Daily Archives: September 4, 2021

The inspiring new documentary, "Citizen Ashe," which just premiered at the Telluride Film Festival, and will next screen at the Camden, ME film festival, is as elegant and as agile as the tennis great it profiles. Directors Rex Miller and Sam Pollard focus largely on Arthur Ashe's evolving political consciousness, which the athlete developed over the course of his life and career. The approach is astutebecause Ashe's iconic status as the first Black man to succeed in the very white world of tennis not only captures the heroic/role model image of Black athletes, but it punctures the myth of Black athletes being "all brawn and no brains."

The film shows that Ashe was extremely savvy and calculated in his efforts, not just to be the "Jackie Robinson of tennis," but also to speak out against racism and inequality only after he won top prizes and earned respect. There were risks with Ashe doing things "his way," ranging from being called an "Uncle Tom" for not speaking out like other Black athletes e.g., his contemporary Mohammad Ali but also health issues from internalizing all of the pressure to achieve in the face of racism. Ashe's behavior throughout his career had to be above reproach; he did not want to be ejected or shame the family name.

Miller and Pollard recall Ashe's sterling character through interviews with Ashe as well as talking head commentaries by tennis greats including John McEnroe, Billie Jean King, and Lenny Simpson; activists Andrew Young and Harry Edwards; and Ashe's wife Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe and his younger brother Johnnie. The filmmakers also use photographs, home movie footage, and (perhaps unnecessary) reenactments to illustrate Ashe throughout his life.

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"Citizen Ashe" presents a condensed version of Ashe's history. He grew up in Richmond, VA, literally on a Blacks-only playground in the late 1950s. (His disciplinarian father was a caretaker for the playground, so the family's house was there.) He took up tennis eventually getting mentored by Dr. Walter Johnson, who ran a development program (Johnson also coached Althea Gibson) that paved the way for Ashe's career.

But as he was playing in events like the Davis Cup (he was the first Black man to do so), Ashe was reluctant to assert his activist nature and felt cowardice for his behavior not boycotting games or calling attention to racial discrimination. A montage seen early in the film shows various Black athletes speaking out or deliberately keeping silent effectively illustrating the tradition of protest in sports in general, and, more importantly, how these messages are not being fully heard.

Ashe eventually became a spokesperson for social change, and "Citizen Ashe" shows how he was especially motivated in 1968, the year Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy were assassinated, which is also the year Ashewon the U.S. Open. There are interesting episodes in the film that recount Ashe's support of Kennedy, as well as Nelson Mandela. Ashe's protesting apartheid in South Africa complicated his efforts to play in Johannesburg; he was repeatedly denied a visa before being allowed to enter the country to play, and not talk politics.

The film includes plenty of footage of Ashe playing tennis, including the South African games, but the best sequenceis his 1975 victory at Wimbledon against his rival Jimmy Connors. Ashe had never defeated Connors before this, and making matters worse, Connors filed a libel suit against Ashe in the days before their match. "Citizen Ashe" doesn't reveal that the suit was later dropped;however, the film does shows how Ashe, ever the consummate athlete, changed the way he played in order to beat Connors. It is truly thrilling to watch. What is more, hearing Ashe's brother Johnnie's emotional account of watching Arthur's achievement magnifies a noble sacrifice Johnnie described earlier that enabled Arthur, who was enlisted, to play tennis.

"Citizen Ashe" eventually shifts to its subject's third act, where he develops more sensitivity toward gender equality and meets his wife Jeanne. As he ages out of playing tennis, he coaches the Davis Cup team and 19-year-old John McEnroe. McEnroe's brash style clashes with Ashe's cool demeanor, but as Ashe observes, McEnroe had the "emotional freedom" to misbehave that was denied to him, a Black man. It is a very telling moment.

The documentary ends by addressing Ashe's health issues. He suffered a heart attack in his mid-30s, and developed toxoplasmosis, which lead to his AIDS diagnosis from a blood transfusion. Ashe was "forced to go public" with his status. But he championed AIDS awareness and was an activist for other causes, such as Haitian refugees.

"Citizen Ashe" may present a virtuous portrait of its subject, but the film shows Ashe was always a class act. What is more, his legacy continues. Tennis players including Coco Gauff and Venus and Serena Williams advocate for racial and social justice in sports and the world as do so many other athletes, including Colin Kaepernick, and LeBron James. Ashe's contributions to the sport, as recounted in this spry documentary, show how he left tennis better than it was when he started playing.

