Monthly Archives: July 2020

As any hearing aid user learns fast, the auditory experience is created in the brain, not the ear. Surrounded by continual background noise in almost all environments, the human mind instinctively filters and pays attention to what is important, whether completely ignoring familiar traffic noises in favour of conversation, or picking out a mention of your own name across a crowded room.

Once you introduce the mediation of a device headphones or a hearing device however this delicate interaction between our eardrums and our brain is disrupted, and any background noise has more impact. While headphones can physically block some ambient sounds, background noise from transport to media to other people has an inevitable impact on concentration and productivity, particularly in the workplace.

Active and hybrid noise-cancelling technologies are improving all the time, and by filtering out lower-frequency sound waves and using feed-forward technology to directly cancel out unwanted inputs in the high frequency spectrum, impressive results can be achieved, optimised for different environments. But for truly effective noise cancellation, EPOS is deploying artificial intelligence (AI) in its latest headsets like the ADAPT 600, mimicking the way the human brain learns to filter and prioritise audio inputs like that flight path noise in your new apartment, which after a few weeks you simply dont notice.

Jesper Kock

As VP of R&D, Jesper Kock, described in a recent interview, the AI learns what the user needs it to do, in a process which is not unlike human learning, like when youre a parent to a small child you teach them how to ride a bike by teaching them the basics You look after them and give them feedback.

We start in just the same way with an AI neural network we teach it about EPOS sound quality and performance in our products. Then we teach it what we want to aim for, and the system ultimately becomes self-learning, arriving at solutions and detail that we couldnt have programmed.

So instead of having maybe 10 pre-configured noise reduction settings in a really high-end hybrid noise reduction headset, the AI can react in real-time to continually changing inputs in the users actual surroundings. It can intelligently optimise not only for voice pick-up, but to block out repetitive sounds and distractions enabling users to eliminate the continental disruption and distraction which plagues the modern workplace and so many other environments.

In an era where many of us are learning to work from new locations, having tech which comes on the journey with us both literally and metaphorically is a powerful success factor. Adaptive noise cancellation technology which continually adjusts to the changes as you experience them brings a new dimension of focus and peace, in any environment.

And the future will only get smarter, as Kock elaborated:

I can see AI providing input on other parameters, for example, reacting to the way you talk: your tone of voice, the words that you use, identifying if you are tired or angry or anxious

The device will know more about yourself than you do, and will be able to provide advice to you as a result.

These kinds of advanced biometrics may sound dangerously deep in the uncanny valley, but the explosion of AI voice assistants in the home as well as the workplace demonstrates growing acceptance of voice-driven technologies, which are enhancing our environments in undreamed of ways, and recent global events have only accelerated existing trends.

I think the 2020s are set to be a truly transformative decade when it comes to tech empowering the workplace, Kock continued. The overarching objective to encourage greater tech collaboration and integration in our daily lives will never have felt so present. These trends will not only optimise work performance and productivity but also dramatically improve employee health and well-being.

Excerpt from:

Sound Evolution from EPOS - UC Today

I've talked before about how the PS5 is a drastic design departure from previous PlayStation consoles, but I've never focused on the DualSense controller, itself a major shakeup to the DualShock line. PlayStation's controllers have all had similar form factors, so much so that the DualShock 2 and 3 are nearly identical. The DualSense is very clearly the odd one out in the family. Let's take a trip down memory lane and see how we got to this point.

Get your hands on it before it sells out

The PS5 isn't available for preorder just yet, but a few retailers are letting fans sign up for notifications so they don't miss out. The DualSense should hopefully make all of its upcoming games more immersive than ever before.

There have been plenty of unreleased PlayStation controllers over the years I'm sure no one can forget the PS3 boomerang but for our purposes will stick with the official controllers that released alongside PlayStation consoles. These are the ones we've all come to known as the DualShock lineup, now accompanied by the DualSense, set to launch with the PS5 this holiday.

The original PlayStation controller, pictured above on the left, isn't technically a DualShock controller. The name is derived from the two vibration motors found inside the shell, and these weren't introduced until 1997 when Sony released a controller with two analog sticks and rumble technology. This was the very first DualShock controller in all of its wired glory. It has your now iconic face buttons triangle, square, circle, and X, along with a symmetrical thumbstick layout, a D-pad, Start and Select buttons, triggers (L2, R2), and bumpers (L1, R1). The Analog button that can be seen in the center provides compatibility with the PlayStation Analog Joystick.

The DualShock 2 is nearly identical to its predecessor with some minor adjustments in the form of thumbstick textures and screws. This would also set the precedent for DualShock controllers to be entirely black when they would release. Under the hood, the technology was improved so that buttons were more pressure-sensitive and precise.

In terms of compatibility, the DualShock 2 can be used natively with both the original PlayStation and PS2 consoles, and the PS3 through the use of third-party peripherals.

What initially launched with the PS3 was actually called the Sixaxis controller due to its motion sensors, but it did not feature any vibration motors or haptic feedback for fear that these would affect its motion detection. The Sixaxis would eventually be phased out in favor of the DualShock 3, which included the previous rumble technology found in past DualShock's and also kept the motion sensors from the Sixaxis. All of its buttons remain the same, again with greater precision and tactile feedback, except it features a jewel PS button in the center instead of the Analog button.

Unlike previous DualShock controllers, the DualShock 3 is completely wireless through Bluetooth and can be charged via a mini-USB cable.

Up until the DualSense, the DualShock 4 was the biggest design departure from previous controllers. Not only is the casing more ergonomic, but a touchpad, light bar, and Share button were added, the latter of which would pave the way for instantly sharing content on social media. The touchpad is a versatile button that was severely underutilized, often acting as a glorified menu button for whatever game you're in.

Some games, like Ghost of Tsushima, take advantage of the touchpad's sensors and allow you to perform different actions by swiping in one of four directions across the pad. Its light bar, also underutilized, is primarily used with VR games and can act as a motion detector in games like Until Dawn, where players would need to hold the controller in a certain position to complete actions. The DualShock 4 also included a built-in speaker.

Now the DualSense marks a huge shakeup for PlayStation controllers. Right off the bat, you'll notice its two-tone color scheme and more ergonomic design. Sony put in a lot of work to ensure that the DualSense offers a level of immersion not found in DualShock controllers.

It features haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, allowing players to feel the tension and resistance of their actions in-game, like drawing a bowstring. The DualSense also has textured grips and thumbsticks that make it more comfortable to use over long periods of time. It keeps the touchpad and light bar found on the DualShock 4, but the light bar was moved to wrap around the touchpad on the DualSense. The DualSense is also charged through USB-C.

Get your hands on it before it sells out

The PS5 isn't available for preorder just yet, but a few retailers are letting fans sign up for notifications so they don't miss out. The DualSense should hopefully make all of its upcoming games more immersive than ever before.

Go here to see the original:

The evolution of the PlayStation controller: From DualShock to DualSense - Android Central

The National Association of State Boards of Accountancy voted to approve the CPA Evolution model, which it has been developing with the American Institute of CPAs, in an effort to require more technology skills from CPAs to pass the Uniform CPA Examination and qualify for state CPA licenses.

The vote Monday by NASBAs board of directors came after the AICPAs governing council approved the CPA Evolution initiative in May (see story).

The changes will affect how young accountants train to become CPAs, although many colleges, universities and state boards have effectively been making such changes in recent years as much of the accounting profession has long been leveraging technology to do auditing, financial reporting and taxes.

