#risen.100-milestone-event | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

punz4lyfe · 4 years ago

Text

Pokemon Journeys Episode 51 Review

Pokemon Journeys Episode 51. Let’s review:

1. In the beginning, we learn that Ash has apparently battled a bunch of randoe trainers off-screen to the point of reaching 415 in his rank. And already I have a few problems with this.

Problem #1 - So apparently the anime’s gonna place a lot of emphasis and focus of Goh catching a bunch of random mons without much issue while leaving Ash’s own goal development off-screen? Normally, I don’t 100% agree with the argument where people claim Goh receives too much screen time compared to Ash and Chloe, but it’s honestly stuff like this that kinda make me see their point.

Problem #2 - It seems reaching that high of a rank doesn’t seem to be much of an issue. Yeah, I know that it’s Ash, but that doesn’t really seem to add much stakes to his current goal, especially since this is the second time he has risen his rank off-screen, without any trouble.

Problem #3 - Apparently, Ash’s Dragonite, Gengar, and Farfetch’d helped Ash in many of those off-screen battles. Boy, that would’ve been such a cool thing to see, considering Dragonite and Gengar haven’t participated in an official battle since Korrina. I love Ash’s inconsistent aura doggo as much as the next person, but it would just be nice to see his teammates receive some screen time.

The little recap of Ash’s World Coronation goal was pretty cool, though. And it was especially fitting since we’ve reached over the 50th milestone of this series.

2. Seeing Ash’s Pokemon training together was pretty dope. While I do wish they had more interactions together, other then training, this is still super cool. But I do have to wonder: Where is Dracovish?

3. How in the heckles is Gengar feeling the vibrations of Farfetch’d’s mini-earthquake when it is floating in the air?

4. Overall point for the episode, but I adore Farfetch’d character throughout the entire episode. After months of practically being non-existent to the writers, they are finally able to give it some limelight and make him interesting. For one, it’s still a wild Pokemon deep down. It usually tries to avoid interacting with its teammates and even its trainer. In fact, whenever someone tries to touch it, it just attacks, only allowing to be touched when it can’t help itself, like when it loses a battle later on. Since this leaves a lot of room for development, I absolutely love this take. It’s honestly something I wish was done for many past mons, like Ash’s Muk and Palpitoad. We even see Farfetch’d act on its own accord plenty of times throughout the episode, implying that it only sees Ash as an asset to get strong opponents and not as a friend. Wow, if only the anime would establish THIS mon as Lucario’s rival and not shoehorned Cinderace, but whatever. Also, if by chance someone from Bulbapedia is reading this, I’ll have to tell you this: Take off the stupid part in both Ash and Goh’s Farfetch’d pages that say they see each other as rivals. They hardly interact and this episode pretty much establishes that Ash’s duck is too much for Goh’s duck.

5. So Goh wants to catch a Geodude to evolve it into a Golem later on? Since Gravelers evolve through trade, I think we know what this means: OMG ASH GETS GOLEM CONFIRMED or OMG BROCK RETURNS CONFIRMED.

6. Let’s be honest, we all wanna cuddle up a Galarian Farfetch’d as much as the character of the day, Genda, did. ...What? Ducks are cute.

7. Throughout the battle, we learn that Farfetch’d has learned Fury Cutter and Focus Energy, making its current moveset these two moves with Night Slash and Brutal Swing. ExcuseMeWhatInTheDuckingDistortionWorldIsThisTaurosPoop? I know Focus Energy could help speed up its evolution process in a battle, but wouldn’t Night Slash’s high critical hit ratio already do that? And Brutal Swing is pretty fitting for its fighting style, but why Fury Cutter of all moves? It could help Farfetch’d’s evolution process in the games, but anime mons have been established since the beginning to be 100 times more resilient than the ones we have in the games. Why not have it learn a weak move that actually pertains to its typing, like Rock Smash? While I’m 100% certain this moveset will change overset in favor of better attacks like Meteor Assault or Iron Defense (just like with Ash’s Gligar/Gliscor in the past learning better moves), it doesn’t change the fact that this moveset is honestly pretty laughable.

8. Going into the actual battle, it was dope and amazing. It really complicated both Farfetch’d and Gurdurr’s fighting style with its moderate pace and Farfetch’d pulled off some pretty dope scenes, like splitting Gurdurr’s Focus Blast, blowing up debris, and even creating its own makeshift shockwave attack. Also, it’s about time we got Farfetch’d big victory battle of awesomeness, just as Dragonite, Gengar, and Lucario had. Now we just gotta wait for Dracovish’s. Also, HEY look it’s Chad Wally.

9. Genda, you apathetic monster. Giving Gurdurr your pickax to replace its steel beam will be your greatest mistake in your life. I hope you have a lawyer on call, because every battle your Gurdurr will participate from here on out until it gets a new beam will only lead to you getting sued.

10. Goh, honey. For the Gallade you assumed was wild, don’t you think it would’ve been a good idea to weaken it first before capturing it? Wait, who am I kidding? The whole thing of weakening a mon before using a Pokeball has honestly been retconned away at this point.

11. The battle between Farfetch’d and Chad Wally, uh, I mean, Rinto, while short, was very well done. It completely showcased the fatal flaw in Farfetch’d’s fighting style in how it heavily relies on its leak, making foes who get in close a dangerous threat. While this was kinda already established in its debut appearance, seeing it be made more clear to our protagonists was nice. I also like how the battle doesn’t end in a technical lose that would lower Ash’s rank, because that would’ve just made the major events in this episode become pointless, and no one likes that. So with that, good creative use of False Swipe, writers! And I hope Rinto makes more appearances, cause he seems like an interesting and cool character. Plus, I’m not gonna lie, but he’s kinda hot, and him having a flippin’ Gallade makes him even more hot.

12. I honestly find it pretty funny that Cinderace and Sobble are more accustomed to Ash’s unorthodox strategies of training than Goh. Oh, and the little leaks were cute.

Overall, solid episode. Other then Ash’s off-screen victories and Farfetch’d’s lame moveset, I honestly have no complaints because we’ve got good character moments, some nice battles, and some promising development for our little duck boi. Personally, if I directed this series, I would have Lucario accompany the gang so it can see Farfetch’d battle style and attitude for itself and have it become more consistent sparring buddies with it. Y’know, like how the last intro kinda showed, but that’s just me.

For the reasons given, I’ll give this episode a 9/10. Also, if you couldn’t tell, I’m trying to condense down my reviews a little more to make them easier to go through. Please feel free to tell me any changes you would like to improved!

And looking at the preview for the next episode, seems like another filler, but seeing Chloe join Ash and Goh’s goofy antics will honestly be super awesome. Thanks for reading my review and don’t forget to follow for more anipoke content!

#pokemon journeys #pokemon #anipoke #pokeani #ash ketchum #pikachu #galarian farfetch'd #dragonite #gengar #lucario #goh #cinderace #sobble #geodude #gurdurr #gallade

2 notes · View notes

operationhammond · 3 years ago

Photo

Today, March 13th, marks the 10 year anniversary of the founding of Operation Hammond. Since 2012, we have staffed over 100 events, treated thousands of patients, and become known as the country’s largest pop culture & nerd medical aid charity.

The past decade presented some hardships for O.H., most notably the sudden loss of our founder in 2019. Less than a year later, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down events and our future looked uncertain. Thanks to the dedication and hard work of our volunteers, we’ve risen to meet every challenge.

We’ve also had many great successes, including recently staffing our largest event ever at Katsucon. Other milestones include an article on O.H. published by EMS World, and extending our services across multiple states and into Canada.

While we can’t predict what the next 10 years will bring, two things are certain: First, Operation Hammond will remain dedicated to providing world class first aid services to our communities. We’ll continue to grow and build on the foundation of our first 10 years. Second, we could not have made it this far without you: our supporters, convention partners, and above all, our members, past and present. There are far too many of you to name individually, but you know who you are. Thank you.

As always, to learn more about our charitable mission and how you can help nerds in need, please visit our website at www.operationhammond.com

1 note · View note

perfectadore-blog · 3 years ago

Text

All You Need To Know About The Cascading Effect

A cascading effect is an unanticipated chain of events that happens when a system event has a detrimental influence on other, connected systems.

The Indian automotive market has risen by leaps and bounds in the previous two decades, owing to growing population consumption power. The number of options accessible to a car consumer has multiplied many times. For example, three decades ago, Indian vehicle purchasers had only two options. There are at least 100 passenger automobile models in the market today. A similar development narrative can be found in other categories, such as two-wheelers and commercial vehicles.

The expansion of the choice set is largely driven by the introduction of several OEMs into the market. When one player introduces new features and models, the others in the market strive to match it while also responding with their unique features. Over the last decade, this has resulted in an exponential increase in the number of new model launches and re-launches. As a result, nearly every participant in the industry is under intense pressure to accelerate the rate of new product introductions. Simultaneously, the necessity to respond to competition adds to the pressure to decrease the overall lead-time to introduce a new product.

While automakers can afford to create cross-functional specialized teams for each project, most vendors cannot. They have a multi-project environment where resources are pooled between multiple projects to get the optimum usage of key resources. Shared resources with multiple clients each pushing their own goals for their separate projects, creates a potentially conflicting situation. The frequent demands for expediting from several OEM clients for an auto component manufacturer are the root of such disputes.

Auto component manufacturers have little control over the amount of time that the project is interrupted between stages. The interim milestones specified by the OEMs determine the development of component projects; suppliers have no choice but to follow that pace. (If they do not submit to the pace, especially in the early stages of the project, they may be out of competition for the new role).

So there is a chunk of the lead-time that is plainly beyond their control. At the same time, there will be demands for rework on some phases, which will be largely prompted by the OEM's working style. An auto component vendor should be prepared to satisfy the urgent needs of car OEMs without falling into the trap of frequent priority conflicts and related poor multitasking, which delays every other project in the component vendor's environment.

However, an auto component can speed up a piece of the component project that is under their scope of control while also minimizing their own internally produced revision work. Understanding the general flow of a new component development project in both the OEM and the component vendor organization will help you envision the many separate work packages.

An auto component seller must detach itself from OEM concerns while providing excellent service. The method to accomplish that is to meet the goals for delivering independent work packages to OEMs.

#OEMs #auto component

0 notes

edwardpotts · 4 years ago

Text

2020 Year In Review: 10 Mobile Milestones

From the ascendency of conferencing apps to mobile games hitting new records in consumer spending, Sensor Tower Store Intelligence data shows that the mobile market has reflected many of the shifts in lifestyle and consumer interest throughout an unprecedented year. Ahead of our upcoming market recap analysis, we’re taking a look back at some of these major milestones from 2020 across both mobile games and apps.

