#Simple difference between a good driver and future champion

[thingsmethinks]

Lando Norris does not have a champion's mentality and it's going to deteriorate his passion for this sport in the long term, maybe even make him lose chances of achievement. At a gap of 62 points he has already crumbled under pressure and is surrounded by doom and gloom in his head.

Max said that both championships aren't a possibility at this point in time, and Norris dismissed Max's concerns and essentially said that "even if I win every race, he's [Max] is still in a better position". While that is certainly true, Max hasn't won a GP since Barcelona, McLaren has had a rocketship longer than that, it is entirely on the team to not snatch a golden opportunity.

Charles Leclerc, who got lapped in 3 out of 4 races, was still optimistic about winning both the WDC and WCC. Even before he won at Monza. His difference to Max is 86 points, but you still see that he's ready to fight for the title even if it might be a little unrealistic. The 2024 season has really shown why you need the fastest driver, even if you don't have the fastest car. Oscar has shown more resilience and hunger than his senior, who has 4+ years more experience in F1. Simply on logistics, McLaren and Lando could take the wins this year, but it will never be an earned victory, as simple as that.

[slutforvoldy]

“ IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT. ” ( ollie bearman ! )

SUMMARY: wherein a secret relationship between the reader and ollie unexpectedly unfolds

word count: 1.4k

warnings: secret relationship, forbidden love, getting caught, mentions of y/n

pairing: ollie bearman x wolff!reader

YOU WERE RAISED in the world of Formula 1.

The roar of engines, the scent of burnt rubber, the flashing cameras in the paddock—these were the sights and sounds of your childhood. Your father, Toto Wolff, had built a dynasty within Mercedes, and by extension, you had spent your whole life at the heart of it. Strategy meetings were as familiar as family dinners, and race weekends were your version of holidays. But while you were surrounded by the best of the best, young drivers with all the potential in the world, your heart had settled on someone else.

Ollie Bearman.

He wasn’t part of the Mercedes team. His team was one of the weaker outfits in Formula 1, struggling to climb out of the midfield, and that alone made him a rival in your father’s eyes. To Toto, Ollie was nothing more than another driver with little chance of breaking through. But that wasn’t the real issue. Your father had already set his sights on another driver—someone he believed was perfect for you: Kimi Antonelli.

Kimi was a prodigy, talented and promising. He was everything your father saw in a potential suitor. A good influence. A future champion. And in his mind, he was the right choice for you, although you barely even considered him more than a friend. Your father believed he was the one you should be with.

But Ollie was different. Ollie wasn’t perfect in the eyes of your father. He wasn’t the one who’d be a champion on the track, at least not in the way Kimi might be. But in your heart, Ollie was all you wanted, and the last thing you wanted was for Toto to find out about the secret you were keeping.

It was always at night when you met Ollie.

You both had agreed upon this. It's much easier without all the media frenzy, people's prying eyes, and the paparazzi's camera flashes.

The moments between you two were fleeting, always stolen under the veil of darkness. The hotel rooms, the rooftops, and the quiet corners of the paddock were where you found solace. The real world, the one full of expectations, paparazzi, and race strategies, stayed outside. Here, there was just you and Ollie, with no eyes watching, no judgments waiting. Only fleeting moments where you could just be.

Tonight was no different.

You slipped past the hotel lobby under the cover of darkness, hood pulled over your head and eyes on the floor. You had gotten good at this—the sneaking, the hiding. It was second nature now. But even as you pushed open the door to Ollie’s hotel room, you could feel the familiar rush of exhilaration hit you.

“Thought you might back out tonight,” Ollie grinned, already sitting on the bed, his eyes lighting up at the sight of you. “Good to know I’m still your favorite.”

You rolled your eyes but couldn’t hide your smile. "I don’t think I’m supposed to be sneaking around at this hour."

“You say that every time,” Ollie laughed, standing up to greet you. His hands found their way to your waist, pulling you closer. “But you keep doing it anyway.”

“Of course... I want to see you,” you admitted, your voice soft.

You leaned in, pressing your lips to his, letting the soft pressure melt away the tension of the day. The thrill of it was undeniable—the secrecy, the forbidden nature of it. It was your own secret little world where nothing else mattered, even if you knew the moment daylight arrived, you would have to slip away again.

The rule was simple: leave before dawn.

That was the only way to keep your secret safe. Once the cameras came out, once the press woke up, everything would unravel. So when the first light of dawn started to creep into the room, you knew it was time to go.

You pulled away, looking back at Ollie with a sigh. “I should get going. Sun’s almost up.”

“No, you’re not allowed to go,” Ollie teased, grabbing your wrist and pulling you closer again. “Not without one more kiss.”

You laughed softly, pressing your lips to his one last time before reluctantly pulling away. You stepped toward the door, adjusting the hood on your jacket to make yourself look as inconspicuous as possible.

You slipped out of Ollie’s room, your heart racing in your chest as you tried to stay quiet.

You both made your way down the hallway, walking fast but not fast enough to attract attention. You could feel the weight of the night in your bones, the lingering sense of danger, and you couldn’t shake the feeling that someone might be around the corner at any moment.

But then you heard it—footsteps.

Ollie tensed beside you, and your body instinctively froze. You could hear the faint echoes growing closer, the sound of footsteps coming toward you down the hallway.

“What do we do?” You whispered urgently, panic bubbling up in your chest.

“I don’t know! We can’t just stand here!” Ollie’s voice was filled with anxiety now. “We can’t let them see us, especially not you! You can’t—”

“I don’t know! What if it’s someone from the team?” You whispered-shouted back. “Or worse, a paparazzi!”

“Shh!” Ollie hissed, looking down the hallway. “They’ll hear us! Just stay quiet. Stay hidden.”

Ollie stiffened beside you, his hand instinctively grabbing yours. You held your breath as the footsteps grew louder, echoing down the hallway. There was no mistaking it—someone was coming.

“Y/N,” a voice called out.

You stiffened in panic. It was your father.

Toto Wolff.

You felt Ollie’s hand tighten around yours, but neither of you dared to move.

You turned slowly, your heart sinking into your stomach as you saw him standing in the hallway, arms crossed, looking at you with an expression that was part disbelief, part concern. His gaze flicked to Ollie, then back to you. There was no hiding it now.

“What are you doing up at this hour?” Toto asked flatly.

“I—uh, I was just heading back to my room, Dad." You swallowed. "You’re up late,” you added, trying to distract him from the fact that he had caught you red-handed.

Toto didn’t miss a beat. “So are you.” His gaze flicks from you to Ollie. There was no mistaking the recognition in his eyes, and your heart plummeted in your chest.

Your stomach twisted, but you didn’t know what else to say. The silence stretched out, thick and suffocating.

You quickly glanced at Ollie, and he met your eyes, panic written all over his face. You both exchanged a look, desperate to come up with a plan to make it seem like this is not what it looks like even though it definitely is.

“Get back to your room,” Toto continued, his voice calm but firm.

You hesitated for a moment, but his gaze never wavered. You knew better than to argue. Slowly, you nodded.

“Goodnight, sir,” Ollie said quietly, his voice respectful but also carrying the weight of their unspoken rivalry. He nodded at Toto before glancing at you one last time.

You watched Ollie leave, the door clicking softly behind him. Your father’s gaze didn’t leave him, and for a moment, it was like there was a silent exchange happening between the two men. A moment of understanding.

“I told you not to get involved with him,” your father finally said, his tone still impassive.

“I’m not a child anymore, Dad,” you replied, your voice quiet but steady. “I can make my own choices.”

Toto exhaled, but the tension seemed to ease in his features just a little. “We’ll talk about this later.”

You nodded, turning to head back to your room. You couldn’t look back.

The next day, you waited for the inevitable. You knew your father wasn’t one to brush things off. But when he found you again in the hotel lobby, he surprised you with his approach.

“You want your relationship to remain private?” Toto asked, his voice steady but carrying an edge of finality. “Then make it better. No more sneaking around, no more late-night rendezvous. I can’t support something that’s all secrets.”

You stared at him, unsure of how to respond.

“But if you’re willing to face the consequences,” Toto continued, “if you’re willing to stand by it and make it right, then I can support it. You’re not a child anymore. You don’t need to hide.”

Your heart fluttered in your chest, a mixture of relief and anxiety.

“So... you approve?” You asked cautiously.

Toto gave a small nod, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. “Just make sure you’re ready for what comes with it.”

You let out a shaky breath. “I am. I’m ready.”

And just like that, the weight of the world seemed to lift off your shoulders. You no longer had to hide.

[none-ofthisnonsense]

Hamilton battles to earn place in the history books; Motor racing

The Times, 27 Jul 2006 (by Edward Gorman)

BARRING a downturn in his superb form in the GP2 series, it seems increasingly likely that Lewis Hamilton will become the first Afro-Caribbean to drive in Formula One next season.

Ron Dennis, the team principal at McLaren Mercedes, who has supported Hamilton's career for 11 years, told The Times this week that the 21-year-old from Hertfordshire is on the verge of what he called an "inevitable" step up.

Speaking at McLaren's Pounds 250 million Sir Norman Foster-designed headquarters at Woking in Surrey, Dennis said that the plan with Hamilton has been that he should dominate each successive formula he races in, then move up.

With four race weekends left this season in GP2, the Formula One feeder series, Hamilton enjoys a 14-point lead over his nearest pursuer, Nelson Piquet Jr, having won or been second in six out of the 13 races.

This record includes two impressive doubles at the Nurburgring and Silverstone, where Hamilton won both races on Saturday and Sunday. This despite the Saturday winner dropping to eighth on the grid for the Sunday race. "He is dominating GP2," Dennis said, "and if that continues, there is an inevitability that he must move forward. The only place is Formula One. The question then arises, with whom?"

Under continual pressure to make known his plans for Hamilton, whom Dennis first met when the youngster was eight years old, the McLaren chief executive indicated that he has not ruled out the former Formula 3 Euroseries champion making the biggest leap of all, straight into a McLaren.

"He should be ready for the move (to Formula One) but there is a difference between a move into a mid-team and a top team," Dennis said. "The simple fact is it would be jumping into the deep end if we put him into one of our cars. There are, however, certain things that could unfold that would make the decision easier."

Dennis explained that if Fernando Alonso, who is set to join McLaren from Renault in the close season, does succeed in retaining his world title this year, that could make it easier for the team to go with Hamilton. "Certainly if Fernando is successful in his mission and we have a very mature two-time world champion in the car, that makes it easier, but it's not a decision taken," Dennis said.

Hamilton, who some have talked of as having the sporting and marketing potential of Tiger Woods, is regarded as a prodigiously talented driver with an intensity of focus that marks him out among his peers as a future champion at the highest level. As one experienced trackside observer who has watched him throughout this season put it: "Lewis is the perfect blend between (Alain) Prost and (Ayrton) Senna. He has that aggression and passion but he can control it and is very, very clinical."

The young man himself, who lists music, playing the guitar, playing squash and tennis and "chilling with family and friends" among his hobbies, has made his ambitions clear.

After his performance at Silverstone in June, where missing out on pole position was the only blip on an otherwise perfect points-scoring weekend, he talked of his drive to get into Formula One.

"I'm working my a*** off not only to do the best job possible but to get that McLaren seat," he said. "It's an opportunity not many get. If I can get that, I feel very confident I can make the best use of it."

What is bugging Dennis is not if to bring on Hamilton but when, given the likely explosion of media interest when he does take his place on the Formula One grid.

"I don't want to be a constraining force on his motor sport career but I think we've brought good judgment to bear on it and I don't want it to go wrong when he is so close to achieving his goals," Dennis said. "The only issue is timing the timing of his next move.

BEHIND THE WHEEL ROAD TO SUCCESS

Born: Stevenage. Age: 21

Christian names: Lewis Carl (after the US athlete, Carl Lewis)

Family background: Father, Anthony, born in England. Paternal grandfather emigrated from Grenada in 1950s

Started racing: Radio-controlled cars, aged 6

First big win: British Kart Champion, aged 10

Big break: Signed to the McLaren Driver Development Support Programme, aged 13

First world title: 2000 Karting world No 1, aged 15

First single-seater racing: 2002 Formula Renault, third

First senior world title: 2003 Formula Renault

Second senior world title: 2005 Formula 3 Euroseries

This season: Leads GP2 Formula One feeder series for the ART Grand Prix team

[crystalracing]

Archive: The ups and downs of Raikkonen's 2007 F1 title triumphBy:

Adam Cooper

Sep 1, 2021, 8:53 PM

With two races to go in the 2007 Formula 1 season, Kimi Raikkonen appeared down and out. His recovery of a 17-point deficit as McLaren's challenge imploded is one of the greatest comebacks in F1's history and, on the occasion of the Finn announcing his retirement, we dug out the 25 October 2007 Autosport magazine feature explaining his remarkable title season

It took a long time but Kimi Raikkonen has finally won the world championship title that he so clearly deserves. And, of course, it came at the expense of McLaren after his own two near misses with the British team in 2003 and '05.

This was an extraordinary season for the Finn that began with an oh-so-easy victory in Australia that proved to be a false dawn. It was followed by a series of frustrating races that even led some to speculate his future with the team was in doubt. Yet, once everything clicked, Raikkonen was more often than not the man to beat, a position that was obscured by the headline-grabbing battle between Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.

He had a lot of catching up to do. It's hard to believe now that he was as much as 17 points behind Hamilton at the end of the Japanese Grand Prix, with only 20 up for grabs over the final two races. And a few laps into that race, when he languished at the back after a disastrous strategy gamble by the team, he was staring at a title-losing 23-point deficit.

It's easy to overlook how much is involved when a frontrunning driver changes teams. Raikkonen had, after all, spent five full seasons at McLaren, and was used to the Woking team's systems and way of doing things. Moving over from Renault, the team he'd grown up with, Alonso faced similar challenges.

But Raikkonen undoubtedly had the more difficult job, for he was also filling the shoes of Michael Schumacher. In addition, the departure of Ross Brawn meant he was joining a team that was under serious pressure to maintain its equilibrium, and had also lost the advantages conferred by its special relationship with Bridgestone.

Raikkonen was also up against a team-mate who not only had a year's head start, but enjoyed a special relationship with the team boss. It could all have gone horribly wrong - like it did for Alonso - and the fact it didn't was a reflection of Raikkonen's ability to focus on what really matters.

Alonso had a slight advantage over Raikkonen in that he had a day in a McLaren in December, which accelerated the getting-to-know-each-other process. Kimi had to wait until January until he was free to drive a red car for the first time.

There was a limited amount of testing before Melbourne, and a great deal to learn. And perhaps trickiest of all was the transition from Michelin to Bridgestone, something that caught out many drivers.

"The Bridgestones were like playing on a different field," says David Robertson, who co-managed Raikkonen with son Steve. "Kimi and Alonso struggled. Lewis [Hamilton] when he was on the Michelins [in his early McLaren testing] struggled like hell - he couldn't do anything. He went to the Bridgestones, and it was 'this is it!', because that's the playing field he was used to being on. That's what we all believe, that's what Kimi believed."

Raikkonen left the winter-headline grabbing to others, but when he got to Australia things could hardly have gone any better in terms of making his mark with both the team and the tifosi: pole position, victory and fastest lap. Michael who? But he was flattered by circumstances, not least the fact team-mate Felipe Massa had a problem in qualifying and had to fight through the field.

Things got tougher in Malaysia, where the car's performance was compromised, but he took third and some useful points. Massa's early excursion suggested that Raikkonen had already established himself as de facto team leader.

"The Michelins were quite a bit different when you approached the corner and, in order to avoid understeer, you had to use the tyres in quite an aggressive way. With Bridgestone it's completely the opposite so, if you want to avoid the understeer, you need to be more gentle on turn-in" Luca Baldisserri

That perception changed abruptly in Bahrain, where Massa scored an impressive win, and Raikkonen was some way behind in third. "Australia just stunned us all, I think," says his Aussie engineer Chris Dyer. "It was just such an easy weekend. And really you kind of know that that's not going to last. We came back down to earth with a bit of a thud in Malaysia, especially with Kimi struggling there with the engine, so he was pretty much fighting with one hand tied behind his back. And then Bahrain wasn't glorious."

That weekend at the Sakhir circuit had put a negative focus on Raikkonen, and it was evident that all was not well.

"The problems started more in qualifying, to be honest," says Ferrari engineering chief Luca Baldisserri, "because he was not able to put the lap time together. Even in Brazil he was still struggling a little bit. Then he had problems to understand all our systems, to understand the tyres. At that stage we were not fantastic in terms of starts, and we improved quite a lot.

"The Michelins were quite a bit different when you approached the corner and, in order to avoid understeer, you had to use the tyres in quite an aggressive way. With Bridgestone it's completely the opposite so, if you want to avoid the understeer, you need to be more gentle on turn-in. And that is what he learned. We did some tuning of the set-up, plus he adjusted his style."

That process was still being explored in Spain, the first of a run of four races during which Raikkonen was to earn just 10 points. At Barcelona he suffered a failure after just nine laps, the first retirement among any of the top runners to date.

Another Massa win confirmed that the Brazilian was on the ascendancy. "That was a pretty bad run," says Dyer. "Spain was an electrical problem - we would have been second or third. We probably wouldn't have beaten Felipe there, but I'm pretty sure it was an easy third, with a probable second."

Having been frustrated by the unreliability at McLaren, Raikkonen was hardly impressed. Keen to get home to Switzerland to watch the ice hockey world championship final on TV, he bailed out of the circuit early. The team had let him go of course, but it created the wrong impression at a bad time. Schumacher would never have done that, we observed. Indeed, that very day Schuey left the paddock three hours after the race - and he hadn't even been driving.