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"Citizen Ashe" gives a spry look at the evolution of a legendary tennis great on and off the court - Salon

Inkay and Malamar in Pokemon Go are two new Pokemon that are coming to the game soon, so of course people want to know how to catch and where to find Inkay, as well as how to evolve it into Malamar. The developers have already teased some of this stuff in the official announcement of the upcoming Psychic Spectacular event. However, it does still leave some stuff unclear. Thats where we come in with our Pokemon Go Inkay & Malamar Evolution How to Catch & Where to Find guide.

To evolve Inkay to Malamar in Pokemon Go, youll have to create some unique circumstances, according to the official blog post. The only clue it gives says Trainers who have journeyed through the Kalos region in Pokmon X and Pokmon Y may have an inkling as to what those circumstances might be! Well, in these games, Inkay evolved at level 30 if you had a Rare Candy and turned your 3DS upside down. So, while we cant say for certain, maybe youll have to gather like fifty Inkay Candies and turn your phone upside down to get Malamar. We dont know for sure yet, but well let you know as soon as we find out.

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Pokemon Go Inkay & Malamar Evolution - How to Catch & Where to Find - GosuNoob.com

Short spinning rods have played a vital role in the development of Midwest finesse bass fishing from the get-go.

Much of the genesis of this great piscatorial method and tools began at Ray Fincke's tackle shop on Southwest Boulevard in the Rosedale neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas, in the 1960s.

At the age of 16, Ray inherited the shop when his father, Louis, unexpectedly died in 1952. The tackle shop began in the 1930s in the office of his father's hardware store, and it catered primarily to fly fishermen.

In 1960, a serendipitous event occurred that has a magnificent effect on the angling world for the next 61 years, and it is likely to continue for many more years.

It began when Ray Fincke built and moved into a house next door to Drew Reese's family. What's more, Drew's father was the proprietor of an automobile dealership on Southwest Boulevard near Ray's tackle shop, and Ray's wife worked for Drew's father at the automobile dealership. At that time, Drew was 13 years old and joyously afflicted with fishing fever, and his father encouraged him to talk to Ray about fishing. After that initial conversation, Ray and Drew became devoted friends, and at the age of 13, Drew began tying flies for the tackle shop. Throughout his high-school years and until he graduated from the University of Kansas in 1969, Drew worked part-time at Fincke's shop.

From Ray, Drew learned a lot about the art and some of the science of making fishing rods especially spinning rods. This, of course, occurred many years before spinning rods began to play a significant role in the repertoire of the vast majority of black-bass anglers in the United States and Canada.

Drew's first fishing trip with Ray occurred in 1961. Ray took Drew and his father to fish for rainbow trout at Lake Tanyecomo's tailrace below Table Rock Lake's dam. Ray provided them with two very inexpensive buggy-whip spinning rods and Compac spinning reels that were spooled with four-pound-test monofilament line. To each of the lines, Ray affixed a split shot and a wooly-worm fly that Drew had created. To their delight and amazement, Drew and his father caught more than 100 trout, and Drew's lifetime passion for finesse fishing was lit. Then 10 years later, he used his Midwest finesse tactics to compete at the first BASS Master Classic at Lake Mead, Nevada, where he finished in seventh place, using six-pound-test line.

As the 1960s unfolded, the clientele at Ray's tackle shop expanded, and it became a gathering spot for all sorts of anglers. On Monday nights, it was a quasi-bass club before the advent of bass clubs and organizations like Bass Anglers Sportsman Society. It was where the great and late Chuck Woods, who created the Beetle, Beetle Spin, and Puddle Jumper, would often be fiddling with lures and try to create new ones. And Ray began creating an array of rods and selling tackle for the black-bass anglers to use.

Besides Drew Reese, all of those goings-on at Ray's shop in the 1960s also caught the attention of another high school and college student. It was Dwight Keefer, who eventually used one of Fincke's rods and some of Woods' lures to win the World Series of Sport Fishing at Long Lake, Wisconsin, in 1967. Keefer also competed in the BASS Master Classic at Percy Priest Reservoir, Tennessee, in 1972.

