#said rivalry and saving the day and ultimately uniting their kingdoms because of that is the core of the movie and its message.

[cak31ssuperi04]

Ask game! If it's not too many: Willa, Carlos, Mariposa, Catania pairs against each other :D

Not too many. Would never turn down an opportunity to talk about them <3

Catania/Mariposa

Stating the obvious but I hold in my heart that Fairy Princess is the Barbie spin on Romeo and Juliet. Confession when I first watched the movie I was wholeheartedly expecting them to dance together at the end(though obviously mattel wouldn't have painted it in a romantic light) as a callback to the earlier ball scene? With the whole ball setting it just felt like that was what they were building up to Imsorry. I was genuinely surprised at the time when it didn't happen but in hindsight that's probably more on me that the movie itself.

Carlos/Willa

Chewing on drywall eating gravel letting the earth consume me. They're a fun pair. They're opposites in a number of ways, they bicker and drive each other up a wall at times but they do like and care about each other and work well as a duo when it comes down to it. They complement each other. Goofs.

Catania/Willa

Okay look I know I'm the only one who ships them but someone has to. Imo I think it gets overstated sometimes exactly how shy Catania is. She's introverted, she struggles with being away from immediate safety and (re. the crystal ball dance scene which I feel like is the biggest point towards her being shy)worries about standing out too much but she's also shown to be very outwardly friendly and enjoy parties and handle social situations well. I think what I'm getting at is that Willa has more immediately in common with her personality-wise than she does with the other two but they're still different enough that it would be interesting to me. They'd be a little silly. They'd get into shenannigins

Carlos/Mariposa

Not my favorite pair for either character but they're sweet, I like them, I don't mind them being endgame. As a sidenote it annoys me when people talk about how their relationship was forced but Specifically reference the first movie when their interactions are actually very easy to interpret as platonic in that one(like as in no more romantic than other Barbie/Male-Lead pairs that are commonly seen as friends i.e. Linden/Elina or Barbie/Leo), it's Fairy Princess that actually leans into the idea of a romance. If you're going to be a hater at least get it right

Mariposa/Willa

I should clarify that I'm graphing these all as Romantic pairs. I really love their friendship! lots! I think it's sweet how Willa looks out for Mariposa and tries to be supportive of her even if she doesn't always understand. Their interactions are cute! I just don't realllyyy care that much about the idea of them as a couple? Which feels hypocritical since they hit a few similar beats as other ships I do like but you know, much love to anyone who does ship them xoxo

Carlos/Catania

Despite not once directly interacting with each other I think they'd get along well! They have a lot in common. Love the idea of them as friends more than as a couple.

[bw13x]

Of all the demographic challenges nations face, ageing is the most serious.

The world is experiencing a seismic demographic shift and no country is immune to the consequences, the inevitable problems that nations face includes overpopulation, sex-ratio imbalances and many more. While increasing life expectancy and declining birth rates are considered major achievements in modern science and healthcare, they will have a significant impact on future generations, ultimately leading to what is commonly known as the ageing population. It is when a country has a high percentage of old generation people, in which it causes a lot of serious problems in human lives, such as the decline in working-age population, increase in health care costs, leading to higher dependency ratio, as well as the changes to the economy, entailing as one of the most paramount demographic challenges the world is facing today.

For instance, sex ratio imbalances is a common feature shown in modern age-sex pyramids as well as being one of the challenges of demography, in which there is an excess of male births for the entire world, a 102 males to 100 females ratio, which is caused by the severe gender inequality - the “son preference”. There are a number of causes for a skewed sex ratio, which can either affect the population sex ratio or the sex ratio at birth. In developing countries, families prefer to have sons, as they are needed to provide a source of income, whereas women are arranged into marriage in exchange for a dowry. Sons become a living pension for their parents, while women are an economical burden. Female infants are often at risk of infanticide, in which it allows the killing of unwanted newborn female babies owing to the preference of males in some societies.

Also, with more advanced technology in the modern world, it allows the identification of the gender of a fetus at an early stage or pregnancy, exacerbating the impact of the son-preference on populations. In particular, China’s one child policy increased the effect of the son-preference on its population, by restricting the number of children to one, it is significantly more important for families to have a son, this caused a greater number of parents to use sex-selection techniques in order to guarantee a son. Typically, the favouring of boys reflects the uneven status of men and women, this can be a product of an antiquated legal system that does not allow women to inherit land or wealth, ultimately leading to gender inequality. With surplus of men in the society, there will be greater mistreatment of women, because women are more desirable, kidnapping, prostitution and trafficking of women increases, as seen in less developed countries such as China and India, in which there will also be increased violence in the society as there is evidence that when single young men congregate, the potential for more organised aggression is likely to increase substantially, resulting in discrimination against women, the neglect of their health care or nutrition, resulting in higher female mortality. Despite the negative consequences, sex ratio imbalances isn’t the greatest challenge nations are facing nowadays, as when there are shortage of women, they are also more valued, resulting in lower rates of depression and suicide, as well as leading to a rise in tolerance towards homosexuality, as there is a surplus of men. Therefore, despite the problems caused by the sex ratio imbalance, it isn’t particurly the greatest challenge nations have to face as it can

be solved with economic development and social change globally, such as in China, the increase in the late 1980s peaked at around 120 males births per 100 female births in 2005 and the imbalance has since decreased due to more economic development, which justifies that with more economic opportunities, the population tend to exhibit lower sex ratio imbalance levels.

