’ll have to find new hideouts. Jaesuk texts a simple ‘fuck you’, throws both his drink and phone into the bin closest to him and leaves before his favourite broadcast is over. He’s lost the mood and besides, it seems he needs the time to look for a new spot to sleep tonight.

/

He’s lying on an old, springy mattress in the middle of some abandoned building when the bullet hits his shoulder. Screams of agony echoes through the room, but Jaesuk knows that if he were to cave to his want to lie down and baby himself, he’ll die. And so he bites his lip and roars as he pulls himself up and runs to take cover, his hand wet as he rests it on top of the wound in a lousy attempt to slow the bleeding.

A fucking sniper; and he already has a good idea of who the bullet belongs to. Why, it had been twenty years ago when he made nice with Jeongah, a girl with a penchant for falling in love: first with weapons, and then with him. But what she does not understand is Jaesuk does not make connections, he makes scapegoats; and so he had charmed her into taking a leap of faith with him, but as she jumped, she had belatedly noticed that his own feet did not leave the ground.

He left with the money, and she was left with the blame.

But now she’s back with a vengeance it seems, because there is a bullet lodged in his bone.

(And how does he know it’s her?)

It’s simple, really. Jaesuk had been drawn to her all those years ago because of it. The thing is, Jeongah is the type of girl who loves a challenge, and so she had always found sniping at a stationary target boring and frankly, thoroughly unfair for her victim. This is the reason why her first shot is always non-fatal, despite being known to never miss: it’s purely because the first shot gets them running and then, that’s when the game really starts. Well that, and because she’s the only sniper with a reasonable excuse to want him dead.

Jaesuk knows it is imperative that he leaves before she takes her second shot, because if she does, it’ll be his head. He knows in his heart that there is a small chance of survival, but still, he grips his shoulder a little tighter as he prepares to make a run for it. But just as he’s about to stand, his new phone blares.

Really?

Still, he is safe where he sits now, and he knows the second he moves will most definitely be his last. So he stalls and prays for a miracle, and then he pulls his phone out and quickly scans over the text messages.

[private number] I really have to hold you at gunpoint, huh?

[private number] Jeongah really wanted to kill you, but I’m holding something juicy over her head.

[private number] Did you know she had a son!? :o

[private number] Anyway! Tuesday, 10am. Yes or no?

Yes. Yes. Fucking yes. Blood is smeared onto the screen as he hastily types in the reply. He receives a response instantly.

[private number] Great! That wasn’t so hard, was it?

[private number] I’ve put her leash back on. You can let your guard down! Best take care of that arm before the big day. She tells me it’s rather bad.

Slowly and cautiously, he stands and turns to look behind him, just in time to see the menacing figure of Jeongah standing on the roof, a sniper rifle lax in her hand.

/

[private number] You ready, big boy?

[private number] There’ll be a black hummer waiting for you in the gas station beside the bank. Third bay.

[private number] Good luck!

The scowl plastered on his face is hidden by the surgical mask he wears. Fingers fly to the bandaged gunshot wound as it throbs beneath his clothes, and he allows himself one deep breath before paying no heed to the pain altogether. This should be quick and easy, he thinks; he’s done this once before, so it really shouldn’t be any different from the last time, right?

Without further ado, he pushes past the glass doors, pulls the gun out from under his jacket and fires at the ceiling.

Yeonjoo startles when the door on the passenger side opens, and when she catches sight of the gun in his hand, her soft lips part as a scream threatens to spill from her lips. But he had already seen what she had looked like through the broken window—had seen her fidget, her looking around nervously like a damn gazelle—and so he aims the gun directly at her forehead and screams for her to “just drive, Goddamnit, or I’ll blow your fucking head off,” and so she hurriedly steps on the gas and leaves skid marks where the car was once parked.

She sobs uncontrollably as she drives, pleads spilling pathetically from her lips as she struggles to keep the car moving at a consistent pace. It is clear to all that she is just a child with not a bad bone in her body, and so Jaesuk sighs audibly as he puts the gun away. And then come the plethora of questions that has him reaching for his gun again, if only to get her to shut up.

“W-Did you just rob the bank? Why are you— Wh— Why is this happening to me, oh God—”

He blocks it all out and instead, unlocks his phone to read the new message.

[private number] Good job! I’m so sorry you have to deal with Yeonjoo.

[private number] Anyway, I’ve attached the address to drop the money.

[private number] Leave the gun in the car and bring Yeonjoo with you.

[private number] I’ll be meeting you guys there!

[private number] Also, I can see you from the camera. So no funny business! Leave the gun, or Jeongah’ll pay you a visit very shortly.

There is fire in his eyes as they dart up and scan the car for a camera, and his jaw locks upon realising that it’s on the dashboard, right in front of the sobbing mess of a girl. In his anger, he carelessly attempts to reach for the camera for the sole purpose of yanking it off and destroying it, but the wound begins to throb at his hasty movements, and so he is forced back into seat. Of course, another consequence of his sudden movements is a scream coming from the girl in the driver’s seat, and it has him rolling his eyes so far back, they begin to hurt.

“Would you just shut up, for the love of God—” he pleads, but it only invites louder sobs. He gives up altogether and decides instead to gruffly pass his phone to Yeonjoo. It takes her a few seconds to finally take it from his grasp.

“T-there? They want me to drive you there?” she asks between hiccups, a hand reaching up to wipe the tears from her cheeks with her sleeves.

“They wants you to drive us there.”

And the sobbing returns with full force.

/

Yeonjoo had always believed she coped well with stress, but today is the day she finds out that she most absolutely does not. She doesn’t mean to be such a cry-baby, really, but try as she might, the tears keep coming. And now, the hardened bank robber who previously held her at gunpoint wants her to follow him past some trees and into what seems to be a damn forest. She’s watched enough movies to know how this ends up.

“I— please, please don’t do this! I won’t tell anyone, I promise, just please, please let me go, please—”

The gun is aimed at her once again, and Yeonjoo flinches and cowers at the sight.

“I will kill you if you don’t get out of the car right now,” Jaesuk threatens through grinding teeth, “I’d go by my damn self—I don’t need some deadweight who only knows how to cry and beg—but they said you had to follow me, so stop fucking around!”

Yeonjoo holds her face in her hands. With eyes shut, she barely whispers words of comfort and tells herself that this is not happening, that she’s somewhere else, that this is all a dream—

She feels the cold rim of his gun touch her forehead, and an embarrassing sob spills from her lips.

“Get. Out. Now. I’ll count to ten, and then I’ll blow your fucking brains all over this car! Just fucking get out!”

Please wake up, please wake up, please wake up—

Her hands fly up in surrender, and her eyes stay permanently on the ground as she clumsily falls from the safety of the car. Her legs tremble as they struggle to keep her up, and when she finally gathers the courage to look up, she sees him slamming the door shut and throwing the gun into the car through the broken window. She feels a heavy burden lift from her chest, but she is plagued with confusion.

“Why—”

He doesn’t let her finish her sentence, merely pushes her forward harshly, and she stumbles as she attempts to steady herself. They quietly walk past the trees and what seems like forever is really only a few steps, and then they arrive at a clearing. There is a lone figure that greets them.

The person turns towards the direction of footsteps and the ruffling of leaves, but Jaesuk does not give them time to do any more before he lunges, one hand wrapping around their neck to choke them. Yeonjoo screams yet again as the two fall and roll around the grass, and the situation is so catastrophic that they fail to notice the whirring of a drone camera fast approaching.

“Starting early, I see!” the voice blares from the speaker taped to the drone, and it’s enough to halt the struggle between the two men, “I like it!”

A maniacal cackle follows, and if it wasn’t obvious who the real culprit was, it is now.

“Welcome, welcome, to the game of life! As you can see, Jaesuk is carrying a black bag with lots of cash, and today, one of you will be the lucky winner!” she sings in an inappropriately cheery voice, and it causes wrinkles to form between Kiwoon’s and Jaesuk’s eyebrows—not Yeonjoo, though, she’s still sobbing and using her sleeves to dry her never-ending tears, “the rules are simple: kill, or be killed. The last one standing gets the gold! So don’t say I never reward good behaviour! You have 20 minutes to beat each other to the pulp, and if there’s more than one of you alive by the end of it, I’m afraid I’m going to have to publish all those dirty, nasty things you’re trying so hard to hide. So if you’re thinking of holding back, don’t—”

“Just fucking post it! Tell them! I don’t care! Just let me go, you bitch—” the scream grates against Yeonjoo’s sore throat after having gathered enough courage to fight back.

Jennie growls in anger at the rude intrusion, but she gives herself a second to calm down before she replies in a comforting tone that is very obviously fake, “Yeonnie, dear. Oh honey, you were an accessory to a bank robbery! Remember the camera? I have all the footage I need to send your cute butt to jail! You don’t want to go to jail… do you?”

A loud sob follows.

“I figured as much! Anyway, let’s not waste any more time. Now, Jaesuk and Kiwoon, please get off of each other; we want a fair fight, alright? Surprise elements are a no-no!” Jennie chastises, before once again getting back on track, “anyway, without further ado, the game starts in 3, 2, 1. Your twenty minutes start now!”

Kiwoon clenches his hands into fists and brings them up as he assumes a Southpaw stance, but the trembling of his lips and the rapid blinking of his eyes as he fights his tears reveal that he is not at all skilled in fighting. Adrenaline flows through his veins, but as he readies to fight for his life, he wonders why any of it ever mattered so much.

/

Bloodied hands reach to grab the black duffel bag on the ground. His eyes are reduced into thin slits, swollen and bruised from receiving punches. A small chuckle escapes his lips as the words, ‘you should see the other guy’ flies past his mind, but the chuckle slowly morphs into a whimper, and his once confident stance now melts to the ground gracelessly.

He hears the sound of police sirens through his heaving sobs, and what follows are thunderous footsteps and a shout, “freeze! Hands in the air where I can see ‘em!”

Kiwoon doesn’t struggle.

They say that he was so tired of his life, of being poor, and he was so desperate to turn his situation around that he resorted to going above the law and taking what he needed forcefully. A quick fix. They say he was the mastermind behind it all: that he had found unlikely alliances with a wanted criminal and a beauty queen, and that he wasn’t willing to split the money three ways, so he murdered them all in cold blood once they had done most of the dirty work for him. They say that he was an adrenaline junkie, and this was his biggest rush yet. Some try to put themselves in his shoes and say that he did all this for his sick mother and struggling father—that he was desperate to get her the help she needed but could not afford—and others counter, “but at what price?”

The media paints him in a tragic light, a victim of circumstance, and the masses criticise the news stations for glorifying a murderer. Some praise the media for being able to read between the lines. There are mixed reviews, but whatever the verdict is, time goes on, and soon, everyone forgets about a friendly guy who once worked in a rundown diner, who had monsters dancing underneath his skin. Instead, they talk about how scandalous a dress a certain actress donned on the red carpet, or speculate how accurate it was for a certain high profile CEO to be accused of embezzlement.

(And as for the phones? The text messages? The evidence of another possible explanation? Why, they cease to exist, because Jennie has already hacked into phone companies and deleted any archives kept.)