From the 1950s until his death on Mar. 21, 2011, Ray Fincke built and repaired scores of casting, fly, and spinning rods for area anglers. He was regularly lauded for his genius at rebuilding or restoring bamboo fly rods. His most renowned creation was a 5-foot, 4-inch finesse spinning rod that he called the Stinger. It was made from two blanks. One was a fiberglass blank that was 19 inches long. The other one was an ultra-light graphite blank that was four-feet, six inches long. To lengthen the rod and add more power to the butt section, Fincke slid the 19-inch piece of the fiberglass blank over the graphite blank and firmly glued the blanks together, and then he used wrapping thread to decoratively cover the union of the two blanks. The butt of the rod was fitted with a nine-inch cork handle. This rod sported five stainless steel guides: a No. 25, No. 16, No. 12, and No. 10. The tip was a No. 8 Carboloy.

Ultimately, Fincke's influence on finesse fishing expanded across the entire nation when he helped Gary Loomis design the 5-foot, 4-inch and 5-foot, 10-inch Classic Spin Jig rods in 1981 and 1982. In essence, these two rods were similar to Fincke's Stinger. They became the G. Loomis SJ 6400 and SJ 700 rods, which were described as possessing an extra-fast action with a magnum-light rod power. They were ideal rods for wielding small marabou or hair jigs, Beetles, Beetle Spins, and jig-worms.

Drew Reese became wedded to the SJ 6400 and SJ 700 in 1982, and across those many years of using those rods, he became one of the world's finest practitioner of Midwest finesse fishing, which he prefers to call light-line fishing.

Nowadays, Reese, who is 74 years old, lives in rural northeastern Kansas near the town of Rantoul. And except during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, he has spent a lot of his days chasing smallmouth bass that abide in the Lake of the Woods in Ontario, Canada, Lake Erie, and Bull Shoals Lake in Arkansas. Since 2011, he has played a role in persuading Z-Man Fishing Products to manufacture a jighead and several soft-plastic baits for Midwest finesse applications.

After Gary Loomis sold his company to Shimano in 1995, the availability of the SJ 6400 and SJ 700 rod blanks gradually came to an end. But it wasn't until the spring of 2021 that Drew began searching the Internet in hopes of finding similar rod blanks. But because the modern-day angling world is enamored (for some unenlightened or benighted reason) with long rods, it was a chore to find a blank that was less than 6 feet long.

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The History and Evolution of the "Tennessee Handle" for Bass Fishing Rods - Wired2Fish

I think one of my favorite things in the show comes from the reaction shots that you have from them when Jack is talking at the front of the classroom. Do you write those into the script? The cast is so big, I feel like you can't always get coverage of each of them reacting to whatever Jack is doing, but they all have such genuine reactions that are so funny. I was wondering how you pull that off in production.

It's a big discussion with each director, because I agree that a big, important part of the humor of the show is the look after the joke. We're always like any show, feeling like we're behind and racing. So there isn't a lot of picking up some reaction shots. What we'll do is each person, like a student, will have two lines in a big long classroom scene. At least once keep a camera on them all the way through the whole scene, even though they only have two lines. So you have Anthony at least just looking around, and you get a bunch of that.

Sometimes, if we're almost done with shooting in one direction towards the students, and if we have three cameras, I'll ask the director to just have the third camera just go around and get five seconds on everyone you can grab. So those ended up being like gold when you find them [in the editing room], because they aren't scripted, and I'm not even positive where we'll want them. It's in the edit that you realize this needs a little bit of a beat, or the editor found this great look from so-and-so, but it's never in the script, "Anthony rolls his eyes a little bit." That's all found in production in the edit. But they're so good at them that it really makes the show I think.

Yeah. Some of my biggest laughs have come from the reaction shots. They're hilarious.

Yeah. They're great.

Has the show gone in any directions that you didn't expect when you first conceived of it? I don't know necessarily how far you had planned out when the first season came along, but has it taken turns that you just leaned into? You're like, "Okay, yeah. Let's take this route now."

Definitely. Yeah. Speaking of the students, in my original concept of the show, it was supposed to be a high school show about the adults in a high school. None of those rols had shrunk, but the students have forced their way into almost equal weight as Helen and Durbin because they're so good. We have so much fun writing for them now. But I kind of pictured, there'd be a couple of students that speak, and that they'd say one or two jokes an episode, or not even jokes, they just say straight man lines to Jack. Then he'd go off on his missions and he'd talk to the other adults and all that.

To be honest, I think maybe I was worried about young actors pulling off comedy, and I've had tough experiences with that. These guys are just so good that it's grown to where we're like, "Guys, we don't have a Yuyao joke for this episode. And she's the 10th or 11th person to become a speaking member in the classroom, a former background actor. Now we're like, "We need a Yuyao joke this episode or the episode is just not complete." And if you told me that right after the pilot, that I'd be looking to serve around 10 or 11 students and making sure they all had a good two jokes every episode, it'd be crazy. But I'm really happy it's gone that way.

