#kylee's 600 follower event

[bakugoushotwife]

🤲 yk imma need a jjk matchup pretty please 🤲

i’m feeling extra delusional today so it’s gonna need to be a romantic one, i don’t have a gender preferrnce, and if u feelin frisky u can throw in some nsfw parts too 🤭☺️☺️ luv u kyleeee

oh of course my darling, anything for you <3

i ship you with...

c h o s o k a m o

sweet, clueless, but oh so sweet

and he tries really hard to be a good boyfriend

you're his first relationship so you have to be patient or you will hurt his feewings

he's such a great listener???? mainly because he wants to be super attentive and learn how to love you, so he's always paying attention to your ramblings to learn what you think is cute, what you hate, what you've been wanting from what store, and what you think is annoying

particularly fond of your ever rotating music taste

look he has a lot of catching up to do, so he enjoys bouncing from genre to genre and artist to artist with you

omg please take him to festivals this is coming to me in a vision rn

i see him, ponytails, pink cowboy hat mhm, i see cowboy boots to match, paper thin jeans riddled with holes with black chaps and no shirt....yes yes...i think im cooking here...

anyway yes, festivals please please jordie im on my knees please

you guys would have so much fun sitting on little blankets on a hill bc you got there early and you're gonna eat and smoke and start drinking as the sun goes down and the first artist comes on like im collapsing into tears beside my bed banging on the floor

literally he would love this more than anything, after everything he's seen and done and come back from like this kind of youth and love and high on life is exactly what he needs

never smoked a blunt before you lol but loves it now and can almost roll by himself hehe

speaking of substances....pussydrunk man. sorry. no im not.

like you're his first everything girlfriend like he has never tasted pussyjuice?? and then you teach him how to make you feel good and he earns his first taste he's...never leaving your side actually may become a bum because of it

im dying im sorry he is just so addicted, like boy breakfast boy lunch boy dinner eatin coochie

he of course still shares you with me, because he understands my value, that's a whole diff headcanon story ;)

big cuddler because he's terribly clingy

i think he has the sexiest veiniest arms and hands, like ughhhh and he doesn't understand how sexy that is either like he'll just be casually running his hands through his hair or something and you're sobbing and he doesn't understand fjsjfsndlrg\

loves your reptiles omg he is a hoagie stan for sure iykyk

i just see this as something so cute and peaceful and pure awww

i mean he would definitely kill a bitch for you, but that's hopefully left for a darker, past, time!

doesn't listen to yuji's advice when in arguments with you anymore <3

decides to always earn forgiveness by worshiping the ground you walk on xoxo

anyways texting gege this should be canon i fear

#kyleewritesjjk #jjk x reader #kylee's 600 follower event #kylee does matchups #my mootie cutie jordie #choso x jordie #choso x reader #choso smut #jjk smut #choso thirst #choso imagine

[breatheeasy808]

Writing is Remembrance, Healing

Restarting a Tumblr Again

I have not been on Tumblr since my underclassmen days of university, but I decided on a whim to revisit my old blog and take a stroll down memory lane. Back in high school, I would retreat to the library during my breaks to log onto Tumblr and write poetry, rant about my frustrations, muse over philosophical questions, generate detailed lists of my top ten songs of the week, repost photos of attractive Korean girls, and have some cheap laughs with 2010 era memes. As I went to on to college, Tumblr eventually fell out of vogue in favor of Instagram and other social media platforms, and one by one, most of my friends and followers deactivated their accounts. As I poured through my old Tumblr again, though, I am sure glad that I decided not to.

This past year, I was hospitalized for a total of 200 days in three different Intensive Care Units in Tyler, TX, Shreveport, LA, and San Diego, CA, survived 165 days hooked up to a ventilator and ECMO machine (life-support for my heart and lungs), lived through several near-death episodes, and underwent a double lung transplant surgery that gifted with me a brand new lease on life.

As I spent the last three or four days on my old tumblr scrolling through 600+ pages of my teenage and early young adult musings, I couldn't help but notice how much of a different person I have since become, and yet paradoxically how so many of my passions, interests, and hobbies have essentially stayed the same.

I wonder what high school me would have to say to myself in the present day. Would he be proud of the person that I have transformed into? I wish I could have a dialogue with my past self, explaining to him what events and experiences caused me to drastically change some of my viewpoints. I wonder what he would have said to me when I thought I was on my death bed in the hospital not too long ago. The best I can do is just to keep writing again, not for anyone else but myself. To write is to remember, to remember is to heal.

I have a lifetime of healing and recovery ahead of me. The moment has never been more opportune.

Kyle (07/14/2022)

[filthy-vigilantes]

Batman: Where to start

***long post***

Getting in to comics is rather hard and finding a good starting place or a good recommended must-reads is hard and confusing and you typically get hundreds of different answers.

This is my personal list, that I'm working through and hope to collect. I've done quite a bit of research and feel like this is a adequate reading list for modern (post-crisis) Bruce Wayne

Anyways here's the list in primary chronological order:

Batman: Year One (Batman Vol 1 #404-#407)

This story line established the back story for Batman in the post-crisis timeline, along with the back stories for Commissioner Gordon and Selina Kyle. Not necessarily canon anymore, but a good story to get the feel of the characters

Batman: The Man Who Laughs

This is a one shot that was published in 2005 that tells the story of Batman's first encounter with the Joker roughly a year after the Batman's debut in Gotham. Based on the Joker's original first appearance in Batman Vol 1 #1.

Batman and the Monster Men

This is a 6 part mini series that takes place sometime after Batman: Year One and Batman: The Man Who Laughs. First half of the Dark Moon Rising series. Story revolves around Batman's first dealing with Hugo Strange

Batman and the Mad Monk

This is another 6 part mini series that is the second half of the Dark Moon Rising series. It is a retelling of a story from Detective Comics Vol 1 #31-32

Batman: The Long Halloween

This is a 13 part limited series, that serves as a re-introduction of the Calendar Man and features a wide array of Batman's rouge gallery such as Two-Face, Scarecrow, Riddler, Joker, and Poison Ivy.

Batman: Dark Victory

This is a 14 part limited series that is a sequel to The Long Halloween. The main case in the story is a turf war between Two-Face and the Falcon Mafia. It also serves as a re-telling of Dick Grayson's Robin origin.

Batman: Birth of the Demon (TPB)

This is a collection of 3 Batman one shots: Son of the Demon, Bride of the Demon, and Birth of the Demon. All stories center around Ra's al Ghul and Talia al Ghul.

Batman: Strange Apparitions (Detective Comics Vol 1 #469-479)

This collection reintroduces Golden Age villains such as Hugo Strange and Dead shot along with introducing new villains such as Doctor Phosphorus and Clayface III.

Batman: The Killing Joke

A 60 page one shot that hints at the Jokers true identity, along with pushing the Jokers madness to new extremes, and showing just how dangerous he can be.

Batman: the Cult

This is a 4 issue mini series, in which Batman gets captured, torture and brain washed by Deacon Blackfire. This is also one of the few stories written by Jim Starlin that shows Jason Todd in a favorable light, as Starlin had a dislike for the character and kid sidekicks.

Batman: Death in the Family (Batman Vol 1 #426-429)

The famous 4 issue story arc that allowed readers to vote on the fate of the then current Robin, Jason Todd.

Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying (Batman Vol 1 #440-442)

This story is the introduction of Tim Drake and his taking of the Robin Mantle. The story also involves a case with Two-Face

Batman: The Last Arkham (Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1-4)

This story shows us the inner workings of Arkham Asylum, along with introducing new villains such as Zsasz, Jeremiah Arkham, and Amygdala

Batman: Gothic (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #6-10)

In this story we get to see glimpses of Bruce Wayne childhood.

Batman: Venom (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #16-20)

This story introduces us to the strength-enhancing drug, venom

Batman: Knightfall (Batman Vol 1 #492-510, #512-515; Batman: Shadow of the Bat #16-30, 32-35; Catwoman Vol ? #6-7, #12-13; Detective Comics Vol 1 #659-677, #679-682; Justice League Task Force #5-6; Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #59-63; Robin #7-9, 11-14; Showcase '93 #7-8; Showcase '94 #10)

The Knightfall collection is a trilogy consisting of Knightfall, Knightquest, and KnightsEnd. In the story, Batman is crippled by Bane leading to him enlisting help from Jean-Paul Valley, while he recovers. Jean-Paul becomes increasingly unstable and violent, ruining Batman's reputation until Bruce can finally put an end to it. The story had long term ramifications in the batcannon as Bruce had to rebuild the trust everyone had for him.

Batman: Contagion (Batman: Shadow of the Bat #48-49; Detective Comics Vol 1 #695, #696; Robin Vol 4 #27-28; Catwoman Vol #31-32; Azrael #15-16; Batman Vol 1 #529; Batman: Chronicles #4)

A cross over even where a deadly virus sweeps through Gotham. One of the story lines leading in to the No Man's Land event.

Batman: Legacy (Batman Vol 1 #533-534; Batman: Bane; Bane of the Demon #1-4; Batman: Shadow of the Bat #53-54; Catwoman Vol 2 #33-36; Detective Comics Vol 1 #700-702; Robin Vol 4 #32-33)

Another crossover, this storyline serves as a wrap up for Contagion as well as Knightfall. One of the story lines leading in to No Man's Land event.

Batman: Cataclysm (Azrael #40; Batman Vol 1 #553-559; The Batman Chronicles #12, #14; Batman: Arkham Asylum- Tales of Madness #1; Batman:Blackgate- Isle of Men #1; Batman/Huntress/Spoiler: Blunt Trauma #1; Batman: Shadow of the Bat #73-79; Catwoman Vol 2 #56-57; Detective Comics Vol 1 #719-722, #724-726; Robin Vol 4 #52-54)

The final crossover storyline leading in to No Man's Land. After a earthquake, Gotham's heros have to band together to help the citizens in the aftermath.

Batman: No Man's Land (Azrael #47-61; Batman Vol 1 #560-574; Batman: Harley Quinn; Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #116-126; Batman: No Man's Land #1-0; Batman No Man's Land Secret Files and Origins; Batman: Day of Judgement; Batman: Shadow of the Bat #80-94; The Batman Chronicles #16-18; Catwoman Vol 2 #72-77; Detective Comics Vol 1 #727-741; JLA #32; Nightwing Vol 1 #35-39; Nightwing Secret Files and Origins; Robin Vol 4 #67-73; Young Justice: In No Man's Land)

After several catastrophic events in Gotham, the US government decides to cut off Gotham, destroying all bridges to the city leaving Batman and allies to keep order in the city.

JLA Tower of Babel (JLA #43-46)

This story deals with the discovery of Batman's plans and files on how to take out the members of the Justice League in the event of them going rouge.

Bruce Wayne: Murderer? (Batman: The 10-Cent Adventure #1; Batgirl #24; Batman Vol 1 #599; Batman: Gotham Knights #25-26; Birds of Prey Vol 1 #39-40; Detective Comics Vol 1 #766-767; Nightwing #65-66; Robin #98-99

Bruce Wayne is arrested for murder and the rest of the bat family are forced to solve the crime and help clear his name.