On the other hand, human overpopulation is defined as a state in which there are too many people for the health and viability of the environment, which impacts the survival and well being of human populations. To be more specific, it means that there is an overwhelming ecological footprint of a human population of around 7.7 billion, of these 2 billion have been added after 1993, at this rate, human population will reach an atrocious 9.7 billion, damaging the environment faster than it can be repaired by nature, potentially leading to an ecological and societal collapse. Overpopulated areas face many challenges, most of which stem from the impact of climate change or human overexploitation of natural resources, in which Asia is the area at the greatest risk among all other continents.

With a falling mortality rate due to an improved health care system, scientific progress allowed humans to overcome diseases that are previously untreatable, the invention of vaccines and discovery of antibiotics also save millions of lives, which in turn makes it the key factor in unfettered population growth. As the number of annual deaths fall, while births remain constant, the population increases. In certain countries, the impact of migration and accumulation of the population in cities lead to the demographic growth, which ultimately leads to 4 horrendous consequences.

First off, it is the exhaustion of natural resources, in which the main effect of overpopulation is the unequal and unrestrained use of resources, when the consumption rate is faster than the generating rate, it will cause environmental degradation. Consequently, overpopulation will cause fierce rivalries to control resources in developing countries, territorial conflicts over water supply will eventually lead to geopolitical tensions and can result in inevitable wars.

Additionally, with environmental degradation, the unbridled use of natural resources leads to deforestation and desertification, extinction of animals and plant species changes the water cycle and lead to the form of emissions of large quantities of greenhouse gases, and global warming will become more severe.

On the other hand, there will be rising unemployment as there will be a high number of workers fighting over for a limited number of job opportunities and vacancies and seems destined to lead to high rates of unemployment in the future, provoking rising crime and social revolt. All the above will then lead to an increasing living cost in most countries, there will be fewer resources, less water supply and the packing of people into confined spaces and lack of money will decrease the quality of life with poorer sanitation, leading to more widespread diseases and increases the rate of mortality.

Despite overpopulation is said to be the major problem for the human race, ​​this population growth has come with its own advantages and disadvantages depending on the prevailing situation. As the one of the obvious advantages for large population is that there will be greater number of human resources , the abundance of people can lead to fewer workload per person, which may have a positive effect on society.

At the same time, ageing population is also becoming increasingly apparent in many industrialised nations around the globe. Ageing population means that a population structure in which the proportion of people aged 65 or over is high and rising. Not only does it affect developed countries, the proportion of elderly citizens will also grow higher in less developed countries, as they will experience the effects of widespread ageing, including the decline in working-age population, increased health care costs, unsustainable pension commitments and changing demand drivers within the economy. These issues could significantly undermine the high living standard enjoyed in many advanced economies.

As of December 2015, people 65 or older account for more than 20% of the total population in only three countries, Germany, Italy and Japan, however up to this day, the figure has risen to 13 countries and will affect even more countries by 2023, reaching a projected number of 34 countries.

With increasing life expectancy caused by improved medical care, water supply, sanitation and hygiene, it leads to a rapidly ageing population, meaning that there are fewer working-age people in the economy. This leads to a supply of shortage of qualified workers, making it more difficult for business to fill in demand roles. An economy that cannot fill in-demand occupations will face adverse consequences, including declining productivity, higher labor costs, delayed business expansion and reduced international competitiveness of a country. For instance, a supply shortage will also push up the wages, thereby causing wage inflation and creating a vicious cycle of price spiral. To compensate, many countries seek for immigration to keep their labor forces well supplied, many people who have worked in skilled occupations such as banking, teaching, or medicine can continue to work in their 70s, they may serve as consultants, providing valuable advice to the younger generation. Yet, a key concern for governments of countries with ageing population is that the elderlies no longer generate much wealth themselves, and potentially large amount of money has to be spent on the elderly’s dad to day expenses, health treatments and housing costs, hugely troubling the economy.

For example, countries such as Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom are attracting more high skilled immigrants. However, integrating them into the workforce will be a huge challenge as domestic employers may not recognize immigrant credentials and work experience, while domestic employees will also face more unemployment as the competition for a job increases. To further solve the ageing population problems, countries will also attract more foreign direct investment, in which this will lead to the downfall of local businesses, as people have fewer income, they are less likely to consume, eventually leading to a worse economy.

[hooksandhappyendings-blog]

The Case for Jonsa

So this is a massive compilation of every single scrap of evidence I can find for Jonsa. You’ve probably heard some of these before. I just wanted to put them all in one place and explain my theory for how I think it will happen. I’m spoiler free (somehow) so all of these are completely theories. I, like the ill-informed King in the North, know nothing.

So, let’s start out by addressing the dragon in the room.

STOP TRYING TO MAKE JONERYS HAPPEN.

It’s not going to happen. I, like many of us, was an early believer in Jonerys. I just figured it was inevitable and pretty much accepted it early on. But over time I realized that the ship didn’t seem to have much basis. Season 4 Dany didn’t seem like someone Jon Snow would like. How was this going to happen? Well now I’m positive that it isn’t, and here’s why:

It’s just too obvious.