1. Consumer Spending Passed $100 Billion

Worldwide spending across the App Store and Google Play has climbed each year, but it was supercharged in 2020 as many users turned to mobile games and video-on-demand apps for entertainment, and video conferencing for work and school.

Year-to-date, consumer spending has now reached approximately $106 billion globally between January 1 and December 17. This figure represents 30 percent growth year-over-year when compared to the same period in 2019. It’s also 24 percent greater than total consumer spending for all of last year, which reached approximately $85.2 billion.

About 65 percent of consumer spending so far this year has occurred on the App Store, which has generated more than $69 billion. This is about 30 percent Y/Y growth from the same period last year, when the App Store saw approximately $53 billion in spending. Google Play has generated nearly $37 billion in revenue, a figure that represents 30 percent Y/Y growth from $28.4 billion in the previous year.

Mobile games accounted for 71.7 percent of spending year-to-date, reaching $76 billion. Non-game apps collectively reached $30 billion, led by Entertainment.

2. TikTok’s Record-Breaking Year

It’s been an eventful year for TikTok, which has reached nearly 2.6 billion installs globally to date, including Douyin on iOS in China. In Q1 2020, it set a new record with 315 million installs globally, the most any app has seen in a single quarter. From January 1 to December 17, the app has reached nearly 961 million installs globally this year.

From January 1 to December 17, the app has generated approximately $1.2 billion in user spending, up 627 percent from $165.1 million during the same period in 2019. Bytedance is continuing to innovate on in-app commerce as well, partnering with big brands such as Walmart. The next year will likely herald even more brand partnerships as TikTok continues to race against competitors such as Byte and social media giants Instagram and YouTube.

3. Buy Now, Pay Later Apps Continue to Grow

Earlier in 2020, the top BNPL apps in the U.S. saw their installs climb each month starting in June—and this trend has only continued. The top four apps of this kind in the United States, including Klarna, Affirm, Afterpay, and QuadPay, have set and broken new monthly download records in October and again in November.

Last month, the apps collectively saw 2.6 million installs from across the U.S. App Store and Google Play, up 136 percent Y/Y from 1.1 million in November 2019. From January 1 to December 17, the four top BNPL apps have reached 14.7 million installs in the U.S., up 137 percent Y/Y from 6.2 million between January 1 and December 17, 2019. These apps’ monthly active users have also continued to steadily climb, experiencing 162 percent Y/Y growth last month compared to November 2019.

Sensor Tower’s latest report on mobile retail trends revealed that e-commerce has seen a huge acceleration and shift due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in popularity of BNPL apps will likely continue into 2021.

4. Business Boom on Mobile

We revealed in our Q2 2020 Data Digest that the Business category has seen unprecedented installs this year, and, since the second quarter, first-time downloads have remained high.

From January to November, Business apps saw approximately 3.6 billion installs globally from across the App Store and Google Play. This figure is more than double the 1.5 billion installs the category saw in the same period in 2019, representing 140 percent Y/Y growth.

The top three apps in the category are all centered on facilitating communication between consumers. Zoom was the top downloaded app, reaching over 667 million installs between January 1 and December 17 globally. It was followed by Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, which have seen 324.5 million and 195.5 million installs, respectively. These tools have found widespread use this year, not only for remote work but also for distance learning and also socialization—a trend that may very well continue into the next year.

5. Small Screen Battles Loom Large

As consumers around the world turned to their phones and tablets for entertainment, various streaming services have vied for their attention. 2020 saw the launch of bespoke services such as Quibi as well as network-backed platforms such as Peacock and HBO Max.

Already established platforms have turned their eyes to appealing to wider audiences by launching in new markets. The Disney+ mobile app saw the most downloads in a month ever in November when it hit more than 25 million installs globally, largely due to its rollout to Latin American markets. Netflix offered free trials during its StreamFest event in India, which led to a 200 percent W/W increase in its installs there.

With more services on the way in 2021 such as Paramount+ and Discovery+, the SVOD space will see even more fierce competition.

6. A Record Five Mobile Games Generated More Than $1 Billion in 2020

Player spending has risen across the mobile games market in 2020 and as a result of that the world’s top revenue generating titles have also experienced significant growth. This year has already seen five titles surpass $1 billion, with PUBG Mobile from Tencent leading the way at $2.6 billion, up 64.3 percent from 2019. Another Tencent game, Honor of Kings, has accumulated close to $2.5 billion in player spending, up 42.8 percent from the year prior.

The titles were followed by Pokémon GO from Niantic at No. 3, Coin Master from Moon Active at No. 4, and Roblox at No. 5. The quintet could yet be joined by a sixth title, with Monster Strike from Mixi having accumulated $958 million so far this year. 2020’s tally of five games generating $1 billion-plus in a single year is a record, with 2019 and 2018 both seeing three titles achieving the milestone.

7. Roblox Passes $2 Billion in Consumer Spending

After years of flying under the radar, Roblox from Roblox Corporation is now obtaining global recognition as one of the industry’s leading MMOs. Sensor Tower estimates show that the title surpassed $2 billion in player spending in October 2020. It took seven months to generate $500 million and cross the $1.5 billion mark in May 2020, and just five months after that to accumulate a further $500 million and surpass $2 billion. Lifetime player spending for the game currently stands at $2.2 billion.

So far in 2020, Roblox has generated close to $1.1 billion, an almost two-times increase from 2019 revenue. Player spending surged as lockdowns were enforced across the globe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Revenue hit a peak of $112.8 million in May 2020, a three-times increase year-over-year, and up 72.3 percent from January. With sales remaining strong, Roblox Corporation is well-positioned for its IPO, which is now expected in 2021.

8. Genshin Impact is the Biggest RPG Launch To Date

Genshin Impact from miHoYo was an instant hit when it officially launched on September 28. The RPG generated approximately $60 million worldwide from the App Store and Google Play in its first week, and by the end of its first month had amassed nearly $250 million. After two months, it had picked up close to $400 million and was averaging more than $6 million a day. The title is currently closing in on $500 million less than three months after its release.

Genshin Impact is smashing records, becoming one of the biggest mobile game launches of all time. Utilizing Sensor Tower Game Taxonomy data, we can see that it was the biggest mobile RPG launch ever in the United States, picking up $45 million during its first 30 days, putting it above the likes of Fire Emblem Heroes from Nintendo and The Seven Deadly Sins from Netmarble.

The title is another example of the increasing influence of China’s top publishers on the global mobile games market. Not just a success at home, 69.5 percent of player spending has been generated outside of China, making it a true international success.

9. PUBG Passes $4 Billion Grossed—$2.6 Billion This Year Alone

Currently 2020’s top-grossing mobile game, PUBG Mobile has had astonishing success this year. It’s already picked up $2.6 billion, bringing lifetime player spending to $4.3 billion. Monetized successfully through its battle pass system—known as the Royale Pass—the title is easily one of the most successful mobile games of all time.

Its best month ever came at the height of initial lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic, with revenue racking up $300 million in March alone. While spending has since dipped, November still saw the game generate $174.2 million, ranking as the No. 2 title by global revenue for the month, behind Honor of Kings in the top spot.

As with Genshin Impact, PUBG Mobile’s success is a key example of China’s influence on the global market, with 45.7 percent of player spending coming from outside of China.

10. Among Us Picks Up More Than 275 Million Downloads

Among Us from InnerSloth has been one of 2020’s biggest breakout hits, a feat made all the more impressive by the fact that it was first launched in 2018 to little fanfare. The title began to garner attention through the influencer sphere across YouTube and Twitch, with increasingly more creators making video content and streaming it.

In August, downloads spiked 661 percent month-over-month to 18.4 million, while downloads grew a further 351 percent M/M to approximately 83 million in September. To date, Among Us has accumulated 276.8 million lifetime downloads, with 94.7 percent of downloads coming in 2020. Among Us is currently the No. 2 most downloaded mobile game of 2020, just behind Garena Free Fire from Garena Games at No. 1.

Accelerated Growth and Changing User Needs

As platform owners such as Apple move to change their revenue-sharing model, developers grapple with shifting consumer needs, and categories continue to grow, the mobile landscape will continue to evolve over the next year. We will be taking a more in-depth look at how the mobile market has changed over the course of 2020 in our market recap post coming in early January.

Craig Chapple, Sensor Tower’s Mobile Insights Analyst, EMEA, contributed gaming insights to this article.

Sensor Tower’s Store Intelligence platform is an Enterprise level offering. Interested in learning more?

2020 Year In Review: 10 Mobile Milestones published first on https://spyadvice.tumblr.com/

0 notes

jacobhinkley · 6 years ago

Text

206.9% Increase in BMX Token Value! BitMart Exchange Debuts on NASDAQ MarketSite

BitMart Exchange, a premier digital asset trading platform with over 400,000 registered users, ran an advertisement in Times Square this week. The ad serves as a testament to BitMart’s determination to expand into the U.S. market following registering as a money services business with U.S. regulators earlier this month. BMX, BitMart‘s own token, has risen ~206.90% in the last month-to-date (May 2018).

BitMart’s ad ran on the NASDAQ Tower in the northwest corner of the bottom of Times Square. The NASDAQ Tower is considered the most visible LED video display in Times Square and is one of the most valuable advertising spaces in the world. It is used to celebrate corporate milestones. Advertising BitMart on the display tower signifies that digital asset trading platforms have entered into the mainstream.

What is BitMart? BitMart is a premier digital asset trading platform with more than 400,000 users from over 160 countries. They offer crypto-to-crypto trading for coins and utility tokens only. BitMart has a global team with extensive industry experience from all over the world including the United States, Russia, India, Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong. They currently offer 18 trading pairs for BTC, ETH, USDT, XLM, EOS, VEN, MOBI, ABT, KAN and BMX.

What competitive advantages does BitMart have?

BitMart currently implements a 0% trading fee which is rare compared to other exchanges that offer as many trading pairs as them. Their withdrawal fees are also low by industry standards, plus the registration process is quick and takes seconds. Their trading interface is clean and simple and even allows you to easily bid 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% of any given asset. Their team of international working professionals includes a strong Marketing team building awareness through 10 social networks and native advertising on NewsBTC, CCN, CoinDesk, and The Merkle; a Customer Relationship Management team that offers 24/7 multi-language support; a Coin Listing Review team that carefully selects which coins are approved for trading; a Compliance team that has registered BitMart as a money services business and is approaching registration as an alternative trading system with U.S. regulators; plus a team with multiple years of experience in the blockchain industry.

What are BitMart’s current promotions?