The former world champion was a regular presence at that stage of the season, and there's little doubt that Raikkonen was probably as confused as everyone else about his predecessor's exact role. The Finn clearly bristled at naive questions about how much Michael was helping him. After all, he didn't need any fatherly advice from Mika Hakkinen when he started at McLaren and, at that stage, he had just one year's F1 experience behind him.

Early in Q2 in Monaco, Raikkonen made his most costly mistake of the season, clipping the Swimming Pool barrier with the front right after the back had stepped out on him. A trackrod was broken and a wishbone cracked, and he demonstrated his bravery to the team by insisting he still wanted to go out, and would take responsibility. He was overruled, and forced to start 16th. In a race of low attrition, he made laboured progressed up to eighth.

"That was the mistake he made," says Robertson. "Until that point he was right there. I'd say Monaco was the turning point, despite the mistake. He felt he'd conquered it."

Dyer adds: "Monaco was a strange weekend, with an unforced error. He's been looking pretty good up to then, really comfortable all weekend, really happy with the car. A small mistake, and you pay the price.

"Obviously he was disappointed. We're all disappointed when we make mistakes. We're disappointed when the car breaks down on him, we're disappointed when we don't give him quite the right set-up, and he's disappointed when he doesn't do the job."

The pace of the McLarens was such that Raikkonen would probably have been racing for third in Monaco and there was a similar performance deficit in Canada. This time Raikkonen edged out Massa in qualifying, but he had another poor start, and made life difficult for himself by damaging his front wing on the Brazilian's rear tyre. Later he picked up some of Robert Kubica's crash debris, and he was also delayed by having to wait behind his team-mate at the first stops under the safety car. He eventually finished fifth, after what was outwardly another unconvincing performance. The team felt differently.

"To be honest we weren't that bad in Canada," says Dyer. "We had a dreadful start, and then we got screwed like everybody else by the safety car, so it was never going to be glorious. But the signs through the race were that things weren't as bad as they looked."

Indianapolis a week later was to be even better. It didn't look too promising when Raikkonen made yet another bad start and got stuck behind Nick Heidfeld and Heikki Kovalainen but, in the late stages, he showed impressive speed and set the fastest lap as he salvaged fourth, behind Massa.

"Canada and Indy weren't good results," admits Dyer. "But we would see signs we were making progress."

"The really great thing about Kimi is he suffers for about one hour, and then it's all behind him. It's simple philosophy - and I couldn't do it - which is to say, 'That's behind me now, I can't do anything about it. Let's go forward'" David Robertson

Steve Robertson agrees the US race was significant: "In all honesty, it really clicked at the race at Indianapolis. I think he found his feet there in terms of a car he really enjoyed, and was more to his liking. And from then on I don't think anyone can question the fact that Kimi has been the strongest driver. You can't argue with that."

Nevertheless, after Indy, Raikkonen was 26 points behind Hamilton, and at that stage there seemed to be little hope of stopping the McLaren steamroller. But then things began to swing in his favour. At Magny-Cours he qualified only third, but he got ahead of Hamilton at the start and then made the most of the pit strategy to leapfrog poleman Massa. It was a critical race in many ways, not least because it featured him getting the upper hand on his frustrated team-mate.

"We struggled a little bit earlier in the year with the starts," says Dyer. "And, since Magny-Cours, Kimi's starts have been spot-on. I don't think he's lost a place since then, and more often than not he's gained places. The guys have done a fantastic job with the rest of what's required for the start."

Another win seven days later at Silverstone suggested that Raikkonen might be gaining enough momentum for a title challenge, but Nurburgring was to change that. Significantly, he took his first pole since Melbourne, but then the first-lap rain created a lottery. Raikkonen made his life difficult by understeering out of the pit entry back onto the track, and had to run an extra lap on dry tyres.

Once things calmed down, he was destined for a useful helping of points when he suffered a hydraulic glitch, at the very same track where retirements had cost him two titles at McLaren. It was his second failure of the season - the only other DNF to that point among the top four was Massa's self-inflicted black flag at Montreal.

"It was really gutting for me," Dyer admits. "I'd seen him lose two championships before due to reliability, and it's always been one of our strong points. I was not very happy to think that maybe he was going to lose another one here to reliability."

Robertson says the man himself was unfazed: "The really great thing about Kimi is he suffers for about one hour, and then it's all behind him. It's simple philosophy - and I couldn't do it - which is to say, 'That's behind me now, I can't do anything about it. Let's go forward'."

The next three races featured some efficient points-gathering: an unexpectedly close second to Hamilton in Hungary, another second, to Massa, in Istanbul and a third at Monza on a day when McLaren humbled Ferrari at home.

Baldisserri thinks Raikkonen would have beaten Hamilton in Hungary had he not lost a crucial few seconds when he ran off the road: "He lost two seconds behind Hamilton that didn't allow us to change the strategy in the pitstop, which I think we could have done differently."

Then came Spa, where Raikkonen had won the previous two races for McLaren. He took his third (and final) pole of the season and put in a masterful performance that showed beyond all doubt he was on top of his game.

Top 10: Kimi Raikkonen’s greatest F1 races ranked

A season is fought over 17 races, of course, but arguably it was Fuji that ultimately won Raikkonen the title. After three laps, it looked like he was well out of the game after the team's ill-advised (and, as it turned out, illegal) decision to start on intermediate tyres.

"We took the decision that we took," says Baldisserri. "Until the mathematics put you out of the game, our team spirit is to try, and it was the right approach."

Helped by the safety car, but mostly by a largely unsung virtuoso performance that humbled his struggling team-mate, Raikkonen fought back to third place. He was still in the title picture, but... 17 points in two races?

The impossible dream became a little more likely in China, where he hustled his way past the struggling Hamilton - after keeping his tyres in better shape - and logged a superb wet/dry win. And then came Brazil, where there was only one target: a win, with Massa riding shotgun. Incredibly, all the cards fell into place, and Massa played his supporting role. With six wins to the four of each of the McLaren drivers, no one can deny Raikkonen's claim to the title.

"He did everything right when everybody else was spouting off and saying this or that. He just kept his head down, got on and delivered. That's why Ferrari got him, and I know they're thrilled that he managed to do it" David Robertson

"He's put in some fantastic drives this year," smiles Dyer. "He hasn't let us down, but we've let him down a few times. He's gone from strength to strength, the car's been good, and he hasn't really made any errors in the last two thirds of the season. He's cool and he's fast and he just gets on and does the job."

Robertson adds: "He really is a giant - the right man has won this. He did everything right when everybody else was spouting off and saying this or that. He just kept his head down, got on and delivered. That's why Ferrari got him, and I know they're thrilled that he managed to do it."

Baldisserri offers a fascinating footnote to the season: "Michael had input into the team; he was a lot closer to the team. Kimi has a completely different approach, and he tends to accept what we give to him. It's a lot more complicated for us to understand what he needs. With Michael it was a bit easier. And Kimi drove a very good car this year. Michael showed that even with a car that was not so competitive, he could win. With Kimi, I don't know yet."

Wt happened next?

While Raikkonen's talents have never been questioned, it is remarkable to note since his F1 title-clinching Brazilian GP triumph in 2007, he has gone on to claim a further six grand prix victories, the same total he achieved across his title-winning year.

Despite this, and with the exception of his two years out of F1 in 2010 and 2011, the Finn has never been far away from the sharp end of the F1 grid until his second departure from Ferrari in 2018 to move back to the Sauber-run Alfa Romeo squad.

Raikkonen continues to make F1 history through his longevity. After surpassing Rubens Barrichello's record tally at the 2020 Eifel GP, the Finn made his 341st start in last week's washout Belgian GP and assuming the current TBC 21 November date is filled will end his career on 351 race starts.

PLUS: Why the time is right for Raikkonen to hang up his F1 helmet

While Raikkonen may have never hit the heights of 2007 since, his record remains outstanding in F1 to cement his place as an all-time great.

[ilovejevsjeans]

How another Aussie champion helped Ricciardo recover from horror start with Renault

As beginnings go, it was less than auspicious. Mere seconds into the first race of his high-profile Formula One move to Renault, Daniel Ricciardo's 2019 Australian Grand Prix disintegrated into a shower of broken carbon fibre, the front wing of his car smashed to smithereens after he ran off the side of the Albert Park circuit and clipped a trackside ditch.

Things didn't get a lot better in the early races of 2019 for Ricciardo who, so accustomed to fighting at the front with his former team, had to sate his hunger with occasional crumbs dropped by the Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull outfits that annexed the available podium places. Top-10 qualifying efforts were rare, decent race finishes largely out of reach. He couldn't recapture the feeling on the brakes in his new Renault that had made audacious, last-gasp passes his trademark at Red Bull, and he knew he was over-driving to make up for the performance of his car and his own frustrations, determination to fix one mistake inevitably leading only to another.

Ricciardo's signature smile was still there, but those who know him best could see the grin's wattage was dimmed. Ricciardo knew something needed to change – and another high-profile Australian athlete unexpectedly provided the impetus.

"It was April last year, the season hadn't been going all that well for me, and I was spending some time with [Australian snowboarder] Scotty James," Ricciardo tells The Age.

"Scotty's a good friend. He writes a daily journal, and he was telling me about how much it helped him focus on his goals, what he wanted to achieve, and how regularly writing things down for yourself forces you to be honest and accountable.

"I started one myself to see if it would make a difference, and it definitely has. I'm being honest with myself and it's for my thoughts and my eyes only, and it's something I look back on. It could be something as simple as 'how did I feel today?', 'how did I feel how I felt about that race?' and so on, and then going back and trying to understand why.

"It's just me and my thoughts, and it has definitely given me some clarity. I never sit down with a plan of what to write, but in the writing process you answer questions you may have about something, and that's really useful for me."

Ricciardo's season eventually recovered to some degree from its stuttering start, and while ninth place in the championship didn't get his pulse racing after a pair of top-three finishes with Red Bull in 2014 and 2016, he comprehensively out-performed the driver in the sister Renault, German Nico Hulkenberg, and achieved the team's best result with a storming drive to fourth in Italy in September.

A strong finish to the year gave the 30-year-old reason to be optimistic about the 2020 campaign set to start in Melbourne next weekend, but it's a season he realises comes with questions he can, so far, only take an educated guess at answering.

Ricciardo's knowns for 2020 are few, yet indisputable. One, he's in the second and final year of a deal with Renault that hasn't yet delivered on its considerable promise. And two, there's little chance the West Australian will see the view from any step of a Formula One podium given drivers from Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari have annexed the top three positions in all but six races over the past four years.

Can Renault show enough progress that he'd consider re-signing? Might Mercedes or Ferrari, both of whom have driver vacancies next year, remember Ricciardo's recent past in a race-winning team and come calling? And what of 2021, where a significant shake-up of F1's rulebook could completely change the sport's pecking order, as Ricciardo discovered the hard way the last time the regulations were rebooted seven years ago?

"This year definitely carries more weight than most," Ricciardo admits.

"The chaos that surrounded my move from Red Bull to Renault, I don't expect it to be anything like that. But there's a lot happening. I'm 30, so whatever I do, it's a case of 'how many more contracts will I sign?'

"The easiest decision would be that if my year is going well [at Renault], then I'd feel like we were only going to get better and I wouldn't even think about the what-ifs or maybes elsewhere. Even though next year is going to be a new car, I think if we were able to make some big gains this year with Renault, that would give me enough confidence that whatever happens in the future would be good, but you never know how these things will play out.

"I certainly see myself in the sport for at least five more years, but every year I'm one step closer to when my career might end. You're not thinking like a 20-year-old anymore."

While Renault's preference is to retain their combination of an established race-winner in Ricciardo and French youngster Esteban Ocon for the first season of F1's rule reset, chances to drive for Mercedes, the dominant team of the past six seasons, and Ferrari, still the sport's biggest name despite not winning a drivers' title since 2007, are rare.

When the lights go out at Albert Park, Charles Leclerc will be the only driver among the sport's two biggest teams to have a contract beyond this year, the 22-year-old Monegasque inking a deal with Ferrari until 2024.

Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton's retention by Mercedes appears a formality, but the futures of 2019 Australian Grand Prix winner Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) and four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) are murkier, particularly with Ferrari banking its future on Leclerc with such a long-term investment.

Ricciardo openly expresses his admiration for what Mercedes, who won a record sixth consecutive constructors' championship last season, have achieved since the advent of the sport's V6 turbo hybrid engine era in 2014, which brought down the curtain on a reign of dominance by a Vettel-led Red Bull as Ricciardo joined the team that same season.

Mercedes debuted a revolutionary dual-axis steering (DAS) system at February's first pre-season test in Barcelona, a hydraulically powered innovation that allows their drivers to adjust the angle of the front wheels to gain lap time by pushing or pulling the steering wheel while the car is in motion.

Rival outfits were blindsided by the DAS concept when it was unveiled, Renault's sporting director Alan Permane commenting the team was "wide-eyed" about something Mercedes admitted they had been hatching in secret for a year, but Ricciardo says Mercedes' relentless pursuit of progress should be lauded.

"Hats off to them because they have been dominant this whole turbo era, yet they are still the ones pushing everyone else," he says.

"They're not getting complacent, and I think that's why they've been so dominant. They're setting an example right now and as a competitor, I certainly respect that."

Further clouding any picture Ricciardo paints of what 2021 may look like are rule changes that will make the grid that appears for next year's race in Melbourne almost unrecognisable from next Sunday's starting line-up. The next generation of cars will feature significantly different bodywork and low-profile tyres on larger, 18-inch wheels, while a cost cap, set at US$175 million ($A263 million) per team per annum, will halve the budgets of the sport's biggest spenders at the flip of a calendar, creating, in theory, a more level playing field.

The sweeping changes have the potential to make more of an impact than the implementation of the current iteration of rules in 2014, which propelled Mercedes from the midfield to a team that has won more than 80 per cent of grands prix since.

Pre-season testing threw up enough clues to suggest Mercedes, who never really showed their true pace in Barcelona, may just demolish the field again from Melbourne onwards. Should that happen, and with little carryover between this year's rules and next, expect their rivals to switch their focus to 2021 early.

Driver market intrigue, short of Leclerc and Max Verstappen, who is contracted to Red Bull until 2023, will be the narrative of the season, and Ricciardo will be in the middle of it.

[juhyenblog1]

Exploiting Your Girl's Erotic Weaknesses

   When it comes to making love, women are generally more into the fantasy aspect of the erotic build-up than they are the simple thrill of getting undressed with someone they know and love (or maybe DON'T know and/or love) like most of us guys.. So how to make a girl erotic in a way that we really want her to be?   Well, enticing a woman to yield to your deepest and most secret desires requires that you gradually draw her into your worldview by making yourself into a unique High Value Lover, and then doing so again and again on a consistent basis until you secure her complete and total enchantment. At that point, like it or not, she's yours. You weave this seductive magic by CUSTOMIZING each and every experience in bed for her based on some careful investigation on your part. Great sex for most women can be defined as erotic in a way that she doesn't consider inappropriately perverted with a man who has learned to deliver the goods in a way that she enjoys, time after time. Imposing task? Not necessarily. Here's a three step plan to help you navigate this special road into the erotic heart of any woman... The first step is to figure out what sort of cheap sex tricks will send any particular girl into orbit. How?... Experiment! Maybe she likes to be dirty-talked or verbally coaxed? Perhaps she wants you to control her in some way? Or maybe she wants to control YOU? Try all sorts of things with her... spanking, tickling, toys, take some nasty pictures, do it out in the bushes, try some stuff in the shower, swap positions, etc. Use your porno powers here that you've spent years (likely all by yourself) "cultivating". Some of this mayhem may turn her off, but there's usually SOMETHING that will get a woman red-lining off the meter -- and it's your job to discover what that is and then learn how to play it like a fiddle!  If you liked this short article and you would certainly such as to receive more info pertaining to 着エロ kindly browse through the site. If she refuses to go very much beyond plain vanilla missionary-style, then you may have run across a chick with low sex drive or other pressing issues on her mind that she feels must be more important. Rather than be angry about it, count your blessings. It's fortunate to uncover such crucial knowledge of incompatibility about a partner as soon as possible because it will head off a ton of future misery. Turning someone this sexually uninterested towards your more open-minded, erotically-experimental direction can be an impossible task. I've always felt that the best sex occurs between two child-like adults, and by that I mean people who don't take themselves too seriously. At least not to the point where they feel sex has become "kid stuff" and somehow beneath their dignity. People who've taken on too much responsibility in life are likely to end up this way by middle-age. Just a warning. Anyway, regular work between the sheets will eventually uncover where all her high water marks are located, and her limits as well. Keep notes on what you're doing to make a girl erotic and of her reactions to your experimental prodding -- silly as this may sound. After you fill a few pages of such notes, go back and search for clues. Look for those things that she seems to enjoy the most and figure out a few clever ways to focus in on them. Now you're ready to lock her Heart up tight, and lock Yourself into the drivers' seat! Once you think you have some idea of what a woman's erotic weaknesses could be (in the sense that she has an intense desire or a "weakness" for certain sorts of positions, fetishes, fantasies, etc.) then you're ready to zoom in on them, expand upon whatever they may be and make them more elaborate. The idea is to become really good at delivering the best CUSTOM sexual experience that she's ever had... and do so time after time. If she wonders what the deal is with your sudden enthusiasm, just tell her that she makes you feel uninhibited like no woman ever has before. This freaks many girls out because most women think that all guys are natural sex-fiends to some degree and don't realize that it often takes someone SPECIAL to actually bring this quality out in them... And for you, that person is HER! Such an attempt to reach out and connect your soul with hers through raw physical pleasure makes a powerful impact that cannot be easily dismissed. The rush of adrenaline that accompanies such feelings will serve to weld these unique moments deep into her unconscious mind. And they will all be connected to YOU... you will always be "that guy" who did "that thing" the night you were both together at "that place". Now you're beginning to see Romantic Enchantment in action! Look, most people pretty much wing it when it comes to sex - they know a few basic moves and make the rest up as they go along. The fact that you have 1) studied your "prey" and determined what really turns her on, and 2) are making an effort to satisfy her in specific ways that tie into these revelations, will surely paint you as a totally different breed of cat. And that's good! Before long you'll be seen as a champion among all the men she's known -- and really, you'll hardly have done anything all that amazing. You'll just be doing things with a little more purpose, direction and creativity than the average Joe. That's male seductive power in action. While the task of enchanting a woman is mainly one of carefully feeding her thrills and absorbing her fears based on what you've learned from your study of her sexual proclivities, one warning however... never bust this illusion by announcing what you're up to. Don't say, "I'm going to make you addicted to me!... " For that matter, NEVER reveal that you're actually seducing a woman either. Once people begin to think they're being manipulated they will throw up massive resistance.  