Its going to affect two areas of licensure, explained Daniel J. Dustin, NASBA vice president of state board relations. One is with education. We currently have an exposure draft out for comment. It was released on May 26 and the comment period ends on August 31. Its really to update the Uniform Accountancy Act model rules for the CPA Evolution initiative. What we tried to do was change what we were doing with the model rules to really modify them to be more in alignment with where a lot of state boards are today. In many ways, it doesnt impact a lot of boards with respect to the rules. The other area of change is the structure of the Uniform CPA Examination. What were hoping is that beginning in January of 2024 the examination will consist of three core sections, followed by a candidate passing one of three disciplines. So, its still a four-section exam.

NASBA anticipates the exam will be no more than 16 hours, the same as it is today.

The Uniform Accountancy Act provides a model that state boards of accountancy can use to update their statutes and rules in their own jurisdictions. In May, NASBA released the Uniform Accountancy Act (UAA) Model Rules exposure draft to propose the various changes in the education requirements for licensure under the CPA Evolution initiative. The goal is to encourage uniformity among the 55 different jurisdictions in the U.S. Once it receives support from the various boards of accountancy for the exposure draft, NASBA will start encouraging the state boards to implement the model statutory and rule changes in education, starting as early as this fall. Ultimately the changes will start to show up in the exam in Jan. 2024.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has led to delays in sittings for the Uniform CPA Exam this year and wider flexibility in how the test is administered, but Dustin doesnt anticipate that will affect the timing of the CPA Evolution initiative.

A lot of the preliminary work in the next year or two is going to be involved with task forces, both on the education and the examination side, and certainly technology like Zoom and Webex allows us to hold a lot of virtual meetings, he said. So, we dont anticipate that COVID-19 will inhibit us from evolving over the next few years. We witnessed the fact that Prometric test centers had to close down for about eight weeks because of the pandemic, but certainly by 2024 and the rollout of this initiative, we should be well beyond that and it shouldnt have an impact.

Probably the most noticeable update will be in the technology proficiency expected from CPAs in the three core sections of the exam and in each of the disciplines tested. One of the changes in education is to include more technology, both in the accounting and in the business areas, said Dustin. One of the focuses as we evolve the CPA Exam as well as the exam content is to include more technology-related content. Last year, the AICPAs examination team issued an exposure draft to modify the content to include some technology, but the CPA Evolution initiative will actually mean that we will begin another process with the AICPA examination team to do a practice analysis to determine just how prevalent technology is for individuals with one to two years of experience who work in CPA firms, and then enhance the exam by testing in those areas some more. That will be both in the core and in the discipline.

He sees the changes as being more relevant to how CPAs actually do their work today. I think its really going to mean the evolution of how the exam is structured, that certainly entry-level CPAs today have to have higher-order skills in order to do the job that theyre required to do when they come into a firm, said Dustin. Its no longer ticking and tying accounts. Its using higher-order skills and analyzing accounts, to work with clients to help them make key business decisions.

NASBA plans to offer more resources for accounting educators to help their students learn about whats needed to pass the exam in 2024. The Uniform CPA Exam is a national exam that all jurisdictions use, so its anticipated right now that the rollout will be in January of 2024, said Dustin. Were working on a lot of other aspects, including resources for educators in the near term.

The changes received widespread support from state boards around the country. It was really great to see both at the NASBA meeting last October as well as several webinars weve held in the winter and spring the amount of positive feedback that we received form state board members and state board executive directors with respect to the current model of the initiative, so weve been really encouraged by the feedback, said Dustin. Collectively the AICPA and NASBA have received more than 3,000 comments from various stakeholders, and overall its been a very positive process to date. I just think that a lot of our board members have been very positive with respect to where we are to date, and its encouraging to think that its going to continue that way as we move forward.

For more information about the CPA Evolution initiative, visit evolutionofcpa.org.

Continued here:

NASBA votes to advance CPA Evolution initiative with AICPA - Accounting Today

Bees (as well as ants and wasps) are from a group of insects known as Hymenopterans which are famous for their complex eusocial societies founded on altruism. Pixabay

In recent times we have become acutely aware of the devastating effects of infectious diseases on human life. Less publicized, however, are diseases affecting wild animal populations, which have played a central role in the extinction of many species. As such, disease plays a vital role in the ecology and evolution of animals and understanding its spread is crucial for the preservation of the worlds biodiversity. Social animals, with their tight communities and genetically homogenous groups, are at particular risk of succumbing to disease. To protect themselves, primates and social insects have evolved a collection of behaviours that minimize the risk and severity of infection. These can be preventative, such as grooming in primates, or active, such as social fever in honeybees, during which the temperature of the hive during bacterial infection is raised by the coordinated action of the individual bees. These behaviours form what is called social or collective immunity.

Animals like honeybees and ants, with their complex social structures and long-lasting nests, are often taken as model organisms to study social immunity. They can fall victim to a variety of parasites, be they fungus, bacteria, virus or smaller insects. These parasites and their hosts have coevolved in an evolutionary arms race leading to amazing examples of cooperation within the colony. For example, the smallest caste of the leaf-cutting ants will hitchhike on the leaves transported to the colony by the larger workers and thereby prevent flies from laying eggs on them. Uptake of parasites into the colony is similarly prevented in honeybee nests by having specialized bees guarding the entrance. Returning workers showing signs of infection will be barred entry. This behaviour must have been selected for at the level of the colony, as it is obviously detrimental to the individual. In this way, social insects avoid infection by preventing the parasites entry into the nest altogether.

Even if a parasite does enter the nest, the hosts will attempt to prevent its establishment. One way this is done is through cleanliness. Ants, termites and wasps will coat their nest walls with antibacterial secretions and rapidly remove corpses from inside the nest. This prevents the growth of fungi and bacteria. In another case, African honeybees prevent the establishment of the small hive beetle by driving the parasite into a corner and encapsulating it with propolis, or bee glue. This process can take up to days and involves multiple bees cooperating to build the wall and ensure the beetle does not leave during its construction. Researchers have found sealed crevices with up to 200 individuals, with evidence of cannibalism between the beetles. European honeybees lack this behaviour and the small hive beetle can often lead to the collapse of the entire hive. Overall, it is the dedication of time by the colony to the task of cleaning and guarding against parasites that prevents their establishment.

One hopes that we learn from animals social immunity that the most natural response to an epidemic is altruism.

If a parasite manages to establish itself within the nest, measures will be taken to minimize its spread and severity. Termites infected by fungus will signal to their peers not to approach them by hopping and bouncing erratically against the nest walls. In extreme cases, they might prompt their peers to encapsulate them to prevent the spread altogether. Ants will also implement their own version of social distancing, limiting contacts within castes. This localizes the infection to only a region of the nest, thereby protecting the queen. In one ant species, ants will heavily groom those exposed to the fungus. This spreads the fungus spores among the colony, lessening the severity of infection and priming the individuals immune system against the illness. This comes at a high risk to healthy individuals but serves to lower the overall threat to the colony. Altruism towards their peers is ultimately at the core of many of these social strategies. By cooperating to limit the spread, severity, establishment and uptake of parasites, social insects can avoid the worst effects of disease.

