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Documentary Showcases 20 Years Of Fair Trade Evolution In Long Beach | News | gazettes.com

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Wednesday, March 31, 2021

"Long Beach Local Business" is a 20-year-long project documenting the evolution of Long Beach.

The documentary is the product of a collaboration between 7SUN MEDIA and Fair Trade Long Beach a coalition dedicated to increasing the availability of fair trade items sold in the city. The documentary will showcase the fair trade shift among the city's evolving shopping base.

"This is a story of one woman's mid-life epiphany transpiring into a community-wide collective of over 25 empowered Fair Trade businesses," Rose Lazon, assistant director, said in a release. "The collective model then became the glue, the key to survival of this precious ideology through the global trauma of the pandemic."

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Documentary Showcases 20 Years Of Fair Trade Evolution In Long Beach - Gazette Newspapers

The most incredible -- if not scary -- thing about UFC heavyweight Francis Ngannou is that even if he hasn't improved at all in the areas that fueled his 2018 title defeat to Stipe Miocic, or if it's even possible he somehow got worse, the native of Cameroon could still exit the Octagon on Saturday as the next UFC champion.

Of all the great power punchers and devastating strikers in the nearly 30-year history of the UFC, none have been as menacing as the 6-foot-4 "Predator," who has recorded finishes -- often of the extremely violent variety -- in all of his 10 victories since making his Octagon debut in 2015.

Riding a four-fight win streak in which he logged less than three minutes of total cage time, Ngannou (15-3) will get a second crack at the heavyweight crown Miocic (20-3) regained in 2019 when the pair of sluggers headline UFC 260 inside the Apex facility in Las Vegas.

The central theme surrounding this weekend's fight is an easy one to understand: how much has Ngannou improved from the standpoint of wrestling, conditioning and fight IQ since his largely remedial performance (save for an exciting first round) in a five-round unanimous decision loss to Miocic at UFC 220? But it's the answer to that question that is anything but easy to take a stab at.

Despite six consecutive stoppage wins to open his UFC career, including a first-round KO via uppercut against Alistair Overeem that might be the sport's most brutal finish to date, Ngannou was rushed into the title shot by UFC brass against Miocic, largely in hopes it had uncovered MMA's answer to Mike Tyson of the 1980s.

Not only was Ngannou's game not ready for someone as well-rounded and seasoned as Miocic, the aftermath would prove that he wasn't ready for the pressure either. The fallout of UFC 220 saw Ngannou publicly spar with UFC president Dana White, who accused him of being a diva after Ngannou produced a lifeless performance in a forgettable decision loss to Derrick Lewis six months later that was completely devoid of action.

To Ngannou's credit, he humbly returned to the gym at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas and took a long look at what was missing from his game, his preparation and his mindset.

"After the Stipe fight, I realized a lot of things. I took a step back and tried to look at that side and try and see all the mistakes and all I did wrong," Ngannou told CBS Sports in November. "I also began to understand many aspects of this sport that I never knew because, growing up, I had never been a competitor or an athlete. I had to learn everything from the bottom and I took a lot from that fight. I learned a lot from that fight and I keep learning."

Can't get enough boxing and MMA? Get the latest in the world of combat sports from two of the best in the business. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news.

Now 34, Ngannou's path to the status of elite UFC fighter remains unique unto itself. He left his native Cameroon for Paris at the age of 26 to pursue a career in professional boxing, although the journey in getting there was anything but simple.

Traveling from Cameroon to Morocco took Ngannou one full year spent illegally crossing borders, living in the bush and surviving on food he literally picked from trash. His first attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea and enter Europe illegally was met with a two-month jail sentence in Spain.

With no money or a place to live, Ngannou was homeless for months and living in parking lots upon his arrival in Paris. He eventually joined forces with MMA Factory gym where his boxing hopes were transitioned into that of MMA.

What's most incredible is that only three months after he began training, Ngannou had his first pro fight and would go on to make his UFC debut just two years later. Yet while Ngannou's remarkable backstory shows just how much room for growth he still has as a pro fighter, it doesn't necessarily fill in the blanks regarding whether or not he will prove able to stop the 38-year-old Miocic from repeatedly taking him down in their rematch.

"I think what has changed is just me, the young fighter, improving because despite my age, I'm still very young sport-wise," Ngannou said. "I just started fighting like seven years ago so I think I still have a big pace of improvement in my game. That's what makes me believe in myself and think I can do something very big in this sport. Other than other guys, I still have a big space of improvement."

Although Ngannou's impressive four-fight knockout streak came against a mixture of elite foes and former champions -- Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos and Jairzinho Rozenstruik -- none lasted beyond 71 seconds against his punching power.

Asked on Tuesday during an interview on "Morning Kombat" how much he believes Ngannou's ground game and conditioning have improved, Miocic was understandably uncertain.