[deepdisireslonging]

Family Found Part 39: Misplaced Second Chances

Hunter and Stephanie show up to watch the Reader’s every move. They are witnesses to some of the hardest choices she’s had to make in weeks.

Warnings/Promises: wrestling violence, angst 

Word Count: 3930

Note: Everything is coming together perfectly. Longer chapter, but it reads quick. I’ve gotten most of the fights down to tiny paragraphs, yay! Please let me know your thoughts on this series with reblogs and comments. I appreciate every single one. Enjoy!

Part 1: Welcome to the Team

Part 38: Squirrels in a Row (Royal Rumble)

For once, it looked like the show was going to run smoothly. You were in the garage clearing up some last-minute details when a long, black limo pulled up. It pulled to a stop in front of you and the driver rushed around to open the door. You swallowed dryly. Triple H got out first. He held out his hand, and Stephanie took the assistance. Plastering on a smile, you welcomed them.

“Hunter. Stephanie. What a surprise. It’s good to see you-“

Hunter grinned back. “Thank you. We tried to call ahead, but your line was busy.”

You shivered. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to miss you. All the general manager stuff, you know how it is. I’ve got quite the show for everyone tonight. Are you going to be watching from your box?”

Sharing a look, Stephanie stepped forward and wrapped her arm around your shoulders. “Actually, no. We’ve been impressed with how things are going, and we wanted to watch from backstage. See how you’ve had such good control over everything. Be your shadows for tonight. We hope that’s not a problem.”

It wasn’t a question. It was a test. “No. Not at all. Right this way. The first match will be starting in just a minute.” You led them out of the garage. They followed at your shoulders like crows’ wings.

***

The placements of the NXT move-ups were still finalizing, but Heavy Machinery wanted to prove that they belonged on Raw. They had challenged the well-established team of Heath Slater and Rhyno.

“If they win this match,” Cole mused, “do you think they’ll challenge AOP?”

Renee thought for a second, then said, “it’s a possibility. Depending on how tonight goes, I think they’ll do great. I’m more worried what will happen to them if they lose this match.”

“Don’t jinx them, Renee,” Corey sputtered. They digressed into a disagreement as the bell rang.

Hunter beamed as he watched from a backstage tv. Occasionally you glanced up from your clipboard to catch Slater dropping Knight. Or Dozovic triumphantly grinning as Rhyno bounced off of him.

The referee had a surprisingly difficult time keeping up with both teams. The tags were frequent but displaced enough to show off each wrestler and their skills. Rhyno engaged Knight on the floor, keeping him from entering the ring to help his partner. His back was turned as the upper hand switched to Dozovic, who did the worm before dropping on Slater. Knight escaped and doubled teamed just long enough to help his partner set up a pin, then kept Rhyno from saving him. Heavy Machinery won the match, already cheering with the fans like Raw was home.

***

Later in the show, there were going to be three matches for the women’s elimination chamber match. Bayley and Natalya were backstage talking about their matches when Alexa walked up. “Well look at you two being all buddy-buddy.”

“Keep walking Alexa,” Natalya shot. Bayley wrapped her arm across her shoulders, holding her from stepping to Alexa.

Miss Bliss gasped and fluttered hand to her chest. “I was just making an observation.”

Bayley stepped between them. “I doubt that. But I’m willing to give you the benefit of a doubt. Any other observations before you… go away?” Bayley stared at her pointedly. Patiently.

Just into Alexa’s plans. She smiled sweetly. “Well, I’m more confused than anything. Sasha and Bayley being in the chamber match sorta makes sense. But, Natty, if you and Rhonda are such good friends, why are you fighting each other tonight? Only one of you can have the spot.” When all Natalya did was growl, she turned her attention back to Bayley and hopped to sit on a crate. “Come on, help a girl out. You know better than anyone how delicate friendship is. It’s the reason you’re holding on so tight to Sasha, right?”

In a split second of pause, Natalya was the one ready to hold back her friend. “Sure, like you’ve never turned on anyone, Alexa. Turn before you get dropped, right? Fine. As the one on the other side of that exchange, yes, Sasha hurt me. But I am still my own woman. My own power. Hell in a Cell proved that. Still, we’ve got something working here. It’s not perfect, but it’s what I’ve got. So, yeah. I’m going to stick to Sasha. Partially to watch my back, and partially to watch hers. Because that’s what friends do. You have to do what you have to do. You can’t wait for your opportunities, you have to make them.”

Natalya guided Bayley away as her voice weakened towards the end. But Alexa kept going, pushing for all she could.

“Speaking of opportunities, Bayley,” Alexa shifted in her seat, “can you explain why both you and Sasha are going after the women’s championship? I mean, aren’t you guys already number one contenders for the tag titles? Sounds like you’re spread yourselves a little thin. Especially for such a delicate friendship.”

Bayley smirked. “Well, as far as either of us can tell, there hasn’t been a woman holding double titles. Sasha and I would like to try for it. The Riott Squad can wait.”

Alexa tilted her head. “Do you think that’s a good idea? Making them wait so you two can go after different titles? I don’t know, Bayley. Sounds greedy and poorly planned if you ask me.”

“Well then it’s a good thing we didn’t ask you, isn’t it?”

Natalya stepping into Alexa’s face inspired the small blonde to retreat from her seat. “And when did this turn into a Moment of Bliss?”

Alexa put up her hands in defense. “I was just curious. Geeze.” She walked away, leaving the other women to process what Bayley had said.

***

Braun already had his spot in the Universal elimination chamber, but he wanted a match anyway. So you gave him one with Bobby Lashley. He was running on a high. Lio Rush was flipped several times outside of the ring, no matter how fast he ran. As for in the ring, Lashley was putting the monster among men through his paces. He had a goal to gain himself.

“We’ve just been told that if Bobby Lashley wins this match, then Y/N will give him another chance to get into a chamber match. Well, how about that?” Cole said.

“Sounds nice of her.” Renee mused. “Except for the part where giving him another opportunity takes it away from someone else.” Corey cut off her next words by telling her to hush and to watch the almighty Lashley perform.

Either way, the second chance was not to be. Braun had enough. He caught a second wind, using it to break Lashley down. And with Lio already out of the picture, there was no one to cause a shift with a distraction. As Braun’s arm was lifted in victory, Dr. M’s laugh sounded over the speakers. He did not appear. But his presence and approval were clear.

***

Behind you, Stephanie and Hunter had nodded their heads in approval of the match, though Hunter did question the double chance even with someone as talented as Lashley. “Agreed, both powerhouses here on Raw. But why such favoritism, Y/N? I thought you were better than that?”

You sputtered. “It’s not supposed to be. Braun is a great wrestler, but he needs something to do every week or things can get a little… destructive. And I knew I could convince Lashley to fight if I promised another chance for the chamber, either of them. Maybe the promise was a little underhanded, but both wrestlers got what they wanted. Braun his match. Lashley his chance, which motivated him during the fight. And the crowd got what they wanted.”

“All around a successful addition to the show,” Stephanie finished. “A great job, Y/N.”

“Thanks.” The word stuck like glue in your throat. You let out a sigh of strangled relief as Seth and Dean walked into the space. “Hey, Seth. Dean. What can I help you guys with? Can’t promise much, but I’ll see what I can do.”

Seth shifted the Universal title on his shoulder. “What do you mean you can’t offer much? You’re the general manager.”

Stephanie spoke up before you could. “And as such, she deserves respect-“

You flinched. “Don’t fire me for saying so, but didn’t you guys say you were going to be my shadows? I didn’t think shadows gave their opinions.” Inside your chest, your heart froze in place. Stephanie’s expression froze too, then slithered into a smile that she shared with her husband.

Hunter’s cheek twitched a smirk. “We did say that. Our apologies. Please continue.”

With a nod and a shuddering breath, you did. “Yeah, I’m GM, but the show is pretty set. There’s not room for another match. So if that’s what you’re here to ask about-“ Their disappointment was immediate. “Um, but there’s some chamber tournament matches soon. Seth, why don’t you join commentary. Get a front row seat for your possible future opponent?”

“Opponent? You mean opponents? I’m the champion. I’m in the elimination chamber match, right?”

The fire in his eyes frightened you, especially with your shadows watching. “Rollins, can we discuss details later? I don’t have room for a match for you tonight. Commentary or nothing?” you shrugged. He looked past you to Hunter and Stephanie, then gave you a nod. You focused on Dean. “I’m sorry, there’s nothing I’ve got for you this week, Dean. But maybe next week? I’m still working on it.”

Dean did the same thing as Seth, glancing over your shoulder. With a grumble, he said, “fine.”

“I’m doing the best I can, Dean.”

“I know.” He rotated his shoulders and looked at Seth. “You heading to commentary?” When he nodded, Dean tapped his forearm. “I’ll walk with you.”

You watched them leave as Hunter complimented you on how you handled it. “You did good. It was a simple no, and they took it well. Who’s been helping you stand up for yourself?”

Over your shoulder your tossed, “Sheamus and Cesaro. They’ve been training me how to deal with guys bigger than myself.” With a huff, you finished, “though I never thought I’d have to use it with either of them.”

They talked amongst themselves like nothing had happened. “I need some coffee. Catering?” Stephanie asked. Hunter agreed. “You need anything, Y/N?”

Pinching the bridge of your nose, you turned to face them. “No, I’m good. Thank you.” Hunter gave you a heavy pat on your shoulder on their way out. This whole thing was starting to make you nervous.

***

The Riott Squad fought a local team, easily squashing them. Charly caught up with Sasha and Rhonda at a backstage tv for an interview. “The Riott Squad is proving themselves to be very dominant. How do both of you think your chances of becoming tag champions are going to go tonight? Especially you, Rhonda, since you’re fighting Natalya tonight?”

Sasha snickered as Rhonda stumbled looking for something to say. “We’re going to be fine. We’ve fought in the past for the Raw women’s title before. Beaten each other for it. Working together is just obvious. We’re two of the best in the business. Why have dozens of matches against one another when we could work together. I mean, Sasha and Bayley are doing the same thing.”

The other woman shrugged. “You could see it like that, I guess.”

“Guess?”

“Yeah. I mean, I’m teaming with Bayley because it means she’s not fighting me for a title. I get to compete for a title, she gets one too as part of the set, and we stay out of each other’s hair.”

Charly grimaced. “So, teaming with Bayley… is a means to an end.”

Again, Sasha shrugged. “You said it, not me. But if I win the elimination chamber, maybe I can go my own way again.” Rhonda looked at her with a grimace, not liking that stance at all.

In the background, Alexa walked by having heard everything. She looked between the women, unnoticed, and then carried on her way.

***

Also backstage, Dolph flipped his vest over his shoulder and rounded a corner. He bumped off a tall torso, smiling when he saw it was Drew McIntyre. The Scotsman growled, “I told you to stay out of my way.”

Dolph shouldered past him. “I don’t know why you’re so irritated. You’re still champion, aren’t you? For now. Don’t get your kilt in a twist.”

Drew roughly grabbed his upper arm. “If you think I’m going to let you hold your actions last week over my head for more than this moment, you’ve got another thing coming.” He glared at him until Dolph raised his hands in surrender. Adding a bit of a shove, he released him. “Where are you going so happily?”

“To challenge an old friend for a spot in a well-deserved opportunity. For your title, come to think of it. See you in the Elimination Chamber.” He chuckled and left for Gorilla as his music started.

A few minutes later, Tyler Breeze entered the arena with Dana Brook at his side. She stayed ringside for the match, giving Breeze notes and helping him watch his back. This addition to the match was not in Dolph’s plan. Her attention for detail was making the match more difficult for him. And his attention to her was making it easier for Breeze to land punches and kicks. Dolph shook his head, refocusing. He flipped the match around, sending Breeze into defense-mode. A zig-zag finished the match.

All according to plan.

***

Two weeks ago, Zack Ryder had failed to place in the Universal elimination chamber. This week he was fighting his former partner, Mojo Rawley, for a place in the Intercontinental elimination chamber. For all of Mojo’s effort, Ryder made good use of his second chance. He won this match. Wrist in the referee’s hand, he missed the way Mojo stared daggers into his back from his huddle in a corner.

***

A pair of Universal placements happened next. Chad Gable and Bobby Roode, while tag partners, both wanted to try to win a spot. Seth sat on commentary. He was talkative, but he dodged any mention of the earlier argument with you. Gable faced Jinder Mahal, accompanied by the Singh brothers. Although he had Roode in his corner, cheering him on, Jinder won the match and the spot. Seth wasn’t bothered. He’d fought and beaten Jinder before. No matter what was going to happen in a few Sundays, Seth said he could handle him.

Gable rolled out of the ring and gave his teammate an ego boosting pat on the back as No Way Jose entered. The second match was more friendly than the first. And as such, when Roode turned on the heat, Jose wasn’t ready. Roode gave his defeated opponent a handshake, then accepted the bear hug from Gable as Jojo announced his spot in the elimination chamber. Seth welcomed this possible opponent too. He hadn’t faced Roode in a while.

“This could be interesting,” he said.

***

Baron stormed into your office, ignoring your groan as your moment of isolation was broken. “I know what you promised Elias,” he said, low and threatening. “Has he picked his WrestleMania match yet, or do you have to tell him which one he can pick?”

It took a moment to breathe down your bristling. “Mr. Corbin, Elias had the same chance as anyone. Including yourself.”

“No, he didn’t. You gave him a better spot because he beat me before the Rumble.”

“And why are you just now getting angry about that match? It was two weeks ago.” You licked your lips, stalling. “I have a feeling that’s not why you’re here.” You crossed your arms and waited for his answer.  

He snickered. “I want a spot in the Intercontinental elimination match. And if you don’t give me at least a match to ‘earn my way in’, well, Stephanie and Hunter are here. I’m sure they’d love to hear how you’ve been abusing power around here.”

Honestly, that didn’t really scare you. Part of you knew they’d probably chew him out more than you’d be in trouble. Still. You sighed and rolled your shoulders back. “Mr. Corbin, tonight I was approached by a local wrestler looking for an opportunity. He just got one. Congratulations, you’ve got a chance.” Baron smirked and started to leave. “Oh, and by the way, if he beats you tonight, he takes your place on the roster and in the Intercontinental elimination chamber… and you’re out of a job.”

He spun around to face you. “You can’t do that.”

You smiled sweetly at him, a face you had picked up from Alexa. “Yes, I can. The McMahons trust me as general manager more than they ever did with you, and as such, I have been given special liberties. Unless you would like to be fired now for attempted blackmail?” Baron balanced on the balls of his feet, seconds away from attacking. Rolling his eyes, he stepped back. “Fantastic. Head to the ring. I’ll send for your opponent.”

With a growl, he left your office. As soon as he was gone, you let out a shuddering breath. You sent a text to Gorrilla, letting them know who needed to be where. When you looked up, Dean was standing there. “Dean! Please don’t scare me like that.”

“How is it Baron gets a match tonight, but I don’t? Or Seth?”

“Dean-“

“What are you doing, Y/N? This isn’t like you.” Before you could answer, he spun on his heel and left. You struggled to regain some composure, despite the pain in your stomach.

***

The match was about to start when Dean’s music hit. He waved at the ring, sniggering as the local wrestler waved back, then walked over to join the commentary table. “Hey, Renee. Cole. Corey.” Like Seth, he avoided any discussion about your earlier conversations. But he was more than happy to make snarky comments about Baron’s style and lack of control. “It’s like he’s lost his marbles out there.”

To his defense, everyone watching the match agreed with him. Baron was unfocused. The local wrestler was gleefully using this to his advantage. It was a close match. The pin falls reached critical mass with Baron struggling to kick out before anything earlier than two-and-a-half. Thinking he was joining the roster, the wrestler tossed Baron out of the ring and began to celebrate.

“That’s not going to be good,” Dean noted.

Baron swung back in and caught him in a Deep Six. He made sure the other man wouldn’t be able to kick out by picking him up and dropping him in an End of Days. Growling in a mixture of irritation and relief, he got to his feet and let his hand be raised.

Grinning, he waved at Dean. He was going to Elimination Chamber. And so far, Dean was not.

***

The last three matches of the night were for three spots in the elimination chamber for the Raw women’s championship. Well, to become the number one contender for the title, since Ember wasn’t going to be in the match. Bayley entered the ring, pumped and ready. She groaned as Nia Jax’s music played next. The Irresistible Force entered the arena with Tamina at her side. Bayley gave a small sigh of relief as Nia sent her backstage. Their match was going to be between just them.

Or, it should have been.

Bayley was winning the upper hand. She had been able to keep Nia on her knees or at least unstable on her feet. Then Liv Morgan swung into the ring when the referee was checking on Nia and attacked the hugger. By the time he turned around, Liv was again out of sight and Nia was more than happy to take the win. She left the arena triumphantly, laughing as Liv rolled back in a went in to attack Bayley again.

Liv was forced to retreat as Sasha rushed out. Apparently, the only woman who was allowed to beat up Bayley was her, and heaven help any woman who tried otherwise. Sasha made sure Bayley made it safely out of the arena and waited for her opponent.