Collective immunity is not limited, however, to insects. Primates will frequently groom one another, for both social bonding and hygienic purposes. In the sea, cleaner shrimp and fish congregate to form cleaning stations, where they then feed on parasites of larger animals. These collectives are wonderful examples of interspecies cooperation. Microbes, themselves often the target of social immunity strategies, also exhibit collective immunity. When bacterial Staphylococcus aureus colonies are challenged with antibiotic gentamicin, some individuals begin to respire anaerobically. This reduces the pH, rendering the drug ineffective towards the whole colony. These bacteria incur a large cost to themselves in order to confer immunity to those that didnt change their metabolism. Strategies to prevent and fight disease are general and can be found in social species ranging from microbes to the great apes.

Behaviours contributing to collective immunity have been selected for by evolution to suit the particular parasites in the hosts environment, but human activity is upsetting this delicate balance. By introducing diseases to new locations and encroaching on animal habitats we are increasingly putting species at risk of extinction. In Hawaii, avian malaria carried by the non-native mosquito has been one of the driving factors for the extinction of many bird species. In North America, the small hive beetle is partly responsible for the falling population of honeybees. The increasing closeness between urban centres and wildlife is sure to produce future outbreaks of disease. During these, one hopes that we learn from animals social immunity that the most natural response to an epidemic is altruism.

Varsity is the independent newspaper for the University of Cambridge, established in its current form in 1947. In order to maintain our editorial independence, our newspaper and news website receives no funding from the University of Cambridge or its constituent Colleges.

We are therefore almost entirely reliant on advertising for funding, and during this unprecedented global crisis, we have a tough few weeks and months ahead.

In spite of this situation, we are going to look at inventive ways to look at serving our readership with digital content for the time being.

Therefore we are asking our readers, if they wish, to make a donation from as little as 1, to help with our running cost at least until we hopefully return to print on 2nd October 2020.

Many thanks, all of us here at Varsity would like to wish you, your friends, families and all of your loved ones a safe and healthy few months ahead.

See the original post:

How evolution fights epidemics with altruism - Varsity Online

Photo: Bronx Zoo, Monkey House, by Antigng / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).

Better late than never, the Bronx Zoo yesterday apologized for imprisoning an African Pygmy, Ota Benga, as a display in its Monkey House in 1906. They left something out, though. But first, why did they choose this moment? From Fox News:

The chief executive of the [Wildlife Conservation Society], Cristin Samper, told the [New York] Times that the group had started digging into its history because of its 125th anniversary this year. Samper said that process, combined with conversations about racial injustice sweeping the country after the police killing of George Floyd, prompted the apology.

Did the impact of the multiple awards-winning documentary Human Zoos, by Discovery Institutes John West, now with 2.5 million views and powerfully documenting the horrific episode and others like it, play any role? They dont say. Were supposed to believe it was sheer coincidence, the 125th anniversary of the zoos opening combined with Black Lives Matter protests, that prompted them to start digging into the zoos history.

Well, fine. Let them save a bit of face. Its commendable, too, that they admit the role of pseudoscientific racism and eugenics in the story of Ota Benga, his humiliation and dehumanization. From the zoos statement:

Specifically, we denounce the eugenics-based, pseudoscientific racism, writings, and philosophies advanced by many people during that era, including two of our founders, Madison Grant and Henry Fairfield Osborn, Sr. Excerpts from Grants book The Passing of the Great Race (with a preface by Osborn), were included in a defense exhibit for one of the defendants in the Nuremberg trials. Grant and Osborn were likewise among the founders of the American Eugenics Society in 1926.

Whats missing, and its not fine, is any mention of where these evil ideas came from. What was the nature, the content, of the pseudoscientific racism that motivated Ota Bengas treatment? To be accurate, the racism wasnt eugenics-based it was evolution-based. That is left out.

For a candid and shocking treatment, I suggest watching Human Zoos.

Imprisoning and displaying an African man in a zoo was not an experiment in eugenics, although that phony science was in vogue at the time at the institutions of higher learning where today woke students and faculty lecture the country about its systemic racism. One human zoo, at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition in Seattle, featured a display of supposedly primitive native people from the Philippines, the Igorot. The 1909 Exposition grounds became the campus of the University of Washington, from which professor and white fragility expert Robin DiAngelo now holds forth. Background like this never seems to make the cut.

The truth is that placing a man in the Monkey House was intended as an education for the public in Darwinian evolution. As John West has said, Ota Benga was only one of thousands of indigenous peoples who were put on display in America in the name of Darwinian evolution.

Though its article yesterday forgets to mention it (Racist Incident from Bronx Zoos Past Draws Apology), the New York Times understood that clearly in 1906. Brushing aside protests from black clergymen that the African should be given an education not put in the cage, the newspaper explained:

The suggestion that Benga should be placed in a school instead of a cage ignores the high probability that school would be a place of torture to him and one from which he could draw no advantage whatever. The idea that men are all much alike except as they have had or lacked opportunities for getting an education out of books is now far out of date.

In other words, Listen to the science! In fact, racial hierarchy was hailed as solid science at the time. The Times continued,

[T]he reverend colored brothers should be told that evolution, in one form or another, is now taught in the textbooks of all the schools, that it is no more debatable than the multiplication table.

The New York Times remains as haughty and scolding as it was 114 years ago. But they were right that evolution was (and is) taught in the textbooks of all the schools, as if it were as unquestionable as the multiplication table. The high school textbook at the center of the Scopes Trial in 1925, Civic Biology, informed students about the ranking of the human races, with the Ethiopian or negro type at the bottom, as a straightforward conclusion of evolutionary science.

Facing up to history, not tearing it down or hiding from its lessons, is necessary and healthy. The Bronx Zoo has gone a step in that direction, but not the whole way. They still shy from laying a hand on Darwinian theory. That would be going too far. The New York Times, in examining its own part in the same story, hasnt even taken a step.

Read more from the original source:

Something Is Missing from Bronx Zoo's Apology - Discovery Institute

In 2011, in a phase of severe economic crisis for Italy, almost on the verge of default, the violent ousting of the Libyan leader, Muammar al Minyar El Gaddafi, was the obvious tombstone of Italian foreign policy and also of its intelligence Services forced to serve only the interests of those who wanted to destroy Italys interests.

The United States wanted to put an end to the sequence of Arab Springs started in Tunisia, a small country suitable for tests as the papers of the Foreign Office reported in 1901 with respect to Russia, a country suitable for Socialist tests.

The United States interpreted foreign policy according to its internal and self-referential criteria and it was useless to ask it to have a broader vision.

Certainly France wanted to take Libya, but above all it wanted to take ENI and also to put Italy in a severe minority condition throughout the Mediterranean region.

The way in which France operated in Gaddafis times and, indeed, France has never relinquished coup designs against Gaddafi showed only one thing, that also Great Britain knew, i.e. that Gaddafi had been an excellent invention of the Italian Intelligence Services, when they still existed. Italy rescued Gaddafi at least three times, twice from Great Britain and once from France, as well as twice from the United States.

Pursuing our national interest, we were branded as anti-liberal and, in any case, within NATO you pay for certain betrayals.

Great Britain also wanted to follow France in its anti-Gaddafi hysteria, especially after Sarkozy asked the Raisfor a significant loan. It had some oil interest with it to prepare for the Royal Dutch Shell, which first opened negotiations with the new Libyan regime in 2013, as well as the ENI security Services, which quickly agreed with Jallud and Italys traditional points of reference in opposing Gaddafi. Either Shell or Total that was the game, while Italy was sinking into the crisis and a friendly sale of ENI was not unlikely.