Bruce Wayne: Fugitive (Azrael #91; Batgirl #27, #29-33; Batman Vol 1 #600-601, #603, #605-607; Batman: Gotham Knights #27-28, #30-31; Birds of Prey #41-43; Nightwing #68-69; Detective Comics Vol 1 #768-775)

This story is the follow up to Bruce Wayne: Murderer. After getting out of jail, he must full solve to murder, as those around him begin to doubt his innocence.

Batman Hush (Batman Vol 1 #608-619)

This story arc share a bit about Bruce Wayne's childhood along with introducing a new billion, Hush and furthering Batman and Catwoman's romantic relationship. This story also teases the resurrection of Jason Todd, the second Robin.

Batman: Heart of Hush (Detective Comics #846-850)

A follow up to Batman Hush, once again furthering Batman and Catwoman's romantic relationship. Also serves as a prelude to Batman R. I. P.

Batman Under the Red Hood (Batman Vol 1 #635-#641, #645-650, Annual #25)

This Story focuses on Jason Todd, the second Robin's resurrection and return to Gotham

Batman R. I. P. (Batman Vol 1 #667-669, #672-686, #701-702; Detective Comics #846-853; Nightwing Vol 2 #147-153; Batman and the Outsiders Vol 1 #11-14, special #1; Robin #175-183)

This story leads up to Bruce Wayne's apparent death in the DC Final Crisis event.

What Ever Happened to the Caped Crusader? (Batman Vol 1 #686; Detective Comics Vol 1 #853

These two issues deal with the aftermath of Bruce Wayne's apparent death.

Battle for the Cowl

This is a 3 issue minis series that shows the remainder of the bat family hold Gotham together in the wake of Batman's death and Nightwing ultimate decision to take up the mantle.

Batman: Hush Money (Detective Comics Vol 1 #852; Batman Vol 1 #685; Batman: Streets of Gotham #1-4)

Batman's enemy Hush alters his face to look like Bruce Wayne and begins pretending to be him.

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne

A 6 issue limited series that shows Bruce Wayne's journey through time to return to present day Gotham.

Bruce Wayne: The Road Home

A limited series that details the return and aftermath of Bruce Wayne's return. Batman Vol 1 #703 is a prelude to the series.

Batman: House of Hush (Batman: Streets of Gotham #14, #16-21)

A story arc that ties up the Hush Money story and the return of Bruce Wayne.

Batman Incorporated

This series focuses on Bruce Wayne franchising the Batman name across the globe, while Dick Grayson still serves as Batman in Gotham.

Batman: The Gates of Gotham

A limited series that features Dick Grayson as Batman, but was used as a lunching point for major Batman story lines in New 52.

Batman New 52

After the New 52 reboot, DC began Batman Vol 2, aka Batman New 52

Batman Eternal

A weekly limited series that ran for a year, reintroducing numerous villains in to the New 52 canon, along with Stephanie Brown.

Batman and Robin Eternal

A weekly limited series that ran for 6 months as a follow up to Batman Eternal. The story jumps between Dick Grayson's first year as Robin and the present. Cassandra Cain is reintroduced in to the New 52 canon in this series.

Batman Rebirth (ongoing)

Current Batman title

#batman #bruce wayne #jason todd #red hood #robin #tim drake #dick grayson #dc comcis #bat family #batfam #bat fam #comics #selina kyle #catwoman #batgirl #barbra gordon #stephenie brown #cassandra cain #where to start

[filthy-vigilante]

Batman: Where to Start

*** long post***

Getting in to comics is rather hard and finding a good starting place or a good recommended must-reads is hard and confusing and you typically get hundreds of different answers.

This is my personal list, that I'm working through and hope to collect. I've done quite a bit of research and feel like this is a adequate reading list for modern (post-crisis) Bruce Wayne

Anyway, here's my list:

Batman: Year One (Batman Vol 1 #404-#407)

This story line established the back story for Batman in the post-crisis timeline, along with the back stories for Commissioner Gordon and Selina Kyle. Not necessarily canon anymore, but a good story to get the feel of the characters

Batman: The Man Who Laughs

This is a one shot that was published in 2005 that tells the story of Batman’s first encounter with the Joker roughly a year after the Batman’s debut in Gotham. Based on the Joker’s original first appearance in Batman Vol 1 #1.

Batman and the Monster Men

This is a 6 part mini series that takes place sometime after Batman: Year One and Batman: The Man Who Laughs. First half of the Dark Moon Rising series. Story revolves around Batman’s first dealing with Hugo Strange

Batman and the Mad Monk

This is another 6 part mini series that is the second half of the Dark Moon Rising series. It is a retelling of a story from Detective Comics Vol 1 #31-32

Batman: The Long Halloween

This is a 13 part limited series, that serves as a re-introduction of the Calendar Man and features a wide array of Batman’s rouge gallery such as Two-Face, Scarecrow, Riddler, Joker, and Poison Ivy.

Batman: Dark Victory

This is a 14 part limited series that is a sequel to The Long Halloween. The main case in the story is a turf war between Two-Face and the Falcon Mafia. It also serves as a re-telling of Dick Grayson’s Robin origin.

Batman: Birth of the Demon (TPB)

This is a collection of 3 Batman one shots: Son of the Demon, Bride of the Demon, and Birth of the Demon. All stories center around Ra’s al Ghul and Talia al Ghul.

Batman: Strange Apparitions (Detective Comics Vol 1 #469-479)

This collection reintroduces Golden Age villains such as Hugo Strange and Dead shot along with introducing new villains such as Doctor Phosphorus and Clayface III.

Batman: The Killing Joke

A 60 page one shot that hints at the Jokers true identity, along with pushing the Jokers madness to new extremes, and showing just how dangerous he can be.

Batman: the Cult

This is a 4 issue mini series, in which Batman gets captured, torture and brain washed by Deacon Blackfire. This is also one of the few stories written by Jim Starlin that shows Jason Todd in a favorable light, as Starlin had a dislike for the character and kid sidekicks.

Batman: Death in the Family (Batman Vol 1 #426-429)

The famous 4 issue story arc that allowed readers to vote on the fate of the then current Robin, Jason Todd.

Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying (Batman Vol 1 #440-442)

This story is the introduction of Tim Drake and his taking of the Robin Mantle. The story also involves a case with Two-Face

Batman: The Last Arkham (Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1-4)

This story shows us the inner workings of Arkham Asylum, along with introducing new villains such as Zsasz, Jeremiah Arkham, and Amygdala

Batman: Gothic (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #6-10)

In this story we get to see glimpses of Bruce Wayne childhood.

Batman: Venom (Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #16-20)

This story introduces us to the strength-enhancing drug, venom

Batman: Knightfall (Batman Vol 1 #492-510, #512-515; Batman: Shadow of the Bat #16-30, 32-35; Catwoman Vol ? #6-7, #12-13; Detective Comics Vol 1 #659-677, #679-682; Justice League Task Force #5-6; Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #59-63; Robin #7-9, 11-14; Showcase ‘93 #7-8; Showcase '94 #10)

The Knightfall collection is a trilogy consisting of Knightfall, Knightquest, and KnightsEnd. In the story, Batman is crippled by Bane leading to him enlisting help from Jean-Paul Valley, while he recovers. Jean-Paul becomes increasingly unstable and violent, ruining Batman’s reputation until Bruce can finally put an end to it. The story had long term ramifications in the batcannon as Bruce had to rebuild the trust everyone had for him.

Batman: Contagion (Batman: Shadow of the Bat #48-49; Detective Comics Vol 1 #695, #696; Robin Vol 4 #27-28; Catwoman Vol #31-32; Azrael #15-16; Batman Vol 1 #529; Batman: Chronicles #4)

A cross over even where a deadly virus sweeps through Gotham. One of the story lines leading in to the No Man’s Land event.

Batman: Legacy (Batman Vol 1 #533-534; Batman: Bane; Bane of the Demon #1-4; Batman: Shadow of the Bat #53-54; Catwoman Vol 2 #33-36; Detective Comics Vol 1 #700-702; Robin Vol 4 #32-33)

Another crossover, this storyline serves as a wrap up for Contagion as well as Knightfall. One of the story lines leading in to No Man’s Land event.

Batman: Cataclysm (Azrael #40; Batman Vol 1 #553-559; The Batman Chronicles #12, #14; Batman: Arkham Asylum- Tales of Madness #1; Batman:Blackgate- Isle of Men #1; Batman/Huntress/Spoiler: Blunt Trauma #1; Batman: Shadow of the Bat #73-79; Catwoman Vol 2 #56-57; Detective Comics Vol 1 #719-722, #724-726; Robin Vol 4 #52-54)

The final crossover storyline leading in to No Man’s Land. After a earthquake, Gotham’s heros have to band together to help the citizens in the aftermath.

Batman: No Man’s Land (Azrael #47-61; Batman Vol 1 #560-574; Batman: Harley Quinn; Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #116-126; Batman: No Man’s Land #1-0; Batman No Man’s Land Secret Files and Origins; Batman: Day of Judgement; Batman: Shadow of the Bat #80-94; The Batman Chronicles #16-18; Catwoman Vol 2 #72-77; Detective Comics Vol 1 #727-741; JLA #32; Nightwing Vol 1 #35-39; Nightwing Secret Files and Origins; Robin Vol 4 #67-73; Young Justice: In No Man’s Land)

After several catastrophic events in Gotham, the US government decides to cut off Gotham, destroying all bridges to the city leaving Batman and allies to keep order in the city.

JLA Tower of Babel (JLA #43-46)

This story deals with the discovery of Batman’s plans and files on how to take out the members of the Justice League in the event of them going rouge.

Bruce Wayne: Murderer? (Batman: The 10-Cent Adventure #1; Batgirl #24; Batman Vol 1 #599; Batman: Gotham Knights #25-26; Birds of Prey Vol 1 #39-40; Detective Comics Vol 1 #766-767; Nightwing #65-66; Robin #98-99

Bruce Wayne is arrested for murder and the rest of the bat family are forced to solve the crime and help clear his name.

Bruce Wayne: Fugitive (Azrael #91; Batgirl #27, #29-33; Batman Vol 1 #600-601, #603, #605-607; Batman: Gotham Knights #27-28, #30-31; Birds of Prey #41-43; Nightwing #68-69; Detective Comics Vol 1 #768-775)

This story is the follow up to Bruce Wayne: Murderer. After getting out of jail, he must solve the murder, as those around him begin to doubt his innocence.

Batman Hush (Batman Vol 1 #608-619)

This story arc share a bit about Bruce Wayne’s childhood along with introducing a new billion, Hush and furthering Batman and Catwoman’s romantic relationship. This story also teases the resurrection of Jason Todd, the second Robin.

Batman: Heart of Hush (Detective Comics #846-850)

A follow up to Batman Hush, once again furthering Batman and Catwoman’s romantic relationship. Also serves as a prelude to Batman R. I. P.