Several minutes later, Alicia Fox won a similar victory against Sasha. She had to fight harder before Sarah Logan got involved because Sasha was determined to not waste her opportunity. But there was no one to save her like she’d saved Bayley. So just after Alicia’s hand was raised, Sarah and Liv swarmed the ring and launched an attack. They didn’t leave until Sasha was unable to fight back. Then they left cackling, promising that they would give her another dose of damage in their next tag match.

***

Natalya entered the arena. She was all smiles, but it was strained. It quickly turned into a frown as Alexa’s music struck. Miss Bliss was followed by a techie crew who quickly set up for a Moment of Bliss.

“I hope you don’t mind Natty, but I’ve got some questions. For you too, Rhonda!” she called over her shoulder. “And hey, you should be thanking me for postponing your match a bit.” As Rhonda walked out and took a seat she added, “I can’t imagine either of you are eager to fight one another.” When neither woman answered, she continued. “This is a talk-show, ladies. It means you have to talk. What happens if one of you wins the Raw women’s championship after the Elimination Chamber? What happens to the-” she gestured between them, “the friendship?”

“Nothing.” Rhonda squirmed in her seat. “I’ve been here for almost a year. Natalya is my closest friend here.” She faced Natalya. “Why can’t we try one of those things where we help one of us get the title, then we’re the first challenge? Between the two of us, we could either rack of title reigns or help one another ensure long, successful ones.”

Not it was Natalya’s turn to squirm in her seat. “Rhonda, I’ve been in this business my whole life. I’ve seen-“ She sighed. “You know those don’t actually work, right? Someone always wants to be the best. They can’t be that if they’re always in their friend’s shadow.”

Alexa’s eyes glowed in triumph, even as she kept her mouth shut. Well, mostly. “That’s very interesting stances from both of you. I think it’s time we saw that match then. May the best woman win.”

As Alexa’s music played for her exit, the competitors walked down the ring together. There was hesitation from both of them at the start. Rhonda continued to hesitate. What Natalya had said was nothing she’d expected. Natalya sprung forward, beginning her attack. They could work this out later. Right now, she had to make her own opportunity. “Take what you can get,” she muttered. Rhonda heard and faltered in her steps. She caught a kick to the face that put her in the perfect position for a Sharpshooter. Natalya released her as soon as the referee told her Rhonda had tapped.

After all the mixtures of emotions, the women’s elimination chamber was set. Ruby Riott, Nikki Cross, Lacey Evans, Nia Jax, Alicia Fox, and now Natalya would have their chance for gold.

***

Hunter shook your head after he helped Stephanie back into the limo. “Well done, Y/N. I have no doubts now that this is going to work out perfectly.”

You flexed your hand like it burned as the limo pulled away.

Part 40: Sorta Forgiven 

Series Masterlist 

Masterlist 

Forever Tags: @blondekel77 @hallemichelles @laochbaineann @ramblingsofabourbondrinker @savmontreal @southsidebucky @tinyelfperson @zuni21798 

WWE/Series Tags: @a-home-for-stray-stories @kingslayers-queen @top-1-percent @mother-forker @neversatisfiedgirl @racheo91 @roman-reigns-princess @secretagentfangirl @thetherianthropydaily @scuzmunkie @likeisaidwhatever @cait-kae @ramsaypants @sony-undead18 @brianaraydean @st4yingstrong @dopeybubbles @crystallizeme @jessica91073 @denise8691 @stalelight @kenyadakblalock @1dluver13xx @lauren-novak @lunatic-desert-child @littledeadrottinghood @livelifewondering 

[highbuttonsports]

Toronto Blue Jays’ Joe Carter 1993 toronto blue jays world series champions - Bing images

Our Team

Take me out to the ball game. Take me out with the crowd. Buy me some…well maybe not this season (hopefully though). For some of us, snow is still on the ground and the cool air of winter is still biting our breathe. However, that doesn’t mean baseball isn’t still warming our hearts and our minds. A lot of Jays fans can easily relate to this sentiment, especially those of us that reside north of the border. As “Canada’s team”, there is a strong sense of pride associated with touting that moniker. Toronto is the only franchise in the MLB that has the distinction of being their country of residence’s only one. It really fosters an us against them mentality. It’s a David vs. Goliath thing. A little brother vs. big brother thing. A Superman vs. Batman thing. You get the point.

There’s a long-standing history of the Canada vs. U.S. rivalry rooted in sport. Every December/January brings about the World Junior Championships for hockey with each country perennially battling for the gold medal (the U.S. took it home this past tournament). International women’s hockey has predominantly been a Canada/U.S. fight for top spot since it’s inception. As well, the Olympics has provided many instances of our countries’ amazing rivalry. There was Canadian track star Donovan Bailey’s beating of American Dennis Mitchell in the 100m race at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta (in world record time no less). More recently, Canadian ice dance darlings Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue “got smoked” (Scott’s words) by U.S. rivals Meryl Davis and Charlie White at the 2014 games in Sochi. Then there is perhaps the best non-baseball example of this good-natured battle in the 2019 NBA Championship by the Toronto Raptors. That was the first NBA title to leave American soil and that wound is still fresh. In fact, many talking heads south of the border still refuse to give the Raps any credit for that win. The prefer to focus on all of Golden State’s excuses (classic sore loser behaviour). All of these are just a sample of the friendly yet heated rivalry that exists between our great nations.

When it comes to baseball that is no different. I am of a certain age to vividly remember everything about the Toronto Blue Jays’ historic rise to the top of the baseball world in 1992. It was the first time the World Series had been played outside of the U.S. in the history of the league. This is America’s past time we are talking about after all, so having a team from Canada trying to take that from them made it about more than just baseball. It’s not as if the Jays came out of nowhere though. They had won the American League Eastern Division title for the second consecutive season and third time in four years coming into the series. So, it was no fluke they were there threatening to take the title out of the U.S.A. for the first time ever. As well, Atlanta Braves brought that annoying swagger with them having lost in the World Series the previous year. They were hungry, a little cocky, and the favourites. After all, what were these guys playing out of a hockey country doing thinking they could be champions of the baseball world? Of course, this story could not be written without mentioning the Game 2 fiasco involving the Canadian flag. Before the game started, during the performance of the National Anthems of the United States and Canada, the U.S. Marine Corps Color Guard accidentally flew the flag of Canada upside down. It was an accident and the Marines went out of their way to apologize while insisting they were honoured to carry it ahead of game 3. That doesn’t mean it didn’t add some extra vitriol to an already contentious battle between the two countries. It perhaps may have even sparked the Jays, as after losing game 1 they went on to win games 2,3, and 4 to take a commanding 3-1 series lead. Atlanta wasn’t going to just lay down though as they fought back in game 5 winning convincingly 7-2. This set up a dramatic game 6 back in Atlanta in front of 51,000+ chanting and chopping Braves fans. If you were a Jays fan back then like me that brutal Atlanta tradition was like nails on a chalk board. Game 6 was a back-and-forth tight pitching duel with the Braves tying the game up in the bottom of the 9th to stave off elimination. After both teams failed to score in the 10th, the Jays jumped out to a 4-2 lead on a Dave Winfield double plating 2 runners. That was the legendary Winfield's first career World Series extra-base hit, and at 41 he was the oldest player in baseball history to record one in the World Series. Atlanta caught a break in the bottom of the inning on a fortunate mid hop bounce to short, turning a sure double play into a 1st and 3rd with nobody out situation. After a sac bunt made it 2nd and 3rd with 1 out, a forced play at 1st on a ground ball scored a run reducing the Jays lead to 1. It was that moment that Atlanta announced the speedy Otis Nixon as a pinch hitter. He was one of the fastest players in the league and a fantastic bunter. Knowing this, Toronto countered with bringing in a right-handed pitcher. It is much easier for a righty to field of bunt towards 1st base since they fall off the mound naturally in that direction. Even though a bunt is not very common with a runner at 3rd and 2 out, with Nixon at the plate it was a big possibility. That’s exactly what happened too. Otis bunted, Timlin fielded the ball perfectly, and dished it to Carter at 1st for the final out. That secured the 1st World Series title in Blue Jays franchise history as well as the 1st title to leave the USA.

If that didn’t rile up American baseball aficionados enough, they definitely didn’t get any happier the following year. 1993 brought the Blue Jays back to the World Series to defend their title against the Philadelphia Phillies. This time Toronto meant business and they were the favourites. It was up to Philly to unseat the champs, but the Jays weren’t having any of that notion. They won game 1 of this go around to put themselves in the driver’s seat. The Phillies tied the series at 1-1 by winning game 2, but that was as close as they would get going forward. Even though they fought back with a shut out in game 5 to force another game, it was the battle tested Jays who finished the series off in epic fashion in game 6. This moment is engrained in all Canadians, not just baseball fans. As iconic as the Golden goal which says a lot for a bunch a hockey loving hosers. Just thinking about it again gives me goose bumps. Our boys were down 6-5 going into the bottom of the 9th with feared closer Mitch “Wild Thing” Williams coming into the game to try and push it to a deciding game 7. To say it started out terribly for him is an understatement. He walked future hall of famer (and still holder of the record for most stolen bases all time) Rickey Henderson to begin the inning. That put the heat on him to get the ball to the plate as quick as possible. In order to do that, Mitch used the slide step method. He had never used that move before in his career, but with the uber dangerous Henderson at first, he couldn’t risk giving up a stolen base. That caused him to be out of sync in his delivery and resulted in diminished velocity and control. After the next batter flew out, another future hall of famer in Paul Molitor singled to put runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out and Joe Carter coming to the dish. Queue the music everyone! That’s when Joe hooked a 2-2 pitch over the left corner wall for a back-to-back World Series winning 3-run homerun and forever immortalizing himself in baseball lore.

It doesn’t get much sweeter than that in sport. What makes those moments even bigger is the connotations of national pride and excellence. It’s no secret that the U.S. has a great reputation of success when it comes to sport. The country houses 4 of the 5 highest grossing sports leagues in the world while having a stranglehold on the media coverage. They are usually the favourites and have the hardware to back that up. That’s why whenever us simple snow-covered folks (up here North of the world’s longest unprotected border) have a chance to wave our flag or sing our Anthem in victory, we do it proudly and loudly. It’s what we hope to be doing later this fall when the 2021 Jays take the field with the highest hopes they have had in years. Not since a certain bat flip 6 years ago perhaps. But we don’t need to go there…do we?

By: Jaymee Kitchenham

[lindsleymontana-blog]

My Opinion on NASCAR Playoffs and Stage Racing

If you have been a NASCAR fan for any amount of time, you should know by now that they love to change things. The points systems, the racing, the rules, and basically anything to do the competition on and off the track. This has led to the confusion and anger of many fans, including myself at NASCAR management for their seeming desire to make things difficult. It’s like putting gauze and tape over a wound where a band-aid would do just fine. While it can be frustrating, they just do things in an unconventional way sometimes.

At the turn of the century, NASCAR racing was in a much different state than it is currently. Races were ran without interruption other than cautions being thrown out of necessity, the points system was a season long battle to stay consistent, and overall, the sport looked to be thriving with a bright future ahead. Then 2003 happened. Winston informed NASCAR they would be stepping down as the title sponsor of the premier series. On track, Ryan Newman blazed his way to eight victories while Matt Kenseth only scored one victory. It would be Kenseth who would walk away as the 2003 champion. How you ask? Consistency.

That one season right there is the biggest factor as to why we have ‘the Playoffs’ today. After that 2003 season, NASCAR officials sat down and discussed the idea of a playoff system that would break up the season into a regular season and a playoff. Their creation was ‘The Chase’. 

The NASCAR Chase for the NEXTEL Cup to be exact. The year of 2004 brought in NEXTEL as the new series sponsor and also began the inaugural Chase for the Championship. The 26 race regular season would head into a ten race shootout between the top ten drivers in points at the end of said regular season. As drivers battled and fought their way to the end of the season, Kurt Busch emerged as the first Chase champion. This format would stay in place for only but three seasons from 2004 to 2006. In 2007, NASCAR would expand the Chase field to 12. It would stay at 12, albeit with some other tweaks to the system such as the introduction of wildcard spots for 11th and 12th and a new points paying system in 2011. 

Then we get a little bit radical. Much like March Madness, or any other one winner-one loser sport, NASCAR introduces eliminations. Like a bracket. A tournament. Knockout rounds where a three race bad stretch could end your favorite drivers’ hopes at a championship. This was 2014. A whole new playoff system. Not ten drivers. Not 12 drivers. But 16 drivers will have a shot at winning the title. In a 40 (sometimes 39, and here lately even 38) car field, that’s a little under half the field. And here’s the thing, if you win one race in the regular season, you are more than likely locked into the Playoffs, provided A) there are no more than 16 drivers that win in the regular season, which in that case, then it would go on points, and B) you don’t mess up post race inspection after getting a win only to have it not count towards the playoffs, therefore making it ‘encumbered’. Looking at you Joey Logano...

So as you can see, NASCAR has made numerous changes to their championship system in just the past 13 years. It’s been getting more difficult to explain to friends and family on how the thing even works anymore. I was very much in favor of the original Chase system. It was simple. It wasn’t as gimmicky. And it very much worked. 

On the other hand, the actual racing has more or less stayed the same. We can get into the aerodynamic and downforce wars of the past decade and discuss its’ effect on the quality of racing another time. But as for how races have been settled, nothing has changed until this year. Before, races were 300 mile, 400 mile, 500 mile, and once a year, 600 mile long events with no stopping in between except for cautions that were needed. 

This changed with the introduction of stage racing in 2017. No longer are races run all together, but instead broken up into segments. Or stages. And at the end of these stages, the top ten finishers are awarded bonus points, and the winner of the stage receives Playoff points. The difference being that bonus points only will help you if you qualify for the Playoffs in the first round, while Playoff points will be carried through the Playoffs if you manage to survive until the final round, which is the winner take all race at Homestead-Miami. 

All together, this is one hell of a complicated system for anyone to understand. If NASCAR wants to attain new fans, they need to stop emulating stick and ball sports and do what they’ve always done. Just race. Sure, keep the stage racing. Sure, keep the Playoffs in place. But make it simple. Revert back to the original system with ten drivers. Let the stage racing stay but do away with it for the big events (Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, and the Southern 500). Also, minor detail, but please for the love of all that is holy, stop counting laps between stages. Award points for the top ten finishers in each stage but do away with the Playoff points as the elimination Playoffs go too. 

At the end of the regular season, the top ten drivers who have accumulated the most points as well as bonus points, will qualify for the Playoffs. This means no more “win and you’re in” business anymore. Points will be reset for them and their bonus points will be tacked on. From there, the ten race Playoffs begin and bonus points (top ten stage finishers) now become extra points for the championship-eligible drivers. 

I believe this to be a simple but good mix of what we have now without going over the top complicated with it. It would encourage winning but also consistency. Not only in the regular season as some drivers now get a win and then proceed to experiment, laying somewhat easy as others scramble to get wins, but with this, would make them defend their spot each week, not wanting to lose ground on a shot at the title. The actual Playoffs would be more interesting as it would begin with the points reset plus added bonus points. Drivers seeded back in seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth who have less points would have to claw a little harder to get even with the drivers who have a little more luxury with more bonus points. The battle for the extra championship points in the stages would also be interesting as week in and week out, the championship drivers would fight for each position, wanting a good points day, and just maybe, the win.

Now, this is just my thoughts and opinions. I’d love to know what you think and what you would do to the current playoff and stage system. You can follow me on Twitter @lindsleymontana and catch me there. 

[thomasgr]

Sustainability will eat the World

I always get asked as many other investors: “what’s the next big thing to invest in…?” The standard answer to this is: AI, Voice platforms, Insurtech, Aviation to some extend, diagnostics in health, any alternative than Ads to monetize and some other fields. Standard advise is: Avoid topics like advertising, B2C business based on reach, digital verticals and tools, backward looking technologies, etc.

Sustainability eats the World

What I am interested in since beginning of last year is anything pushing sustainability. The times of “making the quick win” are over. Even though Trump’s USA is thinking different by abandoning Paris climate protocol. Norway just set a target by law to only allow electric powered cars to be sold from 2025 onwards. 50% of all new registered cars in Norway in 2017 are electric or hybrid. Norway’s wealth is coming from oil in the North Sea. So cutting on your financial lifeline is the way to go for innovation and entrepreneurship.

Interesting enough there are three other countries investing heavily in this field which don’t come to your mind: UAE, Saudi Arabia and Germany. UAE is setting up a lot of initiatives to focus on sustainability: from accelerators to government funded investment funds. Attracting companies to set up businesses in this field is one strategic move. Saudi Arabia just invested heavily in the New Vision Fund of Softbank founder Masatoshi Son, who is all about innovations in economic adjacent fields. Germany was the first G20 country abandoning nuclear energy from its future and invested heavily in wind, solar and other environmental focused energy sources. The land of Mercedes, BMW and Porsche is able during summertime to produce more energy from those sources than it consumes. Extending the number of days in a year even to spring and fall is one goal for the future. Imagine the country is able to produce enough energy to support electric and hybrid cars with those energy sources: Germany would be less depending from oil and gas, which it needs to import today. The trade deficit will sky rocket even more — a nightmare for Mr. Trump.

Start small and love your city

Not every Startup is a Tesla and will not struggle with the part of scaling as Elan Musk will do in the coming years. But a lot of young companies will push innovation and set new trends. They will be rewarded by trade sales and a good share for their founders. Because it will start small, I was looking in those trends more closely in recent months and discovered some hidden champions.