Everyone forgets, but Jennie always remembers. A sinister smirk graces her lips as she stores the video recording of the fight—of her games—onto a disc, and she places it on the shelf beside the many others. Just in case she ever finds herself bored, and is ever in the mood to relive her success.

She clears her desk of the empty cans of energy drinks, coffee cups, and shreds the many documents she has on her deceased gamers and she burns the evidence. And then she fills her empty desk with new energy drinks, full coffee cups, and her printer once again gets to work as she prints documents upon documents of information on her newest victims.

Today has passed, and dawn breaks, signifying the arrival of a new tomorrow.

[adambstingus]

MLS: Playing in Atlanta United’s ‘mind-blowing’ $1.5 billion new home

(CNN)Atlanta United’s Trinidadian striker replies almost instantly. “Absolutely mind-blowing,” he says with a smile.

Kenwyne Jones is describing what it feels like to be a player in his club’s brand new, state-of-the-art stadium.

Follow @cnnsport

The 33-year-old is what a seasoned football fan would call a journeyman striker. Since 2004, the Trinidad & Tobago international has mainly played in England, most notably with Sunderland, Stoke City, and Southampton.

He has also represented his country on the biggest stage of them all: The World Cup. So it’s safe to say that Jones has been there, and done that.

But it speaks volumes for the rapid rise of MLS new boys Atlanta, that when he tries to sum up the experience as a player in their $1.5 billion Mercedes Benz Stadium, in a team the talk of the football world, that he’s been blown away by the experience.

Kenwyne Jones on “mind-blowing” Atlanta United

Success story

One of two new additions to Major League Soccer this season, along with Minnesota United (who have not had nearly the same impact), Atlanta have taken to MLS as if they were 20-year veterans rather than scrappy upstarts.

On the field, with the regular season just finished, the Five Stripes ended up in fourth place, meaning they’ve secured a home game in the first round of the playoffs on Thursday in their attempt to win the MLS Cup in their debut season, a feat which has only been achieved once by an expansion side, Chicago Fire, in 1998.

Boasting the fourth-best goal difference in a single season in MLS history, Atlanta is a force to be reckoned with on and off the field.

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Managed by Argentine Tata Martino, who had a certain Lionel Messi in his ranks for both club — Barcelona — and country, his charges have blended South American swagger up front with a steeliness at the back.

Josef Martinez of Venezuela and Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron have lit up the league with goals and assists, while US veterans Brad Guzan and Michael Parkhurst have kept an American identity flowing through the side.

Is this sport’s first chief tattoo officer?

The hiring of Martino was arguably the most significant appointment made by the club and instantly turned them from a new franchise trying to find their feet into serious contenders.

It was a mightily impressive statement of intent from the club’s owner, Arthur Blank, who craves success for both his NFL team, the Falcons, as well as being literally United behind his soccer franchise.

“It’s been a great team effort,” says Darren Eales, Atlanta United President, who was brought over from English Premier League heavyweights Tottenham Hotspur, where he was Director of Football Administration.

“It starts with Arthur Blank our owner, right at the very top who had a commitment to soccer in building this stadium, a $1.5 billion-dollar stadium — but built just as much for soccer as it is for American football,” continues Eales.

“And then the city of Atlanta has just got behind the team in the most incredible way. This year we’ve already had a crowd of over 70,000 against Orlando.

“We’re averaging around, or are on track for, about 48,000, that would put us about 22nd in Europe ahead of teams like Paris Saint-Germain. So it’s just amazing to see this happen in the city of Atlanta.”

Tim Howard talks about his former teammates

Record breakers

This past Sunday, the team broke their own record by eclipsing the Orlando attendance with a crowd of 71,874, who witnessed a thoroughly entertaining 2-2 draw against league leaders Toronto, which would have graced most of Europe’s top leagues.

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Among all attendances in global football that weekend, Atlanta’s crowd was only eclipsed by two teams: Tottenham and Barcelona.

The season ticket holders have been beyond supportive — literally — with nearly 22,000 season seats sold in advance, resulting in the team becoming the sixth-best attended MLS team in history before a ball was even kicked (in total, Atlanta sold the most tickets in a season in MLS history with 819,404).

Since taking to the field in March 2017 — playing at their temporary ground of nearby Bobby Dodd Stadium for the opening five months, while the finishing touches were put on their swanky new digs — the club have now amassed more than 35,000 season ticket holders.

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And by playing with such swagger, Eales is equally confident in stating that, “on any given day … [Atlanta United] could give some of the teams in the Championship and lower Premier League a run for their money.”

The ‘Viking thunder clap’ heads to Russia 2018

(20 Videos)

The ‘Viking thunder clap’ heads to Russia 2018

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Jay-Jay Okocha on PSG, Neymar and Cavani

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US star Carli Lloyd reflects on City adventure

Lionel Messi’s journey to greatness

Sulley Muntari: Racism happens every game

How to manage Mario Balotelli

Tales of ‘Super’ Mario Balotelli

Cristiano Ronaldo: Real Madrid’s lion

Christian Pulisic talks club and country

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Gigi Buffon: Juventus’s heart and soul

Can China win a World Cup with this ‘football factory’?

World Cup failure

The Toronto match marked the first time the team had played a home game since the US men’s national team surprisingly missed out on a first World Cup since 1986.

Yet the feeling persists that Atlanta, as with much of MLS — a league now in its third decade with 22 sides, set to announce another two new teams by year’s end — don’t need the USMNT as much as they arguably once did.

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Not only does the attractive brand of domestic football keep the fans returning, but in many regions of the country, including Atlanta, so much of the crowd are from other countries, where soccer is the main sport.

This means that the linking of US club to successful national results is a moot point (whether that’s good for MLS and/or the USMNT is a topic for another time).

Yet it did not go unnoticed that Toronto’s highest profile American players, the captain Michael Bradley and striker Jozy Altidore, were booed throughout.

“It’s not going away anytime soon,” says Altidore in the dressing room after the match — while Atlanta’s US goalkeeper Guzan received louder than usual cheers.

While Eales reiterates that the US not going to Russia “was a real missed opportunity … this chance every four years to be able to bring that fence sitting fan into the fold is a missed opportunity,” he’s far more bullish than hesitant about the future.

“I think there is a danger in this call for radical change,” he clarifies, referring to the clamor for US soccer to undertake a root and branch review.

“Things have happened over the last 10 years that are bearing fruit now and you can’t expect it to happen instantly. So yes, I think there are some changes that can be made.

“But I do think there is a danger of saying ‘panic stations — let’s change everything.‘”

$2 hotdogs and craft beers

Atlanta are most certainly looking for continuity rather than change.

Their stadium is a wonder to behold, befitting of already being awarded the MLS All-Star Game for 2018, as well as the 2019 Super Bowl, and the eminently sensible pricing policy for food and drink — $2 hotdogs! — is here to stay.

MLS commissioner talks expansion

The venue is simply breathtaking, resembling the sort of stadium you would design from scratch with your friends, if you could incorporate everyone’s desires.

Craft beers jostle for space among the 1,264 beer taps in total. How about a window looking out on a downtown view of the city? Absolutely.

And what are the chances of having the world’s largest video board, which if stretched out, would be longer than the Eiffel Tower? Consider it done.

The enormity of the accomplishment hasn’t been lost on MLS Commissioner Don Garber, who admitted to CNN that success of this size wasn’t on his radar.

“Frankly we didn’t see what Atlanta would be as a great MLS city the way that Arthur Blank did,” says Garber.

“When you connect all those dots it gave us something at Major League Soccer that we never really thought we’d be able to see, which is a big important market deep in the south of the United States that loves Major League Soccer in ways that are unprecedented.”

MLS: Bedoya talks politics and soccer

To think that this is still a club in its infancy is nothing short of staggering.

In the words of Kenwyne Jones, “It’s been amazing, we never thought that the fans here in Atlanta would have received the team like this and we’ve been overwhelmed from the very beginning.”

Atlanta isn’t exactly known as a city that lifts trophies. They can boast but one World Series title in baseball by the Atlanta Braves in 1995.

As recently as this year, the Falcons infamously blew a 28-3 lead to lose the Super Bowl to the New England Patriots.

But if the other football team — who have become a paean to the beautiful game, backed by a passionate fanbase that worship them in this cathedral of sport — wins the biggest prize in MLS in its debut season, there would only be one way to adequately describe the achievement.

Absolutely mind-blowing.

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/mls-playing-in-atlanta-uniteds-mind-blowing-1-5-billion-new-home/ from All of Beer https://allofbeercom.tumblr.com/post/176000060797

[silviajburke]

Trump Will Soon End the Korean War

This post Trump Will Soon End the Korean War appeared first on Daily Reckoning.

[Ed. Note: Jim Rickards’ latest New York Times bestseller, The Road to Ruin: The Global Elites’ Secret Plan for the Next Financial Crisis, is out now. Learn how to get your free copy – HERE. This vital book transcends rhetoric from the next phase of the Korean War to prepare you for what you should be watching now.]

The potential for war over the Korean Peninsula is as great as ever. The news cycle we live in is a world of 24-hour updates.  With what seems more like 24-minutes between when stories come and go it is easy to lose focus on the major stories.

The situation in North Korea is absolutely not going away. That’s really important for investors to recognize because this is going to come back again and again.

“Buying the dip” is a successful strategy — until it isn’t. Now that we have entered the escalatory phase in rhetoric and military preparation, markets have still not come to terms with reality.

In March of 2003 when the United States invaded Iraq, we could see that coming. The CIA Director, George Tenet was sending warnings, Secretary of State, Colin Powell was speaking at the United Nations and then President Bush declared Saddam Hussein a global threat.

While the CIA bungled the pre-war intelligence, the point is that the orders to invade Iraq were given a year before. The same story is playing out now.

While the President can always call off military action, the planning phases for an attack on North Korea are going on now. Orders have been given. Preparations have been made. It is fair to say that contingency plans have been in place since the late 1990s.

The North Korean issue was dumped in Donald Trump’s lap.  It is largely attributed to bad diplomacy and faulty leadership through the Clinton, Bush, and Obama administrations. There have been deals with North Korea put in place throughout the years that put hard sanctions on the regime.

We’ve been down this road before. Every time North Korea engages in dangerous behavior, the international community and the United States places pressure on them. It has worked where both sides have agreed to terms, but the North Koreans continuously break their promises and escalate programs.

For the eight years under the Obama administration nearly nothing was done and the issue was largely ignored.  It’s hard to point blame at Trump, and while he has dialed up the rhetoric, this has been going on for decades.

North Korea: The Logic of War

As tensions increase, there’s going to be rising stock market volatility. This is where the logic of war comes in. The French call it, La Logique de la Guerre. The logic of war is different than the logic of diplomacy. It refers to the dynamic of how wars begin despite the fact that the war itself will be horrendous, counterproductive, and possibly end in complete defeat.

Under the logic of war, there’s an escalatory logic that leads to war even when no one thinks it’s a good idea.

There is a theory that Kim Jong-Un is mentally unstable, but in many ways the situation is even more complex because he is extremely isolated and exists in his own dangerous bubble.

There are very few that have told the North Korean leader that he is going down the wrong path. Even if there are talks going on currently behind the scenes with the Russians and Chinese, he’s not someone who is getting much independent advice.

