Daily Archives: February 21, 2021

With declining rates of new infections and the rollout of vaccines, some are beginning to speak of an end to COVID-19. But that rhetoric, in my opinion, is ill-considered and premature. Based on what we know now of SARS-CoV-2, it may no longer be a question of months before an end to the pandemic but a question of years, if not decades. We should plan for it.

Viruses exist to thrive. Those that infect humans are faced with an impressive array of defensive weaponry, not just our natural adaptive immunity but also our intelligently designed defensesvaccines, drugs and social controls. For a virus to survive, it must be adapted to its chosen ecological nichein this case, usand capable of further intricate adaptation to overcome our best efforts at prevention and treatment.

Initially, many assumed that coronaviruses in general and SARS-CoV-2 in particular were more stable and less prone to adaptation than other RNA viruses because of their error-proofing mechanisms. But we have since been proven wrong. Last summer, a researcher in Texas noticed that a mutated SARS-CoV-2 virus with a substitution in the spike protein had overtaken previous forms to become the dominant strain. Since then, multiple new variants have emerged with mutations that can make the virus more transmissible, more lethal and more able to evade our immune defenses.

These variants have seemingly been forged in fires of our own making. In Boston, a middle-aged man struggled with a COVID-19 infection for five months before succumbing to the disease. He was undergoing treatment with immunosuppressive drugs when he fell ill, and, during his illness, he received multiple rounds of additional treatment, with remdesivir nonimmune gamma globulin, and with monoclonal antibodies. Under this intense immune pressure, key mutations in the virus emerged. The doctors and scientists who witnessed their birth called it accelerated viral evolution.

Other viruses, like influenza, have shown themselves similarly capable of rapid evolution when faced with our best defenses. Indeed, based on what weve seen of SARS-CoV-2 and its capacity for variation, Id say this virus is much more like influenza than any other virus known to date.

Which means influenzas evolutionary pathway may hold important clues about the road COVID-19 will follow.

Influenza, as we know, comes and goes in seasonal waves in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. In the tropics it occurs throughout the year, with only shallow peaks. This pattern mimics what we know of cold-causing coronaviruses, which, ever since their discovery in the 1960s, have returned annually to infect us. For the flu, antigenic driftthe accumulation of small genetic changes in the virushas been the primary explanation for recurrent seasonal epidemics. Dominant flu strains evolve from year to year, and the immunity we develop in response to a previous strain has only a muted effect on the new strain. Weve learned more recently that immunity to influenza also fades, often disappearing within a year, which also makes us susceptible to reinfection.

We used to believe that the cold-causing coronaviruses were stablemeaning no antigenic driftbut returned yearly because of faded immune protection. But over the past year, our understanding of coronaviruses has improved and we now know that at least one of the cold-causing coronaviruses, designated 229E, undergoes antigenic drift similar to that of influenza.

SARS-CoV-2, like 229E, has already shown that it can drift. But, like influenza, it has also shown itself capable of much more abrupt and substantial changes.One way these major changes happen occurs when a virus jumps to a new population, for example from animals to humans or back again. When a virus makes this jump, big thingsand often bad thingsmaterialize. Both influenza and SARS-CoV-2 have huge animal reservoirs. Coronaviruses have infected every type of vertebrate, from whales and bats to salamanders and snakes. Influenza is similar. This means they both have the potential to evolve to become much more damaging to our population. The two previous coronavirus outbreaks both started when coronaviruses jumped from animals to humans, from civet cats in 2003 with SARS and from camels with MERS in 2012. The 1918 influenza pandemic likely started with a jump from animals too.

If were lucky, SARS-CoV-2 will evolve, like the 1918 virus dubbed the Spanish flu, to become less lethal. After infecting an estimated 500 million worldwide and killing at least 50 million, the 1918 flu virus receded. But hope that this coronavirus will attenuate over time is no guarantee that it will. We already know that coronaviruses can become much more lethal; we need look no further than SARS-CoV-1, which killed 50 percent of those aged 65 and older, and MERS, which killed one out of three infected.

So where does that leave us?

First, we must accept the harsh truth told by this virus and its variants. We can expect it to come backpotentially for years to comeand we need to prepare ourselves for the possibility that when it does, it may be more lethal and even more transmissible than the variants that exist today. We must adjust our vaccine development pipelines and public health interventions to account for emergent and future variations. Much like what has been proposed with influenza, we must develop COVID risk assessment tools that can identify the viral properties of dominant strainshow transmissible they may be or how resistant they are to current drugs or vaccinesto help us align our public health response with the level of risk. Otherwise, well be setting ourselves up for failure once more.

I have often likened SARS-CoV-2 to the mythical Proteus in Homers Odyssey. Like Proteus, SARS-CoV-2 is the quintessential shape-shifter, able to alter its form whenever grasped. It is only through sheer persistence that Menelaus, the great hero, is able to wrestle Proteus to a standstill. By claiming victory too soon, we risk losing our battle with this shape-shifting virus, a tragedy that would unfold this time not in words but in many more millions of lives lost.

This is an opinion and analysis article.

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How Will the Coronavirus Evolve? - Scientific American

Analysis emerging from various academic platforms in Europe, the US, Turkey and India in the last five years or so, suggests that the world has entered a post-secular age. This is how they understand the growing assertion of religion in the public sphere in these secular countries.

But critics of this thesis fear that it is conceiving secularism in its most simplistic form. Secularism has evolved in a highly complex manner, as demonstrated by two of its most thorough scholars: the anthropologist Talal Asad and the philosopher Charles Taylor.

While tracking its evolution, both saw secularism emerging from a process of reform in Christianity during the Middle Ages, when certain factors led to the need to disenchant Christianity, so that a more orderly and productive society could be formed, free of superstition. Asads approach in this context is bit more nuanced, though, because his overall position is that secularisms origins cannot be pinned entirely to a single occurrence.

In his 2007 magnum-opus,A Secular Age, Taylor writes that the demystification of Christianity aided the once superstitious layman to access a disenchanted understanding of the scriptures. Christian sects such as the Protestant and Calvinist saw having an enterprising disposition a virtue, as long as it benefitted humanity. This not only seeded the idea of humanism, it also gave birth to ideas that formulated the mechanisms of modernity.

According to Asad, in his 2003 bookFormations of the Secular, Christianitys spiritual promise (Christ died to save us all) was folded into a political promise (the world must be changed for Christ). Therefore, both Taylor and Asad see the emergence of the idea of secularism springing not from an averse reaction to religion, as such, but from an urge to reform religion in a rapidly evolving milieu.

The crisis of secularism bemoaned by some scholars fails to acknowledge that secularism itself has evolved in a highly complex manner over time

To Asad, even though the disenchantment process within Christianity saw it accepting reformist ideas, the traditional notions of Christian morality, for example, did not really wither away. They were divorced from the idea of being divinely ordained, and instead expressed through secular formations such as constitutional democracy, state laws and the natural sciences.

Asad writes that religion was never entirely expelled from the public sphere. Indeed, it was privatised (or relegated to the private sphere), but religions that were willing to take part in rational debate, and accept the new secular paradigm, were welcome to operate in the public sphere.

With the expansion of modernity, the idea of secularism spread from Europe to other regions. Coming from a position of economic and military dominance, it was adopted by others. But it mutated to accommodate non-Western realities. For example, although it arrived as an inclusive idea that advocated the privatisation of the sacred and the institutionalisation of the profane as a way to construct a rational nationalistic whole, in communist set-ups it radically hardened by completely expunging religion.

But this hardness was also present in France. According to Taylor, whereas secularism elsewhere in Europe had largely emerged from reformed Christianity, in France it had appeared as a revolt against religion (during the 18th century French Revolution).

Known as Lacit it barely tolerates any display of religion in the public sphere. Unlike inclusive secularism in the US and most other European countries, where the state remains impersonal towards religion as long as it does not threaten the liberal-democratic order, Lacit sanctions the state to aggressively intervene to discourage religion in the public sphere. Interestingly, this is also the form of secularism that Turkey adopted after it became a republic in 1922.