If you look on our daily consumption and the waste we produce, mostly unrecognized by its scale, first thing comes to your mind are bottles. Simple as that, even returning models and more sophisticated plastic materials are still not overcoming the basic problem of drinking from bottles. Less even talking on profits and economics of this business. It’s all about driving costs low in producing, selling and maintenance. But there is one company who rose by revenue from $10mn to $100mn in year on year by 2016 and it looks for more growth this year: Swellbottle. The ultralight metal bottles are made for reuse and will keep liquids cold for 24h and warm for 12h. The trick of this company seams to be, using brand and collections as a driver for sales along side influencer marketing. Offering only limited editions combined with environmental project support is the basis of their strategy. Having the right sense for colors, e.g. offering rosegold months before Apple introduced this color on it’s iPhone shows their talent. Looks like they found a profitable business through marketing and partner offerings, as you can see with a special edition for Starbucks last year. Those fashionistas interested in a cooling companion will be happy to know it will keep your white wine cool while heading out to the picknique with friends in the park.

It isn’t a long way from water to coffee. As a friend of this brown gold I watched the baristas growing fast in my hometown over the last years even pushing Starbucks back in any part (or Veedel) in Cologne. Healthy fresh food with coffee combined is offered everywhere and with that the problem of paper cups used for coffee-to-go. While the small town of Freiburg started the “reusable and bring back to any coffee shop” model there is still a long way to go. In Germany 320.000 coffee-to-go cups are wasted per hour which results in a year for over 3bn pieces. This is a huge market to tackle considering Germany has 82mn citizens. Europe has 750mn people — so you do the math behind that. First approach was to introduce less plastic in a cup, but this will obviously not solve the problem. Next phase is to give a price reduction if you bring your own cup. Currently most baristas offering cups to purchase and to bring with you in the future. But most of those are either made from plastic (just postponing the environmental problem) or porcelain (too heavy for everyday carry and having rubber made tops again increasing plastic usage). On top those cups are priced at $15, which is way to expensive while standing in front of the counter. The ultimate solution on this is a coffee-to-go cup made from Bamboo. Next to its sustainable material the price is as low as $5 per cup and its ultralight. Making now the other baristas accepting those cups in a return model for a fee of $1 like in Freiburg, this would cut a big chunk off the 3bn problem Germany has today. Making it into a mandatory model by law would be a solution lawmakers have to think about. Currently those models are investigated by city halls in most mayor cities in Germany like Cologne, Hamburg, Munich, Berlin.

The next thing in this line on the daily usage are bags. From Rucksack (backpack) to Weekender and smaller bags. Another big market for sustainability products to take over. From kids in Kindergarde to school and adults in university and office jobs. Avoiding back pain and looking cool through personalization. There is a company in Cologne named ‘Fond of Bags’, which is focusing on the whole field of bags: from kids to hipsters, Instagram fashionistas and office workers. They combined seven bag companies so far and are still growing. Their brand pinqpong is leading the sustainability part of the business, hopefully it will outgrow the others and have a positive influence on the other brands as well. So pinqpong is offering those kind of bags, people should be using in the future from an environmental perspective.

When Services will catch up on environment

Discovering those trends and products while taking a walk in my neighborhood the Belgium Quarter in Cologne I realized that this town has much more focus on this topics than other German cities. Found of Bags is located in Cologne as some others as well. However this is not just about products but it is also about services and shopping. While you need the products to be available, there is another big step to be achieved: Putting it into a plastic bag would actually damage all the good will, you had in the first place. So lets introduce you to the concept of “Tante Olga” and others: a plastic free supermarket. Overcoming the little plastic bags for your fruits and vegetables, having pasta and cereal bagged in foil and all other items sealed in plastic is a huge challenge. Some shops like “Tante Olga” started to sell products without that package in either more friendly natural bags or offering to bring your own glasses and containers to take in those groceries right in the shop.

Reaching the shops is part of the game

Cologne stands out in terms of mobility for a couple of reasons: There is an airport outside the city which is a hub for Eurowings, Easyjet and Ryanair bringing in and out a lot of people on business and for leisure. Jobs will make people commuting in and out of city center as well between Dusseldorf and Bonn. Hence public transport is on the edge of its capacity most of the time and people tend to use individual options for transportation. To make things worse the city was marked as one of the worse areas for bike riding — too dangerous and narrow while cars seams to be getting the advantage if city planing in the last decades. But this has changed in recent months with more infrastructure projects being started to favor bike riding and preventing cars from entering the city center. Streets are getting more narrow from two lanes to one. Parking lots are converted into outside seating for cafes, restaurants and even cocktail bars. This trend of parklets was born in San Francisco in 2012 and spread around the world since then.

Limiting parking lots is driving business in summer times, hence people want to enjoy sun as long as there is some and it serves the purpose of keeping cars away. This among other obvious reasons will lead to an increase usage of car-sharing offerings like car2go, drivenow, cambio and scooter-sharing like scoo.me. Interesting enough cambio was the first car sharing offering in Germany and it started in year 2000 in Cologne, Aachen and Bremen. The next obvious movement will be to prefer bike riding in the future within urban planing even more.

Why Cologne will be part of the Sustainability movement

Looking on the history of all those trends and products I recognized Cologne being an early adopter and early mover of various parts of this development. From small startups to larger corporations adopting the trends and finally urban planing and city hall pushing towards this direction. Building a startup around this ecosystem and supporting the overall trend looks obvious from an investors perspective. Products and service in this area will need time to prove itself and gain their trusted communities. This will be much easier to build and test in an experienced and supportive city. It doesn’t need to overcome the general hurdles of a new beginning and it will benefit from an experienced ecosystem giving feedback during the long hard times of the early days of a startup. However Cologne seams to be the perfect testbed for such ventures — much more than Hamburg, Berlin or Munich.

The most common hashtag used for Cologne is #LiebeDeineStadt(meaning: love Your city). The obvious double meaning of a campaign with focus on sustainability would serve any startup company setting its base in this city.

[toldnews-blog]

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/sports/will-f1-follow-formula-e-and-switch-to-electric-power-to-survive/

Will F1 follow Formula E and switch to electric power to survive?

Formula E is greener, leaner and already fully electric.

“The question of Formula E merging with Formula 1 is very relevant,” explains Lucas Di Grassi, who was the first driver to commit to the electric racing series in 2014.

“I see in the long-term future a very low probability that combustion racing will be allowed, especially in developed countries.

“So either F1 stays as F1, but it will have to go electric, or you have to merge it with Formula E.”

Global targets to cut carbon emissions — and mitigate climate change — by ditching fossil fuel for renewable energy puts Formula E on the front foot.

Its cars are battery-powered and race on city circuits showcasing how electric vehicles can help reduce air pollution in densely populated areas.

F1’s hybrid cars also use clean energy — harvested under braking and the car’s exhaust emissions — but still rely on their gas-guzzling combustion engines to do the lion’s share of the work.

READ: Rosberg becomes Formula E investor

‘Changing world’

As road car manufacturers focus on an electric future is F1 is in danger of becoming irrelevant?

“The world is changing so quickly and electric cars are growing massively,” Formula E’s newest F1 recruit Felipe Massa tells CNN. “You see many brands launching fully-electric cars just like in Formula E.”

Asked whether he thought the two series could merge Massa, a veteran of 272 grands prix, says: “It’s not impossible.”

Mahindra racer Jerome D’Ambrosio agrees a merger could be possible in the future.

“The manufacturers are going to have to keep in line with what they produce,” he reasons. “If in 10 or 15 years they are only producing electric vehicles, I find it hard to see them spending money on something they do not sell.”

Since its inception in 2014, Formula E has been a testing ground for battery-powered technology as well as shop window for electric cars.

The Season Five grid is packed with big automotive brands such as Audi, BMW and Nissan — with heavyweights Mercedes and Porsche set to join the series next season.

For that reason, Formula E has to stay relevant to road cars. F1 has always been the pinnacle of engineering, with many road car gadgets such as paddle-shift gears and rear-view mirrors developed on the racetrack, but the sport’s relationship with manufacturers is more nuanced.

‘F1 friction’

“Formula E almost solely exists for manufacturers,” explains Jack Nicholls, who commentates on both Formula E and Formula 1 for the BBC.

“Whereas some of the biggest problems in F1– the escalating costs and Mercedes’ domination — come from manufacturers. It creates so much friction, I don’t know if manufacturers in F1 is a good thing.”

Mercedes and Ferrari — owned by Fiat — may dominate F1 but the championship has already proven it does not necessarily need automotive investment to survive. In 2009, the sport motored on despite the sudden exits of Honda, BMW and Toyota.

“I genuinely don’t believe F1 would die if all the manufacturers left,” adds Nicholls.

Even if F1 wanted to suddenly switch to electric power — or merge with Formula E — it isn’t as simple as turning on a switch.

“Formula E has an exclusivity deal with the FIA for electric single-seater racing [until 2038],” Nicholls explains. “That’s the tricky position F1 are in, they can’t just become electric and more relevant.”

Interestingly, both championships have common ownership with Liberty Global a shareholder in Formula E and Liberty Media acquiring F1’s commercial rights in 2017. The two are separate entities but both come under the umbrella ownership of U. billionaire John C. Malone.

“Within the sport you’re told Liberty Global and Liberty Media are two separate companies and there isn’t much crossover but obviously if something needed to be done I’m sure it could be,” Nicholls suggests.

Pretty awesome

Reigning Formula E champion, Jean-Eric Vergne, believes creatively merging Formula E and Formula 1 could be the answer.

“The best thing that could ever happen to both championships would be to have half the season in F1 cars, and the other half in FE cars,” Vergne explains. “Take the best tracks of F1 and the best tracks of FE and make a massive championship. That would be pretty awesome.”

But Audi driver Daniel Abt disagrees: “No, that’s not going to happen. It’s two different worlds. Formula E is electric, it’s street racing and F1 is proper circuits all around the world in the best cars possible.”

Nicholls also believes the DNA of both series is so distinct that a merger would only dilute the best of each formula and alienate fans.

“I don’t see a merger between the two happening because they are intrinsically different,” he tells CNN.

“I commentate on an F1 race and it’s not wall-to-wall excitement but it’s intriguing it’s the best drivers in the world, in the fastest cars in the world.

“Then the next week I do Formula E and it’s just bonkers, action-packed 45-minute races and fantastic fun.”

He also believes F1 would be reluctant to relinquish its need for speed by plugging into electric power.

“F1 cars hit top speeds of 230mph, and because of the electric technology a Formula E car is much slower,” he explains. “On a straight a Formula E car is probably hitting 140mph with no aerodynamics and no real downforce.

“If F1 went electric for the start of 2020 the technology is not there for them to be any faster.

“At least for the next 10 years I don’t see how F1 could consider going electric because it would be slow.

“For the same reason, Formula E has to stay on street circuits because as soon as it goes onto Silverstone [a high-speed circuit] it would just be a slow, quiet F1. So it would be like F1 but not as good.”

Visit CNN.com/motorsport for more news and features

Mercedes’ investment in both championships underlines that, for now, there is mileage in both series.

“For Mercedes, Formula 1 and Formula E go hand-in-hand,” Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, tells CNN when asked about the merger.

“As a company we want to be the benchmark in the premium segment and to explore innovative new projects; that’s what the combination of F1 and Formula E will deliver when we enter in Season 6.

“There is a lot of F1 expertise being applied to the development of our Formula E challenge. From Mercedes’ point of view, F1 and Formula E is a win-win combination.”

Formula 1 has always been about evolution. Formula E has started a revolution.

F1 may one day have to embrace electric power but for now it will leave Formula E to lead the electric charge.

[crystalracing]

Kimi Räikkönen talks and laughs and talks. And laughs again. motorprofis.at experienced the most talkative and analytical Iceman of all times in a double interview with his Alfa Romeo team mate Antonio Giovinazzi. It’s exciting what the two of them have to say to each other and to us.

Source: motorprofis.at    Pictures: Alfa Romeo Racing, Gerald Enzinger

In the end Spielberg was worth a trip for everyone: for the Alfa Romeo Racing drivers Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi because they both scored with a 9th (Kimi) and 10th (Giovinazzi) place – in the case of the Italian for the first time in his career. And for the selected journalists, who were invited to the roundtable with the two, even more so: in this interview session one experienced a brillantly cheerful and talkative Räikkönen. And first impressions of Giovinazzi, who once drove at eye level with Verstappen, Ocon and Auer in Formula 3.

Your team has always been known for its ability to work well with young people – as was the case with you, Kimi. What are your memories of your beginnings in Formula 1?

RÄIKKÖNEN: I wasn’t as young as others, I was 21, but I was still very inexperienced. I came straight from Formula Renault (which was the 4th level at the time, note), but it was of course a completely different world than the one I was familiar with. When I first drove a Formula 1 car it was – I wouldn’t say it was a shock now – but it was definitely anything else I had known up to that point. But the first day went by fast and then with every day it became easier and more normal in all areas.

How has Formula 1 changed in all these years?

RÄIKKÖNEN: In essence, it’s still the same. Over all these years the cars have changed a bit, the driving as such, the rules. But in principle, we as drivers still do the same thing as we did back then. Maybe now we do more PR work and sit more in meetings.

What is your goal for the rest of the season?

RÄIKKÖNEN: Hopefully we can fight regularly for the top 10 places and points. You don’t really have concrete goals, it’s just that you should always improve your car step by step. And if that works, then we can be in a good position – after a long way.

Question to both of you: As boring as Formula 1 usually seems to be, it must be fun to fight in midfield, where things are very tight and you have a lot of battles in every race.

RÄIKKÖNEN: Everyone tells me all the time: the races are so boring. But I think if you’re in the middle of it, it’s not boring. On some days you’re just defending, then there are phases where it’s always about attacking. From the outside it looks more boring than in the car, where things can get very hectic in the midfield. In this area it’s so tight, you might even see better racing than at the front.

GIOVINAZZI: I fully agree. It’s so close. In this area of the race you’re on the offensive and defensive at the same time, and your race goes both forward and backward. You have to have both in mind. But that makes pure racing more fun here. Honestly: it’s hard.

Kimi, your memories of the A1 Ring and the first years of the Red Bull Ring now?

RÄIKKÖNEN: I’ve always enjoyed being here – and it was a shame we lost this track for so many years. I think 2003 was the race back then. I have many positive memories. Fortunately, I’m old enough to have gotten to know some old race tracks – like the old Hockenheimring when it still had its long straights. Many tracks that are fun in their own way – Spa with the bus stop chicane, Hungary.

In Spielberg there are great sections, even if some things have changed in small details. But the first turn or the last two, they are a lot of fun. It’s always a great place to come here. And it’s probably also because of the whole scenery with all the mountains that the atmosphere here is always so relaxed. It’s a shame that we once didn’t have the track on the calendar – but it’s great that they got it back.

I think that you would have loved the old Österreichring with its long Flatschach straight, in whose braking zone, as Gerhard Berger puts it, you always looked death in the eye.

RÄIKKÖNEN: Yes, definitely! Everything I’ve seen about it looks pretty exciting. And of course there would be really good overtaking manoeuvres on such tracks. There are a lot of good corners where you can do something while braking. That’s the kind of track we want.

Antonio, what are your memories of the Red Bull Ring?

GIOVINAZZI: It’s certainly one of my favourite tracks and I have good memories of this place as well. Here I won my first race in Formula 3 and had a very good weekend in Formula 2. There are many high-speed corners. It’s not a long track, it’s more of a kart track. That’s why there are often good races. Here in Formula 1 we have three DRS zones, so a lot of action is possible. That fits well!

Kimi, you as a racer: What do you want from the Formula 1 of the future?

RÄIKKÖNEN: Holidays! (laughs).

In the long run, doesn’t concern me what’s going to happen. If I have no interest, I will definitely not turn on the TV and let myself be disturbed in my free time (laughs again).

But if you ask me, I’m sure I’d change a lot. For instance, remove all these data analyses if possible. If you wouldn’t setup the cars based on so much data, it would depend more on the feeling and certain qualities could make the difference.

What’s more fun: driving a Formula 1 car or a rally car?

RÄIKKÖNEN: Rally is so completely different. You’re not really driving against each other, but against time. If you see another car on the special stages during the rally, then something just went damn wrong for one of you. (grins)

But if you compare: I drove NASCAR once, you were allowed to use telemetry data during testing, but not during the race. That’s why you have to make your own experiences at a certain point. This makes oval races seem very simple, but in reality they are far away from simplicity. It’s a highly complex thing. That’s more pure racing. If you realize: Shit, I’m not fast enough – then you can talk to others. Then one person tells you that, and the other means that. In the end you have to draw your own conclusions. In Formula 1, on the other hand, the data is there and they tell you everything that needs to be changed. If you have to find your own setup and can’t look at the computer during set up, then that would be a completely different feeling.

Antonio, does Kimi help you, can you learn from him?

GIOVINAZZI: It’s like Kimi just said: Even if he wouldn’t tell me or if I don’t ask him, I can see all his data and draw my conclusions. There are no real secrets in the team when it comes to voting.

RÄIKKÖNEN: Now imagine how difficult it would be for you if you didn’t have access to my data. That would make a massive difference.

GIOVINAZZI: Yes, I agree. Without data it would be difficult – especially for me as a very young driver in the first season, who of course benefits from having such an exceptionally experienced teammate. That would be hard, but I’m lucky to be able to look at everything. And so it’s easier to improve session by session.

There are quite revolutionary ideas in the DTM: For example, that you can’t preheat the tyres or that radio communication is now very limited: Would such rules also be good for Formula 1?

RÄIKKÖNEN: Originally there was also a radio ban in Formula 1, for example in the warm-up lap. I’m that guy who doesn’t mind if nobody talks. (grins mischievously)

In other teams it is often the case that someone says that this driver is faster here or slower there. But what difference does it make? For me this information is no help. I think: if you ban radio, it won’t really change the races.

And as for your tyre question: If it’s as hot as in Spielberg, we’ll bring the tyres up to temperature even after a few laps, even without blankets. But if it’s cold, we’d drive like on ice without heating up. We would have zero grip, especially in the morning sessions. We would even fly off on the straight because we would have so little grip.