GRRM has not only mastered the plot twist, he’s reinvented it. He’s the least predictable story teller in recent memory. GoT has changed the way television shows are written and marketed. And yet, almost everyone seems to have decided that they know exactly what’s going to happen. All the signs seem to point to Jonerys. Hell it’s in the fucking title! But that in itself is a huge red flag. A dragon queen and a Northmen named Snow? Little on the nose don’t you think? It’s almost insulting that anyone would think GRRM capable of something so obvious. The Red Wedding, Jaime’s hand, Ned’s death, the destruction of the Sept, Ramsay’s game, Littlefinger’s... entire fucking plotline. All genuine masterpieces. Yet, we’re supposed to believe the finale has been figured out since book 3? I don’t buy it. And you shouldn’t either. Even if there is a union between them, a simple love story? Un-fucking-likely.

“The only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself.”

GRRM said that in an interview a while ago. And so far, he’s lived up to his words. Every single character has an inner conflict that makes every decision they make agonizing in some way. You’re telling me the ultimate GoT couple is the one exception? No. If Jon marries Daenerys he WILL be conflicted about it. Which is a head scratcher. Because marrying her would kind of solve all his problems. It would solve just about everyone’s problems. The only negative that union could bring would have to be an emotional conflict. Either he doesn’t love her or he loves someone else. Of that I have no doubt.

Missed opportunities for ship building.

With only ten more episodes left in the series the HBO shipyard really needs to get to work because they are way behind schedule. Anytime Jon and Sansa are in a scene together they’re arguing like a married couple and when they’re apart they’re bringing each other up or, you know, almost murdering potential suitors. The point is they never miss an opportunity to further intensify their relationship. Jon and Daenerys however... There wasn’t a shred of sexual tension in either of their scenes. No banter, like with Sansa and Ygrit. No nervous bashfulness like with Melisandre. There was nothing that hinted that Jon liked her at all. If Jonerys is endgame and we’ve still got three more wars to cover then shouldn’t they be utilizing every single second of joint screen time? If I knew it was real then I would say this looks like the beginning of a slow burn. They do not have time for that. Meanwhile his totally platonic sister is sitting beneath a sacred tree all “I wish Jon was here.” Which says so much! Because Jon being there would mean she wouldn’t have as much power and-- AH! Not enough time for that! Moving on.

Daenerys is not his type.

Even I assumed Jon would be enamored with Dany’s beauty, even if it was just physical attraction at first. In the books it is repeatedly emphasized (beaten to death really) that she is one of if not the most woman in the world. She even has an international reputation. In 7x03 Varys makes a comment about only knowing she was beautiful and everyone who meets her seems to fall in love immediately. Which is why it is at the very least notable that from a production standpoint no efforts were made to show any kind of reaction to her appearance. Normally we would see a closeup of his face to show... something. Eyes widening, mouth opening. And regardless of her beauty why wouldn’t we get this anyway? He’s never seen a Targaryen before. Silver hair must be quite a striking sight. The throne room is imposing. Her dress is stunning. Yet, no reaction? He isn’t in awe of her like Tyrion. He isn’t starring at her like the Dothraki Khals. He doesn’t even seem to take stock in her features at all. He just looks resigned to the fact that she’s probably going to kill him in some crazy sadistic way. I find that telling.

Jon doesn’t respect Daenerys and he never will.

Most people think that when Jon learns Daenerys’ backstory he’ll respect her more. Those people are insane. Regardless of what she’s been through, at the end of the day Jon is his father’s son. He believes in fairness and humility. As Lord Commander he delivered justice to both his enemies and his friends. He values honor above all things. Do you honestly think he could love a woman who burned a man alive without knowing his innocence or guilt? (One of the former Masters beneath the pyramid) Think about that. She murdered a man in a horrifically painful way just to inspire fear in her own subjects. As eye-rolling as it was listening to Cersei vividly describe Dany crucifying the noblemen in Mereen... You realize that’s exactly what she did, right? They weren’t criminals. They were law-abiding citizens. She just happened to disagree with the laws of their city. And when the bad examples committed a heinous crime she retaliated by punishing indiscriminately. She nailed innocent men to those crosses and let them die slowly. And thanks to the testimony of the teacher we know that not all masters were cruel. I admit I thought it was awesome when she did it, but it wasn’t justice. It wasn’t even vengeance. It boiled down to nothing more than a power-play that killed innocent people. Jon would not approve.

WHY I BELIEVE IN JONSA AND YOU SHOULD TOO

Every author worth his snow goes full circle. ALWAYS.

There isn’t so much a lot of evidence that Jonsa is happening as there are reasons why Jonsa just makes sense. The main one being the Petyr/Jon dynamic. It’s clear the final seasons of GoT will be filled with loops and parallels. Bran’s new powers along with the constant reminder that everyone repeat’s the mistakes of their parents makes a full circle twist absolutely inevitable. Petyr wants Sansa/Cat and Jon/Brandon is not cool with it. Baelish’s altercation with a Stark over his love set him on a path of vengeance and greed. How did this start? What was one of the very first scenes? Jon Arryn’s death. Which Littlefinger caused. His rivalry with a Stark is what got the ball rolling. Brandon should have killed him but spared his life. How is this not going to end with Jon remedying that mistake for the new Lady of Winterfell? It’s so GRRM. Oh no wait, I’m sorry. He’s probably going to write the story where the beautiful powerful girl and the beautiful powerful boy meet and fall in love and get married and have beautiful powerful babies and the kingdoms are united and the world is saved which isn’t parallel to anything other than the title but whatever. Much more his style.