Most anti-colonial movements also adopted secularism by modifying it to suit their nationalisms. For example, Arab Nationalism adopted secularism because it saw its anti-colonial religious contemporaries as competition. It adopted the inclusive secular version, even though Arab nationalist regimes were dictatorial and often jailed leaders of religious groups who challenged the Arab nationalist narrative.

According to the French political scientist Christophe Jaffrelot, a unique mutation of secularism emerged in colonial India. In the 2012 anthologyA Secular Age Beyond the West, Jaffrelot writes that followers of the 19th century Indian Muslim scholar Syed Ahmad Khan, politicised his reformative Islamist narrative by forming the Muslim League. Eventually, the party moved towards demanding a separate Muslim-majority state.

Syed, and then the early 20th century philosopher and poet Muhammad Iqbal and, eventually, the barrister Muhammad Ali Jinnah formulated what Talal Asad calls cultural secularism. Instead of separating religion from politics, they separated the cultural dynamics of Islam from the faiths theological and ritualistic dimensions, to create a political ideology of cultural separatism.

According to Jaffrelot, they placed Islam as a cultural identity-marker in the public arena, whereas the faiths theological and ritual aspects were pushed to the private sphere. This is why the founders of Pakistan were never really demonstrative about their religiosity (or lack thereof). They understood Muslim nationalism as a cultural and political idea of a modern Muslim-majority state, but one that would remain impersonal towards Islams theological/ ritualistic facets.

This project evolved and was institutionalised in the 1960s but, by then, the state was not impersonal in this context and had begun to intervene to push out versions of Islam that threatened the modernist-Islamic paradigm.

Jaffrelot writes that, in 1974, the passage of the Second Amendment constitutionally rolled back the project by making Islam in Pakistan exclusivist. Then, various ordinances between 1979 and 1991 almost entirely expunged the inclusive idea of Islam of the countrys founders. This aided various far-right religious groups to assert themselves in the public sphere, without being challenged by the state.

According to the argument by American political scientists R. Inglehart and Pippa Norris, in their bookSacred and Secular, secularism is in crisis, but mostly in developing countries. This has been the case for quite some time now. India is the exception, where this crisis is relatively recent. Ironically, the crisis in this context in India is being compounded by the act of treating secularism as it was treated in Pakistan from 1974 onwards. The results were disastrous, as they will be in India too.

But Taylor doesnt see Western secularism (or for that matter, its authoritarian Chinese variation) going the same way. According to him, secularism in the West has mutated to allow various Christian and non-theological spiritual groups, as well as non-Christian groups mostly made up of immigrant communities, to flood the public sphere (deep pluralisation).

This flooding is tolerated as long as it does not threaten the liberal-democratic paradigm. Whenever it has, the state hasnt hesitated to intervene.

Published in Dawn, EOS, February 21st, 2021

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SMOKERS CORNER: THE EVOLUTION OF SECULARISM - DAWN.com

The soil-dwelling amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum may seem a world away from the cleanliness of a cancer ward, but these microscopic creatures can teach us much about a disease that still claims the lives of more than 600,000 Americans every year.

Dictyostelium usually exists in a solitary unicellular form, but when food supplies run low, up to 100,000 cells will come together to create a small "slug" that migrates in search of more amenable conditions. Once in a suitable spot, the slug transforms again to create a vertical stalk topped with a bud-shaped fruiting body. Finally, the bud bursts open, scattering microscopic spores that are each capable of germinating into a new amoeba.

Although this unusual life cycle ensures the survival of the population, it doesn't directly benefit every amoeba that joins the slug. Around 1 in 5 cells end up in the stalk and are thus destined to die, sacrificing themselves for the greater good of the colony. Yet, even in this simple society, there are "cheats" that break the rules.

In 1982, Yale University biologist Leo Buss noticed that particular cells in a related Dictyostelium species were more likely to end up in the spore body than in the stalk referred to as "somatic cell parasites" giving them a much better chance of contributing to the next generation.

A quarter of a century later, researchers showed that the same selfish behavior also happened in Dictyostelium discoideum and was due to mutations in any one of more than 100 different genes. Genetic variations making it more likely for a cell to push to the top of the stalk also increased its chances of survival and continuing to multiply, thereby creating a new generation of cells that also carry the same selfish mutation.

The same principle at work in these cheating amoebas can be seen in the emergence of cancer within the tissues of the body. There is growing interest in the long-overlooked concept of cancer as a disease driven by cellular "cheats" mutated cells that outcompete and proliferate faster than their well-behaved neighbors, eventually creating a tumor that grows and metastasizes throughout the body. This view frames cancer as the inevitable consequence of multicellularity.

Cancer is a deep biological phenomenon dating back millions of years, observable in almost all branches of the animal kingdom (with the notable exceptions of comb jellyfish and sponges). We find traces of tumors in long-dead fossils and ancient human remains all over the world. Wherever there are mutated cells within multicellular organisms, there we will find the capacity for cancer.

It is overly simplistic, however, to assume that mutations are the only things that matter when it comes to creating a cancer.

Recent work from researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute in Cambridge, England, has revealed that our bodies become a patchwork of mutation as we age. Our cells pick up all kinds of genetic changes as we go through life, some caused by the biological processes of life itself and others caused by external agents. Many of these alterations would be classified as "tumor drivers" if they were to be found in a cancer.

The extent of this damage is astounding. The Sanger Institute team found that up to half of the cells in the esophagus carry a mutation in the prominent cancer driver gene NOTCH by middle age, despite appearing entirely normal.

Although cancer is common in the population, with 1 in 2 people expected to develop the disease at some point, it's vanishingly rare on an individual level. Barring any underlying hereditary gene variations, each one of us may develop only one, or maybe two or three, primary tumors in an entire lifetime from amidst the trillions of individual cells and cell divisions within our bodies.

Clearly, the ability of cheating cells to develop into a cancer is not just dependent on their genetic makeup but on their environment too. The Darwinian principle of "survival of the fittest" is often mistakenly interpreted as meaning that the biggest, strongest, fastest, or smartest organisms on the block will survive and proliferate.

In fact, natural selection favors those that are the best fit for the environment in which they are living. In the context of cancer cells, this is the microenvironmental milieu of our tissues. The proliferative and migratory abilities of rebellious mutated cells depend not only on their genetic makeup but also on the advantage that these mutations give them in terms of their fitness within the local tissue environment.

Of note, this microenvironment changes as we age. Inflammation, physical changes resulting from the breakdown of collagen and other structural elements, the gradual buildup of mutations in healthy cells, and other processes all shift the molecular landscape within our tissues. Potentially cancerous mutations that might be at a disadvantage in young tissue become a boon in an aging, inflamed environment, providing a selective advantage that enables dangerous cells to prosper.

As well as underpinning the development of tumors in normal tissue, evolutionary principles also lie at the heart of the challenge of treating advanced metastatic cancer. Over recent decades, there has been a move toward an increasingly genetically reductionist view of cancer, driven by the plummeting costs of high-throughput next-generation sequencing technology. This has reinforced a paradigm of ever more targeted therapies for cancer, based on the underlying molecular makeup of an individual patient's disease.

Yet for all the fanfare and high price tags, targeted therapies have not brought the game-changing gains in survival that the headlines might have promised. Immunotherapy does have huge potential, although the current range of checkpoint inhibitors doesn't work for all and in some cases may even make cancers worse.

Notwithstanding the success of Gleevec (imatinib) the poster child for molecularly targeted therapies most of the current generation of treatments bring survival in the order of single-digit years, months, or in some cases mere weeks for advanced metastatic disease. In all too many cases, no matter how successful the treatment initially seems to be, at some point the cancer comes back. At best, oncologists may be able to pursue a "whack-a-mole" strategy, following each failed line of therapy with another until the options run out.

The root cause of this failure is heterogeneity. Cancer cells are on a continual evolutionary journey of mutation and proliferation, creating a genetically diverse population with a range of selective advantages and disadvantages, depending on the selective pressures at work. Once a cancer has grown to a certain size, somewhere in this heterogeneous population will be cells with mutations rendering them resistant to any treatment that can be thrown at them. Even within a tumor the size of a grain of sugar, the seeds of resistance may already have been sown.