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AP Bio Creator Mike O'Brien Talks The Evolution Of Jack In Season 4 And More [Interview] - /FILM

Bruno Korea admits he wasnt ready during his first stint in the UFC.

Korea (12-3-1) got his first crack at the UFC on Season 4 of The Ultimate Fighter Brazil where he was eliminated in the semifinals in 2015. In his UFC debut, Korea was submitted by Matheus Nicolau and subsequently released from the promotion.

Since then, the now 30-year-old has won five straight and will get a second opportunity at a UFC contract when he meets Carlos Vergara at Dana Whites Contender Series 38 on Tuesday.

Looking at my career, when I was first given the chance to fight in the worlds biggest organization, I was still a bit immature in the sport, Korea told MMA Junkie. After just four professional bouts, I was already in The Ultimate Fighter facing far more experienced opponents. It was a great experience. After I lost to Matheus Nicolau and got dropped by the UFC, I didnt get discouraged.

I kept on fighting, maturing, and improving both technically and mentally. The results speakfor themselves.Ivehadgood resultsin my last several fights. And now I have this opportunity at Contender Series. NowIma far better fighter than I was in 2015.Ivehad six years of evolution. Icantwait to show off my game.

He takes on Vergara (8-2-1), whos knocked out his past four opponents, but the taekwondo specialist is confident wherever the fight goes.

He appears to be a muay Thai specialist, Korea said. He likes to change bases. He likes to throw left kicks and has very good boxing. Ive studied him. I imagine our fight will be very active and take place everywhere on the feet, against the cage, and on the ground. Well exchange fire from every position. I believe Ill either knock him out or submit him.

He continued, Im30 now.This is supposed to be my peak. My plans for the future are toestablishmyself in the UFC, face top competition, and run my own academy. I hope tohave a shot atthe belt one day.Idlike to do the best I can for all the people who haveencouragedme.Idalso like to set a good example for all the kids who follow my career. I thinkImon the right path.

Link:

DWCS 38's Bruno Korea excited to show off evolution in second shot at UFC contract - MMA Junkie

As you'd probably expect, boxing gloves have a wide and varied history dating as far back as 1500 BC. Humans have fought in hand-to-hand combat since the dawn of time. Whether these early fights were real or for recreational purposes isn't known, but the accompanying boxing gloves have been crafted through generations and provide us with an invaluable insight into the ancient world.

Boxing gloves date back to Ancient Greece in 668 BC. The art of hand-to-hand combat sports such as boxing are a lot older than the gloves themselves, but these offered a solution for the bloody hands that boxers would endure after an Olympic-style fight. The first boxing gloves weren't actually gloves at all. They were more like hand wraps, made out of cheap fabrics. They would be wrapped around the hand and extended back to the wrist to provide extra support.

In later years, the foundations for what would become the knuckle duster were formed when concrete blocks or metal objects were secured underneath the wraps. These customised boxing gloves were not for the faint of heart. While they inflicted maximum damage to one's opponent, they were also very harmful to the wearer. Ancient Greek accounts tell stories of great fighters with metal clubs for hands. These fighters often lost their real hands in matches using the early knuckle duster style gloves. The repeated impact of using such a weapon had catastrophic effects on the bone and cartilage on the hands. In Roman times, these cultivated hand coverings were called Cletus and became popularised throughout the empire, with many differing variations.

The concept of defined rounds did not come into existence until the latter part of the 18th century, which is when boxing betting also took off. The fights that took place prior to this date would have been knockout matches, with no referee and a single finger gesture to signal defeat. While Ancient Greece is credited with inventing the earliest forms of boxing gloves, Asia and the Middle East also developed strong forms of fighting styles akin to boxing. The famed ancient Muay Thai fighting style in Thailand dates back to the Han dynasty, when Thai soldiers fought off an invasion from the Chinese. The soldiers of Siam, as Thailand was once called, were trained in two-sword combat. This ancient form of Muay Thai combat allowed its soldiers to fight swordless. The loss of a sword meant that they were able to use their hands, legs, knees, and elbows to continue fighting.

Boxing really took off during the eighteenth century where is precursor bare-knuckle fighting was seen as a poor man's sport. The leather boxing glove as we know it today wasn't introduced until 1773, when Jack Broughton invented it. Broughton takes his place in history as the father of boxing, although his gloves wouldnt be used in the ring until many years later. They were however used in training sessions and sparring until their use was finally recognised. It's interesting to note that boxing gloves were colloquially known as mufflers due to the relative lack of sound a landed punch makes when compared to bare knuckles.