This month, BitMart launched a Millions of Cryptocandy Airdrop. Registered users can claim free BTC, ETH, EOS, and BMX every day by visiting https://www.bitmart.com/candy.html. The airdrop will end June 15th. During this period, BitMart is holding a giveaway on Twitter and instant messaging Apps like Telegram and WhatsApp to promote the event in which participants can receive free BMX tokens.

youtube

In an effort to reward users even further, BitMart is also hosting a Vote for Your Coin – Round 2 Campaign to let users vote for their favorite coins to be listed on BitMart Exchange. The winner will be listed without a listing fee. Participants can also vote for free, unlike most campaigns by other exchanges, and have a chance to win free tokens for promoting the coin of their choice on social media.

What is the long-term goal of BitMart?

BitMart’s long-term goal is to become a whole-network trading platform providing one-stop financial solutions for cryptocurrency trading, as well as small business enterprises.

As Sheldon Xia, Founder & CEO of BitMart, stated recently, “I hope BitMart will become a fast and reliable exchange for users trading digital assets, as well as one that brings more innovation to the industry.”

To learn more about BitMart: Website: https://www.bitmart.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/BitMartExchange Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bitmartexchange LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bitmart Telegram: https://t.me/BitMartExchange YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BitMartExchange Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/bitmartexchange Medium: https://medium.com/@bitmart.exchange Steemit: https://steemit.com/@bitmart Crunchbase: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/bitmart-exchange Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bitmart_exchange

The post 206.9% Increase in BMX Token Value! BitMart Exchange Debuts on NASDAQ MarketSite appeared first on NewsBTC.

206.9% Increase in BMX Token Value! BitMart Exchange Debuts on NASDAQ MarketSite published first on https://medium.com/@smartoptions

0 notes

joshuajacksonlyblog · 6 years ago

Text

206.9% Increase in BMX Token Value! BitMart Exchange Debuts on NASDAQ MarketSite

What competitive advantages does BitMart have?

What are BitMart’s current promotions?

youtube

What is the long-term goal of BitMart?

BitMart’s long-term goal is to become a whole-network trading platform providing one-stop financial solutions for cryptocurrency trading, as well as small business enterprises.

The post 206.9% Increase in BMX Token Value! BitMart Exchange Debuts on NASDAQ MarketSite appeared first on NewsBTC.

from Cryptocracken Tumblr https://ift.tt/2Lqq2sf via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Cryptocracken Tumblr

0 notes

michaelbennettcrypto · 6 years ago

Text

206.9% Increase in BMX Token Value! BitMart Exchange Debuts on NASDAQ MarketSite

What competitive advantages does BitMart have?

What are BitMart’s current promotions?

youtube

What is the long-term goal of BitMart?

BitMart’s long-term goal is to become a whole-network trading platform providing one-stop financial solutions for cryptocurrency trading, as well as small business enterprises.

The post 206.9% Increase in BMX Token Value! BitMart Exchange Debuts on NASDAQ MarketSite appeared first on NewsBTC.

from Cryptocracken WP https://ift.tt/2Lqq2sf via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Cryptocracken WP

0 notes

brettzjacksonblog · 6 years ago

Text

206.9% Increase in BMX Token Value! BitMart Exchange Debuts on NASDAQ MarketSite

What competitive advantages does BitMart have?

What are BitMart’s current promotions?

youtube

What is the long-term goal of BitMart?

BitMart’s long-term goal is to become a whole-network trading platform providing one-stop financial solutions for cryptocurrency trading, as well as small business enterprises.

The post 206.9% Increase in BMX Token Value! BitMart Exchange Debuts on NASDAQ MarketSite appeared first on NewsBTC.

from CryptoCracken SMFeed https://ift.tt/2Lqq2sf via IFTTT

#IFTTT #CryptoCracken SMFeed

0 notes

aion-rsa · 3 years ago

Text

My Hero Academia Season 5 Episode 12 Review: The New Power and All For One

https://ift.tt/3uWlO2q

This My Hero Academia review contains spoilers.

My Hero Academia Season 5 Episode 12

“We need to know more about this power.”

My Hero Academia’s previous episode started to move its characters into a more relaxed place now that the Joint Training Arc battles have reached their conclusion. This laid back energy takes up the entirety of “The New Power and All For One” and this is mostly a disposable episode that’s full of entertaining interactions between characters. However, it’s a relatively inconsequential offering beyond a few veiled assumptions about One For All.

My Hero Academia can’t only cater towards non-stop battles and perpetual obstacles, so “The New Power and All For One” effectively releases some pressure and is satisfied to just allow Class A and B to mingle together. This isn’t a problem, but it’s a little surprising that this is the big showcase for the anime’s 100th episode. 100 episodes is no small feat and the series decides to embrace its fundamentals and more muted character moments for this milestone instead of using it to conclude some major conflict or defeat a noteworthy villain. It’s a decision that represents the best and worst of My Hero Academia after 100 episodes.

This season of My Hero Academia has featured some of the anime’s most explosive battles, which makes this level of recent comfortable complacency come as a shock. A slowed down episode of relaxation is understandable, but “The New Power and All For One” is a lethargic installment and it looks as if next week’s escapades enter an even more informal and relaxed rhythm. So far pacing has been the biggest problem for My Hero Academia’s fifth season and it leaves episodes like this one feeling like they��re spinning their wheels.

My Hero Academia’s Deku and Bakugo on Season 5, Class 1-B, and Dark Betrayals

By Daniel Kurland

It’s a lot of fun to watch Kirishima and Tetstutetsu trade sparring tips while other students just kick back reading manga or run outside in the snow. These young characters often face constant responsibilities that it’s always appreciated when My Hero Academia just allows them to act their age and let their more juvenile impulses out. “The New Power And All For One” is full of moments like these, which will either elicit smiles or induce eye rolls. It never hurts when My Hero Academia’s characters are treated like real people instead of invincible superheroes, but it doesn’t change the fact that this episode feels like it’s running out the clock and a degree of emptiness sets in when the credits finally roll.

“The New Power and All For One” gets bogged down with how it’s an episode that’s mostly about results and reflection, yet there are some Quirks that receive more attention than others. There’s still considerable fascination over Midoriya’s evolving One For All, but the characters circle around the same general points without making much progress. The highlight through all of this analysis is that Bakugo is now fully indoctrinated into Midoriya and All Might’s secret heart-to-hearts. It’s an absolute joy to have him casually weigh in and become a more justified presence in this group.

It’s hard not to think of the One For All charged events from the Heroes Rising movie and how this shared dynamic between this trio of characters only grows more intense over time. The group also deduces that the anomalies surrounding One For All and how it wants to manifest multiple Quirks through Midoriya bears some connection to the nature of All For One and its multiple Quirk mentality. The beginning of this season teased the fundamental connection between these two powerful Quirks, as well as their original bearers, and it looks like this mysterious dynamic could frame much of the season’s remaining episodes.

It’s been a while since My Hero Academia has checked in on Eri, but her Rewind Quirk is another ability that plays an important role in this episode. Everything that Eri does is absolutely adorable, but the glimpse of her writing letters to Midoriya and Togata so that she can better express her gratitude towards these two important friends in her life is just so sweet. It’s deeply comforting to learn that Eri’s starting to fit in and has become a relatively well-adjusted child who has risen above her past trauma.

Togata playfully warns Eri that Monoma represents the “bad part” of U.A. High, but he might actually be able to make her life easier and help her grow more comfortable with her abilities. “The New Power and All For One” explains the significance behind Monoma’s Copy Quirk and how it can be used to better understand people’s more volatile Quirks, such as the powers that Midoriya and Eri possess. It definitely seems like these experiments over what Monoma’s Copy Quirk can and cannot accomplish is foreshadowing a major breakthrough, either against a villain or to aid Midoriya in battle. “The New Power and All For One” is a scattered episode, but the brief detour on Monoma and Eri feels consistent with the rest of its reflective nature.

My Hero Academia mostly spins its wheels here with a narrative that’s intentionally small stakes. It’s therefore quite unexpected that all of a sudden “The New Power and All For One” tries to quickly resolve seasons’ worth of provisional license exam backstory. Todoroki and Bakugo’s impromptu takedown of a Mr. Freeze-esque villain and his cabal of weirdos gets crammed into the final minutes, but it’s without a doubt the most worthwhile part of the episode.

It’s easy to picture a better version of this episode that uses this conflict as its centerpiece and instead allows all of the slice of life cuteness at U.A. High to be more background fodder that’s intercut with the battle. It wouldn’t be difficult to have students and teachers reflect on the progress of their classes while they watch Bakugo and Todoroki go through the same thing against this random foe. The episode’s structure doesn’t do it any favors, but it’s at least able to end on the strongest note and it’s genuinely exciting that Todoroki and Bakugo finally have their provisional hero licenses. Bakugo’s immediate disdain over how his cake is too big is also just perfect.

“The New Power and All For One” is a serviceable episode of My Hero Academia that’s plenty of fun in the moment, but not necessarily an installment that many fans will feel the need to revisit, which seems antithetical for the anime’s 100th episode. There’s not necessarily anything in this installment that’s not present throughout the rest of the season. Thematically, the previous episode, “Our Brawl,” would have made a better fit for the big 100. However, despite these quibbles over the episode’s unusual priorities, My Hero Academia has never felt more confident in itself, its characters, and its storytelling.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

100 episodes might have seemed like a bold pipe dream during My Hero Academia’s first season, but all of the series’ hard work and growth makes it feel like episode 200 is a foregone conclusion at this point. Not everyone has been a huge fan of this season and its structure, but it’s very much functioned like one big extended love letter to the series’ characters. It’s been a slow start to the season, but My Hero Academia seems ready to channel everything that’s been brewing across these 12 episodes and deliver a second-half that’s bigger and more surprising than everything that’s been seen before.

The post My Hero Academia Season 5 Episode 12 Review: The New Power and All For One appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3vhlF9D

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

0 notes

ladystylestores · 4 years ago

Text

Coronavirus, Russian Bounties, Poland’s Election: Your Monday Briefing

(Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.)

Good morning.

We’re covering the world reaching 10 million coronavirus cases, a suspected Russian plot to pay bounties on U.S. troops and Europe’s first pandemic-era presidential election.

Coronavirus cases pass 10 million as U.S. infections surge

The number of coronavirus cases worldwide has reached 10 million, and the death toll passed 500,000 on Sunday, with daily infections escalating in the U.S., India and Brazil.

The grim milestone came as countries struggled to keep new infections at bay while also emerging from painful lockdowns.

The European Union will allow outsiders to enter again on July 1, but will bar most travelers from the U.S., Russia and other countries that are considered too risky because they have not controlled their outbreaks.