Batman Under the Red Hood (Batman Vol 1 #635-#641, #645-650, Annual #25)

This Story focuses on Jason Todd, the second Robin’s resurrection and return to Gotham

Batman R. I. P. (Batman Vol 1 #667-669, #672-686, #701-702; Detective Comics #846-853; Nightwing Vol 2 #147-153; Batman and the Outsiders Vol 1 #11-14, special #1; Robin #175-183)

This story leads up to Bruce Wayne’s apparent death in the DC Final Crisis event.

What Ever Happened to the Caped Crusader? (Batman Vol 1 #686; Detective Comics Vol 1 #853

These two issues deal with the aftermath of Bruce Wayne’s apparent death.

Battle for the Cowl

This is a 3 issue minis series that shows the remainder of the bat family hold Gotham together in the wake of Batman’s death and Nightwing ultimate decision to take up the mantle.

Batman: Hush Money (Detective Comics Vol 1 #852; Batman Vol 1 #685; Batman: Streets of Gotham #1-4)

Batman’s enemy Hush alters his face to look like Bruce Wayne and begins pretending to be him.

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne

A 6 issue limited series that shows Bruce Wayne’s journey through time to return to present day Gotham.

Bruce Wayne: The Road Home

A limited series that details the return and aftermath of Bruce Wayne’s return. Batman Vol 1 #703 is a prelude to the series.

Batman: House of Hush (Batman: Streets of Gotham #14, #16-21)

A story arc that ties up the Hush Money story and the return of Bruce Wayne.

Batman Incorporated

This series focuses on Bruce Wayne franchising the Batman name across the globe, while Dick Grayson still serves as Batman in Gotham.

Batman: The Gates of Gotham

A limited series that features Dick Grayson as Batman, but was used as a lunching point for major Batman story lines in New 52.

Batman New 52

After the New 52 reboot, DC began Batman Vol 2, aka Batman New 52

Batman Eternal

A weekly limited series that ran for a year, reintroducing numerous villains in to the New 52 canon, along with Stephanie Brown.

Batman and Robin Eternal

A weekly limited series that ran for 6 months as a follow up to Batman Eternal. The story jumps between Dick Grayson’s first year as Robin and the present. Cassandra Cain is reintroduced in to the New 52 canon in this series.

Batman Rebirth (ongoing)

Current Batman title

Previously posted on @filthy-vigilantes

#Batman #Bruce Wayne #dc comics #Dick Grayson #Jason Todd #Tim Drake #Robin #barbra gordon #stephenie brown #cassandra cain #batgirl #batfam #batfamily #gotham #mp

[pianoperson]

Cradle Awards Predictions

I want to make this post in response to this post regarding their Cradle Awards predictions. I would put it in a reblog, but it is going to be long, and I want people to know of some things in this that they may be unable to see if it was in a reblog.

Predictions Under The Cut (if you just want to see the predictions, scroll past and find ‘Cradle Awards Predictions’)

A Reply to the Post

First of all, as some of the people in the comments of that post have said, no the top 3 of Seth’s voters are not bots. They are three individuals who teamed up together to give Seth as much votes as they can, and I say this with confidence because I know them from Discord. If you have been taking note of their names throughout the whole event, they weren’t called Seth Army the entire time, only at the end.

While we’re on the topic of Seth, your comment on Seth having a suspiciously high top 10 for someone with no route release is funny. By that logic, shouldn’t Oliver have a high top 10 especially because he was the newest route released? And yet, you have seen his numbers, he’s at the bottom four when it comes to the number of votes the top 10 gave. What’s wrong with people wanting to support Seth by giving him a huge number of votes for him? 

Now about the top 10, the way you predicted the results of the awards is inaccurate. Based on the results I have seen in the past Cradle Awards, top 10 says nothing about the outcome. The people in the top 10 for each guy can give all the votes they can give to their man, but if the people after them barely give them anything, then the suitor won’t rank high because they aren’t receiving votes from the other thousands of people who are voting for him. Every vote counts. You can’t base your predictions from only 10 people because it’s such a small scale, and you don’t see if the others following the 10th placer is giving their votes with the same effort.

Do you know about Zero’s top 1 last year? They gave him more than 11,000 votes and if you add the top 10 of each of the guys, Zero had the highest top 10. But he did not even make it to top 10, hitting 11th place in the final rankings.

Just to visualize what I mean, I have the final results of the 3rd JP Cradle Awards, albeit instead of top 10, I only have top 3. 

Adding the votes of the top 3 in the 3rd JP awards, these are the results:

Lancelot: 8533 + 3304 + 3115= 14952 Jonah: 10808 + 4747 + 3275= 18830 Edgar: 6246 + 2053 + 1634= 9933 Kyle: 2917 + 2658 + 2151= 7726 Zero: 1755 + 1733 + 1731= 5219

Ray: 6604 + 5101 + 3798= 15503 Sirius: 2134 + 1981 + 1805= 5920 Luka: 2213 + 2175 + 1894= 6282 Seth: 2661 + 838 + 810= 4309 Fenrir: 2173 + 1974 + 1791= 5938

Harr: 4100 + 1730 + 1485= 7315 Loki: 2180 + 1087 + 1044= 4311 Blanc: 4460, 831, 825= 6116 Oliver: 2150 + 1898 + 1188= 5236 Mousse: 1024 + 844 + 822= 2690 Dean: 3073 + 1711 + 866= 5650 Dalim: 1645 + 1581 + 1396= 4622

Based on top 3 alone for each guy, this would be the ranking in descending order:

Jonah Ray Lancelot Edgar Kyle Harr Luka Blanc Fenrir Sirius Dean Oliver Zero Dalim Loki Seth Mousse

This isn’t the case, however, in the final rankings, as the order goes, in descending order:

Ray Sirius Jonah Lancelot Oliver Edgar Kyle Luka Fenrir Zero Harr Dalim Loki Seth Dean Mousse Blanc

Now why is that? Let’s broaden our scale and take into account the top 300 per guy.

Lancelot: 358 Jonah: 383 Edgar: 369 Kyle: 361 Zero: 185

Ray: 403 Sirius: 468 Luka: 323 Seth: 116 Fenrir: 300

Harr: 141 Loki: 141 Blanc: 95 Oliver: 350 Mousse: 100 Dean: 102 Dalim: 177

To see the bigger picture, I multiply each of the numbers by 300 since 300 people per guy have at least gave out the given number of votes, therefore we have:

Lancelot: 107400 Jonah: 114900 Edgar: 110700 Kyle: 108300 Zero: 55500

Ray: 120900 Sirius: 140400 Luka: 96900 Seth: 34800 Fenrir: 90000

Harr: 42300 Loki: 42300 Blanc: 28500 Oliver: 105000 Mousse: 30000 Dean: 30600 Dalim: 53100

Based on this, this is the ranking in descending order:

Sirius Ray Jonah Edgar Kyle Lancelot Oliver Luka Fenrir Zero Dalim Harr and Loki Dean Mousse  Blanc

It’s not completely accurate to the final ones, but it is closer than the one where only top 3 are taken into account. 

Tl;dr don’t just take into account a small amount of people like 3 people or 10 people per guy because it won’t give an accurate account.

Lastly, about what you said regarding Cybird rigging the elections and falsifying rankings, I was informed that there was a time Cybird rigged the elections in the past, particularly with Midcin’s election 3 years ago. I think if you had specified this, what you stated in your post may not have been as baseless as they appear now. But it’s especially because of how messy it got afterwards that it is unwise of them to do so, for two reasons. One, we all know how Cybird loves the cha-ching, and if they rig the elections to get the guy they want to put as first place to win, they can lose many fans. The reason why they even hold these elections is to see who the audience likes the most among the suitors to determine which guys to give more content to earn more revenue. Two, and this is more directed to the English version, there isn’t a point to rig the elections. At the end of the day, their main job is translating and reprinting past events from the Japanese version so international fans can enjoy the stories of Ikerev, and the events of the JP version cater to the JP audience and English translates those same stories so even if English team would rig the elections to bring, say Blanc, up to first place, there’s no point since JP has barely any stories for him. 

And especially now that Luka is in first place according to mid-ranking results, there’s even less of a reason to say they’re rigging the elections because if they did rig it, they would definitely have put Ray up there. 

Cradle Awards Predictions

Now that that’s clear, this is my prediction based on the top 100 and 300. I have posted already the top 10, 100, and 300 of all guys in another post, but I admit that it wasn’t very well organized and had an ugly format. So for the sake of this post, I’ll repost it here. First ten numbers are the top 10, then the eleventh number is top 100, and the last number is top 300.

Lancelot: 851, 705, 691, 682, 673, 657, 608, 594, 564, 564; 283; 161  Jonah: 931, 783, 705, 663, 584, 552, 544, 542, 528, 512; 296; 151  Edgar: 811, 781, 714, 612, 547, 503, 491, 458, 450, 435; 235; 100 Zero: 800, 680, 598, 566, 474, 443, 417, 403, 388, 362; 224; 108 Kyle: 789, 671, 545, 521, 452, 445, 415, 410, 400, 395; 212; 104 

Ray: 907, 757, 698, 681, 662, 643, 640, 607, 589, 570; 282; 184 Sirius: 1184, 1129, 836, 636, 611, 608, 574, 569, 480, 470; 280; 167 Luka: 715, 679, 650, 572, 482, 465, 462, 453, 450, 445; 276; 170 Fenrir: 1226, 755, 682, 665, 622, 523, 511, 500, 483, 455; 266; 154 Seth: 950, 900, 725, 679, 637, 589, 529, 439, 405, 388; 166; 70 

Harr: 550, 502, 460, 455, 448, 387, 384, 378, 376, 366; 211; 107 Loki: 722, 658, 647, 500, 470, 450, 400, 379, 363, 350; 181; 100 Blanc: 600, 521, 492, 460, 456, 392, 385, 370, 341, 329; 121; 48 Oliver: 528, 500, 467, 466, 455, 454, 441, 440, 417, 409; 227; 126

If we’re going to base the ranks on top 10 alone, these are the rankings:

Sirius: 7,098 Ray: 6,754 Lancelot: 6,589 Fenrir: 6,422 Jonah: 6,344 Seth: 6,241 Edgar: 5,802 Luka: 5,373 Zero: 5,131 Kyle: 5,043 Loki: 4,939 Oliver: 4,577 Blanc: 4,346 Harr: 4,306

If it’s based on top 100, these are the rankings (top 100 numbers are multiplied by 100 since at least 100 people have given that amount of votes):

Jonah: 29600 Lancelot: 28300 Ray: 28200 Sirius: 28000 Luka: 27600 Fenrir: 26600 Edgar: 23500 Oliver: 22700 Zero: 22400 Kyle: 21200 Harr: 21100 Loki: 18100 Seth: 16600 Blanc: 12100

If it’s based on top 300, and frankly since this takes into account the most amount of people it’s the most accurate we can get, these are the rankings:

Ray: 55200 Luka: 51000 Sirius: 50100 Lancelot: 48300 Fenrir: 46200 Jonah: 45300 Oliver: 37800 Zero: 32400 Harr: 32100 Kyle: 31200 Edgar: 30000 Loki: 30000 Seth: 21000 Blanc: 14400

Right now, our only basis for accuracy for English Cradle Awards is the mid-ranking, and the one taking into account for the top 300 matches up the mid-ranking results the most. Of course, I’m not saying this is the final ranking, so we’ll still have to wait until June 10 login time. Meantime, take this time to breathe because the upcoming anniversary events are going to be good. And to everyone, you have done so amazing voting for the guy you like or the guy who deserved to win the category. All your votes count, and your men are proud of you for doing your best. 