To put it frankly, however, the anti-Gaddafi rhetoric was ridiculous: the usual talk about his not being democratic as if an Arab Rais could behave like a Manhattan jazz musician, all sex, drugs and rock & roll while opening the doors to the Muslim Brotherhood and its networks which, coincidentally, immediately generated a widespreading of jihadist organisations, as it happened also outside Libya.

Did they really believe there were good and bad jihadists? But where did they live, in a commercial spot for detergents?

The French intelligence services operation triggering the revolt was above all the tension at the Abu Salim prison, organized by a strange and previously unknown Libyan section of the Association for Human Rights based in Paris.

The material start of the revolt was in Benghazi, in February 2011, but the economic and social situation in Gaddafis Tripoli was very different from the other Arab springs superficially organized by some strategic PRs,paid by the intelligence Agencies, between Manhattan and Sloane Street. Nothing to do with talk about freedom and Martini cocktails.

In fact, as maintained by some reports of the German Foundations published shortly before Gaddafis fall, Gaddafis Libya ensured an average income five times as much as Egypts. Said income was also well spread among the population, especially with Gaddafi who did the only possible job in a country with many tribes, i.e. ensuring their selective support.

Furthermore, the harsh but also nave system already put in place against Milosevic in Serbia or against Saddam Hussein in Iraq was used again in Libya. Distingue frequenter, as the medieval logicians used to say.

The network of bloggers, previously strangely silent, started immediately, as well as some demonstrations on problems that existed even before, and the obsessive use of the buzzword democracy, which, in the minds of the poor and underprivileged people meant getting better, while in the words of strategic information managers, hired at a high and useless price by Western governments, meant: now work for us.

There was also Nietzsches soothing oil of the democratic myth to calm peoples fears, with some other possible distraction. Sex, above all, or youth amusement and entertainment business.

In the first phase of the Libyan peoples revolt, the United States largely had a wait-and-see attitude, but certainly a West believing that reality reasons like snobbish young ladies, like those you can find in some jet setters and socialites salons, is always doomed to the most tragic failures.

The Libyans did not want to kill the tyrant, in a Macbeth-style Scottish ritual since it is a concept completely alien to their political culture but they simply wanted to improve the Libyan regime, like the Tunisian one, both certainly permeated with nepotism and corruption, especially in Tunisia. Nevertheless, everything would certainly have been better than what happened afterwards.

Just think about the fact that the long war seems to be the silly rule of current humanitarian operations and interventions: everything is done with great fanfare and democratic rhetoric as if the whole world should go on like Vermont, or Paris V Arrondissement -and later you discover that the world is different from the parochial and obscure wealth of certain leaders. Hence the dose is repeated endlessly, always with fewer troops, as if the others were idiots or unable to fight, finally believing that everything works according to the repetitaiuvant principle. However, foreign policy and strategy never work like that.

The United States will be out of Afghanistan, without having resolved anything. Indeed, the situation will be worse than before, after a treaty with the Taliban drafted in Doha, which should lead to the withdrawal and complete return of U.S. soldiers back home within the next 14 months.

In Iraq, U.S. troops have been the subject of a Parliamentary resolution calling for their removal, despite the fact that the Iranian Armed Forces are still reluctant.

No significant strategic results have been reached and will be reached on the ground. Hence in Afghanistan the Taliban will obviously rise to power, as would have also happened many years ago.

In Iraq, with the Shiite majority in the population and the Iranian oil, economic, political and military penetration, I do not believe that the U.S. presence will achieve other great results.

Certainly the U.S. bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and the largest one in the Emirates, are another necklace around Tehran. As the old and new AFRICOM networks around Libya, i.e. as many as 29 military bases in Bizerte, Tunisia; Libreville, Gabon; Ouagadougu, Burkina Faso; Dakar, Senegal; Niamey and Agadez, Niger, to control the great route of African migration, often directed against our shores, as well as 5 other bases in Somalia, 4 in Mali, and finally 2 in Libya.

Hence a terrible game is being played on Libya, which is the command and control on the passages from the Mediterranean to Central Africa, and Italy seems only to repeat the usual formulas of the snobbish young ladies, like those portrayed by Italian comedian Franca Valeri, based on two gross and very dangerous mistakes: a) Libya is not a national interest, because the usual human rights must be restored, but this is huge nonsense because these famous rights should be restored all over Africa; b) Italys interest is only that of the West, which does not have only one interest and, anyway, all the interests already defined are against Italy.

Which is the virus currently inoculated in our childish and immature politicians, which does not let them believe that there is a national interest, in which Libya is an unavoidable axis, considering that, as Napoleon said, the basis of foreign policy lies in geography?

At the time, we followed the very childish idea of Silvio Berlusconi and of his centre-right coalition that sided with the Anglo-Saxons and France as if we were in a costumed re-edition of the Second World War.

Certainly, just in case, we were also told that we would be bombed by mistake. But fear is not part of some strategic calculations. If our allies that were stealing Libya and ENI from us had done so, we would have told the truth. And more train attacks and bombings would have taken place

The Reductio ad Hitlerum is a naivety that, in Italy, also applies to ruling classes. Ignorant of foreign policy as confirmands.

Now, we are in the fairy world of a government that believes it can mediate while being completely irrelevant. Even on the ground, in Tripoli and Benghazi. A fairy-tale world made of human rights, always slave to propaganda, as well as to the rejection of war laid down by the most idiotic article of our Constitution, Article 11 (and, indeed, it is not the only one), which in fact accepts only unconditional surrender. In fact, those who came to power after an unconditional surrender, remember only that.

Not to mention the usual irregular migrants to be accepted without saying a word something that our EU friendly countries do not and have never done, but that we should do immediately, considering the Dublin agreement and the always artfully created sense of guilt for old experiences.

It is also worth reiterating that Italy is out of Libya, of the Maghreb region, of Africa and it will shortly be out of the Mediterranean. Thanks to our politicians, who know about strategy and geopolitics like a pizza maker usually knows about the calculus of variations. No disrespect and offense to our pizza makers, of course.

Without Libya there will beno control of the Mediterranean. Without control of the Mediterranean, there will be no Italian strategic and economic autonomy. Finally, without Italian strategic and economic autonomy there will be no growth, the mantra about which current politicians talk grandly.

However, let us better analyse the situation: Russia denies any direct engagement in Libya, but there are at least 14 MiG29 missiles in the Jufra base, as well as some Sukhoi-24 bombers, and also Pantsir anti-missile systems.

Allegedly, in the bases still linked to General Haftar, there are also Serbian and Ukrainian mercenaries, connected to the Wagner networks of Russian contractors.

They are mainly in the base of Gardabyah, but although denying any direct military interest in Libya, Russia has reportedly deployed its 900 militants in Syria and Libya in the bases linked to Haftar, as done also by Turkey.

The intelligence Services are particularly active. Especially the French ones, namely the DGSE, as well as the American CIA, which has never left Libya, and the German BND. This is not surprising.

Italy still has an excellent advisor to al-Sarraj, who knows all too well how to deal with certain issues. But he is alone, isolated, and now he is rare breed in Tripolis government.

In our opinion, al-Sarraj was not the holder of some Italian geopolitical interests, which should be dealt with well, but has the virtue of having been awarded the holy spirit of international organisations, through complex and sometimes indescribable ploys and ruses.

Italy would recognize also the devil, if it were appointed by some international organisations and fora, possibly even irrelevant.

France does not care about the international choices, which so much entice ambassadors and ladies, although it is a major part of them, more than Italy. In fact, it has always operated with its intelligence Services on Haftars side. When will the geopolitical servile attitude typical of the Italian ruling classes end?