The United States has to come to a decision on whether it can live in that world where it can be threatened by North Korean nuclear weapons and missile programs.

If the US were to attack, it would not just hit weapon systems. The aim would be to have regime change and greater stability that replaces it.

For Kim Jong-Un looking at that outcome, it appears that he believes the United States is bluffing. North Korea is looking at the case in Syria a few years ago where a “red line” was given but no action was taken.

That’s why the logic of war is important. Kim Jong-Un is able to operate with a logic of his own. His logic pushes him away from verifiable cessation of the arms testing and into some version of normalization with relief of sanctions. It moves him away from diplomatic channels and in the direction of pushing his missile programs as far as he can.

That’s where a breakout happens. It is a dash for the finish line where a country aims for an objective without even pretending it is operating with peaceful purposes. Actions are taken regardless of negotiations or critical pressure.

War, Nuclear Weapons and Break Out Escalation

In a breakout, there is an increase in the probability of attack but it drastically decreases the decision-making time and the window in which your enemy, in Kim Jong-Un’s perspective the United States, can actually attack you. That’s where the US is right now. He is in breakout mode. He’s testing his missiles at rapid pace. He’s testing his weapons and putting all the pieces together.

This decision has forced the United States to think hard about war and is providing very little time to act. It could be a matter of months before North Korea has this capability.

The North Korean regime is also aiming to launch a missile from a submarine. The capacity that they have is nothing like the U.S Trident submarines, or a more sophisticated system, but they do have a submarine. The action is going to be a shock to the stock market. It’s going to be a huge wake up call.

The worst case scenario is facing a submarine that can be maneuvered in the Pacific Ocean. While it might be able to be tracked, it allows for a threat to be closer to US territory and the missile range to be greatly diminished.

When that happens, that’s going to change the equation enormously. That’s going to be another shock to the stock market and add to more vulnerability there.

The United States then has two choices. It can acquiesce, allowing a nuclear armed North Korea to exist.

That would cause Japan and South Korea to weaponize nuclear technology which is unstable in itself and will increase the probabilities of war.

The second option is that the US will not acquiesce in this, and will go to war to put a stop it. The first Korean War fighting began in June 1950 and lasted until July 1953. There was no peace treaty but an agreement in an armistice where shooting stopped. The war was never technically over. It is a fight that could restart at any time.

The Next Phase of the Korean War — Who Wins?

My expectation is that it will restart but this will be the end of the first Korean War.

Before and after any conflict there would, in theory, be a lot of communication with China and Russia because they share borders with North Korea. China’s interests are involved and any action with North Korea has the potential for a wider war. The actors involved could include Japan, South Korea. China, North Korea, Russia and the United States.

It is also worth recalling that Russia borders North Korea and has connected railroads and roadways to the region. What that means is that even if China were to cut off North Korea completely, they could still have weapons access from Russia.

In the best case scenario for the war there would be regime change and China would be given assurances that fighting would not be within range of the border at the Yalu River. Under a new regime any leader would have to be more stable than Kim Jong-un and acceptable to China.

The big winner in a regional conflict is Russia. In different ways the US, China, North Korea, and South Korea all lose. Russia is well positioned to sit on the sidelines during of destabilization of East Asia, while the U.S goes deeper in debt.

All of this will happen in stages but the stock market will eventually get a wakeup call that we are headed for war.

Investors looking to take action can make sure they have allocations of both cash and gold. One of the best solutions to this threat is to allocate 10% of your investable assets into physical gold or silver.

That will be your insurance when the time comes and allow you to gradually lighten up on stocks because they’re in for a rocky ride.

Regards, Jim Rickards for The Daily Reckoning

The post Trump Will Soon End the Korean War appeared first on Daily Reckoning.

[makeitwithmike]

How To Make Your Content Stand Out In A Crowded Online Marketplace

By Rohan Ayyar

Content marketing is one of the most hot-button topics in the business world today. While the concept of content marketing is nothing new, consumer accessibility to brand messaging has accelerated with the evolution of the internet, and the importance of publishing top-notch content has skyrocketed.

In fact, a study by Curata found that a colossal 75% of marketers are increasing their content investments in the coming years.

While it seems like every single brand is going out of their way to create exceptional content, the truth is only a small percentage of them have a formula that stands out.

Here are five ways you can make your content stand out in such a crowded online marketplace, and make yourself a force to be reckoned with in the process.

1. Define your brand

The truth is, there are hundreds – if not thousands – of businesses working towards the same annual goals you are. Throughout all stages of the content marketing game, your focus should be on showcasing your superior level of expertise and why you are better than the next brand.

Needless to say, before you can start building your brand in the eyes of your audience, you have to have a strong idea of how exactly you want it to be viewed. There should be a strong and vibrant brand story present which you can weave your content and tailor your responses around.

Ask yourself the following questions to form a clear-cut picture of your brand:

What inspired you to make your product and start a business?

What are your brand’s values?

What problems do you solve for consumers?

If your brand was a person, what would they be like to hang out with?

What is the single most important thing to you and your business?

Determining your unique brand story is not just about creating a valuable marketing asset. It’s also about identifying the guiding principles that will impact every aspect of your organization as well as the content it produces.

Here’s a great example of a powerful brand story from Adidas.

In this video, Adidas’ humble beginnings are explained, along with how they work to provide value to their customers. It’s highly compelling stuff.

At the end of the day, your brand story is the foundation for every fresh piece of content you produce. Make sure that it is properly reflected throughout your entire marketing strategy.

2. Choose the right channels

One of the fundamental rules of high-performing content is to position your messaging in front the most receptive eyes. In other words, it’s all about being in the right place at the right time.

There are an incredible number of channels available for content distribution these days, ranging from microblogging sites like Tumblr to social media platforms like LinkedIn. Each has its own network of visitors and methods for consumption.

If you want your strategy to reach its full potential, you must create content specifically geared towards the outlets where your audience engagement is at its peak.

During the initial stages, this will require a good amount of research and testing. You’ve got to take into account the nature of your business and learn where exactly your target customers are spending their time.

Start by looking at your competitors. Where is the bulk of their engaging content being published?

For example, if you are running a fashion/beauty line, you’ll notice many of the successful brands are placing their premier content on more visual-oriented outlets, like Instagram.

Fossil has been doing an outstanding job curating their content on this platform and have even enlisted many high-profile influencers to help promote their products.

It’s wise to experiment with a multitude of channels to find the ones that work best. Keep a close eye on your analytics, specifically the sources that send you the traffic that engaged and converted better.

This is where you can see exactly how well each of your chosen content outlets is driving traffic to your website, identify the tactics that will most likely improve your ROI, and focus on producing content specifically aimed at those goals.

If social media networks are playing a prominent role in your content distribution (which they most definitely should be!), tools like Keyhole are great for tracking engagement across each of the platforms you use. It has the ability to keep tabs on your accounts and posts in real-time, and is the perfect solution for tracking your most valuable social networks.

Regardless of what your business is aiming to achieve, there are niche channels out there for just about every form of content under the sun. Find the right ones for you. If your content isn’t being exposed to the right people, it isn’t doing anyone any favors.

3. Start by educating, not selling

One of the most common tenets of content marketing is that the purpose isn’t so much to push promotions and deals, as to create actual value for the audience.

The key to growing a dedicated community is to showcase your expertise and prove why you deserve to be thought of as an authority in your industry. Once you do this successfully, people will be more comfortable spending their money on your product or service.

Amy Porterfield, a renowned social media strategist and the author of Facebook Marketing All-in-One For Dummies, has built her career on helping entrepreneurs increase their exposure. The essence of her content is not to boast about how great her services are, it’s to provide critical advice to businesses via blog posts, online courses, podcasts and more.

Fortunately, creating educational content now is much easier than it was in past decades. Webinars, for example, which are typically designed for prospects in the consideration stage of the buyer’s journey, are an incredibly powerful vehicle for connecting with your audience and providing the reassurance that turns leads into customers.

Unfortunately, most marketers think producing this type of content is both tedious and expensive. ClickMeeting is a webinar and video conferencing tool designed with this stigma in mind and makes the entire process of designing invites, building presentations, hosting a seminar, collaborating on projects, and analyzing engagement enjoyably simple.

­­­

Educating prospective clientele is by no means an easy task, especially for B2B marketers. This is where ClickMeeting proves all the more useful with private meetings, simultaneous translations, screen sharing and polls.

Equip yourself with the best tools and resources to help you share content in all formats across all significant platforms.

Although the selling aspect will always be a crucial part of the marketing mix, the whole thing becomes a lot easier when the prospect trusts you and believes that you are just as focused on improving their life as you are on making money.

4. Develop a unique voice

Regardless of the business you’re in and the USP of your product, the bare bones of your messaging will be more or less the same as that of your competitors when it comes down to it. You are all in the same field, after all, and offering similar solutions to common consumer issues.

Your ability to separate yourself from the rest of the pack therefore depends heavily on the unique brand voice you develop.

Vimeo is far from the only video hosting platform, but stands out because it does a fantastic job at using brand voice to paint the company as funny, smart and quirky.

Developing your voice is not something that happens overnight. You will need to look at the heart of your audience and brainstorm creative ways to reach them. For inspiration, look at Zomato.

This online restaurant review hub started out as India’s answer to Yelp, and now has a presence in 23 countries. One of the major drivers in their rapid success is the clever content they were producing right from the get-go, before content marketing even became cool.

The first impression that Zomato’s content gives people is its sharp wit. Their content does not always revolve around food, but strays wilfully into territory around friends, lifestyle and pop culture. A couple of years back, their series The Primetime Yummies (visual puns on Emmy-nominated TV shows timed to coincide with the Emmy Awards) got over 33,000 likes on Facebook.

A good tactic is to critically examine your business as if it were a living, breathing person.

What does he or she look like?

What kinds of things does he or she identify with?

How does he or she relate to other people?

What is the most important thing to him or her?

Again, competitive analysis is valuable here too. Using monitoring tools like Social Animal, you can look at the content your competitors are putting out there, and the kind of response they are receiving. Keep an eye on their tone, how they speak to their audience, and how people engage with them. Then use those insights to improve your own approach.

Ultimately, your brand voice is what sets your content apart from others. Some final points to consider:

Humor will always have takers. Find your funny bone and tickle your users’ along the way.

Not all content needs to revolve around your industry or product. Pick topics that your users connect with and weave them into your brand subtly – they’ll love it.

It’s okay to spark a debate and get on the edgy side of things once in a while. It gets you noticed and talked about; after all, no publicity is bad publicity.

Once you have added the right amount of character and pizazz to your messaging, you must ensure it remains consistent. Create a voice outline for you and your team. Identify the key characteristics that must be present in every piece you produce. A failure to maintain consistency can make it difficult for people to trust your brand and relate to it in the long term.

5. Don’t play it safe

When it comes to content marketing, ‘playing it safe’ is unlikely to catapult you to widespread popularity. To really get noticed by the masses, you need to step out of your comfort zone every once in a while and take a few risks. If you’re not sure how to do that right, you need to get familiar with the 70/20/10 rule.