#ikerev #ikemen revolution #cradle awards 2020

[dieselworldmag]

Real World Power Recipes from the Purdue Diesel Club Dyno Day

Dyno events are a great way to illustrate how different power combos play out in the real world. Therefore, the Purdue University Diesel Club, a group of diesel enthusiasts that attend the flagship college located in Lafayette, Indiana, hosts an annual dyno day. So of course, we attended to see what the best diesel truck they had on the rollers that day ended up making. And hopefully the following can give you some insight or at least make you drool over what might be the best diesel engine for your truck. Here’s a quick recap of who did what at the event a few years back:

 1,139hp 2006 Dodge Cummins, Brian Randall

As the owner of a diesel performance shop, Randall’s Performance, Brian built this truck to both honor a friend he lost to cancer and be the face of his business. When all was said and done, his triple-turbo terror did not disappoint at this year’s event. It would lay claim to 1,139 hp—most of the day. Backing up those numbers, the truck has gone 6.61 at 106 mph in the 1/8-mile—at a hefty 7,600-lb race weight.

 899hp 2010 Chevy Duramax, Kyle Harbin

Kyle’s LMM is proof of how drivable and reliable a high-powered Duramax can be, if built correctly. He drove two hours to the dyno, made 900hp, then made a three-hour trip up to the Chicago area to grab a set of cheater slicks. After that, he drove 350 miles home, all the while getting 19.5 mpg. He hopes the added traction will help him improve on an already-impressive 7.05 at 102 mph 1/8-mile pass.

 747hp 2008 Ford Power Stroke, Chris Hoffman

Perhaps the most intriguing truck to run on the rollers was Chris Hoffman’s 6.4L-powered Super Duty. When we asked him how in the world his stock turbocharger, stock injector’d Ford cleared 747hp on the dyno, he told us he had no idea, but that it should’ve made 650 hp! Chris regularly installs propane kits on big rigs at his shop, Wasted Diesel, and they usually pick up 100hp. However, he also told us he runs an energy-dense biodiesel concoction through his 6.4L; maybe that, coupled with a healthy dose of propane, had something to do with the truck’s freakish numbers.

 732hp 2003.5 Ford Power Stroke, Jason Bannon

Jason sled pulls in Indiana’s highly competitive 2.5 Work Stock Class with his 6.0L. Over the winter, he added huge (by 6.0L standards) 350cc injectors with 150 percent over nozzles, a Fleece S400 designed specifically to excel in the class, and even a rear AAM 1150 axle out of a 2003-plus Dodge. While 732hp isn’t top in his class, it should be enough to keep pace with all the Duramax and Cummins competition.

 692hp 2006 Dodge Cummins, Corey Hull

581hp 2001 Dodge Cummins, Jacob Bair

Quick Fact: Jacob’s second-gen 24-valve is proof that a standard output VP44 can make good power. He told us the injection pump is also the original one and has racked up 225,000 trouble-free miles (which is almost unheard of). Jacob was thankful for local shop, Compression Motorsports, which performed all of the work for him and helped get his 24-valve so close to the 600-hp mark.

 580hp 2000 Ford Power Stroke, Shawn Matz

This particular event showed a strong lot of 7.3L’s. Shawn Matz’ numbers are even more impressive when you consider his truck sports a 332,000-mile stock bottom end. Shawn and his cousin, owner of Amos Diesel Performance in Michigantown, Indiana, performed all of the work on the truck. Shawn told us he’s got a Gen3 high-pressure oil pump on the way from Swamps Diesel, which means clearing 600hp isn’t out of the question in the future.

Source:- https://dieselworldmag.hatenablog.com/entry/2019/06/27/185411

#ford #ford truck #best diesel truck #Ford Power Stroke #Cummins

[anisanews]

NASCAR at Nashville live race updates, results, highlights from the Ally 400

For the first time ever, a NASCAR Cup Series race will be held at the Nashville Superspeedway. 

While there has never been a Cup Series event on the track, there have been several NASCAR Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series races held in the Music City. In the field that will race on Sunday, Austin Dillon, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano are the only ones that have won, with Dillon and Busch each winning during Camping World Truck Series races and Busch, Harvick, Keselowski and Logano winning during Xfinity Series races. 

While those drivers might have the experience of winning in Nashville, all eyes will be on Kyle Larson. Larson is searching for his fourth straight Cup Series win after taking home the top spots in the Coca-Cola 600, Toyota Save Mart 350 and the NASCAR All-Star Race — though the latter earned him no points toward the standings. Can he keep his recent domination going? 

Sporting News is tracking live updates and lap-by-lap highlights from NASCAR’s race at Nashville Superspeedway on Sunday. Follow below for complete results from the Ally 400.

MORE: Watch today’s NASCAR race live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)

NASCAR at Nashville live updates, highlights from Ally 400

3:43 p.m.: Pre-race ceremonies underway with Cece Winans giving the invocation and Priscilla Block singing the national anthem. 

3:30 p.m.: NASCAR announces that the race has been pushed back 10 minutes to give fans more team to get into the Nashville Superspeedway. 

3:27 p.m.: Pitbull is excited to watch Daniel Suarez, the driver representing his team Trackhouse, race the Ally 400. 

3:05 p.m.: How long has it been since a NASCAR Cup Series race was held in Nashville? Let’s just say, it’s been awhile. 

The last time the NASCAR Cup Series raced in Nashville:

When Doves Cry topped the music charts

Ghostbusters was the No. 1 movie

Apple had just released the first Macintosh

@WilliamByron was -13 years old

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 20, 2021

NASCAR start time today

Start time: 3:30 p.m. ET

TV channel: NBCSN (TSN3 in Canada)

Live stream: NBCSports.com | fuboTV (7-day free trial)

The green flag for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Nashville Superspeedway is scheduled to wave after 3:30 p.m. ET.

Rain may be a factor on race day. The National Weather Service’s weekend forecast for Lebanon, Tenn., where Nashville Superspeedway is located, calls for possible showers and thunderstorms Sunday afternoon and night, with a high temperature near 90 degrees. There is a 40 percent chance for precipitation Sunday afternoon, according to the weather service.

NASCAR starting lineup at Nashville

Aric Almirola keeps his strong run in qualifying races going. 

After earning a spot in the NASCAR All-Star Open by placing first after the 10 laps, Almirola posted the fastest qualifying time of 29.557 to take the pole position for the Ally 400. He came in just ahead of Kyle Busch, who placed second with a time of 29.572. 

Start Pos. Driver Car No. Team 1 Aric Almirola 10 Stewart-Haas Racing 2 Kyle Busch 18 Joe Gibbs Racing 3 Joey Logano 22 Team Penske 4 William Byron 24 Hendrick Motorsports 5 Kyle Larson 5 Hendrick Motorsports 6 Chase Elliott 9 Hendrick Motorsports 7 Cole Custer 41 Stewart-Haas Racing 8 Alex Bowman 48 Hendrick Motorsports 9 Erik Jones 43 Richard Petty Motorsports 10 Ryan Blaney 12 Team Penske 11 Matt DiBenedetto 21 Wood Brothers Racing 12 Kevin Harvick 4 Stewart-Haas Racing 13 Denny Hamlin 11 Joe Gibbs Racing 14 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 47 JTG Daugherty Racing 15 Brad Keselowski 2 Team Penske 16 Chase Briscoe 14 Stewart-Haas Racing 17 Chris Buescher 17 Roush Fenway Racing 18 Anthony Alfredo 38 Front Row Motorsports 19 Ross Chastain 42 Chip Ganassi Racing 20 Ryan Preece 37 JTG Daugherty Racing 21 Bubba Wallace 23 23XI Racing 22 Daniel Suarez 99 TrackHouse Racing 23 Michael McDowell 34 Front Row Motorsports 24 Corey LaJoie 7 Spire Motorsports 25 Christopher Bell 20 Joe Gibbs Racing 26 Tyler Reddick 8 Richard Childress Racing 27 Justin Haley 77 Spire Motorsports 28 Austin Dillon 3 Richard Childress Racing 29 Ryan Newman 6 Roush Fenway Racing 30 Kurt Busch 1 Chip Ganassi Racing 31 BJ McLeod 78 Live Fast Motorsports 32 JJ Yeley 51 Petty Ware Racing 33 Chad Finchum 66 Motorsports Business Management 34 Josh Bilicki 34 Rick Ware Racing 35 Martin Truex Jr. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing 36 Garrett Smithley 53 Rick Ware Racing 37 Joey Gase 15 Rick Ware Racing 38 David Starr 13 Motorsports Business Management 39 Quin Houff 00 StarCom Racing

from Anisa News https://ift.tt/3cXjwtd

#breaking news today breaking news headlines breaking news headlines today chicago breaking news usa

[bakugoushotwife]

hi wifey 🩵 id like me a jjk ship please, lmfaoooo look at me being the pretentious mf i am lmao 😝 anyways i’d like a male matchup w nsfw hcs 🙈

hmm, my mbti is an intj/entj 8w7 enneagram, and im an aries sun, what should i tell about myself lmfao pls wing it for me darling 🥰🪽

btw congratulations for 600 followers you deserve way way way more!! <33 ilysm sending kisses and hugs and bewbs if you’d like kekeke

you say this but will not send me bewbs </3 but alas, i love u anyway and will give u all my loves and ships so here u go thank u i love u the mostest ever

who else lmfao it would honestly be insulting, luckily i actually ship you with him and i don't have to lie to your face

speaking from expeircence, from my entp shared soul with satoru...it just is what it is

i know some people think the opposites attract thing is a little bit overdone, and while it does apply here, you and gojo share a common stubbornness that makes things really interesting!

he's an obsessive personality, i would know, so once he meets you and the sparks fly there is actually nothing you can do about satoru gojo being up your ass now

dedicated to his craft. will do anything to make you his. you love being a little brat and play hard to get, so let him stroke your ego and spoil you beyond belief.

when you finally relent and let him be your boyfriend, he's over the moon

the spoiling doesn't stop there though, now he's giving you things like cars, six figure jewelry, every limited edition anything you've ever even liked on instagram. insane.

and the sex bestie...the sex...

he's been yearning for you for a while, so much pent up need and desire for you, and you'll get all of it in one night.

absolutely demolishes you pumpkin, im sorry. he entertains the brattiness for a while mostly because it amuses him that you have the wherewithall to speak to him like he can't end you before you blink

but even he gets annoyed with waiting and just has to put you in your place sometimes, overstim and edging are his besties!!!

makes you wear the blindfold just so he can do whatever he wants to you with no objections or back talk for once sdfkfsdkhghpteh

so obsessed. like bad, let him get pussydrunk every night or he cries

kisses you so passionately no matter what mood he's in, soft, rough, punishment, he just can't hold his love back!!

hates when you ask him to be mean! loves spanks and chokes i suppose but only wants to praise his perfect angel, but he does it because he wuvs u so bad

aftercare is immaculate. towel or bath? food and drink? just cuddles? he'll ask you every time just so you can have it your way, though a towel is always waiting just so he doesnt have to leave you too long :)

he's the honored one but ur his chosen one so there

we'll be a throuple though just know that!