The passage channel between Libya and Europe but not in Italy is always the triangle between Benghazi, Zuwara and Malta, created with light aircraft.

They know more in certain palaces in Valletta, including the religious ones, than in many Italian palaces of power, if we still want to call them so.

For the French Intelligence Services, the easiest connection is between Algeria and Lyon and, still today, some French intelligence service operatives train the still budding executives of Haftars Internal Intelligence Service.

The Germans meet both Haftar and al-Sarraj with communication lines starting directly from Germany and arriving both in Tripoli and Benghazi.

Meanwhile, on July 19, Egyptian President Al Sisi, the former Chief of the Military Services of the Armed Forces in Cairo stated and he could not do otherwise that Libya is obviously a national interest for Egypt. Even Italy, however, should have done so, also with possible harshness.

The EU, another factory of nothing, has stated in these days that we need to go back to the 5+5 mechanism for negotiation. But all the Libyan parties are reflections of other foreign countries and it is useless kicking the dog and meaning the master. We only need to talk to the master. What would be the resolution of the Libyan crisis magically awaited by the United Nations? No one knows.

An open and clear segmentation of the territory, which at the time of the Ottoman Empire was not unified at all. Hence it is a matter of saying goodbye and part without resentment. Like the aforementioned snobbish young ladies, jet setters and salon socialites.

But are we sure that a split Libya would be in our best interest? Possibly with the Fezzan tribes, happily involved in the illegal migration business, and Italy there to wait and see, as well as pay additional 1.3 million Euros to the so-called Libyan coastguards, as recently happened?

In a context of oil and hence of public revenue crisis, such as the one expected in Libya in 2020/2021, the only country that will bear a heavy brunt will be Italy, which will probably die economically together with its old Libyan colony.

Al-Sarraj recently explained that 1.4 billion U.S. dollars of oil sales have been lost since the port blockade imposed by General Haftar last January.

It should also be noted that General Haftar already has excellent relations with the Greek Intelligence Services, he has often met in obvious opposition with Turkey. However, the choices made by the Benghazi leader have already caused an 80% fall in Libyan oil sales.

Considering that, in a situation of low prices per barrel and oil extraction restrictions, the least expensive oil in Africa, that is Libyas, has its own strong significance, if it is closed to markets, we can infer the rule of those who have an interest in still destabilising Libya and those who have not.

Where would the playing cards of Westerners be? A small market in a very severe crisis? A non-existent presence on the ground? The idiotic ideologies that see in rampant immigration or in the impossible sealing of borders the solution to our problems? Those who do not know how to use weapons should not do foreign policy, and there would also be many weapons.

Turkey has quickly taken the place of Italy, which is increasingly apallic.

In Italy they probably fear the reactions of some salon , jet setters and socialites, who would cry out for human rights and, sometimes, for the necessary actions of some lackeys.

Until January 2020, however, Turkey sent 100 of its officers and at least 2,500 militants from a jihadist group operating in Syria under the orders of MIT, the Turkish Intelligence Service, who quickly overturned the military result on the ground against General Haftar.

Turkey has two goals on Libyan soil: firstly, stopping the Egyptian, Emirates and Saudi operations against Turkeys economic and oil expansion in the Mediterranean. They know where the Mediterranean is. We do not.

We have surrendered to a beautiful region full of far more powerful States than Italy, namely Northern Europe, which no longer knows what to do with us. If it were not for the SMEs in the North.

Beautiful those times when Amintore Fanfani, a man with extraordinary strategic and predictive skills- after all Tuscan-Etruscans are a bit haruspices, or predictors, whom the Romans greatly feared, according to Titus Livy predicted a new Mediterranean policy for Italy, so as to take back that area that solum mio, just to quote Machiavelli in a well-known letter to Vettori.

The other Turkish policy line is that of perceiving a threat of the strategic whole between Israel, Greece and Cyprus to which at least it reacts with the probable EU support which, if any, would probably bring bad luck to the Turkish expansion in the Mediterranean.

The reaction of Haftars operatives, although defeated on the ground so far, has not been negligible and allows to foresee a long proxy war between Turkey, Egypt, the Emirates, Saudi Arabia and other countries.

With whom are the Westerners siding? They have left the ground to local players, with the exception of a few intelligence positions. Precisely with the hope of nothing, or rather with the idea that the matter will calm down and be settled by going back to the negotiation and mediation tables. To mediate what?

The success of Turkey, which will certainly not want to mediate its new presence in Tripolis oil market, as well as in the new Turkish Exclusive Economic Zone, stretching from the Libyan coast to Kastellorizo, in the Dodecanese?

What does Russia want? It wants to fight Westerners in the region and, anyway, also Turkey.

But again for Turkey and its intelligence, the services of the Russian contractor company Wagner were allegedly sold to the Emirates. This is not impossible.

Russia does not want a long war in Libya, which would wear out Mediterranean equilibria and probably exclude it from the new strategic context.

On the contrary, Russia officially wants an agreement between the parties, the end of hostilities and the creation of a Government of National Unity.

Furthermore, unlike others, Russia perceives the sense of Turkish penetration in Libya as the antecedent of the hegemonic Islamization of Turkey with respect to the jihadist groups of sub-Saharan Africa.

President Erdogan knows that Westerners who do not make calculations, but live on paranoia are now obsessed with China in Africa. He therefore thinks they will keep quiet while Turkey takes the big piece of Africa not yet fully colonized by China.

Russia, however, will never take great risks in Libya, because it does not want tension with Turkey, and especially with its new Turkish Stream.

In 2016 Russia already printed 9 billion U.S. dollars of Haftars new Libyan currency, with the effigy of the old Rais, transported to Benghazi via Malta, which imposed its remarkable tax.

Moreover, the Russian Federation is playing its future true cards on Saif-al Islam Gaddafi rather than on General Haftar. In short, everyone is playing and making plans on Libya, after the democratic disaster of France and Great Britain, while Italy is doing nothing at all.

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AKP and the Evolution of a New Brand of Populism in Turkish Politics - Modern Diplomacy

Businessmen John Elmuccio and Jon Lewis worked together in the 90s. Though the two mens careers pulled them in different directionsboth including stints at Fortune 500 apparel companiesthey often ran into each other. They realized that they shared a dream and the experience to help make it a reality. The idea came to fruition last May when they announced plans to open Evolution St. Louis, a $5 million knit garmentmanufacturing company housed in a 32,000-square-foot facility on Washington Boulevard that they believe will change the market and the city.

Why did you decide to build a high-tech knitting factory in St. Louis?

Lewis: We first looked at this in New York. We were both living in New York and said, Lets make it in the Garment Center, the Garment District, and all that made sense. But we recognize two things: The Garment District is too expensive of real estate. Even on the manufacturing side, it became implausible. It just didnt make sense. Plus, even if you paid someone at what we would consider a sustainable, reasonable wage, it doesnt mean anything in Manhattan. You need to make $60,000 a year just to buy Starbucks and commute into the city Then we met Susan Sherman and the team from the Saint Louis Fashion Fund, and they said, Dont sign anything! Come talk to us. [St. Louis] is where we found our home, because the real estate quotient is really competitive, it has this arts culture, and it has this historic narrative of being the Garment City. Then educationSam Fox School is the second-oldest urban design program in the country, facilities like Ranken Tech, St. Louis Community College, work development programsso we can hire employees [from here]. It became a great mix coming together to make true economic development.