70% should be the safe, run-of-the mill content that doesn’t raise too many eyebrows in your audience.

20% should work to break out of your normal shell and speak to new demographics.

10% is where you can push the envelope and experiment. This is where you make bold claims and predictions, get contentious, and disrupt the status quo to show the world you are there and ready to make waves.

While some business experts might argue it’s best to steer clear of controversial issues, others would say it’s an interesting way to exhibit your brand’s values and increase exposure.

Take Oreo – they’re nothing short of a powerhouse of social media marketing on Facebook and Twitter alike. On June 25 2012, they decided to take sides on a prominent political and cultural issue, and post in honor of the Pride celebration in New York City.

As this was (and still is) a deeply controversial topic, their simple post sent Oreo’s 27 million followers into a frenzy. Not only did this post give people a deeper understanding of Oreo’s stance on marriage equality, it also got the company an unbelievable amount of publicity. While many vowed to never buy their cookies again, the message gained an incredible amount of support, with nearly 300,000 likes on the post.

Zomato isn’t afraid of raking up controversy either. They once tried to pit New Delhi versus Bangalore as a replacement for India’s tech capital. The ill-fated hiring campaign then spiralled into an online debate that had the country’s social media intellectuals at each other’s throats.

Be conscious that whichever direction you decide to take, you need to be smart and tactical about it. The goal is to create content that attracts people’s attention with the potential of going viral. Understand you will likely receive a fair amount of backlash and have an action plan to deal with this.

Never take risks purely for the sake of offending people. Always make sure your message can be interpreted from a positive angle.

In other words, tread lightly, but don’t be a featherweight.

6. Engage your audience personally

Today’s consumers – especially millennials – want brands that get involved with and relate to them on a personal level. Content marketing these days is very much a two-way street. Using social media, brands are now able to interact with their audiences in real-time, with no purpose other than just chilling out.

­

According to a survey by Hootsuite, 59% of Americans with social media accounts believe communicating with businesses through social networking helps make it easier to get questions answered and issues resolved.

One of the cornerstones of any content agenda should be bringing a humanized element to the brand’s table. In addition to addressing concerns in a timely fashion, writing personalized responses is a phenomenal way to show the world there are actual people behind your operation. Additionally, it opens up more opportunities to reveal your brand’s authentic identify and showcase the values you stand for.

You need to be careful not to fall into the trap of ‘likes’ and ‘shares’ when it comes to measuring true engagement, though. As Jonah Berger observes in his book Contagious, likes and shares aren’t votes of confidence about the abilities of a brand. People may share items that they feel are clever or cool but most of them do not even read through the post before hitting the like or share button (the headline itself is enough)!

While the numbers may still constitute social proof, the mere fact that people appreciate a clever piece of marketing is not going to get the needle moving for brands.

Vanity metrics have unfortunately contributed to the deluge of poor content on the net in a negative way. They hit the prestige switch in marketers, who keep pandering to their (and their clients’) egos, without actually achieving much.

A robust set of content metrics should cover:

Engagement

Long-term impact

Purchase intent

Overall ROI

Identifying and segmenting frequent engagers is critical. The higher the percentage of repeat consumers of your content, the stronger their sense of association with your brand. Google Analytics can give you specifics on the behavior of new vs. returning visitors to your site.

By correlating time-specific reports with your content calendar, you can also start to understand what really matters to your audience, clean out what doesn’t work, and build more compelling calls to action with the rest.

If the percentage of returning readers spikes every time you publish a new piece, it means your content is gradually growing a solid base of prospects who are primed for the sales pitch.

In all honesty, your customers are the reason why your content – and entire business – exists in the first place. Engaging them is one of the smartest ways you can advance your efforts and build loyalty and lifetime value.

Parting words

To put it simply, content marketing is one of the most effective ways out there to help a business make an impact. As of right now, it appears to be in the midst of a momentous reimagining, with the widespread use of artificial intelligence and virtual reality on the horizon.

However, even though technology may change, the core principles of successful content will remain the same. So think about the above points and think of your strategy as something in a constant state of evolution and growth.

Always look at both your defeats and victories for ways to take your brand to the next level of visibility.

Guest Author: Rohan Ayyar is a creative content strategist and CRO specialist at E2M, digital marketing firm par excellence. He doubles up as the resident UX authority at Moveo Apps, a premium app dev agency. Rohan is also an avid business and tech writer, with articles featured on The Next Web, Fast Company, and Adweek.

The post How To Make Your Content Stand Out In A Crowded Online Marketplace appeared first on Jeffbullas’s Blog.

The post How To Make Your Content Stand Out In A Crowded Online Marketplace appeared first on Make It With Michael.

from How To Make Your Content Stand Out In A Crowded Online Marketplace

[othersportsnews-blog]

Who reported what immediately after qualifying for the British Grand Prix

New Post has been published on https://othersportsnews.com/who-reported-what-immediately-after-qualifying-for-the-british-grand-prix/

Who reported what immediately after qualifying for the British Grand Prix

2:forty one PM ET

ESPN Personnel

ESPN rounds up all the reaction from up and down the Silverstone paddock next qualifying for the 2017 British Grand Prix.

Mercedes

Valtteri Bottas (4th): “Qualifying was difficult. It is not excellent to be starting off P9 but we get started tomorrow on a diverse tyre to the cars and trucks ahead of us, which could provide up some great prospects to move forward. The Delicate must be a great race tyre and I know something is feasible from there. I will have to be very careful to not get caught powering site visitors, but that Delicate tyre must give me the chance to move forward as some others end. The equilibrium of the motor vehicle was not undesirable, but I seriously struggled for grip. The lock-up at Convert 3 on the closing operate price me a little bit of time, but it will not describe the gap to the entrance. Lewis appeared to be equipped to get the heat into the tyres better than me right now in the cooler circumstances immediately after the rain. I just failed to have plenty of grip to compete for pole as the keep track of dried out. We are going to search into that tonight. We unquestionably have a solid motor vehicle in this article and we have been aggressive all weekend, so I will be pushing all out tomorrow to make up some ground.”

Lewis Hamilton (1st): “I can not seriously describe in phrases just how great that pole feels. A fifth Silverstone pole, equal with Jim Clark, it just feels ridiculous to me – it’s surreal to be up there with these legends. I’m so delighted with how this weekend has long gone. We started on the ideal foot straight from FP1 and we have developed up from there. I loved the circumstances in Q1 – it’s difficult but those people changeable circumstances are so substantially enjoyable. Then it was all about pushing to the limit as the keep track of dried out, extracting everything out of the motor vehicle. Everything has just been so fantastic and I understood it was a stunning lap – I understood that experienced to be it. I sense like I’m driving the ideal I have ever pushed, so I hope the success get started to demonstrate that. It is been super restricted just lately, so to finish up with a gap of 7 tenths to the Ferraris is a nice shock. I would under no circumstances deliberately get in the way of anybody. I really don’t believe I was in the way of Romain, but if I was I apologise. The house guidance has been amazing and I’m so proud to choose pole in this article all over again. It blows me absent to see all of the flags. There’s nowhere else in the planet in which a driver gets this type of really like and guidance.”

James Allison, Technological Director: “That was a really extreme hour in mixed circumstances and it proved demanding for the group and motorists alike. It was satisfying to see that the motor vehicle was really aggressive in all of those people diverse circumstances, with both equally motorists setting aggressive situations in both equally the damp early levels and the dry at the finish. In the closing reckoning, it was a small little bit disappointing for Valtteri that he could not reproduce his solid rate on the closing runs, but we know that it is demanding leaping amongst the tyre compounds. On the other side of the garage, Lewis did an epic job. It was a flawless closing operate and great to see him put a good stretch of cleanse drinking water amongst himself and the opposition, demonstrating both equally his and the car’s rate.”

(Photograph by Octane/Motion Furthermore through Getty Visuals)

Red Bull

Daniel Ricciardo (20th): “It was a lonely qualifying for me and we ended up quite substantially precisely in which I anticipated. We had been lacking the velocity and hence not able to get shut to the Mercedes and Ferraris but the motor vehicle however felt great so I experienced enjoyable out there. Fifth was the ideal we could have finished right now and I attained that. I will get started tomorrow in fourth which of study course is better but I under no circumstances like to rely on penalties for other persons to assistance, I wish I was there just on rate. We shall wait and see what the climate provides tomorrow, ideally some rain as I believe I have a better probability of demanding for a podium in the wet. At the starting of Qualifying it looked like it could have been a nice probability to get up entrance but sad to say the keep track of dried out. I want to be real looking and not desire so I’m hoping my luck has adjusted and I can have a great, enjoyable race tomorrow and bring the motor vehicle house. I am not talking about podiums or profitable for now. If some thing comes about to the cars and trucks in entrance then we can challenge for a better result.”

Max Verstappen (fifth): “It was a lonely qualifying for me and we ended up quite substantially precisely in which I anticipated. We had been lacking the velocity and hence not able to get shut to the Mercedes and Ferraris but the motor vehicle however felt great so I experienced enjoyable out there. Fifth was the ideal we could have finished right now and I attained that. I will get started tomorrow in fourth which of study course is better but I under no circumstances like to rely on penalties for other persons to assistance, I wish I was there just on rate. We shall wait and see what the climate provides tomorrow, ideally some rain as I believe I have a better probability of demanding for a podium in the wet. At the starting of Qualifying it looked like it could have been a nice probability to get up entrance but sad to say the keep track of dried out. I want to be real looking and not desire so I’m hoping my luck has adjusted and I can have a great, enjoyable race tomorrow and bring the motor vehicle house. I am not talking about podiums or profitable for now. If some thing comes about to the cars and trucks in entrance then we can challenge for a better result.”

(Photograph by Tim Williams/Motion Furthermore through Getty Visuals)

Ferrari

Sebastian Vettel (3rd): “We are very delighted with the result and our performance was great. I believe it will be difficult tomorrow contemplating that Mercedes has been really rapid for the entire weekend. Our motor vehicle right now was great and felt astounding, so all round I am delighted. The keep track of was not seriously wet and it was great enjoyable to drive, I just discovered a bunch of cars and trucks ahead of me in my past operate, but or else I believe we enhanced the motor vehicle a whole lot above the weekend, also in qualifying trim, and which is what seriously counts.”

Kimi Raikkonen (2nd): “In qualifying the dealing with of my motor vehicle was better than any other time this weekend and I was seriously delighted with that. Clearly we constantly want to end greater, but right now we bought extra or a lot less what we could. In Q1, with the intermediate tires on a damp keep track of, the circumstances had been a little bit tricky. It was really slippery, but it was not wet everywhere you go and the tires wore out really promptly. Thankfully we did the past operate at the ideal time and it was okay. Right after that, the keep track of was finding better and better. My past lap felt great, but it was however a little bit tricky to know in which to go simply because it was however a little bit damp in this article and there so I took it very quickly at first and then resolved to force a little bit extra. The experience that I bought with my motor vehicle right now was nice, so I’m looking forward to tomorrow and I hope that in the race we can enhance. Commonly, we are a little bit more powerful on Sunday.”