Initially, boxing gloves were seen as effeminate objects and signalled weak opponents. It wasn't until the middle classes started to partake in the sport that the humble boxing glove finally took off. Esteemed gentlemen and those from the upper echelons of society didn't want to sustain the injuries associated with boxing, thus making Broughton's gloves an overnight hit.

The introduction of a set of rules to mandate boxing came into effect in London in 1865. The Marquess of Queensbury Rules set out for the first time the requirement to wear a form of padded glove. This was a welcome change for boxing athletes, who had until now been forced to fight bare-knuckle at the behest of the London Prize Ring Rules, which advocated for no padding of the fists. Without the Queensbury Rules, modern-day boxing may not exist as we know it. The reforms were a much-needed addition to a sport that has become over masculated in recent years.

Padding such as horsehair and cotton were added to give boxing gloves the much-needed weight required for the full-contact sport. The minimum proposed weight by this point was upwards of 5 oz. This meant that for the first time, boxers were fully padded and protected from severe facial injuries that they would otherwise have had no choice but to incur. The biggest change occurred in the 1960s when the internal padding was switched from horsehair to foam. The foam enabled the evolution of a much smaller and compact glove that offered the same levels of protection for the hands and face.

The United States Boxing Federation states that a professional boxing match must happen within a ring by opponents wearing gloves no lighter than 8-10 oz. This is a far cry from what boxing was like during the latter part of the eighteenth century. The rules are firmly in place to protect the participants of the sport and the humble boxing glove has, and is, playing a significant role in the future development of boxing.

Excerpt from:

The Evolution of Boxing Gloves Throughout History - British Boxing News

A new study suggests that the rise and fall of Earth's landscapes have also affected the evolution of animals, with birds and mammals in mountainous regions evolving quicker.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge suggest that the changes in the Earth's terrestrial surface over the last 3 million years have affected the evolution of animals, especially birds and mammals.

One particular mechanism at work is elevation being a significant driver of speciation, or the development of separate and new species, compared to other factors like temperature or long-term climate change.

Researchers presented their findings in the article "Global Topographic Uplift Has Elevated Speciation in Mammals and Birds Over the Last 3 Million Years," appearing in the Nature Ecology & Evolution journal, September 2.

(Photo: Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images)ARTHUR'S PASS, NEW ZEALAND - FEBRUARY 07: A Kea is seen in front of competitors taking part in the mountain running stage, which had to be held on the Plan B course due to river levels being too high for a safe crossing during the 2020 Kathmandu Coast to Coast Multisport event on February 07, 2020, in Arthurs Pass, New Zealand.

ALSO READ: Rapid Evolution Like Flying Insects Losing Wings May Have Been Caused by Deforestation

Rising mountains and hills are some of the topographic changes that lead to "novel habitats and niches where new species evolve and diversify," according to the authors of the paper.

Cases in point include the kea, a large parrot endemic to the alpine regions of New Zealand, and the bighorn sheep found in the Rocky Mountains in the US. These are unique species that have evolved in mountainous regions.

"Often at the tops of mountains there are many more unique species that aren't found elsewhere," notes Dr. Andrew Tanentzap, senior author of the study and a member of Cambridge's Department of Plant Sciences,in a Daily Mail report.

"Whereas previously the formation of new species was thought to be driven by climate, we've found that elevation change has a greater effect at a global scale," he added.

Researchers additionally noted that increasing elevation had a more profound effect on birds and mammals. For birds, researchers suggest that it might be because they can fly across barriers to find mates in other places, which makes the effect on them more pronounced than in mammals.

Dr. Tanentzap explains that as altitude increases, the environment changes, citing the work of Victorian-era naturalist Alexander von Humboldt's maps. These dated illustrations show the changes in habitats with changing land levels.

Another factor that leads to speciation is that natural barriers emerge, preventing animals from interbreeding as the land rises.

In their new study, researchers used reconstructions of the Earth's changing surface elevations from the last 3 million years. They integrated it with climate change data over the same period, together with known locations of mammal and bird species.

Their work revealed that with the increase in land levels, average temperatures start to drop, and habitat complexity starts to increase.

There are even instances where elevation creates a barrier that effectively prevents interaction and interbreeding between populations, isolating them and leading them down different evolutionary tracks - a case often observed in mountain formations.