#kyleewritesjjk #kylee's 600 follower event #kylee does ships sometimes when she feels like it #my wifey #kylee x ena

[esytes69]

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

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

#ashtonmartin #coronavirus #Ferrari #sportscars

[thepoolscene]

The Pool Scene - Greg Wilson, Terry Gulliver - Atlantic 9-Ball Tour

New Post on http://thepoolscene.com/?p=21451

Atlantic 9 Ball Tour Season 2 Event # 4 News!

The fourth stop of the Atlantic 9 Ball Tour Season 2 is now complete! This time 94 of the Atlantic Provinces best 9 ball players competed from 16-18 Dec 16.

            Each of these events has $1,600 in added money. Also 1st place in each event is guaranteed $1000. The Grand Finale event will have a minimum of $15,000 in added money and is scheduled for 19-22 May 2017. You must have played in 4 events in order to qualify for the Grand Finale!

  The format is fantastic as far as I’m concerned. It is a double knockout event with a race to 9 on both sides. The finals will be one race to 13. Magic racks are mandatory and there is also a soft break rule. This rule is 2 balls must either be pocketed, go past the headstrong or a combination of these two.

Entry fees are staggered at $110 for an “A” player, $90 for a “B” player, $70 for a “C” player and everyone must pay a one-time $10 membership fee. The membership also entitles the player for a 10% discount on a billiard shop purchase! The different player classes are determined by the tournament director.

There is also a ladies event, $200 added with a max field of 32 players, the entry fee is $60 and everyone must pay a one-time $10 membership fee.

  Each of the events will begin on Friday night at 7 pm and finish on Sunday and the number of players has just been capped at a maximum of 128 players. This is now possible with the addition inside the pool room and the fact that there are now 16 tables.

  Mr. TJ Martin has also decided to provide further incentives for participation in the following unique ways:

  He has chosen to pay the top 2 x “B” players, the top 2 x “C” players and the top 2 x Senior players (over 60) a $100 bonus each at all of the events.

  He has chosen to pay the top points leaders after the 8 events. The top “A”, “B”, “C” and female player will all receive a $1000 bonus. There will also be $500 bonus for the top senior player. Players must participate in 6 of 8 events in order to be eligible for these bonuses. As another incentive, female players are eligible for both the “C” player and top female bonuses!

A big thank you to Paul Benoit of Ultimate Roofing Systems for adding $4000 for these bonuses!

Ultimate Roofing Systems

            1 [phone]

  For all tournaments there will be a second chance tournament held on Sunday with $200 in added money (minimum of 8 players). “A” players will not be eligible for the second chance event. Entry fees are $25 for a “B” player and $20 for a “C” player. The format is single knock out race to 9 with the same rules as the main event.

  For all tournaments there will be a Calcutta paying 1st, 2nd and 3rd.

  For all tournaments there will be a “Last Man Standing” Event and here is how it works:

A person has 5 options to participate in the “Last Man Standing” Event. He or she can pay $20, $40, $60, $80 or $100 to enter.

If you decide to pay $60 for example and lose your first match $30 of this money goes to the final pot for the “Last Man Standing”. If you win this first match you just continue on.

Once you meet up with another player who has entered, the winner of this match will get up to 1/2 of their money back as soon as that match is over. Here are a few scenarios:

A $20 player beats a $20, $40, $60, $80 or $100 player they get $10.

A $40 player beats a $40, $60, $80 or $100 player they get $20.

A $60 player beats a $60, $80 or $100 player they get $30.

An $80 player beats an $80 or $100 player they get $40.

A $100 player beats another $100 player they get $50.

If a higher paid player beats a lower paid player they get 1/2 of that player’s money. As an example a $100 player beats a $20 player they get $10 and so on.

Once the “Last Man Standing” has been determined the money remaining in the pot is given out according to the player’s entry. For example, if a $100 player is the “Last Man Standing” he or she gets all of the money left in the pot because their percentage is 100 %. If a $20 player is the “Last Man Standing” they get 20% of the pot and if the next person is a $100 player or an $80 player they get the rest. Another example would be if a $60 player is the “Last Man Standing” they would get 60% of the pot and if the next person was a $20 player they would get 20% and the other 20% would go to the next player in line.

  The highest finishing and highest paying B and C players will receive their money back.

This is a fabulous format to generate excitement, interest and a little extra incentive to win!

Here are all of the exciting results of the Atlantic 9 Ball Tour Season 2 Event # 4 held on 16-18 Dec 2016!

Main Event (94 players, $1200 added and total of $6,500 in prizes)

1st – Greg Wilson $1500

2nd – Terry Gulliver $1000 3rd – Jean Guy Belliveau $700 4th – Gordie Lynch $500

5th/6th – Jason Thomas and Jeff Kennedy $300 each

7th/8th – Dana Murphy and Dick Barker $250 each

9th/12th – Aldei Doucet, Robert Young, Wayne Thibodeau and Dwayne Thompson $150 each

13th/16th – Chris Penny, Jeff Saulnier, Carl Sampson and Jarrett Campbell $100 each

  Top B Player – Terry Gulliver $100 and Jean Guy Belliveau $100  

Top C Player – Jarrett Campbell $100 and Tyler Johnson $100

Top Ladies player– Monette McCue $50 and Angela Belding $50

Top Senior Player (over 60 years old) – Carl Sampson $100 and Gordie Lynch $100

  Second Chance Event (14 players, $200 added and total of $600 in prizes)

1st –   Dale Young $300

2nd – Russell Hynes $200

3rd/4th – Craig Teal and Wek Augustine $100 each

  Ladies Event (16 players, $200 added and total of $700 in prizes)

1st – Jen Saulnier $250

2nd – Angela Belding $180 3rd – Justine Mayhew $120 4th – Janet Ritcey $70

5th/6th – Monette McCue and Cathy Horgan $40 each

  Jump cue giveaway (valued at $250) winner – Kyle Richard

And we gave away 3 x $20 gift cards to The Billiard Shop – Richard Young, Nick Barker and Rob Millard

  The Pechauer Cue raffle winner (valued at over $1000) was won by Jean Guy Belliveau from  NB!

The Calcutta had an amazing total of over $5500!

  This “Last Man Standing” Event had a total of $1180  for just 16  players!

  “Last Man Standing” – Terry Gulliver (B-$20) was the “Last Man Standing” and won $198 for his 2nd place finish! Next was Jean Guy Belliveau (B-$20) and he won $198 for his 3rd place finish. The remainder of the pot went to Jason Thomas (A-$100) for $297 and Jeff Kennedy (A-$100) for $297 for their 5th-6th place respective finishes. Terry Gulliver won his entry back for the highest finishing highest paid B player and there was no C player in this event.

  Players

  Kyle Richard B-$80

Terry Gulliver B-$20

Jeff Kennedy A-$100

Joe Bogue B-$20

Mike Cullymore B-$20

Rocky Johnson A-$100

Gilles Leblanc A-$100

Jason Thomas A-$100

Chris Dempsey A-$100

Billy Martin B-$100

Dwayne Thompson B-$60

TJ Martin B-$100

Christian Coffee A-$100

Doug Brown B-$60

Ashley Nowlan A- $100

Jean Guy Belliveau B-$20

  #gallery-4 margin: auto; #gallery-4 .gallery-item float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 25%; #gallery-4 img border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; #gallery-4 .gallery-caption margin-left: 0; /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

janet ritcey 4th place ladies

wek augustine 3rd-4th second chance

wayne thibodeau 9th-12th place

tyler johnson top c player

terry gulliver 2nd place and top b player

russell hynes second chance runner up

robert young and aldei doucet 9th-12th place

monette mccue and angela belding top ladies player

monette mccue 5th-6th ladies

kelly brimicombe 3rd place ladies

jen saulnier 1st place ladies

jeff saulnier 13th-16th place

jeff kennedy 5th-6th place

jean guy belliveau 3rd place

jason thomas 5th-6th place

jarrett campbell 13th-16th place and top c player

greg wilson 1st place

The Pechauer Cue raffle winner (valued at over $1000) was won by Jean Guy Belliveau from  NB!

angela belding 2nd place ladies

carl sampson 13th-16th and top senior player

cathy horgan 5th-6th ladies

craig teal 3rd-4th second chance

dale young second chance winner

dick barker and dana murphy 7th-8th place

dwayne thompson 9th-12th place

gordie lynch 4th place and top senior player

Special thanks to the event host and sponsor, Almon Billiards (owner Mr. Dick Barker and all of his staff) as well as all of the other sponsors: The Billiard Shop, J. Pechauer Custom Cues, Bargain Auto Parts, Kyle Richard-PBIA Instructor, Shauna Boyle-Remax Realty, Lahey Glass, Verities IT Solutions, Ultimate Roofing Systems, O’Brian’s Mobile Wash and Atlantica Hotel.  

Special thanks to the tournament director Craig Teal!

  Go to http://www.atlanticahotelhalifax.com/  for more details or call 1-888-810-7288 to reserve your room. Please visit the Atlantic 9 Ball Facebook page or www.atlantic9balltour.com for further details and I look forward to seeing everyone at event # 5 from 27-29 Jan 2017!

  The draw will be completed prior to the event and the first 16 matches will have a scheduled start time.

  Please help support our tour by purchasing some Atlantic 9 ball Tour merchandise and cue raffle tickets!

  If you have any questions regarding the upcoming event please contact Mr. TJ Martin at 1-902-402-7954 or myself at 1-506-440-5590.

  Thanks to all the players and fans that have supported us so far this season! I think this is one of the best tours in Canada.

  Happy New Year!

  Kyle Richard

#Greg Wilson #Terry Gulliver

[stoneybrookgolf]

U.S. OPEN WEEK 🇺🇸

Everything you need to know about the U.S. Open at Winged Foot

Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck is again hosting the U.S. Open championship, which gets underway on Thursday and concludes on Sunday. The event is normally played in June, but had to be postponed and will be contested without spectators.

Here are some of the details that will keep all upcoming conversations about the 120th U.S. Open going:

The host

Winged Foot Golf Club was founded in 1921 by a group of New York Athletic Club members whose goal was to build two exceptional golf courses and host championships. The founders did not skimp. A.W. Tillinghast was commissioned to design the courses. Clifford Wendehack designed the clubhouse.

History is well-preserved inside the iconic gates.