(Photograph by Tim Williams/Motion Furthermore through Getty Visuals)

Drive India

Esteban Ocon (eighth): “It is been a seriously difficult qualifying session, so I am delighted to end in eighth place. We resolved to have a really late pit end in Q1 to put slicks on. It was a calculated risk and we only took the choice at the closing corner. I experienced a single lap to get the time and I bought blocked by Ericsson, but I however managed to enhance my time even while it was really substantially on the limit. In Q2 I experienced my brakes on hearth and all through my next operate I dropped all radio get hold of with the group. I was there, driving alone, and I experienced to search out for the pit board like in the aged situations. I will be seventh on the grid tomorrow, which is not a undesirable place to get started, primarily contemplating everything that happened all through this session. The circumstances can be really unpredictable, like right now, and if the rain arrives something can come about. We have been solid right now and I am confident it can be the identical tomorrow.”

Sergio Perez (seventh): “It was a really tough qualifying session and it was vital to be on keep track of at the ideal time, primarily all through Q1 the wet circumstances. I was let down we failed to end a single place greater and when the gap is so compact you know you experienced the probability to be ahead. My closing lap could have been better simply because I dropped time operating above the kerbs in the closing corner so there was area to enhance. On the other hand, we are however starting off in a good place tomorrow. We have a solid motor vehicle and if the climate circumstances are identical there could be the chance to end even greater up. We will maintain our heads down and test to deliver the fantastic race.”

Dr Vijay Mallya, Staff Principal: “We are delighted with the outcome of present-day qualifying session. With the grid penalty for Bottas, it implies both equally cars and trucks move up a placement so that we will line up in sixth and seventh locations for tomorrow’s race. Each motorists did a great job in the damp circumstances of Q1 and delivered tidy laps when it mattered in Q2 and Q3. Our race rate must be aggressive tomorrow and we have the probable to select up great details in our house race.”

(Photograph by Peter J Fox/Getty Visuals)

Williams

Felipe Massa (fifteenth): “I’m really let down with qualifying right now. When you’re combating for the major 10 in just about every session and then you get to qualifying and you end fifteenth, it’s disappointing. I really don’t know if it would have been plenty of to get me via to Q3, but I experienced a whole lot of site visitors on my past set of tyres. We had been very restricted with the time and I experienced to do an overall lap in the tow of a Toro Rosso. Without the need of that site visitors I could have finished a cleanse lap at the ideal feasible time in qualifying. I am let down but we will combat all over again tomorrow.”

Lance Stroll (sixteenth): “That was my first time in a System One motor vehicle in the wet, and it was a seriously funny session with rain, drying circumstances and intermediates. It was drying at the finish and we experienced some graining on the tyres, so we could not seriously go a lot quicker. We bought bumped by men who put on slicks in the finish and went a lot quicker. I really don’t seriously depend that as a regular qualifying in which our rate is in which we must be. It is just disappointing. We only just missed out on Q2. We will see tomorrow what it will be like as the motor vehicle is great in the dry.”

Paddy Lowe, Main Technological Officer: “It was a really tricky session for all the groups with the unsure climate. We started Q1 on the supersofts, but it was straight away obvious that there was not plenty of grip and we went to the intermediates. Right after the session was briefly red flagged we went out on the intermediates all over again and Felipe set a reasonably harmless time. Lance was just in, but was drastically knocked out by Alonso’s lap on the supersofts. It was Lance’s first wet qualifying in a System One motor vehicle, so it was a tricky studying curve for him. We ran three sets of supersofts with Felipe in Q2, as circumstances became pretty much dry. For some reason we weren’t equipped to demonstrate the rate we have witnessed through the weekend so significantly, so sad to say, he was knocked out. We are all hugely let down as the solid rate of the motor vehicle isn’t really reflected in this grid right now, but the motor vehicle must be great tomorrow, and we will see what we can do from fifteenth and sixteenth.”

(Photograph by Tim Williams/Motion Furthermore through Getty Visuals)

McLaren

Fernando Alonso (thirteenth): “We designed the ideal connect with at the finish of Q1 by switching to Possibility tyres. We took advantage of a keep track of that was on the limit at that minute – and it was nice to hear persons cheering. It is great for the men in the garage as perfectly: they ought to have it as they have been doing the job so difficult these earlier few of yrs, and, even if it’s just for a single minute, to be up there at the major of the time sheets feels great. Not generating it into Q3 permits us to decide on our tyres for the race. We are going to get started past, owing to the penalties starting off on utilised Q2 tyres would not have been excellent, so we are comparatively delighted with thirteenth. Now we need to have to believe about tomorrow. We proved right now that we are very aggressive in mixed circumstances, so a wet/dry chaotic race could function in our favour. Ideally it’s going to remain like this tomorrow, climate-intelligent.”

Stoffel Vandoorne (ninth): “To choose element in Q3 at Silverstone was a little bit unanticipated. But I have been doing the job really perfectly for the earlier few of races, and we have evidently witnessed the improvements inside of the group – in Azerbaijan, in Austria, and in this article at Silverstone this weekend, Fernando and I mainly matched every other’s rate. It is naturally a quite great experience to have designed that more step. We might been hoping to get a wet mixed-situation qualifying for a long time, and I believe we had been quite solid in these circumstances all session long. Then, when the keep track of bought drier, we maximised just about every probability we bought. As regular, it’s really shut in the midfield pack, and we ordinarily see that some of the some others have bought a small some thing more for qualifying. But I believe the mixed circumstances seriously assisted us right now. Each individual time I was on keep track of, I managed to bank a great lap-time, and I believe ninth in Q3 was seriously the most we could do right now.”

Eric Boullier, McLaren-Honda Racing Director: “Stoffel has been really rapid all weekend, and it was good to see him duly get it all hooked up so perfectly in this article right now. He drove an great lap in Q1 on Inters, posting the eighth-speediest time on slippery asphalt and therefore splitting the two Ferraris, and then ongoing his fantastic kind on slicks in Q2, as the keep track of dried, successfully generating it via to Q3 in the approach. He’ll get started tomorrow’s race from eighth on the grid, next Valtteri’s [Bottas] 5-place grid penalty. Perfectly finished, Stoff! Fernando drove a stonking lap in Q1 on slicks to be fastest of all by the hefty margin of one.3 seconds. It was virtually far too shut for comfort and ease – he approximately failed to get his Q1 lap in – but, getting crossed the line just in time, he designed great his chance by entirely nailing it. It was great to see – and the crowd’s cheers had been good to hear, simply because our guidance in this article is only superb. Thereafter, nonetheless, Fernando was not able to choose element in Q3, but it was educational in any case, owing to his 30-place grid penalties. It’s going to be attention-grabbing to view our motorists tomorrow. Rain or glow, they will both equally be offering it their all. Fernando will definitely make speedy development in the early laps, whilst Sto

Yusuke Hasegawa, Honda R&D Co. Ltd Head of F1 Venture & Executive Main Engineer: “Present-day qualifying was tricky because of to the random wet circumstances. However, both equally motorists and the group did a good job in these a demanding circumstance. Stoffel discovered a great equilibrium with his options and he has saved solid momentum through the weekend. It was his next time to go to Q3 – together with Monaco – and the performance he confirmed was really outstanding. Even though Fernando missed Q3 because of to significant site visitors, his courageous Q1 performance in the rain was a nice shock not only for us but also for the fans observing from the grandstands in these chilly circumstances. Obtaining been equipped to demonstrate a great performance in this article in Silverstone, which is recognised as a electric power circuit, provides us some self confidence pertaining to development. Even though we are however powering the entrance-runners, we are getting concrete methods forward as a group. Tomorrow, Stoffel will get started from eighth and Fernando will get started from the back of the grid. But as we can assume unstable climate in this article in the United kingdom, I believe both equally motorists may perhaps have the probability to rating details at our house grand prix. We are going to keep on our ideal exertion in order to demonstrate a great race in entrance of the house group.”

ANDREW BOYERS/AFP/Getty Visuals

Toro Rosso

Daniil Kvyat (12th): “I failed to sense absolutely confident with the motor vehicle in this morning’s FP3, but I obtained it back in qualifying as the motor vehicle felt better. With present-day tricky circumstances, I might say a P12 was the ideal we could do – there was probably a single or two tenths on the desk but, in these circumstances, you’re just a little bit extra very careful as the keep track of is drying and you’re not sure precisely in which to put your wheels. For tomorrow, if the circumstances are the identical as present-day, it will all be about getting in the ideal place at the ideal time and ideally we can move up the grid and into the details.”

Carlos Sainz (14th): “How frustrating… Sad to say, we suffered a suspension failure in Q2 which intended I could not get back out on keep track of until the really closing minutes of the session – I might like to thank the mechanics for getting so speedy in finding the motor vehicle out all over again! I managed to do a few of laps, but the system was however not doing the job as it should’ve, the motor vehicle was behaving improperly, bouncing about a whole lot and I experienced no grip at the rear… So I was not equipped to do any representative laps in Q2 seriously. It is a disgrace, simply because we experienced a really great Q1 and managed to get into the major ten on the intermediate tyres. With these tricky circumstances, it’s tough to say what to assume for tomorrow, but it will for sure be interesting – we have a great chance if the climate stays like this, as it opens up tactic alternatives and prospects and I search forward to a great race!”

(Photograph by Dan Mullan/Getty Visuals)

Haas

Kevin Magnussen (fifteenth): “The motor vehicle was not far too significantly off in the wet from in which we had been in the dry. We are not as solid as we anticipated. We need to have to search at why that is and test and comprehend it. Our race rate looked substantially better, but in qualifying above a single lap, it was not really aggressive this weekend, which is a disgrace. The good is that the race rate is great and which is what we need to have to be rapid. We are going to see what we can do.”

Romain Grosjean (tenth): “I’m not entirely delighted with P10. The first operate in Q3, I bought absolutely blocked by Lewis Hamilton on the past corner getting rid of me at great three-tenths. It price me a minimum a single placement. With the next operate I assumed it was heading to be fantastic, but I bought to convert three and out of the blue I experienced massive rear-lock, so I dropped virtually half a next. I designed it back above the lap, so I believe we experienced substantially extra performance than we had been displaying. I’m really unhappy with my first attempt getting absolutely ruined at the past corner. Aside from all that, we had been doing alright and doing a great job. It is good to be in Q3 but there could’ve been so substantially extra, so I’m a little bit let down.”

Guenther Steiner, Staff Principal: “Back to the roller coaster, back to the pleasure. We experienced a great FP3 and we went into qualifying in great spirits. I believe our motor vehicle is aggressive. With the rain starting off it was a small little bit of a lottery. One lottery we gained, a single we dropped. Sad to say, Kevin failed to make it out of Q1, but Romain designed it into Q3. I believe we had been on a great roll. Then Romain bought held up on his first set of tires by Lewis (Hamilton). On his next operate, he experienced a compact aero difficulty and locked up in convert three and that was it. We are starting off tenth, which is a great place to get started for details. I’m quite confident with Kevin’s abilities, and the performance of the motor vehicle on our long operate, that we can however focus on details with that motor vehicle as perfectly.”