Jon’s oversensitivity is very specifically placed.

Littlefinger says that he loves Sansa, but that isn’t what sets Jon off. There’s a very significant pause in which his facial expression doesn’t change. It’s when he says that he loves her like her mother. That’s when Jon flips out. Littlefinger saying he loved her is worrisome enough. Jon has to know that. But it isn’t enough to send him into a rage. When he reacts it’s pure, uncontrollable emotion. I don’t care what anyone says it makes no sense that he would get so violent over a romantic relationship. And that is what we’re talking about. I mean, he’s not worried about Baelish somehow forcing her to marry him. She’s the sister of the king now, no one can marry her without his consent and if he dies she’ll be Lady of Winterfell and can marry whom she likes. He’s also not worried about him raping her. That’s pretty much impossible. Even if he managed to do it somehow he’d never get away with it. He knows Sansa would have him hunted down. So what is Jon so afraid of? Well the only evidence of that we have is Jon’s single line. “Touch” is what he says. He’s not afraid of him marrying her. He’s not afraid of him taking her by force. He’s afraid of him touching her. Which is rather inappropriate for a big brother, wouldn’t you say?

As my mother would say, “Honey, that cloak is not weather appropriate.”

Seriously, why is he wearing it?? Clearly it’s not cold outside. Tyrion isn’t wearing any sort of jacket. Jon is wearing A WOLF HIDE AND A THICK ASS BLANKET OVER ARMOR AND LEATHER BOOTS!! It’s straight up weird. He didn’t have it on in the throne room. He specifically put it on to brood on a cliff about not being able to go home to his advisors (which is the Valyrion word for Sansa). I can’t think of any reason other than the obvious. Sansa made that for him. How could it not remind him of her? I also can’t help but note how important cloaks are in the marriage ceremony. They’re the universal symbol of an eternal bond between two people and it just so happens that she made him one and he treasures it like a security blanket?

HOW I THINK IT WILL HAPPEN

My theory is based mostly on a prophecy given to Daenerys early on. Now I could go into crazy detail examining these verses but for this post I’ll focus on the just two lines. I’ve added in what I believe it means but keep in mind the true meaning has been highly debated.

Three fires will you light. One for life (fire that made the dragons) and one for death (Khals) and one for love (TBD).

Three mounts you must ride. One to bed (D’harrio) and one to dread (Drogon) and one to love (Drogo).

Three treasons you will know. Once for blood (Mirri Maz Duur) and once for gold (wine seller/assassin) and once for love (TBD).

I believe that both lines refer to Jon Snow. I’m not positive how the first will go down but we know this line has yet to come true which means Dany is going to fall in love again. There isn’t really another candidate. I have never doubted that she will be madly in love with him and that’s likely why she’ll ask him to marry her. He’ll agree because it’s obviously the best thing to do for everyone, but by that time he’ll have fallen in love with his sister. It will be forbidden, lots of inner turmoil. In the first draft Jon fell in love with Arya and their relationship is described this way. Sansa has taken on a good part of Arya’s original storyline. I believe this will culminate in Dany catching them together a la Cersei and Jaime. And then to protect Sansa from Dany’s wrath he’ll kill his wife with Longclaw, which will create Lightbringer as the original sword was created in this way. So the thing that started this, Jaime pushing Bran, will end it along with a Stark and a Targaryen love affair. BOOM! Full circle.

Thoughts?

[torixus]

Ford vs. Ferrari: The True story behind the most bitter rivalry in Auto racing

History is full of famous rivalries. Most stem from a power grab or wounded pride—a few are a combination of the two. The best contentious relationships, however, are the ones that create the most legendary tales. Take the saga of how Henry Ford II—a.k.a., Hank the Deuce—attempted to acquire Ferrari in 1963, sparking a nearly decade-long feud between him and Enzo Ferrari, the strong-willed man that owned the Italian carmaker. At its core, the Ferrari versus Ford narrative—which gets the full Hollywood treatment in the new Ford v. Ferrari movie starring academy award winners Matt Damon and Christian Bale—recounts a business deal gone wrong and the reaction of a stubborn, egotistical automotive titan who was willing spend some $25 million and thousands of engineering man-hours to avenge his pride. To Ford, that meant beating Ferrari in the world’s most prestigious car race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which the Prancing Horse had historically dominated. The story begins in the early 1960s. U.S. purchasing habits changed as the Baby Boomer generation came of age. For the first time in history, youth were more important to American business’ bottom line than their parents. Boomers had lots of disposable income to spend on items such as cars, clothes and homes, and unlike their “a penny saved is a penny earned” parents, who had lived through the Great Depression and World War II, they were looking for something unique from a new vehicle. They wanted cars that were sportier and sexier, valuing speed and performance over comfort and reliability. They wanted sports cars, a fact that was not lost on the executives at Ford Motor Co. In 1962, Ford was coming out of a major sales slide thanks to failed products like the Edsel and the growing popularity of rival products from GM and Chrysler. CEO Henry Ford II, the eldest son of Edsel Ford and eldest grandson of Henry Ford, was desperately looking for a way to turn the tide. Top executives, including Ford Division general manager Lee Iacocca, convinced him that the answer was a sports car.