Cases in the U.S. have risen 65 percent over the past two weeks — they now total more than 2.5 million. Some administration officials, including Vice President Mike Pence, have said that increased testing explains the surge in cases, but health officials say otherwise.

Testing sites in the U.S. were overwhelmed over the weekend in the hard-hit states of Arizona, Florida and Texas.

A suspected Russian plot to pay bounties on U.S. troops

United States intelligence officers in Afghanistan warned superiors as early as January of a suspected Russian plot to pay bounties to the Taliban to kill American troops in Afghanistan.

The recovery of large amounts of American cash at a Taliban outpost and interrogations of captured militants and criminals helped determine that Russians had offered and paid bounties in 2019, one official told our reporters.

Military and intelligence officials are reviewing whether American and other coalition casualties were victims of the plot. They believe bounties led to at least one death of a U.S. service member, two officials said.

New: Some 291 Afghan soldiers were killed in Taliban attacks from June 19-25, according to the country’s National Security Council, making it the war’s deadliest week for Afghan forces. The violence is sapping optimism over a peace deal the U.S. signed with the Taliban that would negotiate an end to nearly two decades of war.

Poland votes in Europe’s first big pandemic-era election

Poland’s president, Andrzej Duda, fell short of securing a majority of the vote on Sunday in Europe’s first socially distanced election, according to exit polls. There will be a runoff on July 12 against Warsaw’s mayor, Rafal Trzaskowski.

Turnout was high and voters at polling stations wore masks, brought their own pens and waited in lines with three feet of personal space in all directions.

The country’s nationalist party has made judicial changes that E.U. leaders say threaten independence and turned public television into the government’s propaganda arm.

Details: Polls said Mr. Duda received about 41 percent of the vote and Mr. Trzaskowski about 30 percent, with official results set to be released today. Mr. Trzaskowski has promised to draw the country closer to the European Union and to protect the rights of the L.G.B.T. community, while Mr. Duda has attacked homosexuality as an ideology comparable to communism.

New Irish prime minister: After four months of negotiations, Ireland’s Parliament has appointed Micheal Martin, a center-right politician, to lead as the country deals with the coronavirus, Brexit and fallout from a housing crisis. France also held municipal elections on Sunday.

If you have 15 minutes, this is worth it

A crucial warning ignored as the virus silently spread

Dr. Camilla Rothe, above, and her colleagues at Munich University Hospital were among the first to warn the world that people without symptoms could spread the coronavirus.

But even as evidence mounted from other scientists about symptomless transmission, health officials dismissed the finding. Our reporters pieced together why a crucial warning was ignored early in the pandemic as the virus was fanning unnoticed in French churches, Italian soccer stadiums and Austrian ski bars.

Here’s what else is happening

Wirecard: Investigators are still trying to piece together how one of Germany’s most feted companies fell from grace. Its auditors said last week that the company had engaged in fraud, but skeptics had long questioned the company’s worldwide revenue.

U.S. presidential campaign: Polls show that President Trump is losing support among a once-loyal group — older white voters — who have soured on the Republican Party and are largely backing Joe Biden in the six most important battleground states.

Russia: Kirill Serebrennikov, one of Russia’s most prominent directors, was convicted on Friday on an embezzlement charge that was widely seen as manufactured to justify a crackdown on independent theater.

Pride: Celebrations this year were cut back over coronavirus concerns, but Taiwan, which has controlled its outbreak, was able to hold an in-person event on Sunday, with a rainbow flag-led procession in central Taipei.

What we’re reading: This Rolling Stone profile of the largely forgotten singer-songwriter David Blue “reads like a classic detective story, with stops in the Greenwich Village of Bob Dylan, the Laurel Canyon of Joni Mitchell, the Montreal of Leonard Cohen — and a final scene you won’t be able to shake,” says Steve Reddicliffe, the deputy editor of the international edition of The Times.

Now, a break from the news

Cook: These crunchy-topped corn muffins use up whatever fruit you have around. They’re perfect for breakfast, warm, with softened butter on the side.

Read: Seven years after “Crazy Rich Asians,” Kevin Kwan is back — but Asia is not. His new novel, “Sex and Vanity,” begins with a very touristy idyll in Capri, then goes back home to Manhattan and the Hamptons, with one eye on Hollywood at all times.

Do: If you’re interested in strong, healthy muscles but wearied by burpees in the living room, you may want to consider heading to the nearest park for weight training. Here’s how to work out without a gym.

Staying safe at home is easier when you have plenty of things to read, cook, watch and do. At Home has our full collection of ideas.

And now for the Back Story on …

‘Hamilton’: A musical game changer

Michael Paulson has been covering theater at The Times since 2015. During those years, he’s written more than 100 articles that prominently mention “Hamilton,” a musical that explores America’s revolutionary origins through the life of Alexander Hamilton.

Now, “Hamilton” is streaming on Disney Plus, starting on July 3. Here’s an excerpt from what Michael wrote about his time on the Hamilbeat.

I sensed right from the start that this musical, with its cast made up mostly of actors of color and its score influenced by hip-hop and pop music, was going to be a huge story. I remember being determined, that summer, to land an article about the production on the front page, convinced that the paper needed to make a big early statement about the show as a game-changing reflection on our culture, our politics and our history. Ultimately, the Page 1 gods agreed. I was traveling in Spain when it happened; I felt so affirmed that I didn’t mind the time-zone-busting copy desk questions.

A feature that followed about Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical upbringing was particularly fun to report — as we explored the Venn diagram in which show tunes and hip-hop overlap, he started playing random songs from his iTunes library and riffing about what each one meant to him.

The story I waited longest for was about Miranda’s relationship to Puerto Rico, where his parents grew up and where he spent his childhood summers. The island’s influence on his art had always struck me as significant and underexplored. I knew the best way to tell that story would be to see Puerto Rico through his eyes, at least as much as a journalist can, and when he announced that he was bringing “Hamilton” to San Juan, I had my peg. I asked to meet him there, and in fall 2018 he agreed; a devastating hurricane and campus unrest made the story more complex than either he or I could have anticipated, and I’m glad we did it.

That’s it for this briefing. Here’s Christian Löffler playing from a French castle to start your Monday.

— Isabella

Thank you To Melissa Clark for the recipe, and to Theodore Kim and Jahaan Singh for the rest of the break from the news. You can reach the team at [email protected].

P.S. • We’re listening to “The Daily.” Our latest episode is chronicling the human condition with one of the most influential photographers in history, Robert Frank. • Here’s today’s Mini Crossword puzzle, and a clue: Silly and frivolous (five letters). You can find all our puzzles here. • Dean Baquet, our executive editor, spoke to Longform Podcast about leading change at The New York Times.

Source link

قالب وردپرس

from World Wide News https://ift.tt/3iaUNTl

#World Wide News

0 notes

mastcomm · 5 years ago

Text

As Egypt’s Population Hits 100 Million, Celebration Is Muted

CAIRO — Somewhere in Egypt, around lunchtime Tuesday, the country reached a major milestone: its 100 millionth citizen was born.

The birth of that citizen — whom officials identified as a girl named Yasmine Rabie, in a village in Minya governorate — was noted in Cairo by a giant counter outside the country’s national statistics agency that has been ticking upward for years.

Hitting 100,000,000 marked human plenty, certainly, but also an uneasy moment in a country gripped by worries that its exploding population will exacerbate poverty and unemployment, and contribute to the scarcity of basic resources like land and water.

Egypt’s cabinet said last week that it was on “high alert” to fight population growth, which President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has described as a threat to national security on par with terrorism. If unchecked, the population could reach 128 million by 2030, officials say.

Mr. el-Sisi tried to push back the tide with a public health campaign called “Two Is Enough” to persuade parents to have fewer children. Like many such efforts, it failed.

Fertility rates have risen since 2008, to 3.5 children per woman, according to the United Nations, and the population is growing 1.8 percent annually — a rate that, in Egypt’s crowded cities and towns, adds one million citizens every six months.

“The kids are coming thick and fast,” said David Sims, a lecturer at the American University in Cairo and author of “Understanding Cairo: The Logic of a City Out of Control.” “What the hell are they going to do?”

Egypt’s population crisis is amplified by its unforgiving geography: 95 percent of the population lives on about 4 percent of the land, a green belt roughly half the size of Ireland that follows the Nile as it snakes through the desert then fans out into the lush Nile Delta.

The construction of a huge new dam on the Nile in Ethiopia, due to start filling this summer, has focused the public’s fears about the existing strains on the river, largely from population growth.

Fertility rates are highest in rural areas, where a large family is considered a blessing. But their impact is felt most keenly in greater Cairo, where a sprawling megalopolis of about 20 million inhabitants is spilling into the surrounding desert and farmland.

Seen from roof height, the city looms as a vista of flat concrete roofs dotted with millions of satellite dishes. Even at the pyramids of Giza, houses, hotels and golf courses push in from three sides, leaving tourists with just one direction for photographs with a sand-filled backdrop.

On Monday night, Ahmed Abdel-Hadi, a taxi driver for the past 22 years, threaded his battered sedan through a river of traffic in Nasr City, a middle-class neighborhood. A cacophony of blaring horns filled the air. An ambulance inched past, its lights flashing.

Fistfights between irate drivers have been growing more frequent as traffic has worsened, Mr. Abdel-Hadi noted — a problem that peaks during the holy season of Ramadan, when Egyptians rush to break their fast at sunset.

But Mr. Abdel-Hadi is also part of the problem. A father of four children, ages 10 to 19, he scoffed at the mention of government campaigns urging him to restrict his family.

“Human capital is valuable,” he declared. “A man’s family is a reflection of his income, and that’s what should determine how many children I have, not someone trying to dictate to me.”

Suzanne Mubarak, the wife of former President Hosni Mubarak, spearheaded a push during her husband’s rule to reduce fertility rates. It was partly successful: During the 1990s and 2000s, rates fell to 3.0 from 5.2, according to government figures.

But the rate rose again around the time of the Arab Spring in 2011, for reasons that are not entirely clear, but probably stem from economic disruption, government turmoil and a drop in birth control funding from Western governments.

Under Mr. el-Sisi, the government has dispatched thousands of family planning advocates into rural areas and offered cheap contraceptives — as little as 6 cents for a packet of three condoms in a government store and 12 cents for an intrauterine device.

The country’s leading Islamic authority, Al Azhar, has endorsed the government plans and stressed that family planning is not forbidden by God.

But critics say the government mostly talks a good game on population control and that its actions have not matched its slogans. Mr. el-Sisi’s wife has not been a visible force on family planning, while his officials have tried to dent the problem with public health programs.