"I don't know [but] I will find out. If it happens, I'll let you know when we get down there," Miocic said. "But wherever it goes, I'll be fine. If it stays on the feet, I'll be fine. If it goes onto the ground, I'll be fine. Nothing is going to change. I have a great game plan and I'm conditioned and I'm ready. I've done everything I need to do to win this fight and that's what I'm going to do."

Ngannou will have UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman as a cornerman on Saturday, which Miocic believes suggests a focus on wrestling should be implied. From Ngannou's perspective, he can only improve from 2018 when Miocic gassed him out early and spent the final four rounds largely laying on top of him and controlling the action with ease.

"Even when I wasn't fighting [last year,] I have been training wrestling and jiu-jitsu and started understanding stuff and I found it very fascinating because it was a thing I didn't know before," Ngannou said. "It's very exciting to see how much more I can improve."

Yet for all this talk about wrestling and the potential of what Ngannou might look like should the fight extend to the championship rounds, there's always the possibility that it's a moot point. In fact, just like ahead of their first meeting, oddsmakers still prefer Ngannou and his menacing power as the betting favorite.

It's a reality that Miocic must face -- for the second time. Although he went on to largely dominate Ngannou and used his speed advantage to land heavy right hands in the opening round, Miocic was forced to walk through hell early on to get there and exited the fight with major swelling around his left eye.

"He hits hard, no question. He does bring the power, but if I keep my hands up and my chin down, I'll be good," Miocic said. "We all get hit, it's a fight. Unfortunately, I get touched up easily so if you flick me, I'll have bruises. He does hit hard but I just need to weather that storm and I will be good.

"I have good speed and I think that I have gotten faster as I have gotten older. I squashed a few [pounds] and I think I have got more efficient. I feel good."

Even if Ngannou is unable to explain the source of his other worldly power, it's certainly the main reason he has gotten this far in such an alarmingly short period of time. But will he need more than that to best Miocic in his second chance at UFC glory?

Only time will tell on Saturday.

"I don't know, so sometimes I am kind of surprised by [my power] myself," Ngannou said. "It's like, 'OK, that's it? [The fight] is over? What went wrong?' But obviously, that's it.

"That's what I want to prove, [that I can wrestle]. That's what I want to really check. It will be different this time."

Who wins Miocic vs. Ngannou, and which picks do you need to parlay together for a mammoth payout of almost 20-1?Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks on UFC 260, all from the ultimate insider who went an amazing 58-14 on picks last year.

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UFC 260: Francis Ngannou must display unseen evolution of his game to get past Stipe Miocic and secure title - CBS Sports

I can't take the shots that people throw out. They don't ever really think about the effort and time we put in, or the journey that we've been through as a band to put out this record."

Its moments like this that the Curb Your Enthusiasm theme song was built for.

Cast your mind back, if you will, to early March 2021 a simpler time. In an interview with Zane Lowe, Adam Levine who, need you be reminded, fronts a band lamented the fact that there are, quote, no bands anymore.

Of course, the Maroon 5 frontman expanded contextually in the actual interview, saying that there were far more bands on the charts when they started out as opposed to now which, to be disappointingly fair, is true. In the current Billboard Hot 100 at the time of writing, there are four bands Glass Animals, Imagine Dragons, All Time Low and yes, Maroon 5. Had Levine glanced outside of his bubble, however say, over at the UK charts he would have seen something different entirely.

Architects, a global force in heavy music and importantly to this story a band, scored the number-one album in their homeland the week that Levine made these comments. Simultaneously, the band were number-one on the ARIA charts here. Across each chart, they rubbed shoulders with the likes of The Weeknd, Dua Lipa, Harry Styles and Ariana Grande further emphasising just how far this fish was flung out of water.

Ive got no respect for Adam Levine, says Architects frontman Sam Carter, when the aforementioned contrast is laid out for him. I couldnt give a toss what he thinks. Its the same shit whenever guys like Gene Simmons run their mouths these guys get rolled out once a year to say the exact same thing for clickbait. Its just so boring. Like, I feel like if you actually are in a rock band, youre so aware of so many cool bands that are coming through and doing so much cool stuff. Whenever anyone says that it, shows their disconnect from the scene and how great the scene is. Mr. Levine can shove it up his arse!

What is even more unique for Architects recent success is that the album in question, For Those That Wish to Exist, is the Brighton bands ninth. To achieve their first-ever number-one on any chart some 15 years into their career is a remarkable effort, and a further testament to the quintets staying power.

Obviously, we dont we dont write music with the charts in mind, says Carter. Weve never done that. I will say, though, that it feels a little bit cool that were getting this recognition especially now. People are coming together and being like, were going to push these bands into the mainstream, and were going to buy these records because we support this music. It really does show how big this scene is.

Of course, For Those That Wish to Exist hasnt come without its share of detractors. Not long before its ascent to the top of the charts, internet tastemaker Anthony Fantano derided the record as symphonic pop-metal that border[s] on parody. Reviews on Rateyourmusic, too, also chastise the band for its tough guy Christian butt rock and for chasing what Bring Me The Horizon did six years ago. Contrast that with a glowing five-star review in Kerrang! or its 9/10 review in Clash, and you really start to get a sense of the albums divisive nature.