In the kea, for example, the temperature change also creates a change in timing and mating patterns, risking reproductive isolation from other populations of the same species in other locations.

A 2008 article from the Heredity journalexplains that reproductive isolation is an integral part of speciation, preventing two populations from interbreeding.

RELATED ARTICLE: Was Human Evolution Inevitable or a Chance Occurrence?

Check out more news and information on Evolution in Science Times.

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Higher Is Faster: Study Reveals Effect of Altitude, Environment on Bird, Mammal Evolution Rate in High Regions - Science Times

Despite a lack of signings in the summer transfer window, Harry McMullen believes Jurgen Klopp is already overseeing the long-term evolution of an ageing Liverpool side.

Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it. Michelangelo

With several key players over 30 in the current Liverpool squad, and a trio of 29-year-olds leading the line, the word ageing has become attached to the first great Jurgen Klopp team.

With the manager expected to leave on the expiry of his contract in 2024, theres a growing sense that to build the second great Klopp side, Liverpool urgently need to cut hard and spend high.

But what if that team is already within the squad? What if Klopp is doing a Michelangelo, and gradually chiselling it out?

As we all know, Liverpool line up off the ball in a 4-3-3; four defenders back, three in the midfield and a front three that presses high and wide.

This gives the Reds a numerical majority in defence, making them difficult to breach.

In attack, Liverpool look more like a 2-3-5, with the centre-backs and the midfielders in reserve, and the full-backs joining the attack.

This means that our majority is now in the attacking third, with a player in each of the five stratas of the pitch (wings, half-spaces and centre).

Crucially, this means that in both attacking and defensive transitions, Liverpool have five players in defence and five in attack; a perfect balance.

This version of 55, from a 4-4-3, is perfect for the personnel at Klopps disposal.

However, with each of the fabled front three currently out of contract in 2023, and several first-teamers over 30, its no wonder reports have suggested a big window next summer.

Fortunately, recent signings and extensions have future proofed the squad moving forward.

Exciting prospect Ibrahima Konate (22) is primed to partner Premier League winner Joe Gomez (24) at the back.

Curtis Jones (20) already has goals in Europe and a title-winners medal, while Harvey Elliott (18) is now a full league debutant.

Diogo Jota (24) has stepped up admirably.

Certainly, theres the spine of a great team to mature together around 2023/24.

Thats without mentioning those who signed new contracts this summer, with there a clear belief that Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho, Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold can remain key players for the long term.

But how can the tactics evolve with the personnel?

Last season, Liverpool briefly adapted to use Jones goal threat from midfield.

With Alexander-Arnold sitting deeper, the Reds formed a 3-2-5 in attack that saw Jones make runs from deep to great effect, scoring in the 2-0 win over Sheffield United.

This tactic actually debuted against Everton the week prior, and their deployment of James Rodriguez in a similar shape suggests a way of building around Harvey Elliott in the near future.

In Carlo Ancelottis 4-3-3 structure, Rodriguez was free to come short and create, with the right full-back staying deep.

Typically the left-back Lucas Digne pushed into the final third to take up the wing space, and wide forward Richarlison cut into the half-space, mimicking Sadio Mane.

Rodriguez coming short allowed striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin to move fluidly around the box, with attacking midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure completing the attacking quintet to form a similar 3-2-5 shape.

While Elliott has debuted on the right of a midfield three this season, he is naturally a left-footed right winger, and in both roles he has demonstrated his ability to occupy wide positions and then drive inside to create, using his superb dribbling ability and range of passing.

With Elliott off to an explosive start, and Liverpools superior options across the rest of the structure, its easy to see us hitting greater heights following the same blue-print.

While theres clearly no rush to shift tactics, the likes of James Milner or Thiago may find themselves elsewhere by the time this team has ripened.

This could pave the way for Alexander-Arnold to step into midfield, using his superb vision and range of passing to play a deeper Thiago-esque role alongside the more direct Jones.

Alexander-Arnold also appears to be getting forward himself more often this season, and we know he can be dangerous in the right half-space:

However, this would necessitate a new right-back. While Liverpool have the likes of Neco Williams and Conor Bradley in reserve, the transfer market could be instructive here.

Perhaps the biggest missing piece is an out-and-out striker, as opposed to a false nine.

Should Mo Salahs new contract come to fruition, a more central role in his mid-30s could allow him to stay prolific as he inevitably loses a yard of pace.