It's time to think smarter about how we approach cancer treatment, acknowledging the evolutionary power of cancer and using it to our advantage. Adaptive therapies, developed by pioneers such as Robert Gatenby and his colleagues at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, aim to steer the trajectory of cancer by balancing populations of drug-resistant and sensitive cells through careful monitoring and dosing. This approach has shown remarkable success in advanced prostate cancer and is now being tested in other tumor types.

However, adaptive therapies still aim to control cancer rather than eradicate it. To do that, we need to think about extinction strategies: regimens designed to apply specific selective pressures at the right time to cause the population of cancer cells to collapse, just as multiple different factors (shrinking habitat, disease, predation, and so on) drive animal populations to extinction in nature. Unfortunately, there is little interest in developing and trialing such strategies based on the drugs we already have, compared with the enthusiasm of the pharmaceutical industry for developing ever more costly therapeutics.

This isn't to say that there has been no progress. After more than a century of research, around half of all people with cancer in countries like the United States and United Kingdom will survive for 10 years or more, particularly if diagnosed in the early stages of disease. But armed with a deeper understanding of all three elements of cancer cellular mutations, tissue ecology, and evolutionary pressures we will get closer to catching all of cancer's "cellular cheats" before they can take hold and become resistant to treatment.

Kat Arney, PhD, is a science writer and broadcaster living near London, England. She is the author of Rebel Cell: Cancer, Evolution, and the New Science of Life's Oldest Betrayal (BenBella Books).

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Cheat Code: Cracking Cancer's Evolution to Help Defeat It - Medscape

For roughly three years, Wade Byrd hung out on the couches of various tattoo shops in the Flathead Valley, watching his mentors closely as they designed and worked on clients, creating permanent works of body art with ink.

After much persistence and dedication, Byrd finally earned a spot in the unorthodox apprenticeship program of the tattoo industry, quickly progressing to open his own shop, Artifaction Tattoo Studio, in Kalispell in 2017.

I remember I woke up one day in my apprenticeship and realized, Ive tattooed every day for six months straight,' Byrd said.

After five years as a professional tattoo artist, Byrd relocated his shop from the corner of Sixth Avenue West and West Center Street to downtown Kalispell on Second Street East in December and now has two other artists working for him, including an apprentice, with one more he recently hired. He also has participated in three tattoo conventions in Las Vegas, Eugene, Oregon, and Detroit, which he describes as gun shows for the tattoo industry, and has worked with Ryan Ashley, a renowned tattoo artist.

Before Byrd began his career, he already had a passion for drawing, and he remembers spending most of his time in high school drawing with a pencil and paper during class time. After an introduction to tattoos in his early 20s, he began using his artistic talent to draw tattoo designs. But once a mentor showed him how to design in Photoshop, he shifted from hand drawings to designing with photography.

Using Photoshop, Byrd uses both a black and gray and color realism style to portray realistic images on bodies, with designs ranging from portraits of Kobe Bryant to life-like tiger images.

Once I found a computer, I just do all digital creations, he said. I like to tattoo things that portray emotion and I collage them together using Photoshop, superimpose the design over the persons body to see what it looks like, and I use a lot of skin tone to blend the images together.

Before he discovered Photoshop, Byrd designed illustrative tattoos, which he still does from time to time.

Its always changing, Byrd said. I feel like it evolved from more simple designs into challenging things like realism.

On average, Byrd spends about five to eight hours a day tattooing. And while he has many of his own tattoos, he says once someone has enough covering the body, the number of tattoo hours becomes the best way to quantify instead of the number of tattoos. Byrd estimates he has about 75 hours of tattoos on his own body.

I dont feel an addiction to it, but art is fun to be involved in, Byrd said. I think whats really addicting, if anything, is the self expression.

Since Byrd first started his career as a tattoo artist about five years ago, hes noticed a spike in tattoo interest. Between workplace acceptance of tattoos and the industrys exposure on social media, hes seen a change in demographics, including more workplace professionals getting tattoos.

Byrds downtown shops offers a larger storefront and a better location that can accommodate an ideal number of employees, but Byrd says he had a hard time finding a space before securing the Second Street East spot, with many landlords who wouldnt allow a tattoo shop.

I knew I wanted to get back to a bigger downtown location, he said. And pick up where my dream left off.

Byrd currently has an artist and an apprentice working at the shop, Emilio Crispin and Emily Messerschmidt. Byrd recruited Messerschmidt over the summer while she was visiting from the East Coast and calls her a name to remember, as she quickly progresses.

A third artist, Mike Woods, is also on the way as he relocates from Texas. Woods was a guest artist at Byrds shop earlier this month, and soon afterward he decided to leave his 10-artist shop in Austin to work for Byrd.

Byrd says his background in bartending and construction work helped shape his work ethic for his tattoo artist career, and his dedication has helped him progress.

I never took anything for granted, Byrd said. I was always the hardest worker in the room and I will not let anyone work harder than me.

For more information, visit http://www.artifactiontattoo.com or look Byrd up on Instagram.

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Ink Evolution - Flathead Beacon

The only way to complete the Pokdex and catch them all is to trade with people, as some Pokmon will only evolve by sending them to other players.

ThePokmonseries has always forced players to interact in order to finish each game. This is because somePokmon will only evolve if they are traded with another player, which means that cooperation is needed in order to catch them all.

Part of what madePokmon RedandBlueso popular was the interaction they allowed between players. Online gaming didn't exist out the PC gaming bubble, and most two-player games involved working together to clear levels, or facing each other in fighting games. What separatedPokmonfrom the other games of the era was that it combined the single-player and multiplayer aspects together. The player could grow their team during their journey through Kanto, and then see how that team stacked up against the one owned by their friends. This was all facilitated by the Game Boy's Link Cable, which allowed two systems to connect together.

Related:Hacked Pokmon Are Crashing Sword & Shield Via Surprise Trade

The Link Cable also allowed people to tradePokmon with each other. This step was necessary for completing thePokdex, as somePokmon could only evolve through trade, which is an element that kept on being expanded in subsequentPokmontitles.

The concept of trade evolutions debuted in the first-everPokmonvideo games. The player had to trade Kadabra to evolve it into Alakazam, they had to trade Machoke to evolve it into Machamp, they had to trade Graveler to evolve it into Golem, and they had to trade Haunter to evolve it into Gengar.

The second generation ofPokmongames added four new trade evolutions, but these required thePokmon to be holding an item in order for the evolution to occur. If thePokmon isn't holding the item, then it won't evolve. Onix needs to be traded while holding a Metal Coat to evolve into a Steelix, Scyther needs to be traded while holding a Metal Coat to evolve it into Scizor, Seadra needs to be traded while holding a Dragon Scale to evolve it into Kingdra, Porygon needs to be traded while holding an Upgrade to evolve it into Porygon2, Slowpoke needs to be traded while holding a King's Rock to evolve it into Slowking, and Poliwhirl needs to be traded while holding a King's Rock to evolve it into a Politoed.

The third generation ofPokmonhad two trade evolutions for a singlePokmon. If the player traded a Clamperl while it was holding a Deep Sea Tooth, then it would evolve into a Huntail, but if it was traded while holding a Deep Sea Scale, then it would evolve into a Gorebyss.

The fourth generation ofPokmongames retroactively added trade evolutions for existingPokmon. If Porygon2 is traded while holding a Dubious Disc, then it will evolve into PorygonZ. If Electabuzz is traded while holding an Electirizer, then it will evolve into an Electivire. If Magmar is traded while holding a Magmarizer, then it will evolve into a Magmortar. If Rhydon is traded while holding a Protector, then it will evolve into Rhyperior. If Dusclops is traded while holding a Reaper Cloth, then it will evolve into Dusknoir.

The fifth generation ofPokmongames changed how Feebas evolved. In the older games, its evolution was tied to its Beauty stat. InPokmon BlackandWhite,Feebas evolved while traded holding a Prism Scale. There were also some new trade evolutions introduced during this generation.The player had to trade Boldore to evolve it into Gigalith, and the player had to trade Gurdurr to evolve it into Conkeldurr. There were twoPokmon that could only evolve when traded with each other. Karrablast could only evolve into Escavalier if it was traded with Shelmet, and Shelmet could only evolve into Accelgor if it was traded with Karrablast.

The sixth generation ofPokmonvideo games introduced several new trade evolutions.The player had to trade Phantump to evolve it into Trevenant and the player had to trade Pumpkaboo to evolve it into Gourgeist. If Spritzee is traded while holding a Sachet, then it will evolve into Aromatisse. If Swirlix is traded while holding a Whipped Cream, then it will evolve into Slurpuff.

The last generation ofPokmongames on the Nintendo 3DS didn't add any brand new trade evolutions, but the Alolan version of Graveler needs to be traded for it to evolve into Alolan Golem.

Next:Pokmon Home is Having Some Serious Technical Problems

Animal Crossing New Horizons: Creative Uses For Harv's Island

Scott has been writing for Screen Rant since 2016 and regularly contributes to The Gamer. He has previously written articles and video scripts for websites like Cracked, Dorkly, Topless Robot, and TopTenz. A graduate of Edge Hill University in the UK, Scott started out as a film student before moving into journalism. It turned out that wasting a childhood playing video games, reading comic books, and watching movies could be used for finding employment, regardless of what any career advisor might tell you. Scott specializes in gaming and has loved the medium since the early 90s when his first console was a ZX Spectrum that used to take 40 minutes to load a game from a tape cassette player to a black and white TV set. Scott now writes game reviews for Screen Rant and The Gamer, as well as news reports, opinion pieces, and game guides. He can be contacted on LinkedIn.

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Pokmon: Every Trade Evolution In The Series | Screen Rant - Screen Rant

Simply pop a pen out from your device and immediately start writing Samsung Electronics innovative idea that came to life with the inclusion of the S Pen in the companys Galaxy Note series 10 years ago has since provided users with unique and enriching device experiences.

Since then, the S Pen has undergone multiple innovations to transform it from a mere stylus into an independent device of its own. For example you no longer need to rely on just your smartphone to take a picture; the S Pen can do that for you.

The 10 years that have passed since the debut of the S Pen have been filled with countless innovations and challenges. Follow along with us as we chart the evolution of this significant stylus, from its debut as a simple smartphone accessory to its latest form as its own singular category of device.

The S Pen is designed to provide the experience of writing with a real pen. Since its debut with the first Galaxy Note device in 2011, the S Pen has continued to provide improved pressure sensitivity from 256, 1024, and 2048 levels to a remarkable 4096 sensitivity level. Pressure sensitivity determines how much you can vary the width of the lines you draw with your S Pen; the higher it is, the more precisely the stylus will respond to your control. The S Pens high pressure sensitivity allows you to control the stroke weight of your stylus as you apply varying amounts of pressure to your screen, and the diameter of the S Pens tip has also been reduced over the years from 1.6mm to 0.7mm so as to allow for delicate strokes when drawing.

When it comes to notetaking, every user has their own habits, be it using a specific highlighter to mark important passages in a text or preferring a slim pen tip for writing. The S Pen, which initially provided four pen types Pen, Pencil, Brush and Highlighter today offers a wide variety of pen options, including Calligraphy and Fountain pen options. The true-to-life S Pen experience even comes with a different writing sound for each pen option you choose, and the sound effect of a pen cap closing when the S Pen is re-inserted into the device provides a satisfying, realistic feel, too. Furthermore, the eye-dropper tool, which makes it easy to lift colors from within a Note, has also been added for easy pen color customization.

Since the release of the Galaxy Note9, the S Pen has featured a built-in battery for optimized usage and user convenience. Users need simply plug their S Pen back into their device to automatically charge it; Galaxy Note20 users can enjoy a fully charged S Pen in just 7 minutes, with a standby time of 24 hours.1

Further to these innovations, it is the S Pens response time that truly grants it that life-like writing experience. Since the release of the Galaxy Note20, the S Pen features AI technologies that bolster the pens acceleration and gyro sensors in order to predict pen movement and improve accuracy, resulting in a response time that is 80% faster than the previous model. Combined with the Galaxy Note20s 120Hz display, this faster S Pen provides a remarkably smooth user experience.

Over the past 10 years, the S Pen has developed into a versatile pen with a wide range of features. One such highlight of this evolution is the S Pens Air Command menu, first introduced with the Galaxy Note3. When you eject the S Pen or click its button, a series of essential S Pen feature icons appear on-screen. These days, the Air Command menu emerges in a line, as opposed to the fan shape that earlier models featured, in order to display more icons at once. Users can even customize the actions and icons that appear so as to enjoy effortless and instant access to their most frequently used features.

Colorful messages written down using the Galaxy Note10s Screen off memo feature

Another notable S Pen functionality is the Screen off memo function, which was included to broaden the horizon of quick notetaking. This feature, first featured with the Galaxy Note5, lets users write their notes down directly onto the lock screen once they have popped out their S Pen. The resulting Note is then kept on the Always On Display, or saved to Samsung Notes, and over the years, this feature has seen more options for pen tips, colors and canvas size included to help you capture your inspiration in real time.

The Galaxy Note9s S Pen is powered by a Super Capacitor, which provides ultra-fast charging and supports Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE)

Despite the application of various improvements and innovations since its inception, the S Pen truly became a device of its own with the release of the Galaxy Note9. This revolutionized S Pen featured Bluetooth Low-Energy (BLE) connectivity, meaning that users can control their music, camera app and more directly from their S Pen within a certain radius similar to a remote control.

Since the release of the Galaxy Note9, the S Pen has only seen more expansions to its scope. The introduction of S Pen Air actions with the Galaxy Note10 line allows users to control their smartphones applications by pressing their S Pens button. With Air actions, you can harness intuitive actions to switch between camera and shooting modes, zoom in or out of a shot and execute a variety of other convenient functions all with customizable gestures.

With the Galaxy Note20 series, gesture control has only gotten easier with the introduction of five Anywhere actions. Users can now customize actions for the Back, Home, Recent App, Smart Select and Screen Write commands, making the S Pen more helpful for device control than ever before.

From a rounded form to a flat symmetrical design to a unibody type, Samsung has constantly been refining the design of the S Pen for more seamless pen handling and the most comfortable writing experiences possible. As a result, the S Pen has developed to be an ergonomic pen that allows users a relaxed grip. Since the release of the Galaxy Note10, the S Pen has boasted a sleeker appearance thanks to its elegant, unibody design, and the Note10 and Note20 series feature the lightest and thinnest S Pen yet, coming in at just 3.04g and 5.8mm.

Galaxy Note9 packaging featuring S Pen imagery

The development of an S Pen that came in a range of color options came about to satisfy those users looking to showcase their personality through their devices. Each color option even matched the corresponding devices S Pen slot. The Galaxy Note9s color options have been a particular highlight, with a clear ocean-blue device paired with a vivid yellow S Pen. The Galaxy Note9s packaging summarized the evolution of the S Pen so far, featuring the stylus on the front of its box to establish that the S Pen truly is the key identifier of the Galaxy Note series.

In order to provide users with the most lifelike pen experience possible, Samsung has been working with a range of pen makers in order to provide different types of S Pen. One result of these efforts is the Lamy Safari Stylus S Pen, a hybrid between the classic S Pen and the world-famous fountain pen brands signature product that featured a thinner nib for more precise writing experiences. Another unique S Pen product came about through a collaboration with South Koreas national ballpoint brand, Monami. This S Pen featured several features bespoke to a Monami pen, including a nib that could be safely stored when not in use. Such collaborations provide users with unique color and design preferences more choice when it comes to customizing their own S Pen experiences.

The Galaxy Tab S7 series S Pen

These days, you can enjoy the versatility of the S Pen on larger screens such as tablets and laptops as well as on your smartphone. Samsungs Galaxy Tab A and S series include an S Pen, as does the Galaxy Book, allowing users to take advantage of their S Pen on increasingly larger canvases. The S Pen models included with Samsungs tablets and laptops have been developed differently to those developed for smartphones, featuring a rounded, unibody design and a glossy finish.

Users of Galaxy Tab S6 and S7 devices can easily store their S Pen on the side and back (respectively) of their tablets thanks to their magnetic storage feature, making it easier to keep track of your S Pen and also providing a simple way for you to charge your S Pen.

The expansion of the S Pen ecosystem also comes with more opportunities for pro-level S Pen usage. The Galaxy Tab S7 is the first to come pre-loaded with Clip Studio Paint, a professional drawing app for illustration, webtoon and animation production, Noteshelf, a dedicated note-taking app, and Canva, a graphic design app. Accordingly, the S Pen is today playing a key role in transforming the tablet into a device capable of servicing any users tastes and interests.

The S Pen has become the key identifying feature of the Galaxy Note series and Samsungs latest tablet line-ups, but this has been taken a step further following its launch along with the Galaxy S21 Ultra earlier this year. The very latest Galaxy S line device provides users with such S Pen benefits as drawing, notetaking and video editing; S21 Ultra users can take advantage of the delicate touch granted by the S Pen for precise and elaborate video editing capabilities unachievable by human fingers alone. The inclusion of the S Pen in an S series device is an innovation that improves both device portability and productivity, and going forward, Samsung is determined to bring the outstanding performance of the S Pen into a wider range of categories for more seamless mobile experiences.

Since its conception, the S Pen has been a landmark innovation. An elegant instrument that lets users create to their hearts content on their digital screens, the evolution of this delicate stylus over the past decade has seen the S Pen grow into an independent smart device of its own. Stay tuned to find out how the S Pen is set to develop further and provide users with even more means of self-expression.

1 Data source: https://www.samsungsvc.co.kr/online/faqView.do?faqId=KNOW1000036790

* All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice. Availability may vary by market, operator and connected device.

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From Stylus to Self-Expression: Looking Back at the Evolution of the S Pen - Samsung Global Newsroom

BILLINGS The evolution of the Billings Skyview girls basketball program has several layers.

Among them, ending a lengthy state tournament drought last season, a defense that went from ranked 11th in a 15-team league last year to fourth out of 16 teams this year, and the development of Brooke Berry as a facilitator as opposed to simply a scorer.

Building on that theme is the continued emergence of 6-foot-2 freshman Breanna Williams, who led the Falcons with a career-high 23 points in in fourth-ranked Skyviews 55-47 win over Billings Senior Friday night at the Skyview gym.

Williams ran the floor, picked off nine rebounds and generally seemed to always be in the right place at the right time to be on the receiving end of a couple of Berrys six assists.

I trust her with the ball and with every single thing she does, said Berry, who entered the game leading Class AA in scoring (18.8 ppg) and assists (5.0 apg). I mean, shes a very balanced player. Shes definitely learned how to play off me and weve developed that relationship to where she knows when Im going to drive and exactly where to go where Im going to find her.

The Falcons, who improved to 8-3, find themselves tied for second in the Eastern AA with Bozeman. Theyve won seven of eight and earned their fourth consecutive win over the Broncs.

It was a smooth night offensively for Skyview, which also received 15 points from Berry and seven from MG Spotted Bear. But it also seemed like the Falcons could never shake Senior, which was still within four points with two minutes to go after a basket by Allie Cummings trimmed what had been a 10-point Skyview lead.

Senior brought it, I mean, they just flat out brought it, Skyview coach Brent Montague said. I thought our girls did a really good job withstanding that, that wave after wave. We did some good things and found a way.

The Broncs saw their three-game winning streak end despite 22 points from Cummings, who hit four 3-pointers. They slipped to 5-5 and two games behind Great Falls (with four to play) for fourth place and the chance to host a playoff game.

Things wont get any easier, either. Senior plays Saturday at home against third-ranked Billings West, which is unbeaten at 11-0.

Though his team never led after it was 14-13 to end the second quarter, Broncs coach Connor Silliker said he sees progression from his team.

(The Falcons) had some extended runs that we had a hard time keeping up with, but Im proud of my girls, honestly, he said. Allie Cummings had a hell of a game, she really did it on both ends of the floor and was a scrapper for us and made some big plays.

I think were growing. If that game shows anything, its that we can compete with some of these upper echelon teams in the conference.

Billings Skyviews Breanna Williams drives on the baseline during a game against Billings Senior Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, at Skyview High School.

Billings Skyviews Brooke Berry tries to cross up a defender against Billings Senior Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, at Skyview High School.

Billings Seniors Brenna Linse tries to make space for a shot against Billings Skyview Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, at Skyview High School.

Billings Skyview coach Brent Montague and his team cheer during a game against Billings Senior Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, at Skyview High School.

Billings Seniors Brenna Linse tries to make space between multiple defenders against Billings Skyview Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, at Skyview High School.

Billings Seniors Allie Cummings splits the defense on her way to the basket against Billings Skyview Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, at Skyview High School.

Billings Skyviews Breanna Williams puts in a layup against Billings Senior Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, at Skyview High School.

Billings Seniors Lauren Cummings launches a jumper against Billings Skyview Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, at Skyview High School.

Billings Seniors Allie Cummings attempts a floater against Billings Skyview Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, at Skyview High School.

Billings Skyviews Allie Montague wrestles for the ball with multiple defenders against Billings Senior Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, at Skyview High School.

Billings Senior head coach Connor Silliker cheers on his team during an offensive run against Skyview Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, at Skyview High School.

Billings Skyviews Allie Montague takes a deep jump shot against Billings Senior Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, at Skyview High School.

Billings Skyviews Jessi Henckel shoots a short jumper against Billings Senior Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, at Skyview High School.

Billings Seniors Lauren Cummings takes a fast break the other way against Billings Skyview Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, at Skyview High School.

Billings Skyviews Morning Grace Spotted Bear drives past a defender against Billings Senior Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, at Skyview High School.

Billings Skyviews Brooke Berry drives to the basket before pulling up for a floater against Billings Senior Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, at Skyview High School.

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No. 4 Billings Skyview shows continuing evolution in win over Billings Senior - 406mtsports.com

We just hit the two year point for Gregg Berhalters term in charge of the United States Mens National team, and to mark the occasion, Im doing a comprehensive review of the team since he took charge. This is part three of that series, and today, we will be talking about tactics. Part one covered roster selections, and part two focused on dual nationals. The series will conclude next week with a discussion on the player pool.

In a way, the tactics section of this series was always going to be the most difficult for me to write. Its one thing to describe and critique the tactics of a single game. Its another to look at a series of games and reach a conclusion about the whole thing. The core problem is sample size.

In 2019, the USMNT played a total of 18 games: 8 friendlies, 6 Gold Cup matches, and 4 Nations League matches. In 2020, the team played only 4 matches, all of them friendlies, while so far in 2021, theyve played just one at the end of January Camp. That gives us a mere 14 competitive matches to judge from over two years. And quality is a factor. Of those competitive matches, only 4 came against nations ranked in the top 75 according to FIFAs rankings: Jamaica, Mexico, and Canada (twice). As a result, we are forced to evaluate the team based on friendlies and the potentially experimental approaches brought to them. The way Berhalter had the USMNT play versus Mexico in the Gold Cup final was very different from how he had them play in a friendly. Because of this, some of the conclusions will necessarily be extrapolations. That said, theres still a clear and interesting story here, a set of changes in Berhalters tactics from when he first took charge to the present.

Under Berhalter, tactics have taken a far more central stage than under either Arena or Klinsmann before him. Both Arena and Klinsmann generally played a version of the 4-4-2 with a diamond midfield, with the fullbacks expected to play aggressively up the field. However, in hindsight it seems that the tactics and formation choices were more about being able to put the best players on the field at the same time rather than a deliberate plan to control particular aspects of the game. The flaws were clear and were identified by the opposition. Against strong teams, the US could successfully sit back and attack on the counter. But weak CONCACAF teams realized that they themselves could sit back and force the USMNT to hold a lot of possession. Then, by selectively pressing specific players, they could effectively shut down the American attack, and they could suck the center backs into taking positions they were uncomfortable with and where they could be exploited. And thats exactly what happened, with the US struggling in most of their qualifying matches, until, ultimately, they failed to make it to the World Cup.

Given that context, Berhalter came in with a mandate: modernize the USMNT.

Of course, you have to ask what the hell modernizing actually means. Ahead of him actually taking the job, the speculation was that Berhalter would try to have the USMNT play like the Columbus Crew had in MLS while he was in charge. Berhalter himself talked at length about disorganizing the opposition through possession. When the games actually started, the focus seemed to be about experimentation.

The big attraction in terms of tactics was the prospect of Gregg Berhalter playing Tyler Adams as a hybrid right back. I already explored the hybrid right back scheme pretty thoroughly last year, and, quite frankly, I think its way over-emphasized. We saw the tactic in 3 friendlies, all victories, before it was shelved. And, as I explained in that linked piece, its very unlikely to be coming back.

Its a shame that the hybrid right back gets so much attention because there was a lot of structural stuff there in that first January Camp that has had a more enduring influence. The players looked more comfortable with the ball. Instead of everything going through Michael Bradley, there were alternative options to progress the ball forward. Almost all the positions were structured; in any given line up, almost nobody had anything close to a free-roaming role. There was the deep lying midfielder who shuttles the ball across. There were the long balls to players out on the wings. And, of course, there was the insistence on playing accurate passes to maintain possession, even when pressed. All of these things have been mainstays.

We can also throw in the 4-3-3 formation. While it disappeared for much of 2019 in favor of a 4-2-3-1, it was there at Berhalters start and came back in 2020. Berhalter has been nothing if not consistent. Whats more, I would say that these changes actually do represent steps towards modernization and they are likely irreversible. Even if Berhalter were fired tomorrow, we should expect these things to stick around under his successor.

Which brings us to the fact that in 2019, I actually did suggest sacking Berhalter. That position was hedged on events that did not come to pass, but I think the point still stands. There came a point where performances warranted that conversation.

For the most part, this series has been generally positive towards Berhalters decisions. I tried to take a more neutral position in the first part and merely state the fact that Berhalter was trying out a lot of young players, but I am not about to pretend like I dont support those decisions. Meanwhile, I outright praised Berhalter for his handling of dual nationals, though I perhaps should have spread more of that love to Earnie Stewart and Brian McBride.

But I cant legitimately talk about tactics in the same way. From a strict results perspective, in competitive play, Berhalter met (but did not exceed) expectations. My standards going into 2019 were to get to the Gold Cup final and then not be humiliated by Mexico, and to top the group on Nations League. Lo and behold, thats what happened. The team mostly strolled to the Gold Cup final, falling 1-0 against a better Mexican team in a game that the US perhaps should have won. And then the team topped their Nations League group. Like I said, strictly meets expectations.

But looking at the competitive results belies the fact that the actual experience was much more dire. Soccer fans, perhaps particularly Americans fans, tend to equate possession with beautiful play. Given that Pep Guardiolas Barcelona team glorified (I would say fetishized) possession and happened to be, from 2009 to 2012, the best club team in history, at least by my reckoning, its understandable that people would associate possession with excitement and success. However, Berhalters MNT side of 2019 demonstrated that, all too often, possession soccer is tepid and stale. But I dont watch the USMNT for beautiful play. No, I want to see the US win. For me, anything else is merely extra. So how did results go? Well, the team was extremely successful at stomping minnows. But they largely struggled to score goals against decent teams, scoring only 12 goals in the 11 games against teams ranked in FIFAs top 75, and of those goals, 7 were scored in only two games. Ok, so the team struggled offensively. What about defensively? In those same 11 games, the team conceded 14 goals. So, erm, not so good.

Look, if a team neither succeeds in consistently scoring, nor in consistently defending, that team is dysfunctional. You can talk all about important players who are missing and growing pains, and perhaps those concerns are valid. But the point still stands, something was not working. When the team looks like this, you have to make changes. And, indeed, after the defeats against Mexico in the Gold Cup, some changes were made. Berhalter shuffled Christian Pulisic to the wing and pushed Weston McKennie into the most advanced midfield slot. Over the course of the next 4 games, those changes would help drive the MNT to win ... [checks notes] ... one game... against an extra-bad Cuba. That brings us to the lowest point in the past two years, the abysmal 2-0 loss against Canada in Nations League.

Its difficult to make sweeping declarations about that dreadful game in Toronto. Its a datapoint of one. Maybe the players really just had an off day. But I think its more likely that the disconnect between the midfield and defense, the inability to consistently advance the ball up the field, the empty possession, the struggle to win the ball back in midfield, and the failure of the midfield to contest second balls were all systemic issues. Likewise, its difficult to say that the solid 4-1 victory on the return fixture was a result of Berhalter being forced into pragmatism, or something else. We've not had a competitive match since, and the team appears to now be on a completely different tactical direction entirely, deviating both from that victory and the bad play that came before.

I spent 2019 bloviating about how badly the USMNT missed Tyler Adams (chronic injury) and how the team couldnt win the ball back. But if you want to take a tactical analysis of the problem, as well as a look at how the team has changed (I tentatively say for the better), then you want to look at the press. In the modern game, everything revolves around how, where, and when to press.

A press is where a team makes a decision to try and actively win the ball back in an organized manner. If you have a high press, the team generally is always trying to win the ball back. Alternatively, you can decide to press only when the goal is in danger, usually called a low-block. Finally, you have the middle ground, where the team doesnt always press, but also is also more proactive than merely trying to park the bus.

The big difference between most pressing systems is where the defending team actively tries to press the opposition and win the ball back. That place on the field is called the line of confrontation. Ive got three different defensive postures depicted here, with the line of confrontation in each scenario depicted as a dotted line. In each picture, the blue team is defending in a 4-4-2, while the red team is attacking with a rough approximation of a 4-3-3. These match up with what the USMNT play in defense and attack respectively. Notice, in the low block, the line of confrontation is very close to the defending teams goal, and the defending players are bunched very tightly together. In the mid block, the line of confrontation is higher up the field and the defensive players are not as bunched together. In the high press, the line is almost at the attacking teams goal and every defending player is very close to an attacking player.

Each of these defensive set ups have their own positives and benefits. Low blocks tend to be defensively solid because they clog up the area in front of goal, but come with the downside of severely hampering the attack and can be physically and mentally exhausting when playing against high quality opposition. Examples of good teams that play low blocks include Atletico Madrid and Jill Ellis USWNT. The high press is good at suffocating the opposition and forcing turnovers in dangerous places. The drawbacks are that teams have space in the back to attack if they can get around or over the press and playing in this style tends to also be physically exhausting against good opposition. Chile won a series of Copa Americas with the high press. The high press is also associated with Bayern Munich and Liverpool. The mid block tends to be more flexible than the other two, but lacks the offensive or defensive upsides. It also tends to be less energy intensive than the other two. Its important to note that teams dont have to always pick one of these defensive styles. Teams may start a game in a high press, grab a goal, and then sit in a low block. Or the decision to press or not to press can be based on in-game context. Jurgen Klopp coined the phrase gegenpress, which is where a team presses aggressively when they immediately lose the ball, but, after a few seconds, switches to a less aggressive defensive shape. Theres lots of versions of this: press if theres a back pass, press on throw ins, etc.

For most of 2019, Berhalter had the US in a mid block. And it sucked. The team ended up disconnected and disjointed. And those problems were exploited in the 3-0 friendly against Mexico and the 2-0 loss versus Canada. But after that, Berhalter decided to change things. In the 4-1 win over Canada, the team actually fielded a low block. McKennie returned to the midfield pivot and let Canada have over 60% of the ball. The tables had been turned; Canada was feeling powerful but found themselves unable to do anything. The MNT counter-punched their way to an easy victory. Perhaps this low-block style was the way forward for the US? Thats doesnt appear to be what happened.

In a kind of weird way, Berhalters tactics have matched the broader steps of tactical change over the last decade. Both Klinsmann and Arenas 4-4-2 resembled the kinds of play of the late 1990s and early 2000s, an era where attacking players were given loads of freedom to drift across the field. Can you imagine David Beckham at right mid in todays game? Absurd! Berhalter represented a step towards the kind of possession-focused positional play that Barcelona team made so popular with tiki-taka. But the thing is, tiki-taka died a very violent death in 2013, when Bayern Munich decimated Barcelona 7-0 over both legs of the UEFA Champions League semifinals. The consequences of that game trickled down to the rest of the world, with everyone realizing that you could kill a possession game with dogged defending and heavy pressing. What happened to the USMNT in 2019? They lost to a Canada side dedicated to dogged defending, and they lost to a Mexico side comfortable with heavy pressing.

Which brings us to the next stage, and to the present. In November 2020, Berhalter trotted out a 4-3-3 against Wales, with a midfield of McKennie, Adams, and Yunus Musah. The team wasnt able to get a goal, but they completely throttled the Welsh attack through a high press. And this showed signs of where the US was going. The team was still a possession- heavy side. But now, they were also a counter-pressing side. When the US lost the ball, they would try and win it back immediately. No more of this mid-block nonsense. No, the team, specifically the midfield, would attempt to win the ball back as soon as possible. Winning those turn overs in turn would create openings to attack. This would catch the opposing team off guard after all, they were just about to attack and leave their defense disorganized. The team wasnt able to quite pull this off against Wales. But we did see goals from this kind of play in the subsequent matches against Panama, El Salvador, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Switching to a counter-pressing style has suddenly thrust Weston McKennie into the central role for the team. I spent 2019 complaining about how we needed Weston McKennie to play deeper and to win the ball back on behalf of the team. Well, McKennies winning the ball back, but he isnt playing deeper. In fact, hes clearly become one of the key attacking weapons for the USMNT. Indeed, based on McKennies club performances, it seems Berhalter was on to something before anyone had caught on.

The job of both central midfielders is essentially to do everything. They need to be able to cover ground and quickly press opposing players to win the ball back. They need to be able to burst into the attack. They need to be able to link up in the final third with other players. And they need to be able to make late runs into the box and score goals. Weston McKennie happens to be an exceptionally well rounded player who can do all of these things. On top of that, since joining Juventus, its clear his awareness and concentration have also improved. At just 22, Id have to say hes become the lynchpin for the USMNT.

The thing is, the USA really needs two McKennies. Theres two spots in that midfield, after all. Of course, we wont need literally the exact same skill set at the other midfield spot. Its okay if McKennies partner is a little bit more of a dribbler or a creative passer. But that player still needs to be well rounded enough to participate in both attack and defense. Theres a number of prospects for that spot: Yunus Musah, Brendan Aaronson, Sebastian Lletget, maybe Owen Otasowie, or even Paxton Pomykal if he can get and stay healthy. But it also means that a number of players are not going to be considered. Defensive-minded players like Alfredo Morales arent gong to be considered for that spot, nor will pure attackers. That rules out shifting Pulisic or Gio Reyna back to midfield, and possibly precludes Duane Holmes entirely. Alternatively, I could be extrapolating without enough information. But I dont really think so.

Its early days in terms of whether the current tactical set up will work; well have to see how the team does in the March international window with the full national team. So far, we are playing Northern Ireland. Keep an eye out for an announcement of a second match. While the tactics over the last few years have not been smooth sailing, Im feeling optimistic about the team going forward. But thats enough from me. What do you think? Was there a tactical wrinkle that I missed, something a got wrong? Let me know in the comments below. Well be back next time to finish up the series with an evaluation of the player pool.

Stay safe.

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Two Years of Berhalter: Tactical Evolution - Stars and Stripes FC

Wouldnt even hurt a fly.Screenshot: Paramount Pictures

When most people think of Psycho, they think of Alfred Hitchcocks direction, Bernard Herrmans shrieking score, and Anthony Perkins vulnerable yet terrifying performance as Norman Bates. They probably dont immediately think horror franchise, but Psycho did turn into one over the years.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of Psycho III, which happens to be the entry directed by Perkins himself. So in honor of the horror classic and the somewhat diminishing rewards of its sequels, were taking a look back at the iconic character whos been making movie lovers afraid to take a shower since 1960and who certainly evolved a quite bit over the years.

Robert Blochs 1959 novel came first, but Norman Bates (Perkins) made his biggest and most lasting impression in Alfred Hitchcocks acclaimed adaptationstill as suspenseful and shocking today as it was over 60 years ago. Norman enters the movie near the end of act one, his aw-shucks demeanor offering a deceptively calming mood shift for the frantic Marion Crane (Janet Leigh), who checks into the Bates Motel mid-flight after impulsively stealing $40,000 from her employer. Little does she know the young man who makes her a sandwich and rambles on just a little awkwardly about his controlling mother and his taxidermy hobby will end up sealing her doom.

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Perkins boyish appearancethats candy corn Normans snacking on throughoutfakes out the audience too, although since we know Hitchcock is pulling the strings, we have a good idea early on that the little old lady sitting in the window of the Bates house isnt quite what she seems. That last scene with the buzzing fly, when Norman has completely given himself over to Mother, yields one of the most chilling facial expressions cinema has ever captured.

Directed by Richard Franklin (Cloak & Dagger), Psycho II opens with a replay of Psychos most famous scene, as if anyone watching had forgotten about Marions fatal shower. Then we flash-forward to the present day to see Norman (a returning Perkins) being released from the institution where hes been held the past two decades. His freedom goes against the strenuous objections of Marions sister (again Vera Miles), who identifies herself as Lila Loomis in a little bit of scriptwriting that fills in a big blank: clearly, Lila married the late Marions boyfriend Sam Loomis (John Gavin in Psycho) sometime between the two films.

Youd think sending Norman back to live in the house behind the Bates Motel (now under sleazy new management, courtesy of Dennis Franz) would be seen as an exceptionally bad idea, given all the traumatizing stuff that happened there. Norman and his doctor (Robert Loggia) both have misgivingswith good reason, as it turns out, because the past quickly comes back to haunt Norman when Mother starts reaching out from beyond the grave. Or does she? And if its not herwhat kind of an asshole would try to turn a reformed Norman Bates psycho again?

Written by horror regular Tom Holland (Childs Play, Fright Night), Psycho IIs lively script is sprinkled with references and winks to the first film (anytime Norman gets near a knife, there might as well be a neon sign illuminated on screen making sure we notice). The supporting charactersincluding Meg Tilly as Mary, a down-on-her-luck young waitress at the diner where Norman starts workingare pretty one-note, even as Mary and Lila reveal a hidden agenda that Norman doesnt pick up on until its too late.

Perkins, who brings layers of nervous yet deeply weary energy to his most famous role, is obviously the main attraction here. When he finally does the thing youve been waiting for him to do the entire movie (with a shovel this time, braining his homicidal auntwho claims to be Normans real mother), hes somehow still incredibly sympathetic.

Perkins himself directed this entry in the series, which opens with a woman screaming THERE IS NO GOD and never really pauses to take a breath after that. The story picks up in the aftermath of Psycho II, and we find Normans been coasting on the goodwill of the locals, who believe hes owed a second chance after being targeted by Lila and Marys mindfuckery in the previous film. Little do the good people of dusty Fairvale, California know: the breakdown that Norman started having at the end of Psycho II is about to rise to a crescendo.

The past is never really past...it stays with me all the time, Norman tells Tracy (Roberta Maxwell), a pushy journalist whos taken an interest in his life story, and that observation becomes quite relevant when Maureen (Diana Scarwid), an ex-nun living with her own towering regrets, blows into town and immediately triggers Norman due to her resemblance to Marion Crane. Norman and Maureen spark a romance after he...rescues her from a suicide attempt in her Bates Motel room bathtub (cabin one, natch)...after creeping into her room dressed as Mother intent on stabbing her to death just like he did Marion.