“Overpopulation is eating everything,” said Dr. Amr A. Nadim, an obstetrician-gynecologist at Ain Ain Shams University. “But I don’t feel the government is working all that hard on it.”

He listed the issues: an erratic supply of contraceptives of variable quality; poor medical training; American government funding that dried up; and no longer obliging new doctors to take family planning courses.

The population crush also affects him personally. “Sometimes I’m called to a pregnant woman in an emergency, but I can’t reach her because of the traffic,” he said.

“The problem,” he added, “is that we don’t have a real strategy to combat it.”

Other large developing countries with soaring populations have managed to get the problem under control. Vietnam, where the population grew to 97 million in 2018 from 60 million in 1986, has reduced the rate of increase to 1 percent. Bangladesh, which has a population of more than 160 million, has done the same.

In Egypt, though, the rate of growth is nearly twice as high, at 1.79 percent in 2018-19. More than 700,000 young Egyptians enter the job market every year, said Aleksandar Bodiroza, representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Egypt. “That’s a daunting task for any government,” he said.

Housing them is equally challenging. Mr. el-Sisi has made much of the array of high-profile megaprojects his government is building, like a new summer capital on the north coast and a new administrative capital outside Cairo. But few Egyptians can afford to live in the fancy new developments.

Rather, most people are cramming into the informal settlements that are continually sprouting on the edge of Cairo and other cities, where villages are being transformed into dormitory towns and farmland is being swallowed by uncontrolled development.

Experts say the government has a dismal record in providing new housing for the poor. And the poverty rate is rising, hitting 32.5 percent last summer by the government’s own figures — up from 27.8 percent in 2015. The stubbornly high fertility rate may be a reflection of that economic failure, said Mr. Sims, the author. “Egypt is heading back to its rural roots,” he added. “If you’re a poor person, you’ll have more kids.”

The population milestone passed on Tuesday was met with a shrug by many Egyptians, for whom the difficulties of life in a congested city that is bursting at the seams are nothing new.

Ahmed Alaa, 24, a marketing agent, said his desire to avoid congestion often shaped his days, and often that means simply staying home. “It’s become so normalized, this congestion” he said. “You can’t set an appointment to do anything. The traffic is just so crazy.”

Nada Rashwan contributed reporting.

from WordPress https://mastcomm.com/event/as-egypts-population-hits-100-million-celebration-is-muted-2/

#Event

0 notes

carymortgagebroker · 5 years ago

Text

Real estate agents have been around for 100 years, who will survive the next century?

New Post has been published on https://blog.mortgagebroker.pro/mortgage/real-estate-agents-have-been-around-for-100-years-who-will-survive-the-next-century/

Real estate agents have been around for 100 years, who will survive the next century?

100 years ago, the U.S. passed its first law regulating real estate licensing and the agent profession officially came to be.

At this notable milestone for real estate agents, their future is under attack. Tech startups tout big plans for a market takeover. Real estate companies with new-fangled platforms and business models joke about the agent’s extinction. The doubters are loud and in many cases well-funded. However, it’s nothing that real estate agents haven’t heard before.

To be clear, not every agent will have a seat at the table forever. The next century will usher in new technology, increasing consumer demands and housing market ups and downs. Those agents who thrive will swim with the shifting tide rather than against it. They’ll be the honest Abes, at your service and tech-equipped, ready to help a client regardless of their personal motivation to “get the listing” or cash in on a commission to pay the bills.

But to understand the future of the agent, let’s first hop in the DeLorean and go back in time.

How “real estate agent” became an actual job

The real estate agent profession didn’t form out of thin air. According to a report from the California Department of Real Estate, urbanization made negotiations over property and land between strangers more complex at the turn of the 20th century.

This created the need for an objective and knowledgeable intermediary to guide the public through the basics of a real estate transaction and help shake out a fair deal.

Around 1900, brokers started showing houses for sale. At that point, though, there were no licensing requirements and the business turned into a complete free for all. The competition in a disorganized environment bred questionable business practices and a consequential lack of trust.

This led to the first attempt at establishing real estate licensing law in 1917—which promptly failed in the courts. Finally, in 1919, the Supreme Court upheld the Real Estate Act, first adopted by California and later in some form by the remaining 50 states. (The requirement for a written examination didn’t crop up until 1923.)

Real estate agents then and now

Fast forward to 2019. The latest research shows 90% of consumers still use an agent to buy and sell their homes even as doomsday analysts predicted their extinction through the decades.

Although the real estate industry evolved with the advent of online home listings, virtual walkthroughs and iBuying, the fundamental role of the agent is the same now as it was in the 1900s: help people navigate what’s often the largest financial transaction of a lifetime.

Industry saturation

One thing industry leaders can agree on, however, is that the real estate arena is too crowded.

The Association of Real Estate License Law Officials estimates there are 2 million active real estate licensees in the U.S. The National Association of Realtors, the largest trade organization in the country, reports having 1,383,010 Realtor members as of July 2019. For comparison’s sake the insurance industry counts 1.1 million brokers and service employees, while there are 1.35 million lawyers and 1.1 million doctors in the U.S.

The barrier of entry to the agent profession remains low, which encourages people of all experience levels to give the gig a try. If you’re over 18, complete any pre-license education required by your state, and pass a written exam, you’re in business.

Making a living as an agent is more difficult. Agents work on commission and have to generate their own clients. Despite the prevailing image of the luxury agent who drives a fancy car on TV, agents make on average $47,910 a year, according to PayScale.

Although the profession has survived the test of time, the industry agrees that the concentrated pack of agents jockeying for business will thin out moving forward as lower-producing agents drop out of the mix and technology changes the game. Agents face increasing pressure to show value and adapt to the changing needs of consumers if they want to find success in the next century.

Say you ran into an all-star agent 50 years from now and asked them, “What’s your secret?” They’d no doubt talk to you about how they:

Save their clients time and hassles

Today it’s commonplace for both Mom and Dad to juggle work and home life. According to the most recent data available from the Pew Research Center, the number of dual-income households with kids under the age of 18 in the U.S. has risen from 47% in 1980 to 66% in 2015, while more than half of parents both work full time. Data from the Labor Department shows that one-third of Americans work at least 45 hours a week while 9.7 million clock more than 60.

Americans will always come up short on time, so agents who prove their ability to boost efficiencies and offer flexibility to clients will provide enormous value.

Imagine the agent who:

Hosts virtual showings from the office so that buyers can rule out unsuitable properties faster and sellers only see serious buyers book a tour.

Connects clients with an AI chatbot that matches them with available properties based on their preferences, narrowing down their list of “maybes.”

Ditches the combination lock box and embraces self-guided tour technology akin to Rently or ShowMojo, which have become popular self-guided showing tools in the rental space. This could open up a property’s showings hours, accommodate more buyers, and secure an offer on a house faster.

Manages paperwork with digital closing and escrow tools and sets up the client with video notarization software so they can skip the trip to the bank.

Uses blockchain-enabled smart contracts to encrypt sensitive client information.

Accepts cryptocurrency on current listings.

As technology solutions mature and go mainstream, successful agents will lean into the Ritz Carlton white glove service and know when to let tech step in and do what they can do faster and better.

Take agent Ryan Lidholm, an agent of just three years who’s already climbed to the top 1% of his market. For one of his listings this year, he handled the home’s cosmetic repairs, took amazing drone photos of the land, and sold his clients’ Missouri home in eight days.

All the while, these clients roamed the U.S. in an RV. Email updates were all the sellers wanted and Lidholm kept them posted while he coordinated every step. Agents who take ownership of the deal and give clients’ hours back in their day aren’t going anywhere.

Integrate online and offline marketing

In 2013, marketing professionals surveyed by Adobe said they believed that marketing had “changed more in the past two years than the previous 50.” Five years later and the pace of innovation hasn’t slowed. Marketers have hundreds of channels to choose from.

Big platforms roll out new algorithm changes, designs, and features every day. In 2019 alone, Google+ sunsetted, the video-sharing app TikTok reported 500 million users and Facebook restricted ad targeting for housing and credit ads.

Real estate agents who can’t keep up with the changes or fail to leverage these powerful platforms for their clients’ business won’t make the cut. They’ll need to use video to capture a condo’s best views, or use Facebook Live to give virtual house tours. Early adopters who aren’t afraid to tackle emerging platforms that no one above the age of 18 has heard of will stick around.

Gary Vaynerchuk, who bought the keyword “wine” for 10 cents on Google AdWords, built a huge YouTube audience, and started using Snapchat before it was cool, preaches this “get in early” advice to anyone who’s trying to connect with people, generate clients, and create a brand.

At the same time, agents will still need to balance out the marketing mix with multiple offline tactics. Take the agent who creatively helped to sell the mansion of a motivated luxury seller.

She threw an event where she displayed her company’s latest collection of diamonds, which ultimately attracted a rare buyer from London.

The agent of tomorrow knows when to post a giphy and when to party like Gatsby.

Push creative bounds, but avoid tasteless stunts

The web is a noisy place, and some agents have taken risks and found success with out-of-the-box ideas: giant T-Rex costumes in listing photos; selling a suburban house, sex dungeon and all; or paying $50,000 for a video that spoofs “Teach me How to Dougie.”

But the internet is also unforgiving. An agent who could once recover from a media slip up or comment in poor taste can’t just fade into anonymity. Instead, they will face a more or less permanent track record on Google and suffer repercussions from their broker who is upheld to an equal standard from the public.

Team Denver Homes thought its July 2019 “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” rap video would drum up positive attention. Instead people saw the lyrics they chose to insert as glorifying gentrification.

The overseeing independent brokerage, Kentwood Real Estate, cut ties with the top-selling team after the video was released, saying in a statement to local Denver media outlet 9News: “We have a 38-year record of being an inclusive, equitable, professional and empathetic culture.”

Brokerages and teams who prioritize diversity and consult others who challenge their own ways of thinking will be in a better position to prevent these flubs from ever happening and help separate creative ideas from offensive ones.

Throw out ‘always be closing’ for ‘always be advocating’

Whether real estate agents should be thought of as trusted advisors or salespeople is a time-honored conversation in the industry.

As consumers give more weight to unskewed agent performance metrics and transparent client reviews available online, the agents of the future will have to prioritize service over sales. They won’t be able to “cheat” the system with quick and dirty tactics. If they rush a buyer to make an offer or give a seller an inflated price to “win” the listing, that karma will come back around.

The top performing agents will tailor the solution they provide to the client’s needs. They’ll be able to identify which upgrades will yield the highest returns, connect clients with the best contractors in town even though nothing’s in it for them, tell a buyer that a house is out of their budget, or even step away from the sale and recommend alternative routes if a market process won’t serve the client well.