So, does Carter pay any mind to The DiscourseTM? I just cant take it, he replies. I cant take the shots that people throw out. They dont ever really think about the effort and time we put in, or the journey that weve been through as a band to put out this record. I mean, theres so many records that I dont like, but I would never go on record and say it.

I cant take the shots that people throw out. They dont ever really think about the effort and time we put in, or the journey that weve been through as a band to put out this record.

A good thing that was said to me was Why would you accept criticism from someone you wouldnt ask advice from? That was a big thing for me. Its just a weird culture people are really angry, and they dont really seem to know why. Theyre just ready to take a shot at somebody for trying to do something positive. If it wasnt you that they were going to have a go at, it was gonna be the post office worker or someone at Woolworths. These people are just angry.

Carter goes on to explain the difficult position that bands like Architects find themselves in. They are, after all, 15 years removed from their debut album Nightmares and the only person still in the band that played on that record is drummer/songwriter Dan Searle. Needless to say, the band Architects are now is not the one it once was not least of all given the passing of Dans brother Tom, a co-founding member, who lost a battle with cancer in 2016.

So, whats a band to do? If they continue making the same style of music that originally brought them to prominence, theyll be chastised for spinning their wheels and making the same record again and again. Should they venture out of that framework, however, theyll be greeted with accusations of selling out and asked why they dont make music that sounds like their old records.

It would have been a lot easier for us to stay there, says Carter of the bands metalcore origins. Im always confident when we make new music, but I also know how nerve-wracking it can be. Every record we move further and further away from that route we set out on, when the safer thing would have been to stick to it. To me, though, safe is boring. I love all the records weve made, but it just feels silly to carry on doing it just for the sake of it.

Carter points to Searles passing as one of the reasons Architects have continued to adapt and evolve sonically. Even in the final stages of his life, the late guitarist was speaking to his bandmates about where he envisioned them heading after he was gone. Its around this point that it becomes clear why Carter and co. have largely shunned public opinion on the bands musical direction the reality is that there was only one person they have really been trying to please.

Whats left of Architects is the five of us that are here, says Carter. There were still a lot of riffs Tom had written that made it onto [previous album, 2018s] Holy Hell, but now thats behind us. We cant just do a Tom Searle tribute record where we try and write like Tom I think that would be like disrespectful to him. To truly honour what he was doing and how he pushed himself creatively, it felt like we needed to move in a new direction.

Carter points to the song Animals which also gave the band their first-ever Hottest 100 placement back in January as the point in the creative process where Exist truly began to take shape. Not only was it a fresh approach for the band, it also aligned with their final conversations with Searle. One of the things we talked about was moving into a of heavy, bio-industrial world, says Carter. Its funny bio-industrial means nothing to anyone, but to us it was like organic, industrial metal. When we finished Animals, it felt like the first time that wed actually done that since since he passed away. I remember just being like, man, I just wish he could hear the song. I feel like wed finally done what he was setting out to do with the next record, if he was still here.

Outside of its sonic forays into alternative metal, djent, symphonic metal and even pop, For Those That Wish to Exist is also an intriguing listen from a lyrical perspective. As a lyricist, Dan Searle paints quite biblical imagery life and death, heaven and hell, utopia and armageddon. Its not a new thing for the band, by any stretch their biggest single is literally titled Doomsday but it appears to play a bigger role in the lyricism here than ever before. For Carter who describes his religious affiliation as christened, but not a Christian singing these lyrics was an intriguing experience.

Its super interesting, he says of Searles writing. I think its through ways of getting the point across, yknow? Heaven and Hell is basically like a good-and-evil sort of way of lateral thinking. I think the way he does it is great. What hes doing taking you on a journey somewhere else. Thats one of lifes biggest questions when you look at good versus evil, right versus wrong. Youre like, hang on a minute, does that exist? Can it exist? Is there an answer out there?

The involvement between Carter and Searle on the record develops even further when its noted that Searle co-produced it alongside lead guitarist Josh Middleton. Its in moments like this that the camaraderie and mutual respect between the band members becomes increasingly clear. It has to sound real, says Carter. I have to make it sound like Ive written the lyrics, or that Dans singing them. It has to be coming from that place. I back everything that he writes, and I stand by him. Were all so close as a friendship group that we all kind of know what each other is about as well. When we go into the studio, Im ready to sing about these things that Im super passionate about, and Dans writing them in a far better way than I could.

More than merely a reflection of the heavy music he listens to, Carter sees Architects as a vehicle for all of his various inspirations. Across the conversation, hell lather praise onto bands as unexpected as R.E.M. (Honestly, how good are they?) and Mew (We used to blast Frengers in the van on every single tour). Carter also points to post-hardcore veterans Thrice as one of his biggest inspirations behind the bands sonic evolution. We kind of grew up at the same time, just in different parts of the world, he says of the cult American band.