So if you ban the heating blankets, you would have to change the tyres completely at the same time. If the tyres are designed in such a way that they have to work without heated blankets – then it’s fine. But there are no plans. And it won’t change the game.

You’re a fan favourite, a real hero. What does that mean to you?

RÄIKKÖNEN: Yeah, that’s clearly a nice thing. It’s nice when they cheer for you! So some seem to like what I’m doing. Or maybe I’m just old and that makes them sentimental. (smiles)

Antonio, for you as an Italian, the day Kimi won Ferrari’s last World Championship title in 2007 must have been something very special. What are your memories like?

GIOVINAZZI: Of course I was a Ferrari fan! I saw the race at home on TV. And it was also special as three different pilots could still become World Champion – Alonso, Hamilton and Kimi.

RÄIKKÖNEN: (interrupts) But I strongly hope that you cheered me on.

GIOVINAZZI: Uh, sure. I made the point difference. (laughs)

RÄIKKÖNEN: How old were you back then?

GIOVINAZZI: 14! No – 12. I was driving a mini kart.

You are now factory drivers of Alfa Romeo, a big brand in motorsport. What do you associate with this name?

RÄIKKÖNEN: I’m too young to have experienced Alfa in Formula 1. But I know that they have a great history in this sport. They have won races, world championships. I think it’s great that they’re back in Formula 1.

Who was the last winner with an Alfa engine?

GIOVINAZZI: (answers immediately). Niki Lauda! (Note: Right, Anderstorp 1978, Brabham-Alfa.)

Privately you also drive Alfa: Kimi a Stelvio, Antonio a Giulia. Right?

RÄIKKÖNEN: Yes, in the Quadrifoglio version. It’s good for Switzerland and with the family. It’s fun.

GIOVINAZZI: The Giulia is a well-done car. I always enjoy driving it.

What is the biggest difference between a big team like Ferrari and a smaller one like Alfa, Kimi? My feeling tells me that this is a family size that you really like.

RÄIKKÖNEN: The pure work is not really different. The driving, the workflow, the meetings, it’s all very similar. The big difference is the stuff around it, I have less to do here. That was one reason why I wanted to do it that way.

But the passion, it’s the same, and usually the cars are very good. Only if you have a problem with the car it can take longer to fix it here – in such a case the size of the staff and the budget does make a difference.

What do you feel today when you are in Maranello?

RÄIKKÖNEN: I had good times there, even if the results weren’t always. But Ferrari is a big part of my heart, of my life. Not many can claim to have driven for this team and have won a drivers world championship title and the constructors’ championship twice. That connects and I still have contact with the people there. Of course.

How was it in 2007? The day on which you became world champion – and little Giovinazzi was excited in front of the TV?

RÄIKKÖNEN: Our only chance in the races was to be in the top two and then look: what are the McLaren doing? We had a lot of speed, but the World Championship was no longer in our hands. We had to bring our cars to 1 and 2. It worked. But it wasn’t just this one race. We had a phase of the season where we were struggling, but then we were really good.

Can Vettel still fight for the championship this year?

RÄIKKÖNEN: He can fight. Can he also win? That’s something different. He’s not in an easy position, but things often change fast. They will fight to the end.

GIOVINAZZI: I agree. Giving up is not an option for a team like Ferrari.

[ravenhowl-in-shipland]

Happy Birthday Yurio (>*o*)><(*o*<)

I absolutely wanted to do something on this special day so here is a little Yuriyuu fanfiction about my favorite character of the show. Thank you Kubo-sensei for creating such a beautiful and complex character. It takes place between “One step at a time” and “Pork Cutlet Bowl”

Title : Octakaideca (Eighteen in Greek)

Rating : Explicit

Pairing : Yuri x Yuuri

Disclaimer : The characters are not mine sadly. They are all the property of Kubo-sensei !

A pout appeared on his pale and delicate face, covered by a bunch of blonde locks that he placed behind his ears every now and then, incomprehension clearly visible in his bright green eyes as he climbed in the passenger seat of the luxurious black car, and he grumbled under his breath, a bit annoyed, when the person who sat next to him, in the driver seat, wasn't the one that he expected on this special day. Not the least.

He didn't understand what was actually happening. Why was he even here ? Beside him, there should have been his beloved, the one person that made his heart beat so fast that it was too painful to stay calm and not kiss him wildly, the only soul that could shook his entire body with just a simple laugher, true and full of feelings, he who looked like an adult and sounded like a child, the man that inspired him during all these years of skating, his Agape, and they should have enjoyed a date without caring for what others could think of them, not like their first one.

However, fate seemed to think otherwise and on his left, turning the key to start the engine, stood Viktor Nikiforov who had been his spiritual rival on the rink during all his competitions since the very beginning but also, to win the heart of Yuuri Katsuki, the most beautiful and kind person he had ever met. Hopefully, even though the tiger Russian had been really mean and hurt him in many ways on their first talk, he had apologized in his own manner after that and had claimed the older man as his, stealing a precious thing to the silver haired skater. But, as if he wanted to get some kind of revenge for what he did, the five times champion took the lead on this important day and didn't explain why Yuri couldn't spend it with his lovely boyfriend.

After all, today was supposed to be his eighteenth birthday, the most important one in his young life, and he had waited for it since they had begun to go out with each other, hiding their relationship to everyone so they wouldn't be in the middle of a scandal because he was still a minor. Their group of friends had learnt about their situation just a year after his confession and all of them had easily accepted the truth, especially Chris who was hoping for it since the trio had formed in Hasetsu, and only Otabek had been shocked by the revelation, going back to Kazakhstan right after that to assimilate the information. Yuri didn't blame him and had been ready to face rejection since he had developed these feelings, but he had had a hard time to cop with his loss. One of his friend had left him because of one decision he had taken and it was difficult to endure.

The ravenette had comforted him for one whole week after the event, saying that Otabek needed some time to get used to it, and had taken care of the youngster until he had felt better, kissing him all over his face and pampering him like a child, proving him how much he loved his partner. That's why, the blonde had thought that this day would also meant something to his boyfriend. Maybe he was wrong ?

Shaking his head to chase those bad thoughts away, the Russian boy bit his bottom lips before opening his mouth, to ask the question which was burning inside of his head, and turned to look at the guy next to him.

"Where are we going ?"

"Shopping of course ! I have to buy a few things for Makkachin and I wanted to have my hair cut a little. It's getting long again" the adult answered with a cheerful smile, the ones Yuri didn't like at all.

"And why do I have to come with you ? You could have just go alone !" He groaned as the car moved onto the main road, toward the commercial district.

"You would have left me ?! You're so heartless my little Yurio ... I'm hurt"

"You're so annoying."

The blonde put his elbow on the window sill, his right cheek against a closed fist, and sighed heavily, hoping that this day will end quickly so he could hug his katsudon and whine about the fact that he wasn't with him during this important event.

For more than five hours, when he had imagined himself curled up against his beloved, watching some dumb movies on TV, Viktor dragged him in different kind of shops to buy random clothes or toys, talking nonsense while trying a brown shirt with a tight jean, showing him cat plushies that almost made him squeal in happiness, pulling him toward the same pet store he had gone for his first date, taking a lot of time to choose something for his poodle, hesitating between a collar and a cute pillow to lean on, and if he wasn't used to give such efforts during his training, he would be panting hard by now.

Not knowing why the five times champion would take the youngest of their group with him, except for sharing his taste in terms of clothing and crying on his shoulder when he couldn't get what he wanted, the blonde Russian tried to enjoy their trip throughout the city, also looking for something to buy to his lover, in hope to thank him for what he did for the youngster the past two and a half years, and was relieved when they entered the hairdresser at the end of the afternoon, the last trial before they could go back to Yuuri's apartment.

"Good afternoon ladies, I have an appointment at 4:45 PM" Viktor said in a flirty manner, wearing his best smile to impress the two women behind the counter.

"O-oh right M. Nikiforov, come this way. Let me take your bags, I'll put them in the wardrobe"

Her answer was so sweet and sugary that it almost sounded false to the eighteen years old Russian, making her look like any other of his fan, and he wanted to puke when he heard her talk with that high pitch voice all of a sudden, when she had spoken normally to the rest of their customers. Hypocrite, he mumbled to himself while the silver haired man followed the person who was going to take care of his hair.

"Pardon me but, this little one needs a new haircut too !"

"What ?!"

"You can't look like that on your own birthday Yurachka ! If you don't want to cut them, then let her styling your hair at least !" He answered with a grin.

"You piece of ..."

Yuri held back the curse he had wanted to throw at his face, remembering that his katsudon didn't like it at all when he talked this way to people, and grunted when the second girl came next to him so she could lead him toward a chair. During these two years, his hair had grown quite a bit and he had added fifteen centimeters to his height, catching up with Yuuri who was now smaller than him by five. And to be honest, the blonde was happy to be bigger so he could take him easily in his arms and put his chin on the other's shoulder when they were cuddling, smelling that calming sent of his.

"So, what haircut do you want me to do M. Plisetsky ?" The hairdresser asked behind him, holding a comb and a scissor.

"Could you just ... tied them up in a ponytail ?"

"You don't want me to cut them ? Even a little bit ?"

Yuri shook his head and she shrugged before starting his work. The moment her hands touched the scalp of his head, he thought about the different times when his boyfriend would braid his hair, caressing him gently while doing it, brushing them with care so he wouldn't hurt him, and understood one thing during the next thirty minutes.

He didn't like it when someone else touched his hair.

And Yuuri's hands were softer and kinder.

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, the woman finished to do her job, spraying some hair spray on the ponytail so it would stay like this until he removed the elastic band, and showed him what she had done with a mirror. Even though he didn't wanted it at first, it was pretty satisfying and beautiful to look at. He thanked her quickly and waited for Viktor to end the annoying conversation he had with that stupid girl. When the adult finally decided to stop his incessant chatter, he went to the counter and paid them, laughing at the one who had taken care of him because she had a bit of his hair on her sweater, making her blush vigorously.

Disgusted by all this, Yuri exited the building first and began to walk away, toward the man's car, without turning back to be sure that the driver was following close behind. Actually, the silver haired adult was waving at the women with a smile, holding his coat under his arm, and joined his friend who was standing next vehicle, an impatient expression on his face. He couldn't wait any longer. The younger Russian needed to see his katsudon. His body suffered from his absence and lack of contact.

"That was an incredible day, don't you think ?" Viktor said before turning on the engine.

"Remind me not to go with you on a shopping trip in the future ..."

"Aww ~ Yurachka ! I wanted to be with you for your eighteenth birthday. After all, it happens only one time in your life ! And I'm sure that Yuuri is ... Oh !"

"What ? What is it ?" He questioned, eyes growing wide in anticipation.

"Never mind. You'll see when we'll arrive."

With just that, the oldest of the two drove back to the Japanese's apartment and didn't say anything more during the ride, making his companion anxious. What was going on ?

*

When the car stopped in front of the block of flats, Yuri opened the door in a hurry, running through the corridors, climbing three steps at a time, and didn't have the patience to knock, entering the vestibule without being invited. He didn't announce himself and just removed his shoes, advancing until he was in the living room. What he saw before his eyes, confused him at first and then, brought a shaking smile on his pale face. The table was covered with a bunch of decorations, a large cake placed in the middle, eighteen candles standing proudly on top of it, and he could smell the delicious fragrance of katsudon being prepared by his beloved. His stomach grumbled a bit at the thought of eating a good meal after this exhausting walk in town and he searched for his boyfriend in the little place, not seeing him in this room.

"Happy eighteenth birthday Yurachka !" Screamed different voices behind his back.

When he turned around to see who were those strangers, Yuri couldn't help but jump in surprise at sight of all their friends at the entrance of the apartment, Yuuri standing in the front with a heartwarming expression. Next to him, there were Chris, Viktor and Phichit, who was taking some pictures with his phone, and they seemed to hide something from him. He could see it because it was moving slightly. The blonde didn't have the time to ask what it was because a pair of lips sealed his mouth shut, and two hands came to caress his cheeks. The black haired man pulled away after ten seconds and hugged him tightly against him, his head resting on the youngster's shoulder.

"Happy birthday Yurio ! Thank you for being born !" He murmured so he would be the only one to hear it.

A burning blush appeared put of nowhere, making him look away so no one would notice, and his heart began to beat faster than usual beause of the japanese's declaration.

"Thank you piggy. It's the best surprise I have ever had !"

They kissed again. Just a simple peck but it was full of passion and love. They heard the Thai skater squeal like a fangirl, snapping another set of pictures, and the Swiss let out a small Aww before coming to greet their cadet. That was at this moment he noticed it. Just between Phichit and Viktor, the moving thing he saw just a minute ago, was actually a person that he thought he would never see again, and he almost tackled him into a powerful embrace, hearing Yuuri complain about it.

"Calm down Yurachka ! You'll smother him if you keep tightening your grip like this." The five times champion told him with a pat on the back.

There. Inside his arms. There was Otabek. His only friend. Even though he had been grossed out by their relationship, the man had come to celebrate his eighteenth birthday, forgetting about the actual situation, and he looked happy to be able to see him again after almost a year.

"Happy Birthday Yuri ... I'm sorry I didn't contact you earlier. It was, well, not a good time for me to ..."

"There is no problem. You're here, that's what matters the most for me."

"I'm sorry for leaving you like this ..."

They exchanged a bunch of apologies for almost five good minutes before letting go of each other, the other watching the show with soft smile on their face, Yuuri putting his little jealousy aside, and they went to the table so he could blow the candles and the host could cut the cake in twelve slices, giving one to each of their guests. In the beginning, they just talked about nothing and everything, the blonde Russian telling to his best friend what had happened during the last year, the other listening to him with a new interest, and the arrival of Mila and Yuuko, brought a new warmth to the party, where there wasn't any woman. The redhead girl had come all the way from Russia to celebrate with them, explaining to Yurio that his grandfather wanted to come but was too weak to make the journey, so he sent him a letter to wish him a good day, and true to herself, she couldn't come without a stupid gift to give him.

As for Yuuko, she had formed a solid bound with the young man when he came for the first time in Hasetsu to take Viktor back to Russia, and had asked Yuuri if she could come on that important day, the other agreeing without a second thought. After all, the more we are, the more we laugh. So, here she was, teasing him about the way he looked at his boyfriend while the latter was cooking the katsudon pirozhki for dinner, talking to Phichit, and even though he was way taller than her, she continued to bother him like she did so three years earlier.

At 7:25 PM, everyone removed the dishes from the table to place new plates on the tablecloth, the black haired man bringing what he had cooked during the day, and Yurio understood why he didn't want him near the kitchen this morning. There were all sort of Japanese and Russian meal. Everything that the eighteen years old teen loved and had discovered with his lover during their dates. It was beautiful and touching.

Just before they sat down, those who had brought a gift, gave it to the young Russian and a lot of expressions appeared on his face during the opening of his presents. Mila had come with a sweater on which there was a tiger printed on it and also, a cap with cat ears on top of it. To thank her, he punched the woman on the shoulder. Phichit and Chris offered him a new pair of skates. Otabek placed a beautiful silver chain around his neck, earning a joyful grin from his best friend. Yuuko gave him a black t-shirt on which was written You can't beat me and Viktor went to his bag to take out all the accessories he had bought at the pet store, saying it would pleased his little Svetia, the feline his grandfather had adopted when he was a child. The black haired male didn't mention or show his own gift but the blonde paid little attention to it.

"Thank you for coming today. I know that you were really busy with the new championship but it means a lot to me that you've come to celebrate with us." Yuuri commented with a brilliant smile and the other applauded him.

"Yura, where is your speech ? We are waiting for it." Viktor said while taking a sip of his glass of champagne.

"W-what ?! I don't want to do that !"

"Oh come one Yuri ! It's nothing. We've all done it before you" The Thai said, trying to ease the tension around him.

"No ! I won't do it !"

"Pretty please."

"Stop it guys" The Japanese adult laughed. "If he doesn't want to do it then, don't force anything on him."

"You're no fun Yuuri-kun" Phichit whined, bitting down on his pirozhki.

They all burst out in giggles at that, forgetting immediately about the speech, and enjoyed the rest of the evening without any incident ruining the mood. After drinking a bit too much, Chris and his best friend began to sing without minding the fact that their host had neighbors, and soon, the tan skinned skater joined them in the fun, the two girls filming their prowess with their phone.

Otabek preferred to stay by Yuri's side, even if his lover wasn't far away, and continued to talk to catch up a bit, mocking the oldest men or looking at pictures on their phone. It was obvious that he didn't want to let go of him. But when it was time to leave the couple, the Kazakh skater seemed quite sad, staring at the blonde like he was some sort of love interest, and his best friend reassured him by saying that they would see each other again. Then, the hardest thing was to call a taxi so Phichit, Chris and Viktor could go back to their hotel without causing any problems, the latter being quite drunk at the moment, and the Thai promised he would take care of them and call if anything happens during the ride.

And now, they were alone in the quiet apartment.

Yuuri was actually washing the plates and storing what was left of the food in the fridge, humming quietly for himself. The sight was really pretty and the Russian was enjoying it from afar, chuckling silently, his arms crossed against his torso, eyes shining with a lustful glow. Now that he was eighteen, he could overcome the limits between them and decided that it was time to claim what he thought was his. Walking discreetly behind him, Yuri placed his hands on his lover's hips, caressing his skin under the blue long sleeves t-shirt he was wearing, putting his lips on his exposed neck, repressing the need to mark him, and pressed their bodies together, earning a little sigh of pleasure from the Japanese male.

"We are alone at last. Thanks for today. It was ... incredible."

"That's nothing. You are the one I should thank" the black haired adult answered, leaving his chore aside to turn back and embraced his beloved. "You grew up so much and became so beautiful."