Elmuccio: St. Louis used to be the second-largest apparel manufacturer in the United States. Thats the heritage this community is trying to recapture. That was the tipping point for us.

How do you hope Evolution St. Louis will change the citys economy?

Lewis: We moved here to create an industry sector. I think this is a billion-dollar opportunity. Were going to create 50 to 60 jobs in this facility, 50 to 55 machines in here. We envision 300 people working in this industry and envision 300 to 400 of these machines in various places within the city. Were talking about re-imagining the supply chain, not just for fashion apparel but for manufacturing in general. This is green manufacturing, tooevery part of our facility and every part of what were doing can be put in an urban setting where you can live, eat, work, and play within a 20-minute walk or bike ride.

Why is having a green facility important?

Elmuccio: The garment industry is one of the largest contributors to landfills in the world. The [Stoll] machines only have 3 percent waste, so its a huge difference.

Lewis: We chose to refurbish a building, rather than build one. From the HVAC system to plumbing to lightingin every aspect, we took a look at being sustainable and reducing our carbon footprint.

Can you explain how a knitting factory can bring in such high revenue?

Lewis: [The apparel industry] is about a two-and-a-half-trillion-dollar industry where 35 percent [of product] is some sort of knit. Then you couple in shoe uppers, athleisure, military and medical equipment, automotive opportunities. In addition, there are brands that focus 90 percent of their company on knit. Those are brands we can service, and were already talking to most of them. Were focusing on the contemporary luxury designer market and direct-to-consumer brands.

How do the Stollflatbed knitting machines streamline the knitting process?

Elmuccio: If people can envision 3-D printing, this is essentially 3-D clothing or whatever item we are making. These machines can make any structure we want. If we wanted to knit a ball, we could.

Lewis: If you can program it, the machines can knit it. It is hard for companies to design products [the standard] 18 months out and still be relevant. Here, we offer product orders three to four months out. These machines can run 23 hours a day. We want to buy enough machines so that we can make anything in any industry. If theres a brand that wants to do 10,000 units of a merino wool sweater for their fall 2021 line, theres no place in the U.S. that can make it. We built a facility to start.

Excerpt from:

Two clothing industry pros want to revolutionize US apparel manufacturing with Evolution St. Louis - St. Louis Magazine

This article was originally published here

Therap Adv Gastroenterol. 2020 Jul 20;13:1756284820941153. doi: 10.1177/1756284820941153. eCollection 2020.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: There is a growing research effort in the field of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening, with varying topics and shifting research foci over the years. The aim of this study was to apply a text-mining technique to evaluate trends in publications for CRC screening in the last 25 years.

METHODS: We retrieved MEDLINE/PubMed datasets from 1992-2017. We selected keywords from Medical Subject Headings to include CRC screening related publications. For each article, we extracted the following data: title, journal, publication date, abstract, article type, citation frequency, and country of origin. Articles were categorized into topics using word combination and title match technique.

RESULTS: In 1992-2017, 14,119 CRC screening related papers were published. The US had the highest number of papers (n = 4824) and China had the highest growth rate in publications. Overall, the most researched topic was screening and surveillance programs (38%). The topics of quality assurance (r = 0.87) and racial disparities (r = 0.91) have gained increased research attention over the years. In total, 11 of the 20 most cited articles in the field were published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

CONCLUSION: The number of publications devoted to CRC screening has grown, with high-quality research reaching top-tier journals. A surge in the number of publications has been increasing in countries previously less involved in research in the field. Screening programs remain the most researched topic, and quality indicators is attracting a growing attention. Text-mining analysis of CRC screening research contributes to an understanding of publication trends and topics and can point to the need for potential future investigations.

PMID:32733602 | PMC:PMC7372615 | DOI:10.1177/1756284820941153

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Evolution of colorectal cancer screening research in the past 25 years: text-mining analysis of publication trends and topics - DocWire News

Jason Waight, head of regulatory affairs, Europe at MarketAxess, considers why access to flexible data is key to using new trading protocols in fixed income

Jason Waight

Buy-side traders in the fixed income markets can have very different execution goals from one trade to the next. Price may be the key target for one investment, speed for another. The size of orders can also vary considerably, which impacts trading costs.

Help is at hand via new trading protocols and a wider variety of trading counterparties that allow firms to price bond trades in a variety of ways, according to circumstances.

All-to-all trading is not new conceptually, but is still being adopted by many firms. It is allowing non-bank traders to become price-makers, either to cut costs or even generate alpha, while still engaging in a pool of liquidity containing traditional dealers.

Internal crossing is also a valuable tool for European investors, as asset managers can find portfolios buying or selling the same assets simultaneously and exchange them at a mid-price instead of paying the spread in the market. US markets are expected to allow this model very soon, following a proposal made to the US Securities and Exchange Commission in June.

Dealers have built auto-quoting algorithms to stream prices to their clients, which can allow for rapid trading, typically in smaller-sized clips.

These different trading styles allow investment traders to find the right counterparty and trade size, at the right price. To be confident of the pricing being offered particularly where new activity extends beyond existing skill sets that trading desks had historically needed they have to be well supported by data and analytics to make the best decisions.

While bond prices are typically less volatile than equity markets, pinpointing the right price is challenging. The frequency of trading for any one instrument is far lower in bonds than in equity, creating gaps in pricing data. The number of individual instruments in bond markets is far higher and trading more fragmented as the market trades bilaterally or over the counter. These are time-limited instruments, making the proximity to issue or redemption a consideration. That makes the process of price formation more time-consuming and complex.

There are also market structural issues that make pricing less consistent. Prices for the same bond will vary depending on whether a trade is in the interdealer market or the dealer-to-client market, and the pricing of bonds for a smaller $300,000 trade will also be quite different to the pricing of a trade for a $10million block. Consequently, looking at bare numbers alone is not a good guide to pricing a trade in the future they need context.

Additionally, in 2020, price volatility for some parts of the credit space has been closer to the volatility that might be expected in equity markets, as investors look for alpha in a near-zero rate environment.

This volatility is increasing the appetite for new trading protocols but, to take advantage of them either as a price-maker or a price-taker, firms need to use pricing information that is timely, relevant and accessible. This demands sources of pricing information that capture multiple inputs and use them appropriately.

When asset managers engage with counterparties via new trading protocols, they need third-party data to benchmark the prices being offered. They can use proprietary data as well, but it is constrained because it naturally has biases based on a firms own activity rather than taking in a market-wide view of pricing. Counterparties will see a broader market of trading firms and activity and will stand their trading decisions in that context.

Where third-party pricing feeds are used, they must be transparent so they can be correctly understood and represented within analytics. The data used for one style of trading may not be appropriate for another.

For example, in all-to-all trading, firms can support price-making if they can be confident of where a bond ought to trade at a given point in time, making the timeliness of data vital, particularly if they are seeking to take advantage of volatility. That can deliver returns directly to investors.

Internal crossing removes the need for an external trading mechanism, but it must be supported by a composite price that clients can see and trust, to ensure both buyer and seller received a fair deal when the instruments were exchanged.

Having the right data sources is key to employing varied and effective trading protocols in the fixed income space. No single dataset will be sufficient given the different priorities and outcomes each is seeking to achieve. Access to data should reach across functions, so anyone within trading, portfolio management or risk who is needed to support a decision can do so in a timely fashion. MarketAxess Axess All platform the closest it has to an intraday tape in Europe has seen a growth in use beyond the trading desk to support a single view of the market and better management of trading as a part of the larger investment picture.