(Photograph by Tim Williams/Motion Furthermore through Getty Visuals)

Renault

Nico Hulkenberg (sixth): “Currently we experienced a really profitable qualifying and will get started the race just powering the major groups. I experienced a great rhythm and we experienced great situations. The group designed the ideal calls for the ideal keep track of circumstances there was a nice flow. I was experience quiet and confident with the motor vehicle so I was equipped to create a great lap. The upgrades we brought in this article this weekend appeared to also have performed their element in our step forward. That reported, tomorrow’s race is the legitimate check. Let us test and have a cleanse race. We are going to force really difficult and I will be really delighted to bring details house.”

Jolyon Palmer (eleventh): “I experienced a seriously great experience with the motor vehicle right now and I’m delighted with that result. We could probably have designed up a single tenth or so, but we are starting off in a substantially better place than we have finished in current races so I hope we can make development and rating some details tomorrow. I’m quite confident that we can have a great race. The ambiance all weekend has been wonderful with so numerous Union Jacks in the stands – I’m loving the guidance. It is great commitment and driving the keep track of with these cars and trucks is so substantially enjoyable at the minute.”

BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Visuals

Sauber

Pascal Wehrlein (18th): “The climate circumstances unquestionably performed a significant element in how the day panned out. It was predominantly dry in the early morning, and then started to rain flippantly just before qualifying. Driving on intermediate tyres was great for the first number of laps, but it became extra and extra tough to enhance the laptime as the keep track of started to dry. In retrospect, it is a pity that we failed to have plenty of time remaining in the session to change to supersoft tyres. We may perhaps have even experienced a probability to make it to Q2 then. It undoubtedly stays attention-grabbing, and I am looking forward to tomorrow.”

Marcus Ericsson (19th): “It was a demanding qualifying because of to the damp circumstances. The first laps had been looking great, but at the finish of Q1 I experienced challenges with the tyres overheating. I could not seriously enhance on that set of tyres to make it into Q2. However, we designed some development in FP3 and closed the gap to our immediate competitors. If we have identical race circumstances as we did right now in qualifying, we could have an attention-grabbing Grand Prix.”

(Photograph by Tim Williams/Motion Furthermore through Getty Visuals)

Pirelli

Mario Isola, Head of Motor vehicle Racing: “Strategically, the biggest curiosity in qualifying was from Valtteri Bottas’s choice to operate the smooth in Q2 in order to have the solution to operate a diverse race tactic. This implies that he must be equipped to operate a more time first stint than his immediate rivals tomorrow and make up keep track of placement. With keep track of temperatures not often higher than 20 degrees centigrade right now and some rain dampening the keep track of at the get started of the session, the tyres confronted a difficult endeavor to create grip and heat. Nevertheless, Hamilton set an extraordinary lap that once all over again decreased the history for the recent configuration at Silverstone. Pit tactic tomorrow could array amongst a single and two stops, depending on the degradation charge of the supersoft.”

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[mavwrekmarketing]

The world of online advertising remains split: there’s the Wild West and then there’s the corporate dystopia.

In the wild west, dozens of shadowy firms churn out annoying two-bit ads for a quick buck; fake news sites feed off ad exchanges not entirely unlike those that serve the country’s paper of record; Russian cybercriminals routinely bilk the world’s biggest brands out of millions through ad fraud.

SEE ALSO: Can Google’s ad blocker save the online ad industry from itself?

Then there’s the corporate dystopia, in which the vast majority of online ad dollars are vacuumed up by two companies: Google and Facebook.

For a while, the two worlds coexisted peacefully, but it appears that time is coming to an end. There are signs that the Silicon Valley giants have had about enough of the shadiness of their lesser peers (though neither is entirely blameless or immune themselves).

After years of paying lip service to the idea of a cleaner, more user-friendly online ads space, those companies and other major platforms are each flexing their muscles in ways that could actually compel widespread changeblocker-equipped browsers, algorithmic vetting, and machine learning.

Sounds great right? Who wouldn’t love to see fewer terrible ads? Well, without the Wild West, we’re left with just the corporate dystopia. And their show of force has already rattled publishers and ad tech firms, which are wary of the duopoly’s intentions and massive power.

Whatever happens, there’s little chance the crackdown will be bloodless.

Death by duopoly

In the last three months, about $0.70 out of every dollar spent on online advertising went to either Google or Facebook, according to a report this week from Pivotal Research Group.

Around half of the remaining $0.30 is (separately and loosely) estimated to go to a collection of minor platform players ranging from Snapchat to Twitter to Amazon.

Things get a bit messier in the race for the nickel and dime left over after that. Elbowing over that sliver of the market are hundreds of entitiespublishers ranging from the New York Times to BuzzFeed to a rogue’s gallery of fake news sites. Also in the mix are ad tech middlemen from targeters to re-targeters to robotic exchanges, and even mafia fraudsters.

Just look at this mess. These are all the companies that are playing some role in this.

The amount of money spent on digital ads is still growing quickly, but headed just about entirely to the corporate dystopia. Some estimates say as much as 99 cents of every new dollar in ad generation is gobbled up by Google and Facebook.

The stranglehold on growth is evident in the rapid rate at which their slice of the pie is expanding. In just the past two years, the duopoly’s share has grown from 64 percent to 71 percent, according to a report from Pivotal Research Group.

That may not sound like a massive bump on its face, but consider that each 1 percent of growth is equal to about $830 million.

What leftover is a situation in which companies are chasing the scraps. Venture capital funding for ad tech companiesthe shorthand for the sprawl of esoteric businesses that orchestrate the buying and selling of digital adsshrank substantially last year as did the number of business deals in the space.

They can’t entirely blame Google and Facebook. Pivotal advertising analyst Brian Wieser said ad tech’s woes have more to do with their business model than competition from Google, however.

“That’s not the cause of ad tech’s weakness by itself,” Wieser said. “Those are not very good businesses. They’re mostly commoditized.”

Either way, noted venture capitalist Fred Wilson predicted in January that it would be virtually impossible to find funding for an internet advertising business this year.

“The ad:tech market will go the way of search, social, and mobile as investors and entrepreneurs concede that Google and Facebook have won and everyone else has lost,” Wilson wrote.

Terry Kawaja, founder of investment bank Luma Partners, predicts that nine out of 10 current ad tech companies will disappear without successful exits.

Publishers are in a similarly grim position. Most legacy magazines and newspapers still rely on print for the bulk of their ad revenue, and their online share is becoming even more marginal as their audiences shift from desktop to less lucrative mobile.

Layoffs have swept major outlets in the past weeks, including Time Inc., HuffPost, and Vocativ. Many of these companies are frantically doubling down on video production, through which they can sell more expensive ads.

Blood in the water

Despite its comparatively tiny stature, the free-wheeling world of open-web ads has long been a thorn in the side of Google and Facebook.

Annoying, clunky, and intrusive ads drive people to ad blockers, which Google currently pays a reported $25 million to circumvent. They also force its Chrome browser to compete with ad-free rivals that are popular in Asia, such as Alibabs UC browser. For Facebook, these ads bog down load times for outside links and thus hamper user experiencesomething the company recently cracked down on via an algorithm tweak.

They’re not alone in their distaste for the seedier elements of digital advertising. Pretty much everyone in the industry seems to agree that a certain segment of bad actors are harming the reputation of the space as a whole.

But it now seems major platforms are finally doing something about it.

The first salvo came when news broke that Google’s Chrome browser would soon come equipped with an ad blocker enabled by default.

The feature will filter out ads based on the quality standards set down by the Coalition for Better Advertising, an industry group over which Google is said to have an enormous sway.

The move was cheered by some in the industry, but most remained wary of the search giant’s goodwill.

It could have big consequences. AdBlock Plus, the world’s most popular ad blocker, claims to boast around 100 million active users; Chrome has well over a billion on both mobile and desktop (of course there’s overlap).

Wieser, however, downplays how much impact it will ultimately have on publishers. It may drive prices for higher quality ads up, he says, but media companies will ultimately be competing on the same playing field.

“It could be argued that publishers have engaged in a race to the bottom approach and supported these bad ad units because of the pressures Google and Facebook have placed on the industry,” he said. “But it didn’t need to be that way. I’d argue that if everyone is given an equal opportunity to sell non-bad ads, it doesn’t make much difference.”

Next, Facebook tightened its algorithm for the nth time in a bid to squeeze out clickbaitonly this time, the company said it would do so by taking each publisher’s ads into account.

The social network has remained relatively opaque about the particular types of ads that would lead a site to lose priority in Facebook’s all-important News Feed. It did say that pop-ups, interstitials (those screen-hogging ads that are sprung on you between page loads), and otherwise malicious or deceptive ads would be counted against publishers, and that it would consider the ratio of ads to posts.

Seemingly minor tweaks to Facebook’s code can have make-or-break implications for media organizations, which typically rely on the 1.5 billion-user-strong platform for a vital chunk of their traffic. When Facebook rolled out its first major anti-clickbait adjustment in 2014, it managed to pretty much stomp out a whole cottage industry of exclamation-point-happy screaming headlines.

The incentive to clean up advertising could prompt a similar gravitational pull away from certain types of ads that are currently commonplace. Some publishers say they are already beginning to see the flow of visitors from the platform tank.

Like Google’s new filter, the vetting is all handled by artificial intelligence, which Facebook has said is trained to recognize patterns in pages with suspect ads.

One prominent ad tech executive said the automated nature of these efforts was what worried him most. Stricter policies might sound fine in theory, this person said, but it’s almost never perfectly translated into code without collateral damage.

Finally, Apple finished out the requisite threesome for a Journalistic Trend with a ban on autoplay videos and tracking cookies in its latest desktop version of Safari.

While Safari accounts for a relatively small share of the overall browser market, it is nonetheless, of course, the default on popular Apple products, and there’s always a chance the company could expand the feature to mobile. With less skin in the advertising game, Apple opted for an arguably stricter crackdown, considering that autoplay ads are some of the most common on the web and tracking is ubiquitous.

Apple prompted a similar bout of industry panic when it said it would start allowing third-party blockers on the mobile version of Safari in 2015. That worry turned out to be a bit overwrought; industry watchers may have underestimated just how much of a barrier the need to actually switch on a setting is to the average person, and mobile ad blocking remains relatively insignificant in the United States.

But the prospect of a mobile form of the new filter is even more threatening in that the blocker would be the default state, and Apple’s software can no doubt outperform a small-time developer app.

Is this really, actually a doomsday scenario?

The media industry has for years been wringing their hands about an apocalyptic reckoning in one way or another.

If it wasn’t Apple’s ad blocking acceptance, it was Facebook’s Instant Articles, Facebook stressing friends over news, or Facebook shutting outlets out of its trending topics (Facebook is a bit of a preoccupation.)

Vice Media head Shane Smith has warned of an impending “media bloodbath” every few months for the past year.

Each of those threats has certainly contributed to a slow-burn decline of the media business that’s killed off publications, made mass layoffs a regular occurrence, and gradually drummed out an experienced workforce in favor of cheap, young hires.

But do the events of the last few months actually represent the arrival of a sea change of some sort?

Wieser says it will be less of a tipping point and more of an exponentially growing slow build.

“The economics of not being Facebook and Google just get worse with every passing year,” he said.”It’s harder to grow. You get less of the economic output you produce.”