"Stop flattering me piggy. You are the one whose beautiful ..." he muttered shyly, hiding his face in the other's neck.

"That ponytail suits you !"

"But yours are better. I thought she was going to rip them from my skull ..."

Exchanging soft and lovely compliments to each other, the two men drowned into their passion, closing the small gap between them, sealing their feelings with their wet lips, their tongues engaging a furious fight for supremacy, lost this time by the older skater who was distracted by his lover's fingers on his back, searching greedily under his cloth, and the youngster let his need for contact swallowed him completely, forgetting that they were still in the kitchen.

While he explored Yuuri's mouth, making him moan inside their kiss, his hands traveled along his spine, tickling his katsudon a little, and soon, he was approaching his firm butt dangerously, lifting his pants so he could enter easily. The ravenette shuddered under his touch, trying to focus on what was happening up there, his own members getting tangled with his hair, and whimpered when the other squeezed one of his butt cheek. He pushed the russian far enough so he could catch his breath, eyes wet with tears and pleasure, and he put his forehead against his torso to ask some support.

"You want it that badly ?" The Japanese asked, panting.

"I've waited for that day since I fell in love with you. So, yes."

"I thought that you would be patient enough so I could give you your present when we would have been in the bed but if you are that eager ..."

"Wait ! You were going to ... offer me your virginity as a gift ?" The blonde half-yelled in surprise, looking seriously into the brown eyes in front of him.

"D-don't say it like that ! It's really embarrassing !"

A burning sensation spread through Yuuri's body, his face going red from it, and the cat lover couldn't help but laugh at the sight. It wasn't a secret that this little piglet was a virgin and that he never had any experience in love, but it was adorable coming from him. Plus, Yurio was in the same boat so, he couldn't feel superior to him.

"If it's not to your liking, I-I can think of something else !" The black haired man stuttered in despair.

"No no no ! I'm happy ! I really am. You're just so ... cute when you're blushing like that. I want to eat you slowly, my present."

At that, the pork cutlet lover freed himself from his powerful grasp and led him in the bedroom, that he wanted to call "theirs" from now on, his hand trembling from apprehension. Yuri knew that his boyfriend had some issues with anxiety, not loving his body at all even if he had gone back to the way he was before, giving him the nickname "Fatso" and "Piggy" not helping at all, and he was sure that it would be a problem when they would begin to undress. The ravenette wasn't fat anymore. He had the perfect silhouette to skate and was quite handsome to be honest. So, he will have to appease his fear as soon as possible before a panic attack comes to ruin the mood.

Sitting on the edge of the mattress, the blonde pulled his beloved gently by the wrist, forcing the oldest to kneel on top of him, and he admired the man he cherished so much, stroking his thighs with one hand while the other was busy with his cheek to reassure him about what he had guessed, was some kind of anxiety. Yuuri didn't say anything, bitting on his lower lip to hold back his stress, and leaned in his touch, searching for comfort in this cold palm.

"If you're not ready, I don't want you to force yourself ! We can do it another time and ..."

"No ! No ... I w-want to do it. It's just that ... I'm not too sure about what my body looks like" the adult answered, looking down as if he was ashamed of the way he was.

"Listen to me carefully, you're the most beautiful man I've ever seen in my entire life and everyone who say otherwise, are just jealous about you. Yuuri, you are kind, intelligent, fun and attentive to everyone's needs. My feelings for you won't change even if you gain some weight. I'll love you no matter what !"

Hearing those words seemed to help the ravenette a lot, a sigh of relief escaping his parted lips, and tears flowed behind his glasses, falling on his t-shirt, showing how much pressure he felt. Yurio wiped them with his thumb, murmuring soft compliments to his lover, and pulled him into an innocent and pure kiss that lasted for almost a minute.

Without saying anything more, the Japanese began to remove his clothes, throwing them at the end of the bed without any care, ignoring the sight of his belly which was magnificent in the blonde's eyes, and put his glasses on the nightstand next to the couch, closing the distance between them so he would be able to see his face.

"You're my most precious treasure, Katsudon ..." He breathed next to his ear, licking his earlobe to tease him a bit.

"And you're my everything Yurachka !"

Then, everything went very quickly.

Overcoming his fears with all his might, the twenty seven years old man helped his lover to undress as well, leaving them in just their underwear, and they started to make out while the Russian was playing with his locks, tracing a line to the top of his head to the end of his back, slipping one finger inside his boxers. Moans echoed in the room as their kiss became more heated, their tongues intertwining like two snakes, and when they separated, the youngster sucked on his skin at different places, biting on his shoulder to claim his whole being, and the other whined in displeasure and need, running his hands through his beloved's hair.

"Aaah ... Mmh ! Yu-Yurio ... Ah !"

A wave of lustiness hit him like a truck when he felt one finger enter his butt-hole, preparing him for what was coming next, while the Russian kept kissing every part of his body, licking his pink nipples like he was some kind of hungry baby, using his other hand to play with the second one. Never in his young life, Yuuri had been so happy and excited to do something with someone, and if it had scared him a little at first, everything had been forgotten along the way, giving him just plain pleasure and satisfaction.

Soon, the space in his underwear was reduced to the point that a bump had formed, some precum showing as his cock rubbed against the material, and if it wasn't for the finger thrusting in him, he would have moved a while ago to the next level.

But the cat lover seemed to enjoy his game, letting another finger in to join the fun, and when he had finished to torture the hard nipples in front of him, Yuri got down to his lover's navel, using the tip of his tongue to explore that place, snatching a bunch of moans from his katsudon. Against his own crotch, the younger male could feel the hard on of his boyfriend, smiling at the thought that he was feeling good, and he left his hair to come and take care of this little one.

"Mmph ! Mmh ! Nnh ! Aah ... Y-Yurio ! How do you k-know all this ?" The Japanese asked between shaking breaths.

"I had dreams about you during the last two years so, I'm just doing what I saw in them."

"W-what ?! Aaha !"

He had spoken without thinking about his words first and that was embarrassing when he realized that he had just revealed one of his most shameful secret. It wasn't weird to have wet dreams about his boyfriend, but saying it bluntly like that, and to the subject of his fantasies. The sex was making him say things he wouldn't have admit even if he was drunk. That was surprising.

After removing the last piece of cloth that prevented them to go all the way, a condom being placed skillfully on the Russian's dick, Yuuri propped himself on his shaking knees to be above the erection of his partner, a third finger preparing him to welcome that new presence, and lowered his body slowly so it would penetrate him without hurting. It took a minute or two for the adult to accept that unknown but wanted member in his hole, and when he was fully accustomed to it, he began to rock his hips forward and backward, putting his palm against his mouth to muffled his groans.

"Don't hide yourself Yuuri ! I want to hear your voice ..." the blonde requested, standing in a sitting position, hands on the oldster's back to support him.

"B-but ... aah ! The n-neighbors ... mmh !"

"Why do you care ? It's not like we are friends or something." He growled like an upset animal.

"W-what are you doing ?! Ahaa !"

Not wanting to hear anymore of this, Yurio pushed him back on the bed, placing his legs on his shoulders, hands on both side of his head, and moved in a sustained rhythm, the other letting small gasp of pleasure coming out of his mouth.

"How does it feel ?"

"I-it feels good Yura. Mmh ! Nnhn !"

Taking his cock between his long fingers, he stroked him until he reached his climax, kissing him on the lips while doing that, and looked at his lover, panting and covered in sweat, black hair all messed up because of their movements. He was so beautiful. If he had a camera, the blonde would have take a picture to immortalize that moment. But he could just appreciate it and engrave it in his memories.

It wasn't long before Yuuri came from all this pleasure, the youngster hitting his prostate more than one time, moaning loudly inside his boyfriend's mouth, cum spreading on his torso, and at this very moment, the cat lover understood that it was the expression only him could see. His privilege.

"Ahaa ... aaha ... I'm sorry ... I couldn't h-hold back"

The Russian didn't reply and thrust in him again, until he exploded in a wild groan, bitting his shoulder again to show to everyone else that he was his property. Then, they kissed again to link their bodies and souls, and parted with a heavy sigh, Yurio taking off the condom to throw it in the trash can of the bathroom. He came back with a wet towel to wipe the sweat off of their skin, taking care of the marks he had put on him, and when they were clean enough to go to sleep, the blonde covered them with the blanket, snuggling up against his lover, tangling their legs together.

As he was putting his hand under the pillow to support his head, something brushed against his fingers and he took the paper out of his hiding place, looking at it with a raised eyebrow. The ravenette turned around to see what was going on and was almost as surprised as him, before recalling what it was about.

"I wanted to give it to you before, you know ... but you were too impatient so I forgot about it !" Yuuri explained while putting his palm on the other's hip.

"What is it ?"

"I know you love cats a lot so, I was thinking we could take one in the apartment, now that it's yours too. I'm sure Svetia would be happy to have a friend !"

At his confession, the cat lover almost jumped out of the bed to hug him tightly against his torso, squealing like a little girl who just received the last version of his doll, and he covered the man's face with little peck, thanking him again and again for this. When he looked at the picture on the paper, his green eyes lighted up and the Bengal he saw, was just too cute to be real. He read quickly what the document said before placing it on the nightstand next to his lover's glasses and cuddled with him more to show him his gratitude.

"When are we going to adopt it ?" He demanded with a cheerful smile on his face.

"Tomorrow if you want. The pet store gave me all the documents already and Viktor bought a lot of accessories for it to be comfortable on day one" he said, thinking that Yurio might be eighteen now but he was still a kid in his head.

"I'm looking forward to it."

And with that, they hugged each other like there was nothing else that mattered in the world and let sleep overtook their exhausted bodies, eyelids closing after only ten minutes.

That was the best birthday someone could hope for.

[coachingreviewsite]

How To Unlock Your Potential Fast And Easy

New Post has been published on http://personalcoachingcenter.com/how-to-unlock-your-potential-fast-and-easy/

How To Unlock Your Potential Fast And Easy

You are a better person when you constantly seek to reinvent yourself. The advice in this post will help you to take the first steps towards a new you. It only takes a few simple life changes to vastly improve your life. You might be shocked by how easy it actually is to set these ideas in motion.

A great self help tip is to get in touch with people that are going through the same thing as you. You can also go to a support group. Getting in touch with people that are going through the same things, can help you because you won't feel so alone.

    It can be tempting to vow that we will never do _____ (insert bad habit here!) again, but such a mentality can often set us up to fail. Rather than vowing never again to engage in your bad habit, vow not to engage in it for the next 24 hours.

  When it comes to keeping "your world" in order, that should also include your wallet. People place a lot of unnecessary stuff in their wallets that makes finding what you need almost impossible. Try using a smaller wallet to start with. Try keeping it free of garbage you accumulate. Also, go through it regularly to ensure that it remains clean.

5 Unexpected Ways to Decrease Anxious Thoughts

blisspot.com

"You might find it hard to believe that simply putting pen to paper to write could give you peace of mind, groundedness, and increased vitality. Yet it's a fact. Through clinical research, James Pennebaker, author of Opening Up: The Healing Power of E…" https://blisspot.com/blogs/7898/1348/5-unexpected-ways-to-decrease-anxious-thoughts

A key to success is learning how to take personal responsibility for mistakes. Instead of playing the blame game, acknowledge your mistakes, learn from them than move on. Taking personal responsibility for your actions is actually very liberating. You will soon feel like you are the one in charge of your own future and it will be easier to make decisions.

  Sometimes finding a faith to devote oneself to is a great self-help idea. During hard times we tend to dwell on what is troubling us and lose sight of the bigger picture. A religious faith helps one focus on that bigger picture while altering the focus from hardship to a higher power.

  You cannot make any progress with respect to personal development if you have not outlined a goal or set of goals. For example, you may be wanting to lose weight. Without a goal in sight, it is near impossible to progress or feel like you are making progress. So, establish a goal now.

  You need to stop procrastinating if you want to have a less stressful life. If you procrastinate often it means that you carry a lot of stress because you are constantly feeling as though you have to hurry up and get something done. It can be easy to stop procrastinating if you schedule your day properly.

Avoiding a Victimhood Mindset in a Long-term Illness or Chronic Condition

theselfimprovementblog.com

"The Self Improvement Blog | Self Esteem | Self Confidence

There are some things we just don’t want to face or talk about, and one of them is a long-term illness or chronic condition that impacts your lifestyle in a drastic manner. We all have to make peace with the unpredictability of life. Admittedly, it’s much easier to process this when health serves you well. […]

 Avoiding a Victimhood Mindset in a Long-term Illness or Chronic Condition" https://theselfimprovementblog.com/self-improvement/featured/avoiding-a-victimhood-mindset-in-a-long-term-illness-or-chronic-condition/

Therapy is indicated if you feel you cannot deal with your problems. Though self-help books and online resources are great, they typically will not offer as much as a one-on-one therapy session can. Beyond the professional expertise, one-on-one therapy offers the opportunity for real communication. Reading a book won't let you have a dialog the way therapists do.

  A great way to combat depression through self help is to have a cup of coffee with a friend. This is a great way towards building and improving relationships which has proven to be extremely effective when dealing with depression. Not only will you help yourself, but you will also strengthen your relationship.

  Low self-esteem problems are often part of a vicious cycle. We do not wish to draw attention to ourselves, so we slouch and slump our way into oblivion. Break this habit! Standing up straight and practicing good posture projects a confident image, tones muscles, and increases our sense of self-image in a way that is immediately noticeable to ourselves and to others.

  Be true to who you really are. This is very important. You can't work to better yourself if you lie about who you really are. You need to accept that you are you, and that is a wonderful thing! Many people are not happy with who they are, but we can take responsibility for that, and improve who we are once we acknowledge the truth.

First Look: Leadership Books for August 2019

www.leadershipnow.com

"Here's a look at some of the best leadership books to be released in August 2019. Don't miss out on other great new and future releases. Transforming Legacy Organizations: Turn your Established Business into an Innovation Champion to Win the Future by Kris Østergaard Transforming Legacy Organizations provides real-world advice and research-based information on how to grow innovation by employing new technologies, improving processes, and establishing a culture of creativity and forward momentum. Conventional business wisdom views innovation as the biggest advantage startups have over large, established organizations, often referred to as legacy organizations. This belief is false, especially when considering that 70% of all startups fail within 20 months of their first venture round. The truth is innovation initiatives of legacy organizations have far better chances of succeeding.

Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career by Scott Young

In these tumultuous times of economic and technological change, staying ahead depends on continual self-education—a lifelong mastery of fresh ideas, subjects, and skills. If you want to accomplish more and stand apart from everyone else, you need to become an ultralearner. The challenge of learning new skills is that you think you already know how best to learn, as you did as a student, so you rerun old routines and old ways of solving problems. To counter that, Ultralearning offers powerful strategies to break you out of those mental ruts and introduces new training methods to help you push through to higher levels of retention.

The Chaos Parallel: How To Overcome The Life-Altering Effects of Insecurities by J Alex Geesbreght Everyone has insecurities. Like with most insecurities–especially those that are not self-inflicted–we don’t tend to “fix” or “get over” them; they are always with us and a part of who we are. However, if we are honest with ourselves, we can recognize them, understand them, and seek to find a way to live our most authentic lives free from the chaos they often create.

Flip the Script: Getting People to Think Your Idea Is Their Idea by Oren Klaff Oren is throwing out the old playbook on persuasion. Instead, he'll show you a new approach that works on this simple insight: Everyone trusts their own ideas. If, rather than pushing your idea on your buyer, you can guide them to discover it on their own, they'll believe it, trust it, and get excited about it. Then they'll buy in and feel good about the chance to work with you. That might sound easier said than done, but Oren has taught thousands of people how to do it with a series of simple steps that anyone can follow in any situation. And Oren has been in a lot of different situations.

The Optimist's Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age by Bina Venkataraman Instant gratification is the norm today—in our lives, our culture, our economy, and our politics. Many of us have forgotten (if we ever learned) how to make smart decisions for the long run. Whether it comes to our finances, our health, our communities, or our planet, it’s easy to avoid thinking ahead. The consequences of this immediacy are stark: Superbugs spawned by the overuse of antibiotics endanger our health. Companies that fail to invest stagnate and fall behind. Hurricanes and wildfires turn deadly for communities that could have taken more precaution."

https://www.leadershipnow.com/leadingblog/2019/08/first_look_leadership_books_fo_125.htmlhttp://www.leadershipnow.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-atom.cgi/weblog/blog_id=1/entry_id=1748

One of the hardest tips to swallow is to accept blame. Take the responsibility for everything that goes wrong in your day-to-day life. Don't make excuses, just own the moment. It is you that has paved the way to this moment and it is important to be in the driver's seat, no matter the reason. With this, you will gain the respect of your friends, family and peers and open the door to some enormous personal growth.

  Learn how to moderate your activities. Self control is an early lesson in personal development, and it can be one of the most difficult to learn. There are many things in your life that can harm your overall health like smoking, excessive drinking and overeating. Learn how to moderate these bad habits or even kick them completely. By succeeding you are giving yourself more time on the planet to achieve your personal development.

  There are seven secrets to success that will bring about true personal development. They are direction, destination, action, reaction, acceleration, completion and reproduction. Go through these steps in order and make sure to share your success with others. Success becomes more real to you when you can talk about it.

  A great personal development tip is to recognize and admit to yourself that there is a large gap between where your life is currently and where you want it to be. If you do not accept and acknowledge your current situation, you will have no chance of changing and improving your life.

  Define what's most important to you, and let go of the rest. You can be trying really hard to do everything, when the truth is that no one can. When faced with something, ask whether it relates to what is most important in your life. If it isn't, you don't need it.

  Set these tips in motion today to get the greatest benefit out of life. Now that you know some of the best strategies for making a difference in your life, you are prepared to go out and do something new. It is time to reinvent yourself and become the person you've always wanted to be.