The Rivals: The most famous and powerful CEO in America in the sixties, Henry Ford II (right), up against Enzo Ferrari, possible the most narcissistic man to walk the earth.MARKA / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; ROGER VIOLLET/GETTY IMAGES

There was just one problem: Ford didn’t have a sports car in its portfolio, and there were no plans to build one. (Iacocca’s legendary Mustang was still a couple of years away from production.) It was decided that the most expedient way bring a vehicle to market would be to acquire one. That’s when the idea was floated to purchase Ferrari, which in those years was primarily a race car company that sold street-legal machines only to fund its track exploits. In the spring of 1963, after months of negotiation, an agreement seemed to be near. Ford would pay $10 million to Enzo Ferrari for his company and all its assets. A former racer, Enzo was supposedly eager to put a deal together with Ford, a move that would relieve him of the burden of running the company day-to-day. But at the eleventh hour, Ferrari balked at a clause in the contract that said Ford would control the budget and, thus, all the decisions governing the Ferrari racing team. Enzo was unwilling to relinquish control of his company’s motorsports program. He told Ford’s representatives that he’d never sell under those terms—nor, he added, would he sell to an ugly company that builds ugly cars in an ugly factory. It is rumored that he also insulted Henry II personally by insinuating that he couldn’t hold a candle to his grandfather, the real Henry Ford. To add even more insult to injury, Enzo then turned around and sold a majority stake in Ferrari to fellow Italian automaker Fiat. Some Ford executives, including the Deuce, speculated that Enzo was never serious about selling to Ford at all but had only negotiated with the company in order to pressure Fiat to come up in price. The ploy worked, and Henry II was left looking like a fool—without a ride.

GT40 MK II Ferrari

Triple Threat: While a trio of GT40 MK IIs passed the finish line in Le Mans together, none of the Ferraris even finished the race.

To get his pound of flesh, the Deuce decided to build a sports car that would humiliate Ferrari where it mattered to him the most, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The seeds for the legendary GT40 race car were sowed. Initially, the task of building the so-called Ferrari Killer was assigned to Ford’s Advanced Vehicles Group in the United Kingdom. They were already developing a vehicle that would use an engine created by Ford’s experimental engine group, located in Dearborn, Michigan. While the first batch of GT40s to roll out of the Advance Vehicle Group were fast, they were also incredibly unstable and unreliable. And the brakes were downright dangerous. According to Popular Mechanics, Ford engineers calculated that when a driver hit the brakes at the end of Le Mans’ Mulsanne Straight, the front brake rotors would heat up to 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit within seconds, causing them to fail. This would prove to be disastrous—even deadly—for any driver trying to compete in northwestern France, even the best in the world. Ultimately, the Ford team couldn’t figure out how to make the cars stay firmly on the tarmac, let alone run continuously for 24 hours, two musts for a win in Le Mans. After losing to Ferrari at Le Mans in 1964 and 1965, Ford turned to the legendary Los Angeles car designer Carroll Shelby, one of the only American drivers to ever win at Le Mans, to run race operations. Shelby (played in the movie by Matt Damon) was already a consultant on the project, but now he was in charge, responsible for its success—or failure.

Lights, Cameras, Action: Academy-award winners Matt Damon (left) and Christian Bale play Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles, respectively, in the film.MERRICK MORTON

After a challenging start, Shelby and his trusted friend, go-to test driver and engineering specialist Ken Miles (portrayed onscreen by Christian Bale), reinvented the GT40. And they did so by collaborating with Advanced Vehicle Group and Ford’s experimental engine group, rather than starting from scratch. Shelby and Miles first improved the handling and stability of the vehicle by improving its aerodynamics through flow testing. They taped wool streamers or tufts to the exterior of the car to see how air traveled over and around the vehicle. The better a car cuts through the air, the less power is required to propel the vehicle, which also leads to less fuel consumption. If the yarn lay flat, all was good. If not, it indicated there were flaws in the car’s design that adversely affected downforce and stability. The data collected allowed Miles and Shelby to make body and suspension modifications that helped the GT40 be more stable and maneuverable on the track. The brake problem was solved by Phil Remington, an engineer on the Ford team. He devised a quick-change brake system that allowed the mechanics to swap in new pads and rotors during a driver change, so the team didn’t have to worry about making the brakes last the entire race. To address reliability issues, the team used a dynamometer. A standard practice today, putting an engine on a dyno, as it is commonly known, was revolutionary in the mid-sixties. A dynamometer is a device that can measure force, power, and speed—so you can figure out how much power you need or how much you have on hand. The experimental team videotaped practice sessions before Le Mans and programmed a dyno to re-create the various stress points on the track. Then the team ran the engine for 24 to 48 hours on the dyno, virtually re-creating the conditions the engine would face during the race so it wouldn’t break down before the finish line. Le Mans.