Feeling the squeeze, publishers are putting rivalries aside and banding together to create potential alternatives. Earlier this year, a host of premium brands including the New York Times, Conde Nast, and NBCUniversal announced an ad partnership that includes shared sponsored content and user data in addition to display ads. Groups of outlets across other categories are following suit.

Some of the biggest firms in ad tech are following a similar game plan. AppNexus, MediaMath, and LiveRamp launched a consortium last month that pools their media buying capabilities into a force that may rival the duopoly.

Such tight-knit alliances between rivals are unprecedented in the industry, but then again, so is an all-consuming duopoly money pit.

WATCH: Explore underwater with this tiny device that combines a bit of snorkeling and scuba diving

Read more: http://ift.tt/2soICZJ

The post Facebook and Google are taking unprecedented steps to crack down on bad ads appeared first on MavWrek Marketing by Jason

http://ift.tt/2rGCG0W

[trendingnewsb]

Facebook and Google are taking unprecedented steps to crack down on bad ads

The world of online advertising remains split: there’s the Wild West and then there’s the corporate dystopia.

In the wild west, dozens of shadowy firms churn out annoying two-bit ads for a quick buck; fake news sites feed off ad exchanges not entirely unlike those that serve the country’s paper of record; Russian cybercriminals routinely bilk the world’s biggest brands out of millions through ad fraud.

SEE ALSO: Can Google’s ad blocker save the online ad industry from itself?

Then there’s the corporate dystopia, in which the vast majority of online ad dollars are vacuumed up by two companies: Google and Facebook.

For a while, the two worlds coexisted peacefully, but it appears that time is coming to an end. There are signs that the Silicon Valley giants have had about enough of the shadiness of their lesser peers (though neither is entirely blameless or immune themselves).

After years of paying lip service to the idea of a cleaner, more user-friendly online ads space, those companies and other major platforms are each flexing their muscles in ways that could actually compel widespread changeblocker-equipped browsers, algorithmic vetting, and machine learning.

Sounds great right? Who wouldn’t love to see fewer terrible ads? Well, without the Wild West, we’re left with just the corporate dystopia. And their show of force has already rattled publishers and ad tech firms, which are wary of the duopoly’s intentions and massive power.

Whatever happens, there’s little chance the crackdown will be bloodless.

Death by duopoly

In the last three months, about $0.70 out of every dollar spent on online advertising went to either Google or Facebook, according to a report this week from Pivotal Research Group.

Around half of the remaining $0.30 is (separately and loosely) estimated to go to a collection of minor platform players ranging from Snapchat to Twitter to Amazon.

Things get a bit messier in the race for the nickel and dime left over after that. Elbowing over that sliver of the market are hundreds of entitiespublishers ranging from the New York Times to BuzzFeed to a rogue’s gallery of fake news sites. Also in the mix are ad tech middlemen from targeters to re-targeters to robotic exchanges, and even mafia fraudsters.

Just look at this mess. These are all the companies that are playing some role in this.

The amount of money spent on digital ads is still growing quickly, but headed just about entirely to the corporate dystopia. Some estimates say as much as 99 cents of every new dollar in ad generation is gobbled up by Google and Facebook.

The stranglehold on growth is evident in the rapid rate at which their slice of the pie is expanding. In just the past two years, the duopoly’s share has grown from 64 percent to 71 percent, according to a report from Pivotal Research Group.

That may not sound like a massive bump on its face, but consider that each 1 percent of growth is equal to about $830 million.

What leftover is a situation in which companies are chasing the scraps. Venture capital funding for ad tech companiesthe shorthand for the sprawl of esoteric businesses that orchestrate the buying and selling of digital adsshrank substantially last year as did the number of business deals in the space.

They can’t entirely blame Google and Facebook. Pivotal advertising analyst Brian Wieser said ad tech’s woes have more to do with their business model than competition from Google, however.

“That’s not the cause of ad tech’s weakness by itself,” Wieser said. “Those are not very good businesses. They’re mostly commoditized.”

Either way, noted venture capitalist Fred Wilson predicted in January that it would be virtually impossible to find funding for an internet advertising business this year.

“The ad:tech market will go the way of search, social, and mobile as investors and entrepreneurs concede that Google and Facebook have won and everyone else has lost,” Wilson wrote.

Terry Kawaja, founder of investment bank Luma Partners, predicts that nine out of 10 current ad tech companies will disappear without successful exits.

Publishers are in a similarly grim position. Most legacy magazines and newspapers still rely on print for the bulk of their ad revenue, and their online share is becoming even more marginal as their audiences shift from desktop to less lucrative mobile.

Layoffs have swept major outlets in the past weeks, including Time Inc., HuffPost, and Vocativ. Many of these companies are frantically doubling down on video production, through which they can sell more expensive ads.

Blood in the water

Despite its comparatively tiny stature, the free-wheeling world of open-web ads has long been a thorn in the side of Google and Facebook.

Annoying, clunky, and intrusive ads drive people to ad blockers, which Google currently pays a reported $25 million to circumvent. They also force its Chrome browser to compete with ad-free rivals that are popular in Asia, such as Alibabs UC browser. For Facebook, these ads bog down load times for outside links and thus hamper user experiencesomething the company recently cracked down on via an algorithm tweak.

They’re not alone in their distaste for the seedier elements of digital advertising. Pretty much everyone in the industry seems to agree that a certain segment of bad actors are harming the reputation of the space as a whole.

But it now seems major platforms are finally doing something about it.

The first salvo came when news broke that Google’s Chrome browser would soon come equipped with an ad blocker enabled by default.

The feature will filter out ads based on the quality standards set down by the Coalition for Better Advertising, an industry group over which Google is said to have an enormous sway.

The move was cheered by some in the industry, but most remained wary of the search giant’s goodwill.

It could have big consequences. AdBlock Plus, the world’s most popular ad blocker, claims to boast around 100 million active users; Chrome has well over a billion on both mobile and desktop (of course there’s overlap).

Wieser, however, downplays how much impact it will ultimately have on publishers. It may drive prices for higher quality ads up, he says, but media companies will ultimately be competing on the same playing field.

“It could be argued that publishers have engaged in a race to the bottom approach and supported these bad ad units because of the pressures Google and Facebook have placed on the industry,” he said. “But it didn’t need to be that way. I’d argue that if everyone is given an equal opportunity to sell non-bad ads, it doesn’t make much difference.”

Next, Facebook tightened its algorithm for the nth time in a bid to squeeze out clickbaitonly this time, the company said it would do so by taking each publisher’s ads into account.

The social network has remained relatively opaque about the particular types of ads that would lead a site to lose priority in Facebook’s all-important News Feed. It did say that pop-ups, interstitials (those screen-hogging ads that are sprung on you between page loads), and otherwise malicious or deceptive ads would be counted against publishers, and that it would consider the ratio of ads to posts.

Seemingly minor tweaks to Facebook’s code can have make-or-break implications for media organizations, which typically rely on the 1.5 billion-user-strong platform for a vital chunk of their traffic. When Facebook rolled out its first major anti-clickbait adjustment in 2014, it managed to pretty much stomp out a whole cottage industry of exclamation-point-happy screaming headlines.

The incentive to clean up advertising could prompt a similar gravitational pull away from certain types of ads that are currently commonplace. Some publishers say they are already beginning to see the flow of visitors from the platform tank.

Like Google’s new filter, the vetting is all handled by artificial intelligence, which Facebook has said is trained to recognize patterns in pages with suspect ads.

One prominent ad tech executive said the automated nature of these efforts was what worried him most. Stricter policies might sound fine in theory, this person said, but it’s almost never perfectly translated into code without collateral damage.

Finally, Apple finished out the requisite threesome for a Journalistic Trend with a ban on autoplay videos and tracking cookies in its latest desktop version of Safari.

While Safari accounts for a relatively small share of the overall browser market, it is nonetheless, of course, the default on popular Apple products, and there’s always a chance the company could expand the feature to mobile. With less skin in the advertising game, Apple opted for an arguably stricter crackdown, considering that autoplay ads are some of the most common on the web and tracking is ubiquitous.

Apple prompted a similar bout of industry panic when it said it would start allowing third-party blockers on the mobile version of Safari in 2015. That worry turned out to be a bit overwrought; industry watchers may have underestimated just how much of a barrier the need to actually switch on a setting is to the average person, and mobile ad blocking remains relatively insignificant in the United States.

But the prospect of a mobile form of the new filter is even more threatening in that the blocker would be the default state, and Apple’s software can no doubt outperform a small-time developer app.

Is this really, actually a doomsday scenario?

The media industry has for years been wringing their hands about an apocalyptic reckoning in one way or another.

If it wasn’t Apple’s ad blocking acceptance, it was Facebook’s Instant Articles, Facebook stressing friends over news, or Facebook shutting outlets out of its trending topics (Facebook is a bit of a preoccupation.)

Vice Media head Shane Smith has warned of an impending “media bloodbath” every few months for the past year.

Each of those threats has certainly contributed to a slow-burn decline of the media business that’s killed off publications, made mass layoffs a regular occurrence, and gradually drummed out an experienced workforce in favor of cheap, young hires.

But do the events of the last few months actually represent the arrival of a sea change of some sort?

Wieser says it will be less of a tipping point and more of an exponentially growing slow build.

“The economics of not being Facebook and Google just get worse with every passing year,” he said.”It’s harder to grow. You get less of the economic output you produce.”

Feeling the squeeze, publishers are putting rivalries aside and banding together to create potential alternatives. Earlier this year, a host of premium brands including the New York Times, Conde Nast, and NBCUniversal announced an ad partnership that includes shared sponsored content and user data in addition to display ads. Groups of outlets across other categories are following suit.

Some of the biggest firms in ad tech are following a similar game plan. AppNexus, MediaMath, and LiveRamp launched a consortium last month that pools their media buying capabilities into a force that may rival the duopoly.

Such tight-knit alliances between rivals are unprecedented in the industry, but then again, so is an all-consuming duopoly money pit.

WATCH: Explore underwater with this tiny device that combines a bit of snorkeling and scuba diving

Read more: http://ift.tt/2soICZJ

from Viral News HQ http://ift.tt/2srdkBz via Viral News HQ

[silviajburke]

Rickards: “War Is Almost Inevitable”

This post Rickards: “War Is Almost Inevitable” appeared first on Daily Reckoning.

All three major stock indexes were deep in the red yesterday, and volatility spiked for the first time in months as the war clouds gather over the Korean Peninsula.

Here’s the latest tweet from President Trump:

Here’s another from two days ago, equally as subtle:

Stocks bounced back this morning after yesterday’s swoon, but that’s what we’ve all come to expect at this point. “Buying the dip” has been a successful strategy — until it isn’t.

Markets still have not come to terms with the very real potential of a shooting war with North Korea over its nuclear program.

President Trump, Secretary of State Tillerson and Defense Secretary Mattis have all made it clear that a nuclear-armed North Korea with ICBMs that can hit the United States will not be allowed.

If North Korea persists, this means war with the U.S. There’s only one problem: North Korea thinks we’re bluffing.

North Korea believes that the U.S. is bluffing based in part on the prior failures of the U.S. to back up “red line” declarations in Syria over its alleged use of chemical weapons. Their belief is also based on the horrendous damage that would be inflicted on South Korea.