“Winged Foot is one of the greatest clubs on the planet with two incredible courses,” said Gary Player, who tied for eighth in the 1974 U.S. Open.

The club has more than 600 members and recently completed a large-scale capital building and restoration plan.

“It’s clearly a very golf-centric, golf-loving, golf-enthused membership,” said longtime general manager Colin Burns.

This will be the sixth U.S. Open (1929, 1959, 1974, 1984, 2006) contested at Winged Foot, which has also hosted the PGA Championship (1997), U.S. Amateur (1940, 2004), U.S. Senior Open (1980), U.S. Women’s Open (1972, 1957), Walker Cup (1949) and U.S. Amateur Four-Ball (2016).

The 2006 U.S. Open Championship at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

The West Course

This famed Tillinghast design opened in 1923 and ranks among the most complete and difficult tests of golf in the country. A meticulous restoration by Gil Hanse was completed in 2017. That project was guided by Tillinghast’s original design and brought 22,211 square feet of putting surface back into play.

“It was really hard,” Justin Thomas said to Golfweek following a round with Tiger Woods last month. “I absolutely loved it. … It’s right in front of you. It’s not tricked up.”

A number of subtle changes will provide a different test than 2006. It’s now a 7,477-yard par 70. There are several new tees in place, most notably at No. 10, a par 3 that requires more club at 214 yards, and No. 17, a par 4 that has been stretched to 504 yards. There is a reversal on the front nine with No. 5 now playing as a 502-yard par 4, and No. 9 now playing as a 565-yard par 5.

There will be a few pin locations that were not feasible in 2006, as well.

Geoff Ogilvy won the last U.S. Open played at Winged Foot, back in 2006. (Frank Becerra Jr./The Journal News)

The history

Geoff Ogilvy won by a stroke in 2006, posting a 5-over total of 285. He made clutch pars on the final two holes, including a chip-in on No. 17 while Phil Mickelson (double bogey) Colin Montgomerie (double bogey) and Jim Furyk (bogey) came famously undone on the 72nd hole.

Fuzzy Zoeller carded a record-setting 67 in 1984 to dismiss Greg Norman in an 18-hole playoff after they finished at 4-under. Norman made a 45-foot putt for par on the 72nd hole to get into the playoff.

Hale Irwin played with great patience and survived the Massacre at Winged Foot in 1974, winning the U.S. Open with the high score in relation to par since 1963, 7-over. Forrest Fezler was two shots back. Tom Watson came into the final round with a one-shot advantage, but shot a 79 and tied for fifth place.

Billy Casper one-putted 31 times, holding off Bob Rosburg in 1959 to win by a shot. He three-putted just once during the championship. Ben Hogan was also in the hunt, but a final-round 76 dropped him into a tie for eighth.

Bobby Jones won his third U.S. Open crown in 1929, getting up and down from a greenside bunker to finish with a 6-over total of 296 then defeating Al Espinosa in a 36-hole playoff. He dominated the playoff, carding rounds of 72 and 69 to win by a remarkable 23 strokes.

The trophy

The original two-handled cup was presented at the initial U.S. Open in 1895 and was to be displayed at the winner’s home club. It was destroyed by a 1946 fire at Tam O’Shanter near Chicago following Lloyd Mangrum’s win. A full-scale replica was produced and handed out the following year. That championship trophy was permanently retired to the USGA Golf Museum in 1986 and replaced with another replica that stays in the possession of the winner for a year.

Gary Woodland hoists the trophy after winning the 2019 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. (Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports)

The setup

It was a dry, hot summer, but the last few weeks have been ideal for growing healthy grass and the rough is thriving at Winged Foot.

And the USGA strives for the firm and fast setup.

There will be graduated cuts on some of the holes, but any drive that gets loose or approach that misses left, right or long will likely end up in tangled mess that measures at least 5 inches.

“Well, I think they will learn real quick,” NBC on-course reporter Roger Maltbie said of the players. “They will learn in practice that this rough means something.”

During the restoration, the greens were also rebuilt to USGA specifications and have underground SubAir technology in place, which restores firm and fast conditions following a rain event. All of the bunkers were redone and no longer wash out.

There’s a five-line irrigation system in place, as well, ensuring the rough will thrive even under tree lines.

The field

With traditional qualifying canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 144-man field is comprised entirely of exempt players. Normally, 156 players compete at the U.S. Open, but when the championship was postponed, accommodations had to be made because there are fewer daylight hours in September.

There are two players with Westchester County roots. Brandon Wu is a Korn Ferry Tour player who lived in Scarsdale when he wasn’t at Deerfield Academy or Stanford. Danny Balin is the head professional at Fresh Meadow Country Club and lives in Valhalla.

Tiger Woodsy during the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, NY. (Stan Honda/AFP via Getty Images)

The purse

It’s yet to be determined, but last year there was $12.5 million up for grabs. The winner got $2.25 million along with a 10-year U.S. Open exemption and invitations to the next five Masters Tournaments, PGA Championships, Open Championships and Players Championships and exempt status on the PGA Tour for the next five seasons.

The smattering of applause

There will some bus and shuttle traffic between Winged Foot and parking lots at Harbor Island and Playland, but the remainder of the hustle and bustle was canceled when the state announced spectators would not allowed inside the gates.

According to the USGA, only 2,000 people will be onsite most days.

The list of essential personnel includes players, caddies, staff, volunteers, security, media and food service workers.

Knowing somebody isn’t going to help, unless it’s a homeowner along the back nine of the West Course with a rooftop deck. Fans can make all kinds of noise, though, on front of their flat screens as NBC provides some 11 hours of coverage a day across its platforms.

The calendar

A lot of behind the scenes maneuvering went into finding a workable date, but everything fell into place when the Open Championship was canceled. The last time the U.S. Open was not contested in June was 1931 at the Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio. The last time the championship was played in September was 1913 at the Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.

SOURCE: golfweek

The post U.S. OPEN WEEK 🇺🇸 appeared first on Stoneybrook Golf Course.

[tellusepisode]

Terminator Salvation (2009)

Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi |

Terminator Salvation is a American military science fiction action film directed by McG and written by John Brancato and Michael Ferris. It is the fourth installment of the Terminator film series and serves as both a sequel to 2003’s Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and a prequel to 1984’s The Terminator. The film stars Christian Bale and Sam Worthington, with Anton Yelchin, Moon Bloodgood, Bryce Dallas Howard, Common, Michael Ironside, and Helena Bonham Carter in supporting roles.

In a departure from the previous installments, Salvation is a post-apocalyptic film set in the year 2018. It focuses on the war between Skynet’s machine network and humanity, as the remnants of the world’s militaries have united to form the Resistance to fight against Skynet’s killing machines.

In 2003, Dr. Serena Kogan of Cyberdyne Systems convinces death row inmate Marcus Wright to sign over his body for medical research following his execution. Some time later, the automated Skynet system is activated and becomes self-aware; perceiving humans as a threat to its existence, it starts a nuclear holocaust to eradicate them in the event known as “Judgment Day”.

In 2018, John Connor leads an attack on a Skynet base, where he discovers human prisoners and schematics for incorporating living tissue to a new type of Terminator, the T-800. John survives an explosion on the base, which is destroyed. Following John’s departure, Marcus emerges from the base’s wreckage and begins walking towards Los Angeles.

Director: McG

Writers: John Brancato, Michael Ferris

Stars: Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Moon Bloodgood, Helena Bonham Carter, Anton Yelchin, Jadagrace, Bryce Dallas Howard

►Cast:

Christian Bale…John ConnorSam Worthington…Marcus WrightMoon Bloodgood…Blair WilliamsHelena Bonham Carter…Dr. Serena KoganAnton Yelchin…Kyle ReeseJadagrace…Star (as Jadagrace berry)Bryce Dallas Howard…Kate ConnorCommon…BarnesJane Alexander…VirginiaMichael Ironside…General AshdownIvan G’Vera…General Losenko (as Ivan Gvera)Chris Browning…MorrisonDorian Nkono…DavidBeth Bailey…LisaVictor J. Ho…Mark (as Victor Ho)Buster Reeves…TunneyKevin Wiggins…General OlsenGreg Serano…HidekiPo Chan…NaimaBabak Tafti…MalikBruce McIntosh…PriestTreva Etienne…LenDylan Kenin…TurnbullMichael Papajohn…CarnahanChris Ashworth…RichterDiego Joaquin Lopez…Soilder (as Diego Lopez)Greg Plitt…Hybrid MaleOmar Paz Trujillo…Guard #2Terry Crews…Captain JerichoZach McGowan…Soldier on OspreyIsaac Kappy…BarbarosaBoots Southerland…WardenDavid Midthunder…Soldier #1Rafael Herrera…Mexican HusbandMaria Bethke…Mexican WifeMarc Maurin…French Fighter (as Marc Maurin-Adam)Anjul Nigam…RahulEmerson Brooks…First SoldierLorenzo Callender…Comms OfficerDavid Douglas…TechnicianJoe Basile…Radar OperatorEsodie Geiger…Transmitter TechnicianRoland Kickinger…T-800Brian Steele…T-600 Suit PerformerChris Bentley…Execution WitnessScott Flick…Skynet PrisonerJohn Gibbs…Harvester CaptiveLinda Hamilton…Sarah Connor (voice)Neil Harbisson…CyborgLuke Kearney…Resistance SoldierShani Klein-Madden…Execution WitnessBrent Lambert…Execution WitnessCynthia Lee…Harvester CaptiveGregory Leiker…HardyAaron Mastriani…Harvester CaptivePaul J. Porter…Infirmary FighterFrank Powers…Resistance FighterMark Rayner…Helicopter GunnerScott Wyman…DriverFoued Zayani…Skynet Prisoner

Sources: imdb & wikipedia

The post Terminator Salvation (2009) first appeared on TellUsEpisode.net.

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#Action #Adventure #Movies #Sci-Fi #Anton Yelchin #Bryce Dallas Howard #Christian Bale #Helena Bonham

[esytes69]

New Post has been published on https://acqro.in/hottest-cars-of-2020-that-turned-cold-due-to-covid-19/

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

A total Ferrari production halt on March 14 included production of the 611-horsepower, V8 Roma, which was supposed to roll into dealerships toward the end of the year.

By Hannah Elliott and Kyle Stock At least three years and about $1 billion. That’s roughly what it takes to make a new vehicle, from drafting table to dealerships.

Car companies live and die by that long-range gamble—but every once in a while, the bet coincides with an economic disaster. The coronavirus pandemic and its attendant recession may be the worst time to launch a car since, well, since we’ve had cars. Selling a Model A was a tough task during the Great Depression, but at least dealerships were open and some assembly lines still humming.

The global auto industry of 2020 is witnessing an unprecedented, near-instantaneous drop in demand as potential customers steer clear of car lots, and dealers close up shop to comply with public health mandates. Volkswagen, Honda, Hyundai, and Mazda each reported a more than 40% decline in U.S. sales last month. For the year, S&P expects global auto sales to plummet almost 15%.