Ferrari versus Ford: The #2 GT40 Mk II piloted by Le Mans winner Bruce McLaren passe Richard Attwood in the #16 Ferrari 365 P2. The latter didn’t finish the race. UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP VIA GETTY

All their hard work paid off, and the GT40 Mk. II was born. Ford didn’t just defeat Ferrari at Le Mans in 1966, it humiliated the Italian stallions. While Ferrari didn’t even have a car that completed the race, GT40 Mk. II’s captured first, second and third places. The finish wasn’t without controversy. Late in the race, Miles was well ahead of the competition, on his way to ending Ferrari’s dominance at Le Mans and becoming the only driver to win the world’s three biggest endurance race—the 24 hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Le Mans—in the same year. Ford’s PR guru Leo Beebe wanted to celebrate the win with a picture of the trio crossing the finish line together. So, he had Shelby order Miles to slow down and let the other GT40 teams catch up. After crossing the line, Miles was informed that he did not win the race. His teammate Bruce McLaren did. McLaren started several cars behind Miles. So even though Miles was faster until the very end, McLaren actually traveled farther faster, because Miles intentionally slowed down. Sadly, Miles died before he could race at Le Mans again. Late in 1966, he was testing another Ford race car at Riverside International Raceway in California when he lost control and crashed. Miles did not survive the accident. The Deuce, meanwhile, got a second taste of vengeance the following year at Le Mans—a Ford GT40 Mk. IV built by Shelby (who died in 2012 at 89) won the 1967 race. Ferrari finished second. As for the Ford GT40, the great American supercar remains one of the most collectible automobiles in the world, with a sticker price that would blow back any driver’s hair. The 2020 Ford GT begins at $500,000 while the track-only Ford GT Mk. II sells for $1.2 million, the first car from a Ford factory to cost more than $1 million. Revenge, it seems, still pays. Culled (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); via Blogger https://ift.tt/2XuBxpY

[sparda3g]

Kingdom Chapter 587 Review

Ouhon took a nasty loss against Gyou’un, but not without a stab to the arm. Gyoku Hou Unit was on the brink of losing faith and will to fight, but Kanjou affirmed everyone that Hi Shin Unit will carry Qin to victory. Now they have to rescue Ouhon, but at what cost. This chapter was emotional from combat and personal perspective level with a sign of a great climax on the horizon. So many bodies have fallen, so many more to come.

The chapter begins with the race to save Ouhon, but easier said than done. I actually thought Hara would skip the scene; I wish he did. It’s not because it’s boring, on the contrary. It’s exciting but with a price; fear of witnessing more lives going out. It waste no time to embark an adrenaline rush save and run scenario. More Gyoku Hou men lose their life for their beloved young master. Shoutaku notes that someone strong must pay a sacrifice to distract them while everyone else runs with Ouhon. Sadly, one volunteers the idea and that one is Kyuukou.

He’s the one to take the fall and despite the sadness that comes from his last words, it’s a great sendoff altogether. He is battling against the Ten Spears solo and he’s doing an impressive job for someone who isn’t the like of Ouhon or Shin. That said it doesn’t mean he has a fighting chance to survive. The series made it abundantly clear: once you enter a pit of strong enemies alone, you’re good as dead. Each strikes toward him got me cringing, but the fatal stab to the body is what sealed his fate.

While fighting, Kyuukou has a touching speech to deliver for Shoutaku, who is tearing up, witnessing his final action. It’s disheartening to hear a man, who promised in the past about living to the end as Gyoku Hou members, can no longer fulfill that wish. For his final sendoff, he smiles proudly to sacrifice his life for Ouhon and it was well worth dying for. That smile got to me as well as Shoutaku’s cry. It’s not his day at all. Kyuukou fights on, but at last, he dies by multiple stabs. I’m amazed how much this hits me, but for a sendoff, it was well done.

Shin wasn’t aware before of the situation with Ouhon and Gyoku Hou in peril, which gave me a bad feeling. I thought the damage for them will continue on as Shin will continue to do his job at his front. Shin does pick up on the eerie atmosphere; better late than never. I do think his concern shows his maturity on his relationship with Ouhon. Despite the never-ending grudge between them, Shin does care for his safety under the words of rivalry. It wouldn’t be the last as later scene highlights it with more meaningful moments.

There’s a couple of interesting aftermath effect from this day. To begin with, despite Shin unaware of the current problem, Gyoku Hou did in fact escape; but the price was made. Kyuukou and others have lost their life to save Ouhon. The upside is they managed to take down four Ten Spears’ members. Now they’re Six Spears; sounds like a pun opportunity for an action star. Most importantly, Gyou’un still suffers a bad injury to the arm. If only Ouhon aimed for the knee for an old meme joke. Seriously, Gyou’un needs a treatment immediately. It’s not determined how bad it is, but this could be beneficial for Shin if he were to be handicapped. This leads to the end of Day 13 with everyone falling back.

Fortunately, Banyou lives for another day; lucky him. I wish I can say the same for everyone else.       Kanjou continues to earn my great respect. Whether the feeling of karma or guilt, it is painful for him to be seen responsible for Ouhon’s downfall. While others defend him, he more or less accepts the blame. More importantly, he wants a time to pay his condolences to Kyuukou’s death. Now I feel bad for him even more. Rest in Peace, Kyuukou.

There’s an early withdrawal from Zhao due to two reasons. One is due to Gyou’un’s bad injury. If Qin notices it, they will gain the momentum from believing a chance to take out Gyou’un in his handicapped state. The other reason is Ouhon’s defeat, dead or knocked out. The key is to shatter Qin’s will to fight since they were “awakened.” It makes sense to leave no trace of hope with Gyou’un uncalculated time of injury, so Zhao minimize their hope with all cost. Going forward to the next day, gaining momentum is more crucial than ever.