Work in harmony with iBuyers and home trade-in solutions

Say a client has to move swiftly for a job relocation or is stressed over how to time the sale of their current house with the purchase of a new one. Agents who become experts on all of a client’s available options will add value and find purpose even in a changing real estate landscape.

They’ll come from a place of knowledge in the greater industry to say things such as: “Have you heard of the alternative financing options available today? I know a company that will buy the house you want and put it on reserve for you. Would you like more info?” Or “Since you’re in Atlanta, you should see what Opendoor would bid on your house. Here’s how iBuying works. I can refer you.”

Agents will remain a first point of contact for many real estate consumers and those connections will help support ancillary businesses in the space. Agents should take advantage of the opportunity to earn money on the referral while knowing they put the interests of their client first.

The century of the agent

100 years of agents. Let that sink in a minute.

From the Great Depression to the 2008 financial crisis, from country roads to a sophisticated highway system that paved the way for the suburbs, from word of mouth listings to Zillow.com, real estate agents were there.

They’ve shuttled buyers from house to house, entered vacant homes at their own risk, and given tough love to many a seller on an unrealistic price. They’ve called contractors and scrubbed bathtubs and made store runs to pick up a new shower curtain in time for the open house. They have, over the course of an entire century, helped people of all walks of life buy and sell homes.

Happy centennial birthday, real estate agents. May you take on the next 100 years with the same scrappiness, adaptability, and heart that you have shown since 1919.

Source: https://www.housingwire.com/articles/real-estate-agents-have-been-around-for-100-years-who-will-survive-the-next-century/

Looking to get the ball rolling to buy a new home or refinance your current mortgage? Get started today at https://mortgagebroker.pro/go

In North Carolina, click here for your local mortgage broker Cary Mortgage Pros

1 note · View note

rickhorrow · 6 years ago

Text

15 + 5 + 5 To Watch : 21819

15 TO WATCH/5 SPORTS TECH/POWER OF SPORTS 5: RICK HORROW’S TOP SPORTS/BIZ/TECH/PHILANTHROPY ISSUES FOR THE WEEK OF FEBRUARY 18 with Jacob Aere

NBA players are All-Stars on social media, too. When Axios Sports examined the social media followings of every All-Star starter across the four major sports, they expected the star-driven NBA to come out ahead — but not to the magnitude by which the league led other sports. For starters, the Lakers’ LeBron James has more followers on Instagram and Twitter – over 89 million – than every NFL, MLB, and NHL All-Star starter combined. James also has more than twice as many as the next closest NBA All-Star starter – Steph Curry, with more than 37 million. Comparatively, in the NFL, J.J. Watt has the strongest social presence among NFL Pro-Bowlers, with over 8.8 million followers. In MLB and the NHL, stars Mike Trout and Alex Ovechkin respectively have almost the same exact number of followers across both platforms, as do Matt Kemp and Connor McDavid. It’s also notable, and regrettable from a branding standpoint, that on the NHL All-Star rosters showcased in San Jose last month, 15 starters had either (a) no Twitter account, (b) no Instagram account, or (c) neither.

NBA reveals “Jersey of the Future” at Tech Summit. As part of the NBA’s All-Star break in Charlotte, Commissioner Adam Silver debuted a slate of futuristic tech at the NBA Tech Summit on Friday, including unveiling the league's "jersey of the future." According to Hashtag Sports, Silver pulled up an app on his phone and “changed the number and name on the back of a jersey that was displayed on the side of the stage. With the push of a button, the jersey shifted from repping for a Kemba Walker model to giving Stephen Curry a shout-out to going old school in a Michael Jordan model.” The futuristic jerseys weren't the only innovation discussed at Friday's high profile summit. Silver also announced plans for facial recognition ticketing, hologram mascots, and virtual reality glasses to take future basketball fans from their couches directly into a virtual arena. The NBA has long led the way in terms of tech innovation among America’s sports leagues. It's no wonder Silver has reportedly turned down overtures to helm the NFL and other major institutions.

Embody closes $3.6 million investment round to advance a new standard of care for Achilles and Rotator Cuff repair. Embody, the DARPA-funded start-up developing collagen-based implants for the treatment of sports medicine injuries completed its first outside funding round. To date, the company has received $14 million in non-dilutive funding. DARPA's interest is based on the prevalence of Achilles and Rotator Cuff injuries with Navy SEALs and other elite warfighters. Embody plans to launch their Tapestry implants in early 2020 and plans to raise a Series A financing round later in 2019. Embody's focus is aligned with the needs of high-performance athletes with their mission to restore pre-injury performance following tendon and ligament injuries. With high-profile athletes such as the NBA’s DeMarcus Cousins and John Wall recently suffering debilitating Achilles tears, the spotlight now shifts to sports medicine leaders such as Embody to shorten the recovery process and get the athletes back in the game.

MLB in 2019 will "commemorate the 150th anniversary of professional organized baseball with a season-long series of uniform features and content integrations across its league-run media platforms." According to Sports Business Journal, the league's celebration will begin on Opening Day in late March with "special cap patches worn by every player." The cap application has "never been done to celebrate a major anniversary in baseball, but it will be similar to special postseason patches worn on the side of player caps." There also will be a "uniform patch worn all season on the right sleeve of player jerseys." Those sleeve patches "recall similar ones used to celebrate baseball's 100th anniversary" in 1969 and 125th in 1994. MLB also is planning an "extensive series of anniversary-driven multimedia content commemorations of great moments in baseball history that will run on MLB Network, MLB.com and the league's official social media channels.” It truly is a celebratory year, as the NFL is also celebrating its 100th anniversary and other key milestones of sport also unfold, which we will document throughout the year.

The Chicago Cubs have confirmed the launch of their own regional sports network (RSN) that will become the exclusive home to “Cubs-centric” broadcasts from 2020. The new partnership with Sinclair Broadcast Group sees the creation of Marquee Sports Network (MSN), ending the split of Cubs games between WGN-TV, NBC Sports Chicago, and the local ABC affiliate, WLS-TV. All live games will now air on the Cubs' own network alongside pre and post-game shoulder content, in addition to other local sports programming. Both the Cubs and Sinclair will have equity in the joint venture, and according to the Sports Business Journal, the team is set to see improved earnings, since annual rights fees previously brought in less than $70 million a year from NBC Sports Chicago’s before equity distributions. Sinclair will lead many back-end functions for Marquee Sports Network such as distribution and staffing, with Cubs Productions video development unit also heavily involved. The move was anticipated when the Cubs didn’t re-sign with NBCSports Chicago alongside other local sports team during recent negotiations. ESPN reported that the new network could add college basketball to its programming lineup as it looks for live sport during the MLB offseason.

Before the 2018 running of the Great American Race, Daytona International Speedway was closing in on its fourth consecutive sellout for the Daytona 500. According to sources and an analysis of the track's ticket site, the 101,000-seat track had about 1,500 tickets left to sell as of last Friday for Sunday's race, and announced a sellout on Saturday. ISC tracks can declare a sellout when within 1.5% of a true sellout, so DIS already was on the verge of that range on Friday. The ISC-owned venue has sold out every Daytona 500 since the first race after the $400 million Daytona Rising renovation in 2016. Despite a crash-packed final stage on Sunday, Denny Hamlin won the 2019 Daytona 500 in a 1-2-3 finish for Joe Gibbs Racing – not a bad way for that storied garage to start the season.

As NASCAR revved up for the season opening Daytona 500 on Sunday, the organization laid out a slate of sponsor activations with its partners taking place throughout the weekend. Among them, according to multiple sources, was Busch. The “Official Beer of NASCAR,” said cheers to 40-years of NASCAR support with the Busch “Car To Can” promotion. Ford led with a digital and social fan-focused campaign rolling out a Mustang-related clip per day via Twitter in the 10 days leading up to the Mustang’s first time taking the track on Sunday for the Daytona 500. Additionally, Ford is creating a larger Mustang four-part documentary series that features the making of the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race car. Monster Energy had numerous activations on-site that include the Harley Davidson stunt team and Freestyle.com FMX shows throughout the weekend. And last but perhaps most relevant, considering NASCAR’s roots, Sugarlands Distilling hosted tastings and meet and greets with cast members of the Discovery Channel Show “Moonshiners.”

Overtime banks $23 million from Carmelo Anthony, Victor Oladipo, Spark Capital, and others. According to Hashtag Sports, the digital sports media startup focused on high-school athletes has raised $23 million in Series B funding. Venture-capital firm Spark Capital led the round, which brings the two-year-old company to $33.5 million raised to date. Others participating include MSG Networks and NBA players Victor Oladipo and Carmelo Anthony. With the latest funding, Overtime has a valuation of around $100 million. The company launched with short-form content centered on high-school basketball stars, and over the past year has expanded its coverage to include soccer, football, esports, and women’s basketball. Overtime also is looking to launch live in-person events and activations and is eyeing international expansion. People continue investing in Overtime because they’ve smartly monetized through branded-content deals and nascent ecommerce and merchandise business, and look to be a rising star in the youth sports digital media space.

FILA has extended its partnership with the top ranked American male in tennis, World No. 9 John Isner. FILA has partnered with Isner for the past three years, and during that time he has risen to a career-high ranking and captured six titles, including his first Masters 1000 singles crown at the 2018 Miami Open. Isner had a career-best 2018 season in which he earned three titles – two in singles in Atlanta and Miami, and one in doubles at Indian Wells. He also registered impressive performances in the Grand Slams, reaching the semifinals at Wimbledon and quarterfinals at the U.S. Open. Isner currently holds 19 career titles: 14 in singles and five in doubles. FILA has a long and distinguished tennis history that includes endorsements of ATP Tour and WTA athletes, tennis tournaments. and organizations, including the BNP Paribas Open, the Tennis Hall of Fame Open, the Rogers Cup and Coupe Rogers, the Western & Southern Open, the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, the Rakuten Japan Open, and the Junior Orange Bowl International Tennis Championship.

U.S. Club Soccer and LaLiga North America have announced an expansion of their technical partnership first signed in August, 2015. The long-term extension continues a valuable relationship in youth soccer that has provided various coaching education resources to the American game, directly educating thousands of coaches and impacting even more players. It also points to LaLiga North America’s commitment to growing soccer in the U.S. LaLiga North America is a joint venture between LaLiga and Relevent Sports, which serves as the exclusive representation of LaLiga in the U.S. and Canada for all business and development activities. The operation supports the league’s growth in the U.S. and Canada through consumer-related activities including youth academies, development of youth soccer coaches, marketing agreements, consumer activations, exhibition matches, a coaching education series, and plans to have an official LaLiga Santander match played in the U.S. In 2019 and beyond, the two organizations plan to increase their Players First commitment by creating additional coaching development opportunities, extending LaLiga scouting to U.S. Club Soccer members, and offering exclusive benefits to Players First-licensed clubs and others.

