Daily Archives: October 19, 2022

Editors note: The views and opinions expressed below are thoseof the author and do not necessarily reflect the views ofSherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company,Evolve Media.

One of these fights was at strawweight (115 pounds), the other atflyweight (125 pounds). These are by far the most talent-richfemale weight classes, not only in the UFC but the world. The125-pound weight class was only established in the UFC in December2017. Despite the late start, it is already so strong that, inaddition to the UFCs own fighters, there are enough left forBellatorMMA to have its own thriving womens flyweight division, headedby longtime UFC contender and two-time title challenger LizCarmouche. Meanwhile, womens bantamweight (135 pounds), which has seen the biggest starsin womens MMA history, has become a wasteland. How did we gethere? What might the future hold?

However, 135 pounds soon became the premier division. Granted, thiswas a weight class to which many former featherweights could easilycut. Why do that instead of staying at 145 pounds, especially sincetalent was still lacking in those days? In my mind, there were tworeasons. There was initially a desire to avoid fighting CristianeCyborg Justino, who was head and shoulders above every otherfemale fighter and had ruthlessly beaten down her prey. Later,there was a desire to benefit from the intense star power ofRondaRousey, a woman who represented a perfect storm of qualities in terms ofpopularity.

Order UFC 280 "Oliveira vs. Makhachev" exclusivelyon ESPN+

Bantamweight was easily the biggest andmost important division, from the time Rousey ushered women intothe UFC in February 2013 until sometime around 2018. In retrospect,we shouldnt have been surprised. Rouseys last fight was inDecember 2016, and with the UFC introducing the flyweight class ayear later, a lot of fighters who could easily make that weightdecided to fight there. That includes ValentinaShevchenko: in my opinion, the greatest pound-for-pound femalefighter ever. In terms of pure skill, the strawweight class wassuperior, too. Mens lightweights are more skilled thanheavyweights for the same reasons.

Lets look at AmandaNunes, easily the greatest bantamweight champion of all-time.She is 5-foot-8, which might not seem so tall at first glance.However, inlooking at a percentile calculator for height, the averagefemale in the United States stands 5-foot-3.8 with a standarddeviation of 2.8 inches, meaning Nunes is taller than 93.3% ofwomen. In her native Brazil, where the average height is5-foot-2.5, she is taller than 97% of women. For the sake ofreference, Nunes is equivalent to a