The Artist in the Ambulance is a heavy record, just like our early stuff. Vheissu is more in the spirit of bands like Radiohead, and it came out around the exact same time I was discovering them myself. Their later records, like Beggars, are much roomier and more focused on the groove. I just see them as a band that pushes the envelope with every single release. They could just phone it in every time, but they dont. They put real effort into their albums every song has a purpose, and they create pieces of art rather than just singles. As weve gotten older and changed our sound, theyve been such a big inspiration to us.

This also reflects in the guests selected to perform on Exist. Parkway Drives Winston McCall is an obvious choice, given their similar trajectory out of metalcore and into the mainstream, but members of bands like Biffy Clyro and Royal Blood may not quite align with your usual Architects fare. They came about really naturally, says Carter of the collaborations.

I dont think Im ever satisfied. I dont ever want to sit around and pat myself on the back. Therell be time for that.

Simon [Neil]s part in Goliath already felt like a Biffy part to us we all thought that he would smash it. Wed sort of befriended him from just chatting at various music festivals, so when we emailed him he said yes straightaway. That meant a lot to us, as were all huge Biffy fans. As for Mike [Kerr], hes one of my best mates. We actually rehearse in the same space as Royal Blood, so were super close with them. When he came in for Little Wonder, he smashed it instantly.

With all this talk of longevity and the veteran status of Architects, its worth noting that the band members are only in their early-to-mid 30s. The Searle twins formed the band when they were just 16 years old, and Carter himself joined not long after turning 18 himself. The band has essentially grown up in public perhaps not with the same fanfare as, say, Panic! At The Disco or Paramore, but certainly in their own respect and within the ever-burgeoning UK heavy music scene. As our conversation draws to a close, Carter is queried on his motivations behind the bands continuation and his own personal creative quest.

I think its the same as it was when I was a kid, he says. I dont think Im ever satisfied. I dont ever want to sit around and pat myself on the back. Therell be time for that. Therell be a time where I can sit there and look back at everything and be like, that was really cool that you did that. Right now, though, I think I just want to just keep going.

I think if you stop and stand still and spend too much time looking around, you lose focus. You lose the reason why you did it in the first place. Youve always got to try and do better be a better band, be a better vocalist, put on a better live show. Im still just as hungry to do that now as I ever was.

David James Young is a freelance writer who will always come out of mosh retirement whenever required.

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Architects On Their Critics, Evolution, And Why Adam Levine Can Shove It - Junkee

A microscope image of the intertidal flatworm Procerodes littoralis. Credit: Katharine Clayton, University of Plymouth

A tiny flatworm found commonly on the coasts of western Europe and North America is living proof that species may be able to evolve and adapt to rapid climate change.

Research by the University of Plymouth examined the extent to which the intertidal flatworm Procerodes littoralis was able to regenerate and repair itself when challenged with different seawater conditions.

Repeating a study conducted more than a century earlier it was shown that the response of individuals had changed markedly since then.

The original study was conducted by Dorothy Jordan Lloyd, who was based at the Marine Biological Association in Plymouth, and focussed on individuals found in Wembury Bay, Plymouth.

Katharine Clayton examines a sample of Procerodes littoralis found in Wembury Bay, Plymouth. Credit: University of Plymouth

It was published in 1914, and the current study led by BSc (Hons) Marine Biology graduate Katharine Clayton replicated it in terms of the processes followed and the precise locations from which samples were collected.

When tested across a range of different concentrations of saltwater in the laboratory, scientists showed the flatworm was able to regenerate following minor injuries at lower salinities than were recorded originally.

They also demonstrated that while in 1914 there was an optimum salinity level for individuals to regenerate this is no longer the case, suggesting individuals have extended their tolerance range in the intervening 104 years.

Scientists also examined rainfall levels for the Wembury Bay area and found they had increased between 1914 and 2018, which is likely to result in exposure to lower salinities in the intertidal region, where the flatworm is found.

Put together, they say it shows how individual species may be able to adapt and survive the localized effects of climate change which, if correct, provides some of the first evidence of evolutionary rescue taking place in the wild.

Dorothy Jordan Lloyd (left) working with colleagues at the Marine Biological Association in 1911. Credit: Marine Biological Association

Katharine Clayton began the study as part of her undergraduate degree and wrote it up for her final year dissertation. Now pursuing a PhD at the University of Exeter, she said: When we first began looking at this flatworm, we were interested in how it tolerated salinity levels in it natural habitat. However, we quickly found out about Dorothys study in 1914 so it became a perfect test of how an individual population had adapted to changes within its immediate environment. The findings provide really interesting evidence of the impacts of climate change, but it has also been inspiring for me to revisit Dorothys work and highlight a pioneering female scientist of her time.

The researchs co-author, Professor of Marine Zoology John Spicer, supervised Katharines work and is a world-leading authority on how marine species can adapt to climate change. He added: There has been an idea around for the last 15 to 20 years called evolutionary rescue where, faced with rapid climate change, animals evolve to survive. Many, including myself, have doubted the possibility of such rescue, especially over such a short space of time in terms of species evolution. But this study shows it may well be possible in the wild because, in comparing two identical experiments 100 years apart, the animal has changed how it works, its physiology.