China also believes the U.S. is bluffing.

A major Chinese think tank analyst with government connections named Liu Ming says, “The military option the Americans are threatening won’t likely happen because the stakes will be too high. It’s a pretext and an excuse to pile up pressure on China. It’s more like blackmail than a realistic option.”

This is how wars begin: not because anyone wants a war, but because two sides misread each other’s intentions and stumble into one.

Make no mistake — Trump is not bluffing. He’s deadly serious about ending the threat from North Korea. And he has support within the national security community.

Defense Secretary James Mattis added Wednesday that North Korea “should cease any consideration of actions that will lead to the end of the regime and destruction of its people.”

Four-star Gen. Terrence J. O’Shaughnessy, commander of all air forces in the Pacific, said the U.S. would use “rapid, lethal and overwhelming force” against North Korea if necessary.

This comes as North Korea has threatened to attack the American territory of Guam, which is home to several key U.S. naval and air installations.

Meanwhile, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said, “The time for talk is over. The danger the North Korean regime poses… is now clear to all.”

You can’t get much more explicit than that.

The American people and citizens around the world are being told in no uncertain terms that a war with North Korea is coming unless North Korea ends its nuclear program. Yet North Korea will not end its weapons program. They consider these weapons indispensable to the survival of the regime.

Therefore, war is almost inevitable.

This war is coming in mid-2018, if not sooner. Markets have not priced in this outcome. When markets do adjust to the reality of war, it could result in one of the worst market meltdowns of all time.

Don’t wait until next year when everyone else will see this clearly. The time to prepare is now.

You can make your portfolio shockproof by reducing stock exposures and increasing allocations to cash, gold, silver, museum-quality collectibles and land.

Regards,

Jim Rickards for The Daily Reckoning

The post Rickards: “War Is Almost Inevitable” appeared first on Daily Reckoning.

[trendingnewsb]

Facebook and Google are taking unprecedented steps to crack down on bad ads

The world of online advertising remains split: there’s the Wild West and then there’s the corporate dystopia.

In the wild west, dozens of shadowy firms churn out annoying two-bit ads for a quick buck; fake news sites feed off ad exchanges not entirely unlike those that serve the country’s paper of record; Russian cybercriminals routinely bilk the world’s biggest brands out of millions through ad fraud.

SEE ALSO: Can Google’s ad blocker save the online ad industry from itself?

Then there’s the corporate dystopia, in which the vast majority of online ad dollars are vacuumed up by two companies: Google and Facebook.

For a while, the two worlds coexisted peacefully, but it appears that time is coming to an end. There are signs that the Silicon Valley giants have had about enough of the shadiness of their lesser peers (though neither is entirely blameless or immune themselves).

After years of paying lip service to the idea of a cleaner, more user-friendly online ads space, those companies and other major platforms are each flexing their muscles in ways that could actually compel widespread changeblocker-equipped browsers, algorithmic vetting, and machine learning.

Sounds great right? Who wouldn’t love to see fewer terrible ads? Well, without the Wild West, we’re left with just the corporate dystopia. And their show of force has already rattled publishers and ad tech firms, which are wary of the duopoly’s intentions and massive power.

Whatever happens, there’s little chance the crackdown will be bloodless.

Death by duopoly

In the last three months, about $0.70 out of every dollar spent on online advertising went to either Google or Facebook, according to a report this week from Pivotal Research Group.

Around half of the remaining $0.30 is (separately and loosely) estimated to go to a collection of minor platform players ranging from Snapchat to Twitter to Amazon.

Things get a bit messier in the race for the nickel and dime left over after that. Elbowing over that sliver of the market are hundreds of entitiespublishers ranging from the New York Times to BuzzFeed to a rogue’s gallery of fake news sites. Also in the mix are ad tech middlemen from targeters to re-targeters to robotic exchanges, and even mafia fraudsters.

Just look at this mess. These are all the companies that are playing some role in this.

The amount of money spent on digital ads is still growing quickly, but headed just about entirely to the corporate dystopia. Some estimates say as much as 99 cents of every new dollar in ad generation is gobbled up by Google and Facebook.

The stranglehold on growth is evident in the rapid rate at which their slice of the pie is expanding. In just the past two years, the duopoly’s share has grown from 64 percent to 71 percent, according to a report from Pivotal Research Group.

That may not sound like a massive bump on its face, but consider that each 1 percent of growth is equal to about $830 million.

What leftover is a situation in which companies are chasing the scraps. Venture capital funding for ad tech companiesthe shorthand for the sprawl of esoteric businesses that orchestrate the buying and selling of digital adsshrank substantially last year as did the number of business deals in the space.

They can’t entirely blame Google and Facebook. Pivotal advertising analyst Brian Wieser said ad tech’s woes have more to do with their business model than competition from Google, however.

“That’s not the cause of ad tech’s weakness by itself,” Wieser said. “Those are not very good businesses. They’re mostly commoditized.”

Either way, noted venture capitalist Fred Wilson predicted in January that it would be virtually impossible to find funding for an internet advertising business this year.

“The ad:tech market will go the way of search, social, and mobile as investors and entrepreneurs concede that Google and Facebook have won and everyone else has lost,” Wilson wrote.

Terry Kawaja, founder of investment bank Luma Partners, predicts that nine out of 10 current ad tech companies will disappear without successful exits.

Publishers are in a similarly grim position. Most legacy magazines and newspapers still rely on print for the bulk of their ad revenue, and their online share is becoming even more marginal as their audiences shift from desktop to less lucrative mobile.

Layoffs have swept major outlets in the past weeks, including Time Inc., HuffPost, and Vocativ. Many of these companies are frantically doubling down on video production, through which they can sell more expensive ads.

Blood in the water

Despite its comparatively tiny stature, the free-wheeling world of open-web ads has long been a thorn in the side of Google and Facebook.

Annoying, clunky, and intrusive ads drive people to ad blockers, which Google currently pays a reported $25 million to circumvent. They also force its Chrome browser to compete with ad-free rivals that are popular in Asia, such as Alibabs UC browser. For Facebook, these ads bog down load times for outside links and thus hamper user experiencesomething the company recently cracked down on via an algorithm tweak.

They’re not alone in their distaste for the seedier elements of digital advertising. Pretty much everyone in the industry seems to agree that a certain segment of bad actors are harming the reputation of the space as a whole.

But it now seems major platforms are finally doing something about it.

The first salvo came when news broke that Google’s Chrome browser would soon come equipped with an ad blocker enabled by default.

The feature will filter out ads based on the quality standards set down by the Coalition for Better Advertising, an industry group over which Google is said to have an enormous sway.

The move was cheered by some in the industry, but most remained wary of the search giant’s goodwill.

It could have big consequences. AdBlock Plus, the world’s most popular ad blocker, claims to boast around 100 million active users; Chrome has well over a billion on both mobile and desktop (of course there’s overlap).

Wieser, however, downplays how much impact it will ultimately have on publishers. It may drive prices for higher quality ads up, he says, but media companies will ultimately be competing on the same playing field.

“It could be argued that publishers have engaged in a race to the bottom approach and supported these bad ad units because of the pressures Google and Facebook have placed on the industry,” he said. “But it didn’t need to be that way. I’d argue that if everyone is given an equal opportunity to sell non-bad ads, it doesn’t make much difference.”

Next, Facebook tightened its algorithm for the nth time in a bid to squeeze out clickbaitonly this time, the company said it would do so by taking each publisher’s ads into account.

The social network has remained relatively opaque about the particular types of ads that would lead a site to lose priority in Facebook’s all-important News Feed. It did say that pop-ups, interstitials (those screen-hogging ads that are sprung on you between page loads), and otherwise malicious or deceptive ads would be counted against publishers, and that it would consider the ratio of ads to posts.

Seemingly minor tweaks to Facebook’s code can have make-or-break implications for media organizations, which typically rely on the 1.5 billion-user-strong platform for a vital chunk of their traffic. When Facebook rolled out its first major anti-clickbait adjustment in 2014, it managed to pretty much stomp out a whole cottage industry of exclamation-point-happy screaming headlines.

The incentive to clean up advertising could prompt a similar gravitational pull away from certain types of ads that are currently commonplace. Some publishers say they are already beginning to see the flow of visitors from the platform tank.

Like Google’s new filter, the vetting is all handled by artificial intelligence, which Facebook has said is trained to recognize patterns in pages with suspect ads.

One prominent ad tech executive said the automated nature of these efforts was what worried him most. Stricter policies might sound fine in theory, this person said, but it’s almost never perfectly translated into code without collateral damage.

Finally, Apple finished out the requisite threesome for a Journalistic Trend with a ban on autoplay videos and tracking cookies in its latest desktop version of Safari.

While Safari accounts for a relatively small share of the overall browser market, it is nonetheless, of course, the default on popular Apple products, and there’s always a chance the company could expand the feature to mobile. With less skin in the advertising game, Apple opted for an arguably stricter crackdown, considering that autoplay ads are some of the most common on the web and tracking is ubiquitous.

Apple prompted a similar bout of industry panic when it said it would start allowing third-party blockers on the mobile version of Safari in 2015. That worry turned out to be a bit overwrought; industry watchers may have underestimated just how much of a barrier the need to actually switch on a setting is to the average person, and mobile ad blocking remains relatively insignificant in the United States.

But the prospect of a mobile form of the new filter is even more threatening in that the blocker would be the default state, and Apple’s software can no doubt outperform a small-time developer app.

Is this really, actually a doomsday scenario?

The media industry has for years been wringing their hands about an apocalyptic reckoning in one way or another.

If it wasn’t Apple’s ad blocking acceptance, it was Facebook’s Instant Articles, Facebook stressing friends over news, or Facebook shutting outlets out of its trending topics (Facebook is a bit of a preoccupation.)

Vice Media head Shane Smith has warned of an impending “media bloodbath” every few months for the past year.

Each of those threats has certainly contributed to a slow-burn decline of the media business that’s killed off publications, made mass layoffs a regular occurrence, and gradually drummed out an experienced workforce in favor of cheap, young hires.

But do the events of the last few months actually represent the arrival of a sea change of some sort?

Wieser says it will be less of a tipping point and more of an exponentially growing slow build.

“The economics of not being Facebook and Google just get worse with every passing year,” he said.”It’s harder to grow. You get less of the economic output you produce.”

Feeling the squeeze, publishers are putting rivalries aside and banding together to create potential alternatives. Earlier this year, a host of premium brands including the New York Times, Conde Nast, and NBCUniversal announced an ad partnership that includes shared sponsored content and user data in addition to display ads. Groups of outlets across other categories are following suit.

Some of the biggest firms in ad tech are following a similar game plan. AppNexus, MediaMath, and LiveRamp launched a consortium last month that pools their media buying capabilities into a force that may rival the duopoly.

Such tight-knit alliances between rivals are unprecedented in the industry, but then again, so is an all-consuming duopoly money pit.

WATCH: Explore underwater with this tiny device that combines a bit of snorkeling and scuba diving

Read more: http://ift.tt/2soICZJ

from Viral News HQ http://ift.tt/2srdkBz via Viral News HQ