For sales of the most anticipated cars of 2020, the timing couldn’t be worse. In a normal economy, the first few months for any shiny new machine are relative magic. Overeager customers clamor for the fanciest, most profitable versions, and dealers seldom have to offer discounts or incentives. Now, every sale (done online or over the phone) will be considered a coup.

What’s more, the newest machines aren’t just grocery getters—they’re the result of product decisions made during one of the industry’s hottest streaks—the fruits of bull market research and development. Many are bold bids for incremental business, niche cars that might not have received a green light in a shakier economy. Among them are a few futuristic electric vehicles, which suddenly must contend with some of the lowest gas prices on record. Others are six-figure speed machines that were banking on Wall Street bonuses and swelling stock markets, neither of which seem likely in 2020.

What follows are some of most needle-moving whips rolled out in years—all for a pre-coronavirus world. With would-be buyers now focused on the grave crisis at hand, this is less a preview of automaker glory than a wistful look at what might have been.

SUVs

The much-anticipated new Land Rover Defender launches this year with the historic brand’s manufacturing sites shuttered. While the vehicle’s release remains on schedule, the first media test drives planned for April were predictably canceled. The good news for the British automaker though is that the off-road rig, a stalwart of British royalty for four decades, got a fair amount of publicity last year: The Defender’s official debut took place at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show, and it has been making the rounds on Instagram ever since.

Along with the Defender, the reborn Ford Bronco is one of the most hyped vehicles in years. In 1996, Ford parked the Bronco name (which dates back to the mid-1960s) after O.J. Simpson provided the worst kind of publicity. In subsequent years, the seminal SUV became a design icon and collector’s item as Jeep took over ownership of the off-road adventure market. We were supposed to see the new Bronco on April 2, but its debut has been delayed.

In North America alone, the pandemic is destroying $12 billion in potential sales each week while scrapping 331,000 vehicles that would otherwise have come off of assembly lines, according to Bloomberg Intelligence. Still, U.S. automakers like Ford hope the second half of 2020 will allow them to make up some lost ground.

Crosstown rival Chevrolet has turned to Trailblazer, a nameplate that’s been defunct in the U.S. since 2009, to carry its newest, small, crossover SUV. With an optional three-cylinder engine and a sticker price below $20,000, the little rig is aimed at young, outdoorsy folk. Chevrolet, however, already has three smallish SUVs to sell. Moreover, Kia is aiming for the just-right-size SUV market with its new Seltos, another middle child in a big family. The Seltos began selling in the U.S. in February, before the coronavirus shutdowns began in earnest. For now, the machine is coming from factories in Korea, which are still running.

Aston Martin’s make-or-break DBX, another latecomer to the luxury SUV game, is the first of its kind from the 107-year-old brand. The automaker first showed the 542-horsepower DBX at the L.A. Auto Show in November 2019; media drives were planned for May. Those have been postponed and production at all the company’s manufacturing sites halted.

Meanwhile, Aston Martin doesn’t have working capital and still desperately needs the SUV to deliver drivers. The global crisis and its effect on demand may leave the company in a very bad place. Spokesman Nathan Hoyt says the vehicle’s U.S. launch remains on track for the second half of the year.

In the more opulent tier, the upcoming Mercedes Maybach GLS 600 SUV will compete against Bentley’s Bentayga and Rolls-Royce’s Cullinan. It has a V8 engine that churns out 550 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque, plus a 48-volt “EQ Boost” system that helps smooth out all that power. The machine was scheduled to go on sale in the U.S. in the second half of this year. But with Mercedes manufacturing at a standstill, it’s too early to say if that will remain the case, says a Mercedes representative.

Electric Vehicles

When it comes to futuristic electric vehicles designed for an $80-a-barrel world, Tesla products remain at the forefront, though the company has remained tightlipped about timing, given current events. The all-electric flatbed Cybertruck that almost broke the internet when it debuted last year is one hanging in the balance. The Blade Runner-style vehicle boasts driving range estimates of up to 500 miles and a zero-to-60 mph sprint of 2.9 seconds. Production is tentatively slated to begin in 2021, and Tesla is already taking deposits, but all this could change. Though initially unwilling, Elon Musk eventually shut down his California factories last month.

That shutdown also applies to Tesla’s Model Y, a compact electric SUV the company started delivering to customers in March, but has yet to be seen in the wild in significant numbers.

Rivian Motors set out to do for SUVs and trucks what Tesla had done for electric sedans. It promises its R1S will be able to travel 400 miles on a single charge, drive through three feet of water and zip up to 60 mph in three seconds, all with Costco-capable cargo space. Rivian was planning to deliver its first SUV late this year; at the moment, its facilities ate shuttered, including the former Mitsubishi plant in central Illinois, where it was mapping out assembly lines.

Ford has also been hustling to finish its Mustang Mach-E, an all-new, all-electric vehicle whose November debut won broad praise for checking three critical boxes: good looks, long range, and performance specs that best gas-powered pony cars. Now, dozens of early versions are cycling among the world of Ford engineers, who disinfect each before continuing work. Pre-coronavirus, Ford said that the number of deposits for the machine was sizable, with a greater-than-expected share from drivers who had never owned a Ford.

An additional electric offering has experienced unlikely progress: Against all odds, the fastback Polestar 2, Polestar’s second vehicle and first all-electric car, started production on March 23 at Zhejiang Geely Holding’s plant in Luqiao, China. First unveiled in February 2019 as a fierce potential rival to Tesla, the Polestar 2 produces 408 horsepower and 487 pound-feet of torque, with an estimated range of 292 miles. It remains unclear, though, how many units will be produced or when deliveries might begin.

Last month, BMW “e-revealed” the BMW i4 Concept, which had been slated to premier at the since-canceled Geneva Auto Show. The company has yet to show the production version, but it’s expected to be an all-electric sedan that uses an 80-kilowatt-hour battery to get 530 horsepower and 372 miles of driving range. Despite the current closure of BMW production plants, the i4 is expected to start selling toward the end of 2021. Says spokesman Thomas Plucinsky: “We don’t anticipate any delays.”

Sports Cars

Spurred by a heady stock market, super expensive, super fast sports cars were enjoying a moment until March arrived. Porsche had big plans to roll out the 640-horsepower, muscle-y 911 Turbo S version of its franchise machine with group media drives. Instead, the company delivered the 640-horsepower machines one by one via fleet drivers prepped on disinfection and social distancing. Porsche’s German manufacturing plants in Zuffenhausen and Leipzig have been silent since March 21, and Porchce Experience  Centers in L.A. and Atlanta, where the Porsche-curious take test drives and track lessons, sit empty.

The $225,000 Ferrari Roma super car debuted in November in, of course, Rome. But a total Ferrari production halt on March 14 included production of the 611-horsepower, V8 Roma, which was supposed to roll into dealerships toward the end of the year. Ferrari hopes to eventually make up for the lost production with additional shifts. “No material impacts on deliveries and waiting list are foreseen at the moment,” a spokesperson says.

Over in England, the $1.7 million McLaren Elva super car packs a punch: 804 horsepower on a V8 engine and rear-wheel drive. It’ll do zero to 124 mph in just 6.7 seconds, which makes it faster than its sibling, the track-suited Senna. McLaren had planned to build just 399 of them, each one customized through the company’s special-ops MSO division and delivered at the end of 2020.

“We will continue with all possible design and engineering activities that we can at this stage,” says Roger Ormisher, vice president of communications at McLaren. The carmaker will “then finalize physical development once staff are back at MTC, with the plan to deliver Elva into production as close as we can to Q4 2020.”

Finally, Lotus is trying to piece together its first new vehicle in more than a decade. The machine, dubbed Evija, is stunning—and costs $2.1 million.

Shaped like a spaceship with trimmed sides and massive wheels, it boasts nearly 2,000 horsepower generated from four electric motors, as well as a zero-to-60 mph sprint of fewer than three seconds. Only 130 will be built by the legendary U.K. automaker. As for when they will be built, that will be determined later. Production has halted at Lotus’s Norwich headquarters while engineers continue tweaking designs from home.

“The vehicle development process is as it was—just not in the offices,” says Rob Borrett, a company spokesman. Super car architects, it turns out, are just like the rest of us. They Zoom.

#ashton martin #corona virus #Ferrari #sports cars

[kansascityhappenings]

Brad Keselowski works from back to front to capture Coca-Cola 600 win

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Brad Keselowski, in a contract year and trying to up his value in free agency, gave Roger Penske a victory on what should have been the most celebrated day in motorsports but was instead just a 6-plus hour NASCAR show.

Keselowski extended Jimmie Johnson’s losing streak to 102 races by holding off the seven-time NASCAR champion in overtime early Monday to win the Coca-Cola 600, the longest race on the NASCAR schedule.

It was the first win for Keselowski this season, his first Coca-Cola 600 victory and the first win at this event for Ford since 2002. Keselowski celebrated as he usually does by waving a giant American flag out his window during his victory burnouts on the frontstretch of Charlotte Motor Speedway.

https://embed.sendtonews.com/player4/embedcode.js?fk=MF879BeD&cid=9868&offsety=140&floatwidth=400&floatposition=top-right

When he first got out of the car for his network interview, the silence at the track was a downer.

“I was kind of bummed. I wanted to win the 600 my whole life and wanted to win in front of everybody,” Keselowski said. “But that’s not always how it works. I know there are fans that wish they could be in the stands.”

In these unusual times of the coronavirus pandemic, NASCAR is still adapting in its return to racing a full week ago. This event was its third Cup race in seven days — all without spectators — and limited media access.

Wearing a white Team Penske face mask, Keselowski went to the empty infield media center for a post-race news conference over Zoom. Unable to hear the questions, he shouted into the computer.

“Can you talk really loud?” he yelled. “My ears are ringing.”

The Sunday before Memorial Day is a supposed to be a smorgasbord of motorsports that begins with Formula One at the Monaco Grand Prix, then IndyCar and the Indianapolis 500, followed by NASCAR and its longest race on the calendar.

The coronavirus pandemic has wiped out the first part of F1′s schedule and, like IndyCar, it is still waiting to start its season. Penske, the new owner of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, has moved the Indy 500. It marks the first time since 1946 the 500 is not being run on Memorial Day weekend.

NASCAR was able to resume its season under a health plan approved by state officials that allowed the sport to resume after a 10-week hiatus. NASCAR ran three events in South Carolina, and the Coca-Cola 600 kicks off four consecutive days of racing at Charlotte.

A rain delay of nearly 90 minutes during the first stage of the race pushed the finish into Monday, but it still ended up just fine for Penske, the owner of Keselowski’s car who should have spent Sunday celebrating his first Indy 500 as owner of the national landmark.

“This is one of the biggest days for him,” Keselowski said. “Winning never hurts. This is my 30th win and I think I have another 30 in me.”

Johnson finished second, one spot ahead of devastated Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott, as Chevrolet is still seeking its first win in the three Cup races since NASCAR resumed. But almost two hours after the race, NASCAR disqualified Johnson because his Chevrolet failed post-race inspection.