But theres also a young Norwegian with an attainable release clause that kicks in next summer

With Liverpool off to a strong start and key players back on the pitch, the tactical evolution is likely to be subtle this season, with the Reds already real contenders for the title once more.

However, while some contested the Transfer Window Trophy this summer, we seem to have our attention on the long term, where the stone is setting nicely.

Dont be surprised to see Klopp chip, chip, chip away until his masterpiece is revealed.

* This is a guest article for This Is Anfield by Harry McMullen. Follow Harry on Twitter, @mcmulhar.

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How Jurgen Klopps next evolution is already taking shape - This Is Anfield

The COVID-19 pandemic is a dramatic demonstration of evolution in action. Evolutionary theory explains much of what has already happened, predicts what will happen in the future and suggests which management strategies are likely to be the most effective.

For instance, evolution explains why the Delta variant spreads faster than the original Wuhan strain. It explains what we might see with future variants. And it suggests how we might step up public health measures to respond.

But Delta is not the end of the story for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Heres what evolutionary theory tells us happens next.

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New coronavirus inside magic crystal ball

Evolution is a result of random mutations (or errors) in the viral genome when it replicates. A few of these random mutations will be good for the virus, conferring some advantage. Copies of these advantageous genes are more likely to survive into the next generation, via the process of natural selection.

New viral strains can also develop via recombination, when viruses acquire genes from other viruses or even from their hosts.

Generally speaking, we can expect evolution to favor virus strains that result in a steeper epidemic curve, producing more cases more quickly, leading to two predictions.

First, the virus should become more transmissible. One infected person will be likely to infect more people; future versions of the virus will have a higher reproductive or R number.

Second, we can also expect evolution will shorten the time it takes between someone becoming infected and infecting others (a shorter serial interval).

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Both these predicted changes are clearly good news for the virus, but not for its host.

This theory explains why Delta is now sweeping the world and replacing the original Wuhan strain.

The original Wuhan strain had an R value of 2-3 but Deltas R value is about 5-6 (some researchers say this figure is even higher). So someone infected with Delta is likely to infect at least twice as many people as the original Wuhan strain.

Theres also evidence Delta has a much shorter serial interval compared with the original Wuhan strain.

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This may be related to a higher viral load (more copies of the virus) in someone infected with Delta compared with earlier strains. This may allow Delta to transmit sooner after infection.

A higher viral load may also make Delta transmit more easily in the open air and after fleeting contact.

We know COVID-19 vaccines designed to protect against the original Wuhan strain work against Delta but are less effective. Evolutionary theory predicts this; viral variants that can evade vaccines have an evolutionary advantage.

So we can expect an arms race between vaccine developers and the virus, with vaccines trying to play catch up with viral evolution. This is why were likely to see us having regular booster shots, designed to overcome these new variants, just like we see with flu booster shots.

COVID-19 vaccines reduce your chance of transmitting the virus to others, but they dont totally block transmission. And evolutionary theory gives us a cautionary tale.

Theres a trade-off between transmissibility and how sick a person gets (virulence) with most disease-causing microorganisms. This is because you need a certain viral load to be able to transmit.

If vaccines are not 100% effective in blocking transmission, we can expect a shift in the trade-off towards higher virulence. In other words, a side-effect of the virus being able to transmit from vaccinated people is, over time, the theory predicts it will become more harmful to unvaccinated people.

In the short term, its highly likely evolution will continue to fine tune the virus:

But we dont know how far these changes might go and how fast this might happen.

Some scientists think the virus may already be approaching peak fitness. Nevertheless, it may still have some tricks up its sleeve.

The UK governments Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) has recently explored scenarios for long-term evolution of the virus.

It says it is almost certain there will be antigenic drift, accumulation of small mutations leading to the current vaccines becoming less effective, so boosters with modified vaccines will be essential.

It then says more dramatic changes in the virus (antigenic shift), which might occur through recombination with other human coronaviruses, is a realistic possibility. This would require more substantial re-engineering of the vaccines.

SAGE also thinks there is a realistic possibility of a reverse zoonosis, leading to a virus that may be more pathogenic (harmful) to humans or able to evade existing vaccines. This would be a scenario where SARS-CoV-2 infects animals, before crossing back into humans. Weve already seen SARS-CoV-2 infect mink, felines and rodents.

Versions of the virus that make their host very sick (are highly virulent) are generally selected against. This is because people would be more likely to die or be isolated, lowering the chance of the virus transmitting to others.

SAGE thinks this process is unlikely to cause the virus to become less virulent in the short term, but this is a realistic possibility in the long-term. Yet SAGE says there is a realistic possibility more virulent strains might develop via recombination (which other coronaviruses are known to do).