Data must also be accessible to support post-trade activity for each of these trading models. Whether using transaction cost analysis or other execution quality analysis, traders will need to benchmark execution against several measures, including the prices offered across several possible execution choices, and this hinges on the right data being available.

Improving execution quality over time is only viable if traders can use independent data to check the prices they are provided, and to frame that within similar market activity at that point. That information should include information that will help to contextualise implicit costs.

These costs might include that of not filling an order or of the market impact that a trade incurs, as well as explicit costs such as the fees charged by a trading platform and the spread at that point in time. Through quantitative analysis of execution quality across different trading protocols, buy-side firms have been able to exert pressure on their sell-side liquidity providers to provide better quotes.

During the height of market volatility in March, buy-side participation in all-to-all trading on MarketAxess Open Trading protocol nearly doubled. Firms that have begun to use this and other protocols for the first time are becoming more flexible in managing market risk and returns. Flexible access to data must develop in parallel to support this evolution.

More:

The evolution of pricing bonds and the data journey - Risk.net

(Photo credit: Getty Images)

Since the early 2000s, the Los Angeles Kings had struggled to find a No. 1 goaltender to just carry them into the playoffs, much less beyond. While Felix Potvin made his mark early in the millennium, it felt like a never-ending carousel of auditions, so to speak, in the Kings net. So, when Jonathan Quick came along in 2008, Kings fans were relieved, nay, overjoyed, when their teams new netminder offered more than a fitting name. Unfortunately, the lifespan of a professional athlete is a relatively short one. So, with Quick at 34 and in the back-end of his career, the Kings are forced to look to their future in goal.

Look no further than Cal Petersen.

In fairness, the Kings do have an array of talent in the future-goaltending wings, if you will, including Matt Villalta and Lukas Parik. At this juncture, though, Petersen appears to be the front-runner to take over the starting job in Los Angeles when Jonathan Quick moves on.

Petersen, of course, had to earn his spot with the Kings, which, as of now, is in Los Angeles as the No. 2 man behind Quick. But, the evolution of Cal Petersen as a goaltender is nevertheless a fascinating one.

I recently had the privilege of speaking with four of Petersens coaches, all at different levels. In addition to Matt Millar and Bill Ranford of the Kings, I also had the opportunity to speak with Petersons USHL and NCAA coaches PK. OHandley of the Waterloo Black Hawks and Notre Dames Andy Slaggert, respectively.

After a two-game stint with the Topeka Roadrunners of the North American Hockey League in 2011-12, Cal Petersen returned to his hometown of Waterloo, Iowa, to suit up for the hometown Black Hawks of the USHL.

After going 3-1-0 with a 2.94 goals-against average in five games for Waterloo in 2011-12, Petersen would go on to be a regular contributor for the Black Hawks over the next two seasons. His efforts over this time were especially appreciated by the clubs head coach, the aforementioned P.K. OHandley.

He was an exceptional goaltender when he was with us full time, extremely competitive and demanding of himself and his teammates in a very positive way, OHandley said. Cal worked at his game. Really worked. He watched video, he trained, and I think the best thing he did was understand that his role was pivotal to team success, and he embraced it.

In his first full season with the Black Hawks, Petersen shone in goal.

His 2012-13 campaign saw the youngster post a 21-11-1 record with a 2.50 GAA and three shutouts. While these numbers are impressive enough, OHandley remembered his netminder feeling added pressure being a hometown kid.

P.K. OHandley (Matthew Putney/ Courier Photo Editor)

Cal being a hometown kid, that was a lot of pressure, the Waterloo head coach noted. Our fans wanted him to be successful, but at the same time, the expectation was to win, hometown kid or not. I thought Cal handled that pressure exceptionally well and succeeded, which to me shows his competitive level and mentality.

While there may have been an added layer of pressure being from Waterloo, Petersen also used his hometown status to his advantage. He had been familiar with Coach OHandley and the Black Hawks from an early age, and vice-versa, helping his transition as a player become a seamless one.

Cal had been around our team practicing since he was about 12, OHandley recalled. I have had the pleasure of knowing Cal since he was a little kid, as did our staff, because he was from here and around the team. We had a relationship that was terrific and honest and still do to this day. His communication skills were exceptional when he was here. He wanted to be the best goalie and he took every conversation and critique like a pro at a young age.

Britta Lewis/Waterloo Black Hawks

If his 2012-13 performance were impressive, Petersen only did better the following season, posting a 27-7-4 record with a 2.50 GAA and two shutouts.

He understood the teams structure of play and really understood his role in that structure, OHandley observed. In my time in junior hockey, hes one of the few goaltenders that took the time to do that and embraced it. His competitiveness is something I admired when he was here, as I still do watching him today.

He studied the game and his position. He utilized every tool he could to improve. He was out early and stayed late at practice. Cal knew he wanted to be a pro and operated that way when he was a Black Hawk.

Despite multiple offers to join the professional ranks, P.K. OHandley has remained in Waterloo, further committed to the development of USHL talent.A former goaltender himself, OHandley wrapped up his 17th season as the Waterloo Black Hawks head coach, being named USHL Coach of the Year four times, with 2018 being the most recent.

Along with Petersen, OHandley played an integral role in developing many future NHLers, including Joe Pavelski, Brock Boeser and current Kings defensemanMikey Anderson.

Following his time in Waterloo, Cal Petersen took his game 360 miles east to South Bend, Indiana, to begin his collegiate career with the storied University of Notre Dame.

He worked extremely hard at his craft and when he left for Notre Dame he, in my opinion, was ready to compete and obviously did, OHandley said.

Upon Petersens arrival at Notre Dame, though, it was clear to the Irish coaching staff, especially associate coach Andy Slaggert, what they had in their freshman netminder.

Andy Slaggert(Melissa Wade)

When he first got on campus, we thought that he was a very talented goaltender who could have a chance to take over the No. 1 job quickly, and thats what he did, Slaggert said. It was a year of growth for him, for sure. He learned physically where he got stronger and worked on his technique, but then his growth as a person and his leadership capabilities started to emerge as well he was well-liked then, academically, making the adjustment to the college level, as well.

Overall, Petersens freshman season at Notre Dame was a successful one. While his record of13-16-3 may be subpar on paper, the youngster remained strong, posting a 2.51 GAA, a .919 save percentage and four shutouts. The Irish netminder, though, only got better.

As a sophomore, Petersen went 19-11-7 with a 2.20 GAA and a .927 save percentage. As a junior, 23-12-5 with a 2.22 GAA and a .926 save percentage. Petersen even recorded six shutouts in the latter campaign 10 total with the Irish.I asked Slaggert what the biggest factor was towards Petersens improvement in each of his three seasons at Notre Dame.

Overall, just physical preparedness, the Fighting Irish associate said. His strength, particularly his core strength, and his ability to track pucks better, just maturing in general as a player and as a person really helped in growing. Ideally, thats what college hockey is: a great development path and you see that progress from year to year to year. So, I just think the experience and the sheer amount of minutes he played in those three years really helped foster his development.

Prior to the start of his junior season, though, Petersen was given a rare goaltending honour by his team as the Fighting Irish named the netminder their captain.

This was actually more to do with how he carried himself off the ice and the relationships that he built with everyone, how he represented [Notre Dames hockey] program on campus and in the community, Slaggert said of the decision for Petersens captaincy. Its rare for a goalie to be a captain but for Cal, it seemed natural for the team. For him to have seen that role because of how easy he was to get along with, how he approached practice, training, academics and everything.