The most emotional moment is the scene with Shin, along with Kyou Kai and Ten, visiting Gyoku Hou Camp. Everyone there is in such a depressed state; you would think Ouhon is going to die without a doubt. As of now, Ouhon is fighting for his life and that is enough to bring tears to those men. Shoutaku tries to tell Shin that now is not a good time to visit and cause a commotion. It is Shin we’re talking about; the guy who holds grudge against Ouhon. Shockingly yet welcoming, Shin displays a moment of maturity that astounds me.

The loud mouth side of his personality is absent until the end more or less, so we are treated with his matured and caring side. He calms Shoutaku down politely, like he has become a messiah. Joking aside, I like the change of tone in him, especially confronting Banyo, who is bawling in tears. Shin wants everyone to know Ouhon will not die from this. Already he fits in with the Unit. It’s quite moving to be honest. It’s neat that Kyou Kai is tasked in a different role of usefulness that doesn’t involve fighting. It’s not guaranteed that she will cure Ouhon, but she will do the best she can.

The chapter ends on an interesting keynote. While Kyou Kai works her magic, Shin is ready to discuss with Gyoku Hou about the plan to defeat Zhao’s Left Wing. I knew it; Shin is evil. But seriously, this is a stepping stone for him to take over Qin’s Right Wing. Actually, he’s the only Commander left standing, so maybe he’s already in charge. As if Kanjou predicted him to be the one in charge; good call. I can imagine Kanjou arrives and agrees to his leadership. Only two days left until Battle at Shukai Plains reaches its finale. Damn, that got me goosebumps. That is a clock to sheer epicness.

This was a pretty moving chapter. Zhao Army claimed a strong win on the 13th Day in which Qin can’t afford to lose anymore. The sacrifice was sad but great sendoff. Shin’s maturity amazed me to no end. The visual is pretty solid with the depressing tone and rising hope for Qin’s ultimate victory. The hype for the next chapter is strong. Only two days left for the battle, but a week break for us to suffer. Curse Hara and his tactic to toy with our emotions. The waiting game begins.

[torixus]

Ford vs. Ferrari: The True story behind the most bitter rivalry in Auto racing

History is full of famous rivalries. Most stem from a power grab or wounded pride—a few are a combination of the two. The best contentious relationships, however, are the ones that create the most legendary tales. Take the saga of how Henry Ford II—a.k.a., Hank the Deuce—attempted to acquire Ferrari in 1963, sparking a nearly decade-long feud between him and Enzo Ferrari, the strong-willed man that owned the Italian carmaker. At its core, the Ferrari versus Ford narrative—which gets the full Hollywood treatment in the new Ford v. Ferrari movie starring academy award winners Matt Damon and Christian Bale—recounts a business deal gone wrong and the reaction of a stubborn, egotistical automotive titan who was willing spend some $25 million and thousands of engineering man-hours to avenge his pride. To Ford, that meant beating Ferrari in the world’s most prestigious car race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which the Prancing Horse had historically dominated. The story begins in the early 1960s. U.S. purchasing habits changed as the Baby Boomer generation came of age. For the first time in history, youth were more important to American business’ bottom line than their parents. Boomers had lots of disposable income to spend on items such as cars, clothes and homes, and unlike their “a penny saved is a penny earned” parents, who had lived through the Great Depression and World War II, they were looking for something unique from a new vehicle. They wanted cars that were sportier and sexier, valuing speed and performance over comfort and reliability. They wanted sports cars, a fact that was not lost on the executives at Ford Motor Co. In 1962, Ford was coming out of a major sales slide thanks to failed products like the Edsel and the growing popularity of rival products from GM and Chrysler. CEO Henry Ford II, the eldest son of Edsel Ford and eldest grandson of Henry Ford, was desperately looking for a way to turn the tide. Top executives, including Ford Division general manager Lee Iacocca, convinced him that the answer was a sports car.

The Rivals: The most famous and powerful CEO in America in the sixties, Henry Ford II (right), up against Enzo Ferrari, possible the most narcissistic man to walk the earth.MARKA / ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; ROGER VIOLLET/GETTY IMAGES

There was just one problem: Ford didn’t have a sports car in its portfolio, and there were no plans to build one. (Iacocca’s legendary Mustang was still a couple of years away from production.) It was decided that the most expedient way bring a vehicle to market would be to acquire one. That’s when the idea was floated to purchase Ferrari, which in those years was primarily a race car company that sold street-legal machines only to fund its track exploits. In the spring of 1963, after months of negotiation, an agreement seemed to be near. Ford would pay $10 million to Enzo Ferrari for his company and all its assets. A former racer, Enzo was supposedly eager to put a deal together with Ford, a move that would relieve him of the burden of running the company day-to-day. But at the eleventh hour, Ferrari balked at a clause in the contract that said Ford would control the budget and, thus, all the decisions governing the Ferrari racing team. Enzo was unwilling to relinquish control of his company’s motorsports program. He told Ford’s representatives that he’d never sell under those terms—nor, he added, would he sell to an ugly company that builds ugly cars in an ugly factory. It is rumored that he also insulted Henry II personally by insinuating that he couldn’t hold a candle to his grandfather, the real Henry Ford. To add even more insult to injury, Enzo then turned around and sold a majority stake in Ferrari to fellow Italian automaker Fiat. Some Ford executives, including the Deuce, speculated that Enzo was never serious about selling to Ford at all but had only negotiated with the company in order to pressure Fiat to come up in price. The ploy worked, and Henry II was left looking like a fool—without a ride.