“We think something must’ve broken, but won’t know until we get it back to the shop,” said Johnson crew chief Cliff Daniels. “Tough news after a strong night.”

Elliott had a comfortable lead and was coasting to the win when Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron spun with a tire problem.

“That’s got to be a joke,” Elliott said over his radio.

Elliott was wrecked by Kyle Busch trying to race for the win at Darlington Raceway on Wednesday night. It led to Elliott flipping Busch the bird at Darlington.

This time, he was briefly consoled by Busch as he climbed from his car on pit road. But he was openly disappointed for the second time in four days.

“I was a lap-and-a-half away from winning the 600,” Elliott said. “This week has been pretty unfortunate, we have had some tough losses.”

His race was snatched from Elliott by the caution for Byron and then the pit decisions that followed.

Elliott pitted and Keselowski led a train of eight cars that stayed on the track. He lined up in front of Alex Bowman on the inside line with Johnson — retiring from Cup racing at the end of the season — on the bottom ahead of Keselowski teammate Ryan Blaney.

Keselowski got the push to get into clean air and denied Johnson a victory.

“I feel like I have thrown this race away a handful of times and I thought we were going to lose it today,” Keselowski said. “I have lost it the way Chase lost it and it really stinks. And today we finally won it that way.”

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New on Sports Illustrated: Kevin Harvick Wins at Darlington as NASCAR Returns to Racing

Kevin Harvick beat Alex Bowman to win NASCAR’s first race back, a spectacle closely watched to see if the racing series could successfully resume work.

DARLINGTON, S.C. — This was a 400-mile drive unlike any other in modern-day NASCAR.

The grandstands were completely empty. There was not a single tailgate inside the track. Everyone wore face coverings—some with the team logos, others opting for plain disposable medical masks. It was nothing close to the corporate sponsorship, pomp and patriotic traveling circus that symbolizes NASCAR.

But when the engines fired at Darlington Raceway following a 10-week layoff during the coronavirus pandemic, it turned into a regular old race.

Kevin Harvick beat Alex Bowman to win NASCAR’s first race back, a spectacle closely watched to see if the largest racing series in the United States could successfully resume work.

“I just want to thank everybody from NASCAR and all the teams for letting us do what we do,” Harvick said. “I didn’t think it was going to be that different, but it’s dead silent out here. We miss the fans.”

It was a crucial gamble for NASCAR, which had to get back to the track to stave off financial ruin. With races on hold, no money was coming into the sport whatsoever and the NASCAR business model cannot sustain the lack of revenue.

NASCAR developed a health plan approved by officials in both South Carolina and North Carolina and scheduled seven races over the next 11 days at two tracks. As other states began to open, the series tacked more races to fill the calendar with 20 events across seven Southern states between now and June 21. There will be no spectators at least through that date.

This first event was called the “The Real Heroes 400” and dedicated to health care workers fighting the coronavirus pandemic. The names of health care workers across the country were substituted for the drivers’ names above the door on each of the 40 cars.

The health care workers then virtually gave the command to start the engines.

“These heroes will signal that NASCAR has returned, bringing back the intense competition and side-by-side racing we’ve all missed,” NASCAR President Steve Phelps wrote in a letter to fans released Sunday morning.

“Our drivers, race teams and officials have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to get back to the race track and we want to assure you that we have taken the return to racing very seriously.”

The industry had to be extremely careful because to even get to the Coca-Cola 600 next week at Charlotte Motor Speedway, NASCAR had to get it right at Darlington.

Steve O’Donnell, executive vice president of NASCAR, was pleased with the collective effort from the industry.

“We didn’t have to tell anyone or remind anyone to wear a mask,” O’Donnell said. “It felt a little odd with the garage area because it was scaled down in terms of personnel, but all in all I think it went really well.”

Teams were required to submit rosters in advance with only 16 members allotted per car. Names were on a list at a checkpoint at the end of a gravel road just off Harry Byrd Highway and everyone who passed through had their temperature checked and logged before they could enter.

NASCAR did not have to turn anyone away, and all 40 drivers were cleared to race. NASCAR has declined to do COVID-19 testing to ensure those tests go to those in need.

Among those to make it inside were Ryan Newman, back for the first time since he suffered a head injury exactly three months ago in a wreck on the final lap of the Daytona 500. Newman missed only three races because of NASCAR’s shutdown and finished 15th in his return.

Also in the field was Matt Kenseth, who at 48 was the oldest driver at Darlington and he raced for the first time since the 2018 season finale. Kenseth was brought out of retirement by Chip Ganassi when Kyle Larson was fired for using a racial slur during an iRacing event that kept NASCAR occupied when racing was on hold. Kenseth finished 10th.

The odd and empty setting was the backdrop for some typical NASCAR mishaps. Seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson crashed while leading on the final lap of the first stage, a better result than poor Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who barely made it out of the second turn before he crashed.

Stenhouse never finished a single lap and finished last.

And even without fans allowed on the property, a small grass fire still broke out behind a section of the track. Gray smoke billowed during a caution, which is not that odd a sight at a NASCAR race.

Bowman, who signed a one-year contract extension with Hendrick Motorsports on Saturday, was second. Kurt Busch, winner of the closest finish in Darlington history, was third for Ganassi.

Chase Elliott gave Hendrick two cars in the top-four. Denny Hamlin was the highest-finishing Toyota driver at fifth for Joe Gibbs Racing, one spot ahead of teammate Martin Truex Jr.

Tyler Reddick, a rookie with Richard Childress Racing, was seventh at “The Track Too Tough To Tame.”

Erik Jones, winner of the Southern 500 here last September, was eighth and John Hunter Nemechek was the second rookie inside the top-10 at one of the most technical tracks on the circuit. It was the first top-10 for Front Row Motorsports on a track other than a superspeedway in three years.

It was the 50th career victory for Harvick, in a Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing. A previous winner at Darlington, Harvick led 159 of the 293 laps.

Harvick tied Hall of Famers Junior Johnson and Ned Jarrett for 12th on NASCAR’s all-time wins list.

NASCAR’s elite Cup Series next races Wednesday night at Darlington, which is hosting three events in four days before the sport shifts to Charlotte.

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Slurp Juice, Zip Lines and Teenagers: Welcome to the Fortnite World Cup

Next month, Arthur Ashe Stadium will be teeming with Lacoste polo shirts and tasteful chinos. Tennis fans will order $69 caviar plates (one ounce of hackleback) and $17 signature cocktails (vodka, lemonade, raspberry liqueur and honeydew melon balls) at Lure Oyster Bar. The fortunate few will watch players like Federer, Williams and Nadal from suites paid for by credit card companies and white-shoe law firms.

That is all in the future, though. This weekend, Arthur Ashe Stadium was teeming with, well, teenagers. There were also preteens (with their attendant parents) and men in their 20s, and occasionally 30s.

But there were a lot of teenagers. They made their way to the U.S.T.A. Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens to watch their favorite competitors play their favorite game: Fortnite.

Kyle Giersdorf, 16, known as Bugha, won the first prize of $3 million. “Everything I’ve done, the grind, it’s all paid off,” he said. “It’s insane.”

Fortnite Battle Royale is a video game in which up to 100 competitors are dropped onto an island and must try to survive, via fight or flight. Almost all of them are killed; the lone surviving individual or squad is the champion.

If you have never heard of Fortnite, you are almost two years behind. If you think it is silly that people pay to watch strangers play video games, it is more like 10 years.

For the first Fortnite World Cup, Epic Games, the publisher, struck a deal to take over the tennis center for three days. It was the last possible weekend to do so before the United States Open build-out begins in earnest.

“If I was sane, that last weekend probably would’ve been about 30 days ago,” Daniel Zausner, the chief operating officer of the tennis center, said.

With a limited window to host events in nice weather that do not interfere with the Open, Zausner said, the Fortnite World Cup was attractive because of its young audience. “This just breaks down a barrier for people that are not that familiar with tennis or not that familiar with the venue,” he said.

A multitiered stage weighing almost a quarter-million pounds hung from hundreds of cables fastened to the roof of the stadium. Needless to say, structural engineers were required. Racks upon racks of servers were assembled in the commissary, connected to hundreds of computers and video cameras by 25 miles of fiber-optic cable. Over 60 tractor-trailers of equipment were unloaded, including one filled mostly with gaming chairs.

Like an inverted panopticon, 100 screens featured the views of 100 cameras, letting the audience in the far reaches of the stadium watch the competitors. Giant 4K LED screens showed in-game action, and smoke machines, spotlights and confetti went off after matches. The sound of virtual battle was so deafening that ear plugs were included with media credentials.

“That will make everything better,” one mother said while buying a cocktail during Friday night’s celebrity pro-am event. “I can’t take it in there anymore.” On the other end of the spectrum, one family of three wore T-shirts that read, “We’re Not a Regular Family, We’re a Fortnite Family.”

Fortnite’s aesthetic is silly — the game is cartoony, there is no blood or gore, and characters do comical dances. But the World Cup is deadly serious. Forty million players participated in online qualifiers, and Epic Games gave out $30 million in prize money, including $3 million to the winners in both the solo and duo competitions. That is more than Novak Djokovic and Simona Halep earned for winning Wimbledon this month.

The biggest e-sports tournaments are typically held in N.B.A. arenas, but Epic Games prized the tennis center because its acres of grounds could support an immersive Fortnite festival that felt quite different from the typical “sponsor activations” seen at sporting events.

Various carnival-style games, with names like Glider Zipline and Pickaxe Pit, were set up. Fans who wore an RFID wristband that connected to their Fortnite account could earn rare virtual items to be used in the game. They could drink Slurp Juice and chomp on a Tender Defender Sandwich or opt for Uncle Pete’s Pizza Pit.

The entire preceding paragraph makes a lot more sense if you play Fortnite, and the deep immersion is the point. “This is about their subculture, and people enjoying that,” said Stuart Saw, the head of e-sports at the sports and entertainment conglomerate Endeavor. Endeavor partnered with Epic Games last year, and led the event logistics and venue operations for the World Cup.

Saw compared the fan experience to the newly opened “Star Wars” theme area at Disneyland Park in California. “If you bring ‘Star Wars’ to life, like they have done, there is a level of detail that has to go into it,” he said. “Because it means so much to people.”

Given the expensive construction and the gobs of prize money, it is difficult to imagine that Epic Games will directly profit on the World Cup. The suites inside the stadium were not sold, nor were sponsorships and television media rights. Tickets for the entire weekend cost about $50 to $150.

“Their ticket prices could’ve been 10 times what they were,” Zausner said. He added: “As you can tell from their model, they are not out there hawking sponsored products. They are about their brand identity.”

Befitting a virtual game entering the physical world, the entire experience was aggressively online. Signs posted everywhere warned spectators that they were consenting to being filmed by Epic Games, and they were not the only ones filming. At one point four men in their 20s walked by chanting indecipherably, pointing a phone at their faces to livestream.

Looking at his phone while going up an escalator, one competitor marveled at his social media performance. “Bro, I’ve gained so many followers since I got here. Like 600.”

“Just wait until you compete,” his friend told him.

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