So the answer to this critical question is we really dont know if the virus will become more deadly over time. But we cant expect the virus to magically become harmless.

Sadly, the answer is no. Humans do not reproduce fast enough, and accumulate enough favorable mutations quickly enough, for us to stay ahead of the virus.

The virus also does not kill most people it infects. And in countries with well-resourced health-care systems, it doesnt kill many people of reproductive age. So theres no selection pressure for humans to mutate favourably to stay ahead of the virus.

Finally, evolutionary theory has a warning about future pandemics.

A gene mutation that allows a virus in an obscure and relatively rare species (such as a bat) to gain access to the most common and widely distributed species of large animal on the planet humans will be strongly selected for.

So we can expect future pandemics when animal viruses spill over into humans, just as they have done in the past.

This article by Hamish McCallum, Director, Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security, Griffith University, Griffith University is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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Consumers are calling the shots more than ever.

Nobody is going to confuse Outback Steakhouse with Amazon. The same could be said, of course, with any restaurant, especially in full service. But the correlation isnt as far-flung as you might think, says Gail Seanor, VP of digital with Outback parent company Bloomin Brands.

Perhaps jumpstarted by the pandemic, consumers today demand the same access and convenience they expect from the ecommerce giant. Online ordering. Mobile. Loyalty. Seamless payment. Fast delivery. All of it, plus an in-store experience that separates sit-down dining from the food-as-fuel world of the past.

Seanor, who previously worked at TGI Fridays and AOL/Time Warner, calls these Uber-like experiences.

People want access to more information, she says. I feel like, historically, the restaurant industry really made the experience about the restaurant. And now, we all have to adjust and make it about the customer.

In July, Outback rolled a new app design that lays the foundation for what it believes will be cutting-edge features in the casual restaurant industry. Currently, the app allows for an easier ordering experience and fully integrated Dine Rewards. Coming later will be enhanced curbside with push messaging and order updates; modern menu viewing with easy-to-use add-ons; and guest suggestions based on previous orders.

Beyond the changing face of consumer expectations Seanor mentioned, Outbacks four-wall and off-premises business have set aside past realities. In the second quarter, digital sales accounted for 20 percent of the companys domestic business, a COVID-ignited 318 percent jump over 2019 levels. CEO David Deno said in July Outbacks app would ultimately showcase substantial investments we made to digitize and streamline the carryout experience, and accelerate our very attractive carryout channel. For whatever pros and cons restaurant chains associate with third-party delivery, especially this past year, carryout remains the golden egg of off-premises, thanks to its margin-friendly structure, the ability to control experience, and how it saves brands from asking whether or not they need to pass along added costs to consumers.

Bloomin generated more than $275 million in off-premises sales last quarter. Of that, $100 million belonged to third-party delivery (Bloomin also has in-house delivery). And, importantly, profit margins in off-premises are approaching those of Bloomins in-restaurant category. It's a gigantic part of our business, Deno said of carryout.

CFO Chris Meyer added Bloomins new online ordering platform led to higher add-on sales. Its brought up check averages a bit as well.

All said, its not surprising to see Bloomin place its app and digital capabilities at the forefront of innovation. Outbacks off-premises sales tripled during COVID as guest needs changed in light of lockdowns. With dine-in returning, the need has evolved into "expectation.

Through the first four weeks of Q3, Bloomins two-year U.S. comp sales tracked 15.2 percent higher as it maintained nearly $71,000 in weekly average-unit volumes in what was traditionally a slower time of the year. The key, in addition to pent-up demand filling seatsoff-premises proved sticky even as in-restaurant volumes improved. This past quarter, the company averaged $21,000 per restaurant, per week in off-premises. That was only down $2,000 per week, quarter-to-quarter, despite significantly higher in-store traffic. We want the off-premises volume to be a big part of where we go as a company, Deno said.

Outback launched phase 1 of its new app on July 6. It arrived with online ordering and loyalty management, as noted. These were straightforward features, Seanor says, but options guests continued to ask for. From my lens, I like to think its more intuitive, she says. Weve had a couple of conversations where somebody asked me, are we going to have to train our customers? From my view, if our field has to train our customers, then we havent done our job right.

So far, its been well received, Seanor adds. More recently, an update tacked on waitlist and pay-at-the-table functionality.

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Outback Steakhouse's Digital Evolution, and the Amazon Effect on Restaurants - FSR magazine