Dennis Wierbicki/ USA Today Sports

Cal, he got along great with everybody. Thats why he was a captain, as a junior, in his third year.

By 2017, Petersen was preparing to embark on his pro career. During this time, the youngster was given some promising news.

While he was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in 2013, the club decided not to continue with Petersen in their future. Buffalos loss, though, was Los Angeless gain as Kings new GM Rob Blake signed the free agent. Suddenly, Petersen had his sights on southern California with the AHLs Ontario Reign.

Having been behind the Notre Dame bench since 1993, Andy Slaggert has seen generations of players come and go. So, knowing that his netminder was leaving South Bend, the Irish associate coach touched on what kind of advice he had for Petersen moving forward.

With any young goalie going into the pros, it was really just not to get discouraged, Slaggert stressed. Weve really tried to work on his consistency and those are things from a hockey standpoint. I just told him that were going to be proud of him and wanted to make sure to come back and finish his degree.

Slaggert just finished his 27th season with the Notre Dame coaching staff, and his 12th as associate coach. Since then, the Saginaw, Mich., native has helped develop a plethora of future NHL talent aside from Petersen, including Kyle Palmeiri, Riley Sheahan and New York Islanders captain Anders Lee.

Fresh off signing with the Kings, Cal Petersen wasted little time in kicking off his pro career.

Assigned to Ontario, Petersen made the most of his rookie season. In 41 games for the Reign in 2017-18, Petersen went 23-14-1, earning a GAA of 2.58 while collecting four shutouts. While the following season may not have been an improvement for Petersen numbers-wise, the Waterloo, Iowa, native was nevertheless called up to Los Angeles, where he made an auspicious first impression and, in the process, filling former Kings goalie development coach Dusty Imoo with immense pride.

Dusty Imoo (Andrew D. Bernstein/NHLI via Getty Images)

When Cal went [to Los Angeles] the first time two years ago and he had that stint where he was standing on his head, that was huge, Imoo told me back in June. He got a shutout, [debuted and won] in Chicago. Those were huge moments and now that hes [with the Kings] for good, another huge moment.

In 11 games in his first tour of duty with the Kings, the Notre Dame alum went 5-4-1 with a 2.61 GAA, a .924 save percentage and, as Imoo noted, a shutout. As brief as Petersens call-up was, though, it was enough for Kings goaltending coach Bill Ranford to discover how much promise the youngster had.

I knew he was ready with the success he was having in Ontario and also with [the Kings] the previous time he was with us, Ranford observed. Still, the clubs longtime goaltending coach had some work for Petersen before his eventual return to the NHL.

Bill Ranford (Photo credit: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images North America)

There were a couple of areas that I asked him to work on, continued Ranford. Number one was tracking the puck from behind the net. I just felt that this was an area where he struggled with at times and something that he really took to heart. Between myself and [Kings goalie development coach] Matt Millar, Cal spent a lot of time working on this in the summer and then obviously through training camp and the early part of the season. Then, it just became second nature for him.

And second, just reading the game reading the rush, reading plays in the zone. There were times when he put himself in a blocking situation instead of just reading what was going on.Those were the two areas that he worked hard on, improved on and helped make his second tour transition that much easier.

Petersen was up to the task, leaving the Kings goaltending coach impressed.

Matt Millar (Photo courtesy of Dubuque Fighting Saints)

I thought he did a fantastic job working on those elements of his game that he had to to make that next step, Ranford concluded.

Following Dusty Imoos departure from the organization in 2019, the aforementioned Matt Millar came in to succeed the clubs goalie development role. He then shared his first impressions of Petersen.

I was able to meet with Cal in the summer [of 2019], Millar recalled. I went up to Minnesota and was able to spend about a week with him, getting to know him and spending some time with him right away.

As I watched video with Cal and watched Cal play, his hockey sense and his feel for the game are elite and those two things together are exceptional. I think those two things along with his athleticism, his size and just the blend of his skills and attributes that he has are the makeup of a long-term elite starting goaltender.

Canadian Press

After starting this past season with the Reign, Petersen was called up again to Los Angeles in February. Unlike his first go-round, though, Petersen was in Los Angeles to stay as the club had just traded backup Jack Campbell to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Hes a guy thats willing to put the time in to work and thats why hes proven that hes going to be an NHL goalie for a long time, Ranford emphasized of Petersen.

Cals an elite competitor and I think that thats one thing thats going to allow him to be an elite NHL goaltender for a long time, Millar added. He has an unbelievable compete level and you saw that even in practice with the Reign. Theres not a puck that he can let just go in the net. Theres always something moving towards the puck, something going towards the puck just to try and keep an eye on the net, no matter what piece of equipment it was.

Petersens intensity during practice has gone unnoticed by Ranford, either.

Hes very determined, the Kings goaltending coach noted. He looks cool, calm and collected in the net but in practice situations, he shows some fire and gets frustrated and he has that personality where he wants to constantly get better, and the way you do that is by working at his game.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, the Los Angeles Kings, along with the rest of the NHL clubs, are in an unprecedented situation, going months without hockey. Furthermore, as a non-playoff team, the Kings will not be seeing the ice again for another few months.Still, for those not playing or practicing, it is imperative to stay in shape and find new ways to keep working on their respective games. Especially for a player in the early stages of his career, Cal Petersen is no exception to this.

Just because this pause has gone on for so long and theres not that a lot we can do on-ice right now, this has given him a great opportunity off the ice to get stronger, Ranford said. We just feel that with the number of games he has played, there hasnt been as big a focus off the ice for him and we feel that thats something he has to learn to be a little more diligent with, a little more focused on in order to keep his body maintained moving forward to play a long, injury-free career.This is to constantly work at the off-ice aspect of it, to just get a bit stronger and I think that will really help him in the long run.

Due to the current playoff tournament, the 2020-21 NHL season has been delayed until at least December 1.

From practicing with his hometown team as a young boy to making it to the National Hockey League, Cal Petersen has had quite the journey en route to his arrival to professional hockey.

Whether he will succeed Jonathan Quick as the No. 1 netminder in Los Angeles remains to be seen but if the last five years of his progression are any indication, it will only be a matter of time before we see Cal Petersen in a starring role in the City of Angels.

While his sheer talent and determination to keep improving are certainly solid assets in themselves, it is Petersens attitude and his personality that has made him such a joy to work with.

Adam Pantozzi/NHLI via Getty Images

Cal has always been a very polite and professional young man, beamed P.K. OHandley. His growth as a player was terrific. Ive always believed in Cal and his ability.

Cals a student of the game, added Ranford. He loves to learn and is an athlete whos a joy to work with.

When Petersen left the USHL, he embarked on arguably the most important road of his career. When asking what advice he offered to his young netminder, P.K. OHandleys response was simple.

Im not sure I offered any advice other than, Do your thing, the coach shared. Its a phrase he and I have exchanged for a long time and still do today.

While COVID-19 has certainly been a force majeure for the Los Angeles Kings in addition to the rest of the league this lull has forced teams and players to adapt. Cal Petersen is certainly doing his part not only to stay the course but to push himself to be even better than he was yesterday one of the many qualities that has made the 25-year-old one of hockeys rising stars.

*In addition to those I interviewed, I would like add a special thanks to Tim Harwood of the Waterloo Black Hawks.

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The Evolution of Cal Petersen - CaliSports News