GT40 MK II Ferrari

Triple Threat: While a trio of GT40 MK IIs passed the finish line in Le Mans together, none of the Ferraris even finished the race.

To get his pound of flesh, the Deuce decided to build a sports car that would humiliate Ferrari where it mattered to him the most, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The seeds for the legendary GT40 race car were sowed. Initially, the task of building the so-called Ferrari Killer was assigned to Ford’s Advanced Vehicles Group in the United Kingdom. They were already developing a vehicle that would use an engine created by Ford’s experimental engine group, located in Dearborn, Michigan. While the first batch of GT40s to roll out of the Advance Vehicle Group were fast, they were also incredibly unstable and unreliable. And the brakes were downright dangerous. According to Popular Mechanics, Ford engineers calculated that when a driver hit the brakes at the end of Le Mans’ Mulsanne Straight, the front brake rotors would heat up to 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit within seconds, causing them to fail. This would prove to be disastrous—even deadly—for any driver trying to compete in northwestern France, even the best in the world. Ultimately, the Ford team couldn’t figure out how to make the cars stay firmly on the tarmac, let alone run continuously for 24 hours, two musts for a win in Le Mans. After losing to Ferrari at Le Mans in 1964 and 1965, Ford turned to the legendary Los Angeles car designer Carroll Shelby, one of the only American drivers to ever win at Le Mans, to run race operations. Shelby (played in the movie by Matt Damon) was already a consultant on the project, but now he was in charge, responsible for its success—or failure.

Lights, Cameras, Action: Academy-award winners Matt Damon (left) and Christian Bale play Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles, respectively, in the film.MERRICK MORTON

After a challenging start, Shelby and his trusted friend, go-to test driver and engineering specialist Ken Miles (portrayed onscreen by Christian Bale), reinvented the GT40. And they did so by collaborating with Advanced Vehicle Group and Ford’s experimental engine group, rather than starting from scratch. Shelby and Miles first improved the handling and stability of the vehicle by improving its aerodynamics through flow testing. They taped wool streamers or tufts to the exterior of the car to see how air traveled over and around the vehicle. The better a car cuts through the air, the less power is required to propel the vehicle, which also leads to less fuel consumption. If the yarn lay flat, all was good. If not, it indicated there were flaws in the car’s design that adversely affected downforce and stability. The data collected allowed Miles and Shelby to make body and suspension modifications that helped the GT40 be more stable and maneuverable on the track. The brake problem was solved by Phil Remington, an engineer on the Ford team. He devised a quick-change brake system that allowed the mechanics to swap in new pads and rotors during a driver change, so the team didn’t have to worry about making the brakes last the entire race. To address reliability issues, the team used a dynamometer. A standard practice today, putting an engine on a dyno, as it is commonly known, was revolutionary in the mid-sixties. A dynamometer is a device that can measure force, power, and speed—so you can figure out how much power you need or how much you have on hand. The experimental team videotaped practice sessions before Le Mans and programmed a dyno to re-create the various stress points on the track. Then the team ran the engine for 24 to 48 hours on the dyno, virtually re-creating the conditions the engine would face during the race so it wouldn’t break down before the finish line. Le Mans.

Ferrari versus Ford: The #2 GT40 Mk II piloted by Le Mans winner Bruce McLaren passe Richard Attwood in the #16 Ferrari 365 P2. The latter didn’t finish the race. UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP VIA GETTY

All their hard work paid off, and the GT40 Mk. II was born. Ford didn’t just defeat Ferrari at Le Mans in 1966, it humiliated the Italian stallions. While Ferrari didn’t even have a car that completed the race, GT40 Mk. II’s captured first, second and third places. The finish wasn’t without controversy. Late in the race, Miles was well ahead of the competition, on his way to ending Ferrari’s dominance at Le Mans and becoming the only driver to win the world’s three biggest endurance race—the 24 hours of Daytona, 12 Hours of Sebring and 24 Hours of Le Mans—in the same year. Ford’s PR guru Leo Beebe wanted to celebrate the win with a picture of the trio crossing the finish line together. So, he had Shelby order Miles to slow down and let the other GT40 teams catch up. After crossing the line, Miles was informed that he did not win the race. His teammate Bruce McLaren did. McLaren started several cars behind Miles. So even though Miles was faster until the very end, McLaren actually traveled farther faster, because Miles intentionally slowed down. Sadly, Miles died before he could race at Le Mans again. Late in 1966, he was testing another Ford race car at Riverside International Raceway in California when he lost control and crashed. Miles did not survive the accident. The Deuce, meanwhile, got a second taste of vengeance the following year at Le Mans—a Ford GT40 Mk. IV built by Shelby (who died in 2012 at 89) won the 1967 race. Ferrari finished second. As for the Ford GT40, the great American supercar remains one of the most collectible automobiles in the world, with a sticker price that would blow back any driver’s hair. The 2020 Ford GT begins at $500,000 while the track-only Ford GT Mk. II sells for $1.2 million, the first car from a Ford factory to cost more than $1 million. Revenge, it seems, still pays. Culled (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); via Blogger https://ift.tt/2XuBxpY