[personalcoachingcenter]

How To Unlock Your Potential Fast And Easy

New Post has been published on http://personalcoachingcenter.com/how-to-unlock-your-potential-fast-and-easy/

How To Unlock Your Potential Fast And Easy

You are a better person when you constantly seek to reinvent yourself. The advice in this post will help you to take the first steps towards a new you. It only takes a few simple life changes to vastly improve your life. You might be shocked by how easy it actually is to set these ideas in motion.

A great self help tip is to get in touch with people that are going through the same thing as you. You can also go to a support group. Getting in touch with people that are going through the same things, can help you because you won't feel so alone.

    It can be tempting to vow that we will never do _____ (insert bad habit here!) again, but such a mentality can often set us up to fail. Rather than vowing never again to engage in your bad habit, vow not to engage in it for the next 24 hours.

  When it comes to keeping "your world" in order, that should also include your wallet. People place a lot of unnecessary stuff in their wallets that makes finding what you need almost impossible. Try using a smaller wallet to start with. Try keeping it free of garbage you accumulate. Also, go through it regularly to ensure that it remains clean.

5 Unexpected Ways to Decrease Anxious Thoughts

blisspot.com

"You might find it hard to believe that simply putting pen to paper to write could give you peace of mind, groundedness, and increased vitality. Yet it's a fact. Through clinical research, James Pennebaker, author of Opening Up: The Healing Power of E…" https://blisspot.com/blogs/7898/1348/5-unexpected-ways-to-decrease-anxious-thoughts

A key to success is learning how to take personal responsibility for mistakes. Instead of playing the blame game, acknowledge your mistakes, learn from them than move on. Taking personal responsibility for your actions is actually very liberating. You will soon feel like you are the one in charge of your own future and it will be easier to make decisions.

  Sometimes finding a faith to devote oneself to is a great self-help idea. During hard times we tend to dwell on what is troubling us and lose sight of the bigger picture. A religious faith helps one focus on that bigger picture while altering the focus from hardship to a higher power.

  You cannot make any progress with respect to personal development if you have not outlined a goal or set of goals. For example, you may be wanting to lose weight. Without a goal in sight, it is near impossible to progress or feel like you are making progress. So, establish a goal now.

  You need to stop procrastinating if you want to have a less stressful life. If you procrastinate often it means that you carry a lot of stress because you are constantly feeling as though you have to hurry up and get something done. It can be easy to stop procrastinating if you schedule your day properly.

Avoiding a Victimhood Mindset in a Long-term Illness or Chronic Condition

theselfimprovementblog.com

"The Self Improvement Blog | Self Esteem | Self Confidence

There are some things we just don’t want to face or talk about, and one of them is a long-term illness or chronic condition that impacts your lifestyle in a drastic manner. We all have to make peace with the unpredictability of life. Admittedly, it’s much easier to process this when health serves you well. […]

 Avoiding a Victimhood Mindset in a Long-term Illness or Chronic Condition" https://theselfimprovementblog.com/self-improvement/featured/avoiding-a-victimhood-mindset-in-a-long-term-illness-or-chronic-condition/

Therapy is indicated if you feel you cannot deal with your problems. Though self-help books and online resources are great, they typically will not offer as much as a one-on-one therapy session can. Beyond the professional expertise, one-on-one therapy offers the opportunity for real communication. Reading a book won't let you have a dialog the way therapists do.

  A great way to combat depression through self help is to have a cup of coffee with a friend. This is a great way towards building and improving relationships which has proven to be extremely effective when dealing with depression. Not only will you help yourself, but you will also strengthen your relationship.

  Low self-esteem problems are often part of a vicious cycle. We do not wish to draw attention to ourselves, so we slouch and slump our way into oblivion. Break this habit! Standing up straight and practicing good posture projects a confident image, tones muscles, and increases our sense of self-image in a way that is immediately noticeable to ourselves and to others.

  Be true to who you really are. This is very important. You can't work to better yourself if you lie about who you really are. You need to accept that you are you, and that is a wonderful thing! Many people are not happy with who they are, but we can take responsibility for that, and improve who we are once we acknowledge the truth.

First Look: Leadership Books for August 2019

www.leadershipnow.com

"Here's a look at some of the best leadership books to be released in August 2019. Don't miss out on other great new and future releases. Transforming Legacy Organizations: Turn your Established Business into an Innovation Champion to Win the Future by Kris Østergaard Transforming Legacy Organizations provides real-world advice and research-based information on how to grow innovation by employing new technologies, improving processes, and establishing a culture of creativity and forward momentum. Conventional business wisdom views innovation as the biggest advantage startups have over large, established organizations, often referred to as legacy organizations. This belief is false, especially when considering that 70% of all startups fail within 20 months of their first venture round. The truth is innovation initiatives of legacy organizations have far better chances of succeeding.

Ultralearning: Master Hard Skills, Outsmart the Competition, and Accelerate Your Career by Scott Young

In these tumultuous times of economic and technological change, staying ahead depends on continual self-education—a lifelong mastery of fresh ideas, subjects, and skills. If you want to accomplish more and stand apart from everyone else, you need to become an ultralearner. The challenge of learning new skills is that you think you already know how best to learn, as you did as a student, so you rerun old routines and old ways of solving problems. To counter that, Ultralearning offers powerful strategies to break you out of those mental ruts and introduces new training methods to help you push through to higher levels of retention.

The Chaos Parallel: How To Overcome The Life-Altering Effects of Insecurities by J Alex Geesbreght Everyone has insecurities. Like with most insecurities–especially those that are not self-inflicted–we don’t tend to “fix” or “get over” them; they are always with us and a part of who we are. However, if we are honest with ourselves, we can recognize them, understand them, and seek to find a way to live our most authentic lives free from the chaos they often create.

Flip the Script: Getting People to Think Your Idea Is Their Idea by Oren Klaff Oren is throwing out the old playbook on persuasion. Instead, he'll show you a new approach that works on this simple insight: Everyone trusts their own ideas. If, rather than pushing your idea on your buyer, you can guide them to discover it on their own, they'll believe it, trust it, and get excited about it. Then they'll buy in and feel good about the chance to work with you. That might sound easier said than done, but Oren has taught thousands of people how to do it with a series of simple steps that anyone can follow in any situation. And Oren has been in a lot of different situations.

The Optimist's Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age by Bina Venkataraman Instant gratification is the norm today—in our lives, our culture, our economy, and our politics. Many of us have forgotten (if we ever learned) how to make smart decisions for the long run. Whether it comes to our finances, our health, our communities, or our planet, it’s easy to avoid thinking ahead. The consequences of this immediacy are stark: Superbugs spawned by the overuse of antibiotics endanger our health. Companies that fail to invest stagnate and fall behind. Hurricanes and wildfires turn deadly for communities that could have taken more precaution."

https://www.leadershipnow.com/leadingblog/2019/08/first_look_leadership_books_fo_125.htmlhttp://www.leadershipnow.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-atom.cgi/weblog/blog_id=1/entry_id=1748

One of the hardest tips to swallow is to accept blame. Take the responsibility for everything that goes wrong in your day-to-day life. Don't make excuses, just own the moment. It is you that has paved the way to this moment and it is important to be in the driver's seat, no matter the reason. With this, you will gain the respect of your friends, family and peers and open the door to some enormous personal growth.

  Learn how to moderate your activities. Self control is an early lesson in personal development, and it can be one of the most difficult to learn. There are many things in your life that can harm your overall health like smoking, excessive drinking and overeating. Learn how to moderate these bad habits or even kick them completely. By succeeding you are giving yourself more time on the planet to achieve your personal development.

  There are seven secrets to success that will bring about true personal development. They are direction, destination, action, reaction, acceleration, completion and reproduction. Go through these steps in order and make sure to share your success with others. Success becomes more real to you when you can talk about it.

  A great personal development tip is to recognize and admit to yourself that there is a large gap between where your life is currently and where you want it to be. If you do not accept and acknowledge your current situation, you will have no chance of changing and improving your life.

  Define what's most important to you, and let go of the rest. You can be trying really hard to do everything, when the truth is that no one can. When faced with something, ask whether it relates to what is most important in your life. If it isn't, you don't need it.

  Set these tips in motion today to get the greatest benefit out of life. Now that you know some of the best strategies for making a difference in your life, you are prepared to go out and do something new. It is time to reinvent yourself and become the person you've always wanted to be.

[palmoilmillmachine-blog]

Noted British environmentalist defends palm oil

13 Apr 2019 (New Straits Times Online) Distinguished environmentalist Sir Jonathon Porritt is more than a little kind to me. That’s saying a lot after I called him a ‘barista’ instead of a ‘barrister’. It’s obvious that he’s not about to serve me a cup of hot coffee at the Sime Darby Plantation in Ara Damansara where we’re ensconced comfortably in a cosy meeting room.

He winces slightly at my mispronunciation and smiles benevolently while I miserably contemplate sinking into the plush sofa. He’s British, of course, and takes my faux pas in his stride. After all, Britain is famed everywhere for her ‘unrelenting politeness’; it’s where the national reputation for good manners is treated as a badge of honour.

But that’s not the only vestige of respectability surrounding UK’s leading sustainability champion. His credentials are impressive. Porritt is an eminent writer, broadcaster and commentator on sustainable development and had established Forum for the Future, UK’s leading sustainable development charity in 1996.

The Oxford graduate in modern languages is also an author with eight titles to his name, and is known as an eminent environmental thinker, having spent decades in the environmental field, covering activism, politics, public service, writing and taking on the role of advisor. One such role was advisor to Prince Charles on green issues in his capacity as co-director of the Prince of Wales Business and Environmental Programme.

Porritt is in Kuala Lumpur where he resurfaces every few months or so, serving as an independent sustainability advisor for the board of Sime Darby Plantation Berhad. Isn’t that a bit of an oxymoron? For the terms environmentalist or sustainable champion to be bandied together with palm oil which has been pilloried, as recent news would attest?

“Are you a sell-out?” I ask him bluntly. “Well, I’ve been called worse,” he responds, smiling wryly. “Well, I think it’s quite difficult for some people,” he adds, his British politeness surfacing as he tries to make sense of people’s antagonism. “I’ve always been identified with strong radical views about the environment.” So when he speaks up and seeks to represent a critical industry like the oil palm industry, “…well some people don’t like it,” he muses, shrugging his shoulders.

This doesn’t mean he’s selling out, he insists. Is it a sell-out to work with companies producing wheat? Is it a sell-out, he posits, to work with companies working in horticulture? “Palm oil is an important ingredient in thousands of products around the world. Just like any other crop in the world, you can either do it sustainably or you can do it unsustainably.”

FATE OF PALM OIL

The oil palm is blessed with many attributes that have helped it on its path to dominance. Its fruit contains the world’s most versatile vegetable oil. It can handle frying without spoiling, and blends well with other oils. Its combination of different types of fats and its consistency after refining make it a popular ingredient in packaged baked goods.

Its low production costs makes it cheaper than frying oils such as cottonseed or sunflower. It provides the foaming agent in virtually every shampoo, liquid soap or detergent. It’s increasingly used as a cheap raw material for biofuels, especially in the European Union, one of the biggest consumers of palm oil, consuming around 15 per cent of global production every year. Malaysia is the second largest producer of the fuel after Indonesia.

But to produce palm oil in large enough quantities to meet growing demand, farmers across Southeast Asia have been clearing huge swaths of biodiversity-rich tropical rainforest to make room for massive palm plantations. Today, palm oil production is somewhat blamed for being the largest cause of deforestation in Indonesia and other equatorial countries with dwindling expanses of tropical rainforest. With that scenario in mind, the proliferation of oil palm plantations at the expense of the rainforests has aroused the EU’s concern.

In 2015, six EU countries namely Denmark, France, UK, Germany, Netherlands and Norway signed a declaration, stating themselves as supporters for 100 per cent sustainable palm oil in Europe and declared their intention to end illegal logging and deforestation by 2020. On the heels of that declaration, a report was tabled to the members of the European parliament (MEP) recommending a stop to deforestation, singling out oil palm as a major cause and driver of deforestation. The recommendations were passed and was later known as the EU Resolution (2017).

Following the endorsement, several action plans were lined up to stop deforestation. Firstly, they planned and proposed the ban of non-sustainable vegetable oils for biofuel by the year 2020. It was also proposed that only sustainable palm oil certified by a single EU-sustainability certification scheme would be allowed to enter the European Union after 2020. A move to completely ban food-based vegetable oils for biofuels by the year 2030 was proposed.

In January last year, the EU Parliament set to vote again and this time around, the recommendations were clear. Palm oil was singled out and palm oil-based biofuels will be completely banned by 2021. Decisions made by the MEPs in 2018 sent a very strong signal to palm oil producers in Malaysia and Indonesia.

The palm oil industry has a “really bad legacy”, Porritt admits. It has become synonymous with rainforest destruction. But he says the industry has moved a long way to address the issue in the last 10 years. "Palm oil isn’t the principal source of deforestation here. It might well once have been, but it isn't now," he claims.

The controversial decision is a huge concern for people who are working in the industry here. “The thing that irritates me is the fact that no one seems to want to distinguish between palm oil that’s produced well and not causing damage to the environment, and that which is still damaging the environment through deforestation,” he says.

The EU insists that palm oil has got to be produced without damaging the environment, and according to Porritt, most big companies in Malaysia through the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) – an NGO established to promote the growth and use of sustainable palm oil through credible global standards and engagement of stakeholders – have met those challenges.

WORKING FOR A SOLUTION

It’s a simple choice, he says. “Either we stop this industry altogether and find another alternative for palm oil, which would have massive negative impacts on the economy of palm oil-producing countries or we ensure that this industry meets that demand as responsibly and sustainably as possible.”

That means working with companies that share that vision for producing things sustainably which Porritt hopes would act as an encouragement to the rest of the industry. “This is my rationale, if you like, for continuing to do this kind of work,” he shares.

He reveals that he does similar work with a lot of other sectors that are controversial from a sustainable point of view. “I’ve just returned from New Zealand where we do a lot work with Air New Zealand,” he says, pointing out that the aviation industry has not done well, where evidence has shown that the industry is the most significant contributor to the tourism industry’s increasing impact on environmental sustainability.

“My question for the critics is, “So you’re never going to fly again?”” he asks wryly, adding: “Because if you’re not going to say that, you’re acknowledging that there’ll be planes in the air!” There’s a need to make industries in any sector, as responsible and sustainable as possible, he explains, quipping: “Actually it’s a lot harder with aviation than it is with palm oil!”

JOURNEY TO GREEN KNIGHTHOOD

Coming up with sustainable solutions to the world’s complex environmental concerns remains Porritt’s passion from the get-go but according to the 68-year-old, he never intended to be an environmentalist. “When I left Oxford, I thought I was going to become a lawyer,” he recalls, eyes twinkling. “And my life would’ve been very simple, you know. Make lots of money and do loads of interesting things with it!” So why didn’t he? “I got absolutely crushingly bored by the law!” he replies, chuckling, adding: “I went on to become a teacher.”

Porritt spent 10 years as a teacher but he soon grew concerned about the quality of lives led by his students living in a rather degraded environment back in London. “They lived near a huge motorway which meant that the air quality was poor while there were hardly any green areas about,” he recalls. “I’d take them out to the countryside to teach them about nature. I was an English teacher back then, but it occurred to me that most of these young people needed to be exposed to nature and green areas.”

It was tough for the children, he opines, adding that the conditions they were living in “…weren’t the kind of conditions you’d want your children to be brought up in. This had a big impact on me. How do you improve the local environment just to make for a better place to live in?”

That prompted Porritt to read up on the environment, and caused him to stumble upon a book called Blueprint for Survival that resulted in a pivotal career change. “The book simply said ‘look at where the world’s population is at now, and look at how much damage we’re already doing’” he recounts, before continuing: “I read the book in 1972, about 45 years ago. If we’re still doing the same kind of damage we’ve been doing all along, what will be the future of humankind?”

Porritt realised that the world would be in trouble if things aren’t changed. “So I got involved in green organisations to play a part in helping to protect the environment effectively,” he shares. He joined the Ecology Party (now known as the Green Party of England and Wales) in 1974 back when “…nobody cared enough to listen to green ideas!” he says, laughing heartily. “There weren’t many members back then. We could get together in a pub and set about the party’s business. It was great fun!”

In 1984 Porritt gave up teaching to become director of Friends of the Earth in Britain, which is part of an international network of environmental organisations in 74 countries. “That was one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life,” he recollects fondly.

Today, Porritt continues to champion sustainability tirelessly and remains unapologetic about his desire to work with palm oil conglomerates to effect positive changes. “I remain a fierce critic of just how long it took for palm oil giants to sort out some of their legacy issues,” he insists. “But to go on demonising such a critically important industry makes no sense.”

We should work together on solutions that would allow the palm oil-exporting countries to continue thriving while at the same time ensuring that an equilibrium is being found to preserve natural key habitats, he says.

Seeking out solutions and working towards a sustainable future seem to be Porritt’s ‘cup of tea’, or ‘coffee’ I put forward, grinning, in reference to my earlier faux pas. He laughs heartily before sharing: “Scientists are looking at climate change and have noted the pattern of accelerated change that’s taking place all over the world, particularly in the Arctic and Antarctic.”

He explains that these researchers have posited that the window of opportunity to make changes for a more sustainable future is shrinking rapidly. “They’re saying we’ve got to start doing things in the next 10 to 15 years,” says Porritt.

He believes the time has come for industry players to do the same. “Every company in whatever business has to think about innovation and making the necessary changes for a sustainable future – including palm oil conglomerates. And that’s exactly what they’re setting out to do” he notes, before concluding: “Eventually we’ll learn to live sustainably on this planet, one way or the other, as we’re left with no choice.”