The Sports Turf Managers Association (STMA), the non-profit association comprising 2,700 men and women professionals overseeing sports fields worldwide and critical to athletes’ safety, received outstanding participation at its 30th annual Conference and Exhibition in Phoenix. Visit Phoenix confirmed the community received over $3 million from total estimated direct expenditures from conference participants including event attendees, exhibitors, and organizers. The Phoenix Convention Center housed more than 2,300 participants including 1,400 sports turf leaders and 900 exhibitors from 14 countries for four days of industry education, networking events, and product demonstrations. The event was highlighted by a volunteer rebuild of Lindo Park baseball field, two “Seminar On-Wheels” tours of Phoenix area sports complexes, SAFE fundraisers, and the STMA Awards Reception and Banquet. SAFE, the association’s charitable foundation, raised nearly $41,000 through a bowling competition, live and silent auctions, raffles, and a golf tournament at Grand Canyon University Golf Course. Proceeds benefit educational programs, scholarships and grants enriching communities through safe, sustainable sports and recreation fields.

Concacaf, the governing body for soccer in North and Central America and the Caribbean, has revealed that it is expanding the Concacaf League from 16 to 22 clubs, including an additional five Central American teams and one side from the new Canadian Premier League (CPL). Beginning this year, the club competition will additionally serve as the qualifying tournament for teams from Central America for the Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League, the region’s premier club competition. The Concacaf League will remain a knockout tournament, with a preliminary round now set to kick off in July. The six winners of those two-legged ties will then join the top nine ranked Central American clubs and the runner-up of the Caribbean Club Championship in the round of 16. As well as the eventual winners, an additional five teams will qualify for the Concacaf Champions League through the revamped Concacaf League based on rankings in accordance with the competition’s tie-breaking procedure, a move sure to widen the league’s fan base and boost ratings.

American Family Insurance has secured the naming rights for the Brewers’ renovated Spring Training ballpark in Phoenix. Maryvale Baseball Park will now be called American Family Fields of Phoenix. American Family also has the naming rights for Miller Park via a deal that starts in 2021. The Brewers and the city of Phoenix unveiled $60 million in renovations to the 10,000-seat Cactus League ballpark today. Improvements include a new player agility field, Daktronics video board and flagship retail store, as well as 106,298 square feet of clubhouse and baseball operations spaces. That includes new sports medicine and sports psychology offices. HKS designed the ballpark renovations, while Mortenson led the construction. The Brewers’ renovation is only the latest among a slew of huge improvements to Cactus League facilities – in recent years, the Dodgers, White Sox, Cubs, and hometown Diamondbacks have cut the ribbon on sparkling new ballparks. These improvements keep Phoenix as a top tourist destination every spring.

GumGum Sports’ NHL Scoreboard tracks media value. GumGum, a new, near real-time artificial intelligence/computer-vision platform used by teams, leagues, and brands to measure the ROI of its deals, tracked 506 sponsors across ten in-arena and on-ice NHL sponsorship placements, leveraging owned and operated social media accounts of 31 NHL teams to measure media value. At the NHL season midpoint, Instagram was by far the best social media platform in generating media value, with $5.75 million in total sponsor value. Twitter only drove $597,000 in total value, with Facebook at $494,000. The top sponsor was GEICO, with $321,000 in sponsor media value; GEICO is a partner with 21 teams. Notably, Party City, with a single team sponsorship, the New York Rangers, had the fourth-highest sponsor media value total, $145,000, besting NHL TV and Toyota, which had 12 team partnerships and branding in 12 arenas.

And finally, just because this is a holiday weekend, and this seems somewhat random and bizarre though appropriately celebratory. According to Cynopsis Sports, History Channel and Welch’s are partnering for a month-long “Truck Night in America” integration that spans linear and social platforms and brings together the two brands to create a “perfect marriage of grape juice, demolition and big rigs.” The partnership features a challenge where three “Truck Night in America” competitors are tasked with pushing sheds filled to the brim with 55-gallon barrels of Welch’s grape juice over the edge of a 100-foot cliff. If there was ever a cry for stain fighting brands to join a party, this is it. Grape is in your court, Shout, Resolve Spray 'n Wash, and Oxiclean.

Top Five Tech

The NBA All-Star weekend sold out quickly for Turner. Over the years, Turner and the NBA have turned the All-Star game into a weekend-long event. This year, Turner sold out its ad inventory earlier than ever before. In addition to the early sell out, ad prices are “significantly” higher than last year, which raked in $66 million for the weekend mega event. According to Broadcasting and Cable, advertisers in movies, video gaming, telecommunications, insurance, and quick-service restaurant categories rushed to get in, along with newer video streamers, including YouTube TV and Hulu. This year, weekend events featured the signature dunk contest now sponsored by Turner's new parent AT&T, concerts, an All-Star motorsports Challenge, and NBA. The new All-Star game format, in which players pick who they’ll play with, spawned the All-Star Player Draft which aired on TNT Thursday and drew much social media buzz from the captains LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Right now NBA marketing seems like it can do no wrong, and the ad data proves this fact.

The NBA 2K League signs Champion as apparel provider. As esports have heated up into big business, the NBA 2K League has signed a multiyear deal with Champion Athleticwear so that the apparel brand now serves as the league’s official outfitter. According to The Esports Observer, Champion will provide all 21 esports teams with uniforms as well as travel, warmup, and practice apparel and Champion’s logo will also be placed on the in-game jerseys of each team. Furthermore, NBA 2K League merchandise will also be made available through Champion’s online store. The 2K League is following trends seen in other esports leagues such as the Overwatch League and League of Legends Championship Series which signed merchandising deals with Fanatics and We Are Nations. NBA 2K continues to expand its business during after adding four new teams representing the L.A. Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Atlanta Hawks, and New Jersey Nets for the 2019 season. Looking to the future for 2K, the league has multi-year deals in place with partners including Twitch, Dell, Intel, and Scuf Gaming and is an integral part of the NBA’s overall business strategy.

UEFA links up with WeChat to reach out to Chinese fans. European soccer’s governing body has launched a new Champions League profile on the Chinese messaging platform to deliver their competition directly to fans in China. According to SportsPro, UEFA is also rebooting its Weibo launch from last November, which additionally personalizes Champions League content for subscribers on China’s most popular social network. The new WeChat account will feature highlights, data analysis, player interviews, and classic moments from the competition’s history, interactive activities around tournament events and match days, and perhaps most importantly, the Fans' UEFA Champions League Glory which will also allow subscribers to customize their own fan profile, vote on their favorite teams, and win premium prizes. It seems like UEFA has been taking notes from the NBA to capitalize on the world’s largest market with a growing appetite for sports.

NASCAR goes all in on media advertising and teams up with Barstool Sports. With an aging fan base and no consistent uptick in ratings, NASCAR needs a serious revamp. To deal with this, NASCAR is launching an ad campaign for nearly 20 TV markets throughout the United States and has struck a digital partnership with Barstool Sports. According to Sports Business Daily, NASCAR is set to spend between $10 million-$20 million for this advertising campaign set to run throughout 2019 with a new technique of advertisements to be shown during non-NASCAR related programming. NASCAR is planning to launch locally themed ads on local Fox and NBC affiliates in NASCAR markets such as Atlanta, Charlotte, Kansas City, and Orlando/Daytona and such cities as Cleveland, Milwaukee, Raleigh, and Tampa where NASCAR doesn’t yet race. NASCARS’ overall marketing goal will be to tell the stories of its drivers and accompanying teams in hopes of bringing in new fans to the sports while retaining its core fan base.

The Alliance of American Football league is underway and the ratings show that it’s an early hit. The AAF debuted on February 9 on CBS. Surprisingly, according to Yahoo Sports, the new football league was able to pull off better television overnight ratings than a Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder NBA matchup and generally received positive reviews during its opening week. Although the early 2.1 overnight rating beat out the NBA numbers, there was certainly more curiosity about the AAF than a regular-season NBA game. In the past other startup football leagues such as the USFL and XFL performed well at the beginning before excitement quickly fizzled. The challenge for the AAF will be to keep the good times rolling as ratings will be harder to come by when the games are on CBS Sports Network and not CBS in primetime. Ultimately, compelling football will be what keeps fans engaged long term. The AAF will also be competing with the other new football league, the XFL, which is set to launch some time during 2020. The AAF will have to outperform other new football leagues in addition to well-established sports institutions such as the NBA and MLB during the spring and summer months.

Power of Sports Five

Sports entities raise the bar on stylish celebrations of Black History Month. CBS Sports Network celebrates Black History Month with the premiere of “Althea & Arthur,” a documentary highlighting the legacies of Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe on February 18. The documentary is narrated by Tony Award winning actress Phylicia Rashad and chronicles the impact Gibson and Ashe made to the world of tennis and in advancing civil rights in America during a time of racism and segregation. In Phoenix, The Arizona Republic notes the Suns’ Mikal Bridges, Josh Jackson, Kelly Oubre, and Richaun Holmes have "each worn themed sneakers in February" to celebrate Black History Month. The shoes will be made "available for purchase at the end of the month with the proceeds benefiting Elevate Phoenix, a local non-profit that works with youth." The Suns "commissioned designers to create the custom sneakers, but the players had a say in the theme.”

The NBA and FIBA plan to launch a new pro league, the Basketball Africa League, featuring 12 club teams from across Africa. According to the New York Times, the league is scheduled to begin play in January 2020, and would mark the NBA's first involvement with the operation of a league outside of North America. Many details, including which clubs from which countries will be part of the league, have "yet to be finalized." But NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that former President Barack Obama "would be involved in the league in an unspecified capacity." According to Yahoo Sports, there are "already several professional teams across Africa, but this league will attempt to unify them into one place while providing financial support, resources and training." There will be qualifying tournaments "held to determine which teams make the league with the nations of Angola, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia likely to be represented." Many former and current NBA players have invested time and money in African basketball initiatives. Having Obama on the masthead will accelerate the process.

The PGA Tour continues to drive philanthropy. Last week, insurance firm Burns & Wilcox launched its signature philanthropic initiative Champions & Charities with brand ambassadors Webb Simpson and Jimmy Walker. The company will give a minimum of $50,000 to the charity of the golfers' choice. And the just-completed PGA Tour Genesis Open "will get a big upgrade" beginning in 2020, according to sources, in no small part because of its affiliation with Tiger Woods’ foundation. According to ESPN, the event held at Riviera Country Club and run by Woods' foundation will receive “elevated status,” which means it will have a significantly higher purse – growing to $9.3 million, as well as offer a three-year PGA Tour exemption to the winner (up from two years), and have an invitational field" of 120 players rather than 144. The best thing that Woods could do to boost its prominence? Win the event.