Psycho III gets melodramatic (and somehow makes the riddle of just who, exactly, Normans birth mother really was even more confusing), but Norman almost gets a girlfriend out of it, and the weirder the story gets, Perkins performance gets exponentially more unhinged but also full of surprises. The scene where the sheriff almost discovers a body stashed in the Bates Motel ice cooler while Norman looks on with giddy horror is pitch-black comedy gold.

This made-for-TV sequel, directed by horror veteran Mick Garris and written by Joseph Stefano (who also penned the original adaptation), is really more of a prequel as the title suggests, though we do get Perkins as part of the frame story. Psycho IV follows along as an increasingly jittery Norman calls into a talk radio show (hosted by a chain-smoking CCH Pounder) to weigh in on the subject of matricide. Through his storytelling we see his formative years play out in flashback, with Henry Thomas (eight years post-E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial) playing teen Norman and Olivia Hussey as his cruel and abusive (yet also inappropriately seductive at times) motherand we get a glimpse of Normans increasingly dangerous present mindset.

Hes actually been living a relatively normal life with his wifea doctor he met during his hospital staybut is edging closer to the old Norman on the occasion of his birthday and his mounting fear that his pregnant wife will give birth to a Bates who carries on the stab-happy family tradition. Its an interesting enough approach to the story, but it suffers from the fact that the flashback structure (and the fact that we know Normans life story pretty well already) robs the film of any tension whatsoever. Perkins is fine but most of his performance is literally phoned in, which is hardly the most thrilling way to spend time with him.

Psycho IV: The Beginning wasnt actually the first time Norman Bates was played by an actor other than Perkins. That honor goes to Bates Motelnot the TV series, which well talk about in a moment, but a surprisingly sentimental 1987 made-for-TV movie apparently intended to kick off a series that never materialized. It steps outside of the continuity of the two Psycho sequels that preceded it (and retcons a thing or two from the 1960 original), imagining that while institutionalized after the events of the first film, Norman (played by Kurt Paul in flashbacks and still photographs) befriended a fellow patient named Alex, a scared little kid whod killed his own abusive father.

As were told in a sappy voice-over by one of the facilitys doctors, Norman became a father figure to Alexforming an extraordinary relationship that lasted over 27 years, until Normans death. After we sit through Normans funeral, we find out he left the motel to Alex (played by Bud Cort as an adult), whos about to be released into a world (clutching an urn holding Normans ashes!) hes not really prepared to face. While Normans troubled legacy inevitably filters into Alexs story once he starts running the Bates Moteltheres a Scooby Doo plot, plus some actual ghosts for good measurePsychos redeemed killer looms over everything with a benevolent spirit unseen in any other portrayal of the character so far.

Hey, remember when Gus Van Sant did a shot-for-shot remake of Psycho? On paper, an interesting experiment. Once committed to film...it felt like a novelty until the whole Ok, this is entirely excessive and unnecessary vibe started taking over. Vince Vaughn plays Norman; hes more physically imposing than Perkins but the rest of the performance (like the movie itself) is basically an elaborate homage sprinkled with a few awkward little additions.

Bates Motel ran for five seasons on A&E, styled as a prequel to the original movie but set in a Twin Peaks-y coastal Oregon town, circa the present day. The series cleverly put its own spin on the source material, boasting an outstanding castespecially Freddy Highmore as the quietly spiraling young Norman and The Conjurings Vera Farmiga as his fierce mother, Norma. Altogether, it helped the show come into its own (including fashioning an entirely new ending to the Psycho storyline, which arrived in season five) while always staying respectful to the original material. Psycho II has its charms, but if you hunger for a fresh, nuanced take on Norman after watching the original film, its hard to beat Bates Motels creative approach to the never-boring Bates family.

Where will we meet Norman next? Though no new Psycho projects appear to be in the works currently, it seems like only a matter of time before some intrepid creator comes up with a new way to fire up that neon sign above the Bates Motel. And presumably, if the events of Psycho IV are to be believed, theres a new generation of Bates offspring running around out there...

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The 60-Year Evolution of Psycho's Norman Bates - Gizmodo

February 19, 2021

I never thought I would grow up to be a Cat Daddy, so thats one more thing I was wrong about.

After my retirement, cats started arriving as frequently as Social Security checks. Some briefly, but others liked the amenities and decided to hang. I am up to three cats, which is manageable, but I worry that they wont stop coming, and I will have to eat cat food with them or start a GoFundUs page.

The problem with cats is there isnt much return on the investment. It is all about the cat. They eat and sleep and when the mood is right permit you to rub their belly. Oh yea, they will occasionally deposit a maimed rodent, dead or soon to be, on the porch.

As far as being a companion, they are aloof. Nothing like dogs, who actually return the affection.

Ive always been a dog person, but havent had a dog since Poker, my German shepherd, died in 1992. I never got another dog because I was rarely home and dogs need companionship. Cats could care less about company.

My conversion to Cat Daddy status was not by choice. It was either feed them or watch them starve.

Let me introduce them.

Boots was my first, emerging from The Jungle in July 2018 as a kitten, probably just a couple of weeks old at the time. I videotaped our courtship and put them on Facebook, including his first foray into my humble home, and a star was born. It wasnt me.

A tuxedo cat, Boots is a handsome fellow, perfectly symmetric, regal even. He once told me that he was actually born in a tuxedo. But hes no longer much use for the ladies if you know what I mean.

Weve written two books together Boots and Me: Life with the King of the Jungle, and Boots and Me: Getting Down to Business that hover around a single premise, Boots making fun of me. He says there is an infinite amount of material.

Hundreds of books have been sold, raising several thousand dollars to share among two local rescue groups, the Robeson County Humane Society and Frannys Friends. If you want one, both or a really cool T-shirt, let me know. I will be cutting a check soon to the Humane Society.

A couple of months ago Juice arrived, a grown tabby cat who is a male and whose age I have no clue. I named him Juice because he was orange, not after O.J. Simpson, a football idol of my childhood who fell out of favor when he cut off his ex-wifes head. That was a dealbreaker.

Juice, unlike Boots, is an outside cat, rejecting daily invitations to come inside no matter how wet and cold it is outside. I think he is traumatized from the one time he did come inside. When the door closed behind him, he morphed into a pinball in search of an escape. When none could be found, he levitated and found himself atop a 7-foot-tall hutch. It made me question all I believed about gravity.

He stayed there for an hour hissing at me until I had enough Bud Lite to get up the nerve to toss a towel over his head and grab him. His hind right paw dug into my right arm as I opened the door and gave him a good toss into the yard. The blood loss was minimal, but it was all mine.

Juice was back on the top step eating 10 minutes later, so he doesnt hold grudges.

Juice is still a male in every sense, apparently territorial, and returns each day with fresh wounds on his face. He is on a steady diet of antibiotics. I am concerned that he will return with injuries so bad I will have to get him to a veterinarian. Should that happen, I will be the one with flesh wounds.

His fighting mate is another tuxedo who arrived a few weeks ago. I dont know for sure this cats gender, but I suspect it is a male because he and Juice make war, not love.

Full grown and perhaps kin to Boots, this fellow is glad to eat the cat food I put out, but our relationship is distant. I have not gotten within 15 feet of him before he flees into The Jungle, so he hasnt yet qualified for a name. If he does, a Facebook friend suggested Oreo.

On Thursday night, during the midst of an unnamed hurricane and with temperatures near freezing, Juice, the unnamed feral and Opie hes an opossum named for the Ron Howard character on Andy Griffith were outside, social distancing, soaked to the bone, staring at the back door, waiting to be fed.

Boots was inside, sleeping on a pillow, warm, comfortable and content. Every once in a while he would rise from his slumber, saunter to the back door, and gaze at the three. I dont know what he was thinking, but I have ruled out sympathy.

As he often reminds me, its good to be King.

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Transition to green energy needs to be an evolution, not a revolution - The Robesonian