It is proof that evolutionary rescue may exist in the wild, not just in the laboratory, and is a major step forward in our understanding of how species can adapt as the environment around them changes. With the two studies being conducted 50 years before and after the start of the Anthropocene, it also provides a fascinating insight into the effect humans are having on species with whom we share our planet.

Reference: Evidence for physiological niche expansion of an intertidal flatworm: evolutionary rescue in the wild by Katharine A. Clayton and John I. Spicer, 1 October 2020, Marine Ecology Progress Series.DOI: 10.3354/meps13473

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Scientists Repeat Century-Old Experiment to Reveal Evidence of Evolutionary Rescue in the Wild - SciTechDaily

Communication across the 250 miles of London Undergrounds track is essential to those working in the rail sector to ensure safety and lack of disruption for passengers, and to run safety protocols.

Every train driver, every train and every station within London Underground is connected by the communications network, Connect, to always enable communication between employees. If this connection is broken or facing issues, trains are unable to leave platforms on time, stations close and the safety of passengers and staff is at risk.

Thales has recently completed an upgrade of the Connect system, which sees the system running the most up-to-date technology available to the industry.

Thales staff have been working on replacing this technology for the past two years, removing the old legacy equipment and installing the new technology. The upgrade took place while London Underground continued to operate which presented challenges for the team. Thales programme director Peter Gaylor explained these challenges and how the system works. Credit: Thales.

Peter Gaylor (PG): Thales started the relationship with Transport for London on this project back in 1999, and that was always going to be a 20-year period for us to design, build and operate the network with the London Underground. You can imagine whats gone on in computing and technology in general over the last 20 years; for some of this kit to have been around in those locations, its coming to the end of its life.

London Underground are quite keen to make sure that what theyre installing now has a lifespan thats taking them into the foreseeable future. When the contract was awarded to us in 2019, we agreed that as part of that contract wed upgrade the network. Its [now] upgraded to the latest terrestrial trunked radio (TETRA) technologies.

The technology that were talking about now, the basic technology hasnt changed, its still TETRA and what was installed is the latest hardware or software to support that. So, for our customers, its less about the bells and whistles that you see with the 4G and 5G.

This technology is available and reliable, it works when you need it the most. Thats whats really key to our supply, so its not the most glamorous technology in the world, but you know if you press the button to talk to somebody is going to work, we guarantee.

GlobalData's TMT Themes 2021 Report tells you everything you need to know about disruptive tech themes and which companies are best placed to help you digitally transform your business.

PG: The technology has a roadmap in terms of hardware; this is it really for the next 10 years, we wont be changing any hardware. There will be continued reviews as we get with all technology and software, its continually being reviewed.

Were continually introducing new features, new functionality, [and] they tend to come out once or twice a year. So those will be going on in the background overnight for the next 10 years or so, thats just the business how we manage on a day-to-day basis.

PG: Connect is the umbrella term for the contract that we have. Connect isnt just about the radio technology, its about the transmission network that we have for London Underground, the video network that we have in place and the radio technology.

The most visible element of Connect is when you go to an underground station and the station staff have a radio on their jackets, that is Connect is the most visible form. The station staff are using Connect every single day every single shift. Stations will not open if Connect is not working because stations cant communicate between their staff to trains.

The next step is the train communications, the ability for station staff to potentially talk to drivers, the drivers to be able to talk to dispatchers so that if a station is closed for an hour for example because of a fire alarm or person on the track then the communication between the dispatcher, train, the operators, and the station staff can all take place.Credit: Thales.

PG: Theres been many, many challenges, its taken us two and a half years to get to the position where we are today. We havent had the luxury of switching off the old network. If you were doing this for any other business, you would switch off the old network and rip it out, youll clean everything up, put the new kit in, youll commission it and then youd hand it over.

Weve had to integrate the two networks at the same time so that means physically installing new infrastructure. Stations arent the easiest thing to install the racks and cabinets, and theres not many goods lifts in these locations. So, transporting and installing a lot of this kit has really been a challenge.

Then you throw in the pandemic as well and try to limit the amount of time that we have people working in the same locations, having to wear masks, all the testing. Theres been a lot of challenges just from physically installing the technology, parallel running it, commissioning it, and the people element as well.

PG: Weve just finished the core radio element and thats the servers behind the network, the brains of the network. Were currently upgrading the dispatchers, so that was also awarded at the same time. So, all the dispatcher locations around the network are being upgraded at the moment with the latest technology.

Weve just commenced the upgrading of the base stations, so thats the radio infrastructure. Weve got 300 of those that we will be upgrading between now and 2023, thats the next thing we will be celebrating.

PG: I would ask readers to do their research around Thales. Thales is a global organisation that is very, very widespread and has an impact on everybodys lives in ways that people probably dont really appreciate.

Thales has a huge presence, and I would advise people to do their own investigations, Thales reaches and innovates in a number of spaces that people probably arent even aware of.

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Timeline: tracing the evolution of hyperloop rail technology - Railway Technology

Nikki Walton

Nikki Walton is a best-selling and NAACP Image Award-nominated author, TV personality and licensed psychotherapist. Her unique sensibility of inner and outer beauty is the force behind her industry-disrupting blog, curlynikki.com, and the reason why over 118,000 loyal fans flock to her Instagram page for a daily dose of inspiring words and wellness wisdom. Here, the mother of two talks to PEOPLE about the evolution of the natural hair movement and self-love.

Growing up, I'd see brown women who looked like me on TV sitcoms, on the red carpet and in magazines, but their hair was always straight. I started having my hair pressed when I was 7 years old to look like them.

At the beauty salon, I wouldn't even look in the mirror before my hair was finished because I felt ugly. I couldn't make eye contact with my own reflection. I didn't feel beautiful. I didn't want other people in the salon to see me we were all getting our hair straightened in some form, whether it was with heat or chemicals, to look more appropriate, to look more professional, to look more desirable to society. That had a huge impact on my life and the way I perceived myself.

In 2004, I was attending college three hours away from St. Louis, Missouri, where I grew up, and where my hair stylist was, so I could only get my hair styled once every couple of months. But as soon as it got wet from the shower, humidity or rain, it would revert back to its natural texture. Soon, I realized that this was not sustainable. My self-esteem would fluctuate based on how my hair looked. I decided to learn how to straighten my hair, how to beat it into submission myself. Then it started burning and breaking off, so I thought, "This also is not the answer." I needed to do the real work, and ask myself the hard questions: "What is your hair? Why do you not like it? What can it do if you work with it?"

I started wearing Afro puffs in college, and I did not get a good reception. Women who looked like me would say, "Ew, what is this?" But I kept going, because I knew I would have a better quality of life by wearing my hair the way it naturally grows, instead of needing it to look like something it's not.

Story continues

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When I first came home from college rocking my natural hair, my family was not for it either. They were like, "When you interview for your graduate school program, they're not going to let you in with that hair. You're throwing everything away." It stung, but they wanted to protect me. That policing comes from a place of love, like, "let me keep you from missing out on opportunities that you would get if you looked more 'the part'" which means straight hair.

While I was at the University of North Carolina for graduate school, I began to research the science of Black hair: "What is the moisture barrier? What does healthy, textured hair look like?" In 2008, I started sharing what I learned on my website, Curly Nikki. Once I stayed up for almost 48 hours straight writing 30 articles. People loved it.

Nikki Walton

I did not feel comfortable in my own skin and hair, but I found self-love and freedom through learning to love my natural hair. My story is common, and a lot of folks were eager to share their experiences on Curly Nikki. Curly Nikki may have started with my story, but it's a community of people where we help each other regain our quality of life and learn to love ourselves.

The accessibility and acceptance of natural hair is like night and day now, compared to 10 years ago. If I need a curl cream, I can order it online for same-day delivery, versus driving an hour to a boutique hair care store. Commercials now say curly hair is beautiful not just silky, shiny hair.

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My daughter Gia Nicole is 10, and she doesn't even know what a relaxer is. She loves her hair the bigger, the better. She wears it in natural curls, and straight sometimes. My goal is for women to feel just as beautiful with their hair in its natural state as they do when it's straight. You should feel just as confident walking out of your house, walking onto that red carpet, going to that audition, going to that interview, or going on vacation with your hair in its natural state, as you do with it under a wig or straightened.

Now, I can't get through an entire movie or TV show without seeing natural hair. It's portrayed on the lead, on the sexy character. However, that character is often light-skinned or has looser curls. We need to shift to a more equal playing field, where all shades are considered beautiful. My mother has very dark skin and she was shamed by her classmates, teachers and her family. She's well into her natural hair journey, and to see her love her skin and hair has been beautiful to watch. To see her watch women who have her skin color on TV or in magazines being celebrated, she tells me, "I never thought I'd see the day."

Since the natural hair movement is more mainstream, it gives us the bandwidth to focus on issues that matter, like equality. We can immediately focus on healing our society because we're not worried about how we look.

We don't need to inspire people to wear their natural hair anymore, but there's still room for education. I want to see a world where it's not just certain hair textures or certain skin tones that are considered acceptable. Let's shift our society so everyone can see beauty in the mirror first, because that's what's important. When most people look in the mirror, they don't see beauty there. But when you can see and feel it in yourself, no matter who you are or what you look like, it's easy to see it elsewhere. When we can all do that, I've achieved my goal.

As told to Morgan Smith

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Blogger Curly Nikki on the Evolution of the Natural Hair Movement: 'It's Like Night and Day' - Yahoo Entertainment

At its conception in the 1930s, TV was considered a novelty with much technical advancement needed to take analog viewing mainstream. Adoption was slow to start with, radio being where consumers favorite shows were aired. It wasnt until the 1950s when many radio programs transitioned into television shows that this format really took off. Major brands were shifting their advertising spend away from audio and into TV to reach the consumer masses with a specific message or promotion of a single product. Consumers were soon glued to their screens, the TV set becoming a way-of-life and a dominant form of entertainment.

TV broadcasters saw competition for consumer attention from new cable, premium, independent and public channels. Fast forward to the rapid adoption of the internet, which saw even more change and disruption. As more consumers moved to internet-based content, advancements in technology meant that consumers could bring their favorite shows with them while on the move. Analog TVs deprecation has been in progress since the early 2000s and in the last 10 years digital transmission was suddenly in everyones hands. Across Europe today, there is an estimated 8.9 connected devices[1] per capita, resulting in more data than ever and more individual touch points. With content now so easily accessible, consumers demand a more relevant online advertising experience in return for their attention. The value exchange must improve consumer experiences so how can advertisers achieve this?

With the emergence of new content channels, viewers suddenly had an entire universe of programming choices, catering to various interests, cultures and desires. Consumer access points expanded, consumption preferences changed, and viewers wanted more control over what they watched and when they watched it. Video cassette recorders (VCRs) were the first devices to allow consumers flexibility to watch a diverse library of content on their TVs at a time that suited them or even record shows before the days of DVR. This paved the way for other devices, more recently the video on demand (VOD) and subscription video on demand (SVOD) channels we enjoy today. The modern-day digital video consumer is now more in control of their viewing experience than ever before.

Once two separate worlds, traditional TV and digital have now collided, transforming the future of TV for viewers, media owners, advertisers and their buying agencies. Traditional linear viewing, while still relevant, is declining, heavily influenced by the popularity of VOD, SVOD and the various internet-connected viewing devices (connected TV, other OTT devices and social platforms). The opportunities for advertisers operating in the new digital video landscape are vast, once they have understood the components of this new world on a local level. The current EMEA digital video landscape is a familiar case study of fragmentation, made up of a diverse patchwork of distinct national media ecosystems and users with multiple device options.

In France, the CTV opportunity has a slower adoption than in other markets given the preference here for IPTV (internet protocol television) among local broadcasters. Germany is a similar evolving market with a strong viewer privacy sentiment and a landscape in which publishers are particularly powerful, while the UK is an accelerated on-demand market where national broadcast networks are striving to create new platforms (BVOD) to attract and retain viewers and advertisers among heavy competition. As this new era progresses, it will be interesting to see what role the options of global OTT services such as apps or buttons on remotes take when it comes to how audiences can access content moving forward in local markets.

With brands eager to reach the right audience, they are beginning to turn their TV strategies towards programmatic a move accelerated through the eyes and preferences of the consumer. With consumers willing to accept advertisement in traditional TV, CTV brings the best of both worlds for marketers, combining the scale of attention that we see in traditional TV with the precision and flexibility of digital. Across Europes biggest markets, approximately 40% of all internet-enabled and TV households own a smart TV, increasing to reach 50% CTV viewership when you add streaming devices and gaming consoles[2].

CTV also offers a variety of free-to-view content. With subscription fatigue a real threat to ad-free channels, more and more CTV viewers say they are happy to watch ad-supported content versus increasing their subscriptions. This makes it a natural home for advertising and when combined with the effective targeting methods of programmatic, consumer attention is given by default. On-demand viewers in particular who are actively choosing what to watch leads to a higher dwell time for advertising. Driven by real-time data, marketers are able to achieve precision targeting at local, household or even device-level. There are changes coming as we move away from third-party cookies and towards consented data. Marketers can make use of their first-party data from their own customer relationship management (CRM) tools, transaction records and online data, such as website visits, to identify when and where to meet their desired audience in better partnership with publishers and data owners.

The digitization of the TV-buying workflow in time will ease trading and improve ad experience. As we know from the early days of programmatic, overuse of retargeting can be a brand-killer and a waste of valuable advertising budgets. Fortunately, typical video consumption isnt at the same volume as page view and there are controls available within the CTV landscape that allow ad buyers to cap a specified maximum number of times ads are played to a viewer, maximizing campaign efficiency. With the ability to activate, optimize, report and adjust campaigns in real-time, ad buyers can change their creative messaging or spending commitments far quicker than through traditional TV mechanisms, making it opportunistic on performing media. In light of the recent need to adapt quickly to change due to a global pandemic, this flexibility proves invaluable to marketers being quick to react to public sentiment.

According to Xandrs 2020 Global Relevance Report, at least half of the advertisers around the world are using precise targeting to deliver better video ads. The new TV horizon has a programmatic philosophy of sustainable, optimized marketplaces for TV commercials, transaction models, ad delivery methods and units of measurement, no matter the device, to power an ecosystem built on relevance. To capitalize on growth, marketers must continue to educate themselves not only on the CTV ecosystem but also the value of audience-based buying and the ways in which their technology partners can help them to navigate industry challenges and unlock the full CTV opportunity as their local consumer viewing habits evolve.

While TVs biggest changes and regulations have all taken years to come about, and the programmatic evolution will be no different, for the first time the people working in the digital advertising industry have a personal interest in improving advertising experiences with technology, looking for a suitable value exchange that brings reward for both sides. Leveraging site, sound and motions ability to inform, entertain and build trust between brands and audiences is something we can all relate to.

[1] Ciscos Western Europe 2021 Forecast

[2] SpotX; CTV is for everyone

Continued here:

The evolution of the TV customer - The Drum

By Prudence Wade

The humble suit is one of the hardest working outfits in fashion, and has seen countless reincarnations over the years.

The invention of the modern suit is often credited to Beau Brummell, a trendsetting dandy from the early 1800s. He encouraged high society to do away with the flouncy frock coats and powdered wigs of the 18th century, in favour of more streamlined, simple tailoring similar to the style we know today, albeit with tails, riding boots and a cravat.

Since then, the suit has taken a life of its own. Wearing a fully tailored look might not be an everyday occurrence for lots of us, but its still experiencing new and different trends.

Most men ditched long jackets by the early 1900s, and this is how the suit progressed from there

Peaky Blinders

You might recognise the heavy suits of the early 1900s from popular TV show Peaky Blinders. Tommy Shelby and his brothers wear styles typical of the time: three-piece suits in heavy, workmanlike materials.

These were fairly utilitarian outfits, with slim-fitting jackets in muted tones, like black, navy or dark brown.

The Roaring Twenties

While the working classes stuck to Peaky Blinders-style suits throughout the 1920s, it was a different story for those with money.

This was a time of excess think of The Great Gatsby so drab suits just wouldnt do. Men increasingly wore tuxedos with white waistcoats for parties, or sharply-tailored suits in softer, more expensive materials during the day. In this interwar period, fashion was a way of showing off how much money you had.

1940s minimalism

Inevitably, this shifted when WWII hit. Wool was in short supply, so suit manufacturers started experimenting with synthetic blends. Styles became more pared back; colours were dark, and patterns were subtle herringbones or pinstripes.

Even though suits were tailored, trousers were nothing like the slim fits were used to today. Instead, pants were relatively loose, with a sharply ironed crease down the front.

Zoot suits

Fashion trends are rarely neatly chronological. While the 1940s saw a more minimalist take on tailoring, it also saw the continued rise of zoot suits. Everything about this style was exaggerated: trouser legs ballooned out and were pegged at the bottom, lapels were wide and shoulders were padded up high. The look was often topped off with a large pork pie hat and shiny dress shoes.

Starting in Harlem in the 1930s, the trend was popular among the African American and Latinx communities, and became a hot button issue in the 1940s. As zoot suits required a lot of material to make, they were condemned by the mainstream as unpatriotic during wartime shortages.

The style became illegal in some areas of the US, and riots took place in 1943, where soldiers and sailors targeted Mexican-Americans in LA wearing zoot suits. They became a symbol of protest or rebellion, with historian Kathy Peiss saying: For those without other forms of cultural capital, fashion can be a way of claiming space for yourself.

Mad Men

After the mainstream minimalism of the 1940s, the Fifties and Sixties saw suits gain a bit more style. This was the era of Don Draper and Mad Men, where many men had to wear a suit to work every day.

Styles were clean-cut and well-tailored, paired with slim ties and the occasional waistcoat. There were more opportunities to play around with patterns and colours, from pastels to a bright houndstooth.

Seventies disco

Things changed once again in the Seventies, where vibrancy was the name of the game. Colours were bright and wild, lapels were huge, waists were high, legs were flared think of John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.

Suits saw experimentation like never before, with patterns, colours and ruffles taking over.

Oversized styles

After the excess of the Seventies, suiting saw a bit of a downturn. Other than the occasional pastel suit with rolled up sleeves in the Eighties, the 1980s and 1990s saw much more low-key styles: colours became muted and muddy, and tailoring went out the window.

During this time, suits were often oversized and looked almost misshapen. This wasnt exactly the coolest time for mens fashion, particularly as looks were paired with wide, funkily patterned ties.

The suit today

Luckily, men have become reacquainted with their tailor and youre unlikely to see a baggy, ill-fitting suit on the red carpet. By the Noughties, suits became simpler, chicer and more streamlined.

In recent years, men have started injecting their own personality into tailoring. Think of Michael B Jordan wearing a Louis Vuitton harness on the red carpet, Timothee Chalamet in a statement patterned blazer and matching shirt, Chadwick Boseman in a pale pink suit or Andrew Scott wearing red velvet. Particularly as fashion becomes more gender fluid, the options for new suit styles seem vaster than ever.

Tailoring might feel worlds away from the relaxed pandemic fashion many of us have become used to, but who knows? Maybe the pendulum will swing the other way as we return back to normal, and suits will be back with a vengeance.

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The evolution of the men's suit - Cyprus Mail