As the 2019 NASCAR season opens at Daytona, Dale Earnhardt Jr. volunteered on a chainsaw crew as they "cleaned up debris from Hurricane Michael" in Panama City, Florida. According to the Charlotte Observer, Earnhardt "joined a crew from Team Rubicon, the non-profit group of veterans that teams with first responders.” Likewise, NASCAR driver Kurt Busch will "pay for and give away 100 tickets" for each Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race this season to military members and veterans. The giveaway is in "partnership with the Veterans Tickets Foundation." NASCAR continues to be a team player and major contributor off the racetrack as well as working hard to keep sports fans’ focus on its racing circuit, state of the art facilities likeD, and high profile drivers.

USA BMX, Mongoose team up For STEM education initiative. USA BMX has signed a deal with the Mongoose bicycle brand to bring science, math, engineering and technology training to U.S. schools in a joint program that is projected to reach 225,000 students in 2019. Additionally, according to Sports Business Journal, Mongoose has hired nine-time USA BMX amateur national champion and USA BMX Foundation Marketing Coordinator Justin Posey as a sponsored rider and education ambassador. Interestingly, the Mongoose bicycle brand is owned by Pacific Cycle, a division of Montreal-based Dorel Industries.

0 notes

legit-scam-review · 6 years ago

Text

Proof of Keys Event May Highlight Centralization of Crypto, but Some of Its Claims Are Unfounded

Bitcoin celebrated its 10th birthday on Jan. 3, and in commemoration of this milestone, the very first Proof of Keys event was held. Organized by crypto investor and podcast host Trace Mayer, it urged cryptocurrency traders to withdraw their holdings from crypto exchanges, in order to promote the decentralization and monetary independence on which Satoshi Nakamoto‘s vision for Bitcoin was founded.

However, as ostensibly positive as its message was, it was claimed on social media in the days leading up to the event that several exchanges — most notably HitBTC — had apparently been freezing accounts and preventing users from withdrawing their funds.

These are serious charges, but while they raise questions about who really owns the coins traded via big exchanges, the issue could be more complicated than HitBTC‘s detractors would have everyone believe. For one, exchanges have a record of halting withdrawals and freezing accounts as part of their normal business, so it’s not certain that HitBTC or any other exchange was specifically opposing Proof of Keys and trying to prevent a mass reclamation of Bitcoin. And secondly, it’s worth pointing out that Proof of Keys is not a grassroots, community-led event. Rather, it’s an initiative spearheaded by entrepreneur Trace Mayer, who happens to be an investor in Armory, a crypto wallet manufacturer that obviously has a financial interest in people taking their coins out of exchanges. As such, his claims of widespread account blockages should perhaps be treated with scepticism.

Charges

The suspicion that HitBTC was blocking accounts and withdrawals because of Proof of Keys emerged on Reddit and Twitter. On the HitBTC subreddit, most of the current posts have been made by users complaining that they’ve been unable to withdraw their crypto. On Jan. 1, for instance, Reddit user pedxs wrote that HitBTC is “now not allowing withdrawing, even for [my] accounts that passed KYC,” while other users have reported similar issues, in addition to claiming that the exchange is fraudulent in general.

Unsurprisingly, these reports have led to a vociferous reaction from those organizing and supportive of the Proof of Keys event. On Jan. 2, Trace Mayer noted on Twitter that a “friend” had been told by HitBTC that “Withdrawals are temporarily disabled on your account,” leading him to suggest that “@hitbtc failed #ProofOfKeys.”

Similarly, John McAfee — who also has a financial interest in a crypto wallet (Bitfi, which he was paid to endorse) — was quick to vent his spleen against the exchange. He wrote on Twitter:

I warned everyonw more than a dozen times. Don’t sign up. Don’t use it. Withdtaw your funds. I was trashed for calling out HitBT as a corrupt cimpany. Tough shit. You had six months warning from me to withdraw your funds. Do not ask me to help you now.https://t.co/Ls9mzpUSbz

— John McAfee (@officialmcafee) January 2, 2019

Complicating the issue further, Trace Mayer also reported Proof of Keys “failures” at Coinbase, Poloniex, Bitfinex, and Purse.io (an escrow service and online marketplace, rather than an exchange). However, there really isn’t much online that would confirm widespread problems (at least not on the scale of HitBTC).

For example, in the Coinbase subreddit, there is currently one post from someone bemused as to why a 72-hour quarantine on withdrawals had been imposed on them, yet there is nothing else from the period before and after Proof of Keys that would suggest something unusual or untoward. Much the same goes for the Poloniex, Bitfinex and Purse.io subreddits, although in each of these it was hard to find even a single complaint (there was one gripe about a frozen Purse.io account, but this related more to an issue with an Amazon purchase than a specific withdrawal problem).

And in fact, when it comes to the original complaint, HitBTC has itself informed Cointelegraph that there is no link between Proof of Keys day and any account suspensions. It’s spokesperson, Peter Swen, stated that frozen withdrawals were the result of internal security measures related to KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML (Anti-Money Laundering) procedures.

“These temporary, safety-related withdrawal freezings are a direct consequence of our international KYC and AML measures. These rules exist and apply to us and everybody, 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year.”

A history of withdrawal issues

It is, therefore, hard to sustain a narrative that exchanges in general were deliberately subverting Proof of Keys or unable to deal with the sheer number of withdrawals (there’s also no evidence of just how popular the event was). And while it would seem from social media that HitBTC had a comparatively high number of blocked withdrawals, it is in fact hard to prove that it deliberately set about opposing the event. Not only is this because it’s explicitly denying a link, but also because it already had a less-than-perfect reputation when it comes to withdrawals.

For example, HitBTC has a three-out-five rating on Trustpilot, with 34 percent of its ratings being one star. Many of the negative reviewers (which date from months before Proof of Keys) have complained about being unable to withdraw funds, although HitBTC’s response to this review site reveal that they strenuously deny any such problem. Equally disconcerting, there are a number of negative reviews of the exchange on crypto news and reviews sites, such as 99Bitcoins and CoinSutra, with experienced reviewers on both sites making explicit reference to difficulties in withdrawing.

In other words, HitBTC has always had reported problems with withdrawals, so it seems unlikely that the problems reported now are the result of it trying to stymie Proof of Keys day. Rather, it’s likelier that withdrawal issues have moved more into the public eye as a result of the attention surrounding Proof of Keys, leading to the impression that there has been a sudden increase in account and withdrawal suspensions. The reviews above — many of which are many months old — suggest that there hasn’t been a significant increase, even if it would be possible to say that HitBTC has indeed “failed” Proof of Keys, i.e., in the narrow sense of failing to let at least some of its users withdraw their coins.

Conflict of interest

While HitBTC’s problems need to be highlighted, some of the spotlight should also be shined on Proof of Keys day. Its organizer — Trace Mayer — is a key investor in Armory, which, as stated above, provides an open-source cryptocurrency wallet. Back in 2013, it raised $600,000 in seed funding, with this funding being “led” by Mayer, according to a statement released by Armory Technologies at the time. He has, therefore, a significant stake in seeing wallets such as Armory succeed, something that would be possibly only if crypto traders and holders shook off their dependence on such exchanges as HitBTC (and Coinbase, Poloniex and Bitfinex).

And what would be a good way of encouraging people to abandon exchanges in favor of wallets like Armory? That’s right, you guessed it: some kind of event that piggybacks on the interest in Genesis Block Day and that effectively involves urging people to take their crypto out of exchanges and put it in Armory and other wallets. Indeed, it’s this motivation that gave birth to Proof of Keys, which, as a result, now emerges as a thinly disguised marketing event masquerading as a community-driven initiative.

And it’s in this context that Mayer’s recent attempts to tar Coinbase, Poloniex and Bitfinex with the same brush as HitBTC should be framed. Without having much in the way of evidence, his recent tweets have implied that these exchanges — which, due to their popularity, are symbolic of all centralized exchanges — have consciously blocked withdrawals, with the further implication being that they oppose their customers having ownership of their coins and having sovereignty over their money. Regardless of how true this claim is, Mayer would certainly benefit if it were widely believed, given his early investment in Armory.

Centralized exchanges and market distortion

Nonetheless, the Proof of Keys event raises an important question that has often been swept under the rug by the crypto community: Are centralized exchanges really compatible with decentralized currencies that, in theory at least, are meant to be novel and radical precisely because they promise to make big financial organizations obsolete?

“Centralised exchanges are anathema to the concept of peer-to-peer trading,” says Dr. Mervyn Maistry, the CEO and co-founder of Konfidio, a Berlin-based incubator for decentralized, blockchain-based platforms. “Like most centralisation, it can make investing more convenient. However centralised control also means the possibility of centralised corruption. Custodial exchanges are anything but secure, immutable or traceable.”

Of course, up until now the rise of crypto has been almost completely dependent on exchanges, without which Bitcoin would never have risen to $19,000 at the end of 2017.

Still, it’s likely that the existence of big crypto exchanges is introducing the kinds of price and market distortions that Bitcoin and other cryptos were meant to avoid.

To cite the most obvious example, research published in June by the University of Texas found that 50 percent of Bitcoin’s 2017 price rise was a result of trade manipulations, which took place on the Bitfinex exchange and that made use of the Tether stablecoin. Given that such manipulation was also responsible for 64 percent of the rise of other major cryptocurrencies, this research offers a stark insight into how exchanges — because they have so much power over markets — can distort the price of Bitcoin and other tokens, even though these were created with the aim of avoiding distortions. Maistry adds, speaking to Cointelegraph via email:

“In the the unregulated space of crypto exchanges there is a 100 % certainty of corruption. This is exactly the same as centralised stock exchanges in the traditional world, there is a 100 percent certainty that somewhere, someone is engaging in corrupt practices.”

There have been allegations that other major exchanges have manipulated crypto markets, and while such allegations are unproven, they join with Proof of Keys day in highlighting the often opaque nature of crypto exchanges, and of the arguable need for cryptocurrency holders to become more independent in how they manage and trade their coins. With the gradual emergence of atomic swaps and decentralized exchanges, such independence is set to become increasingly possible in the future. But for now, it seems that centralized exchanges will remain popular, even with such events as Proof of Keys urging us to ditch them.

Trace Mayer has been asked for comment but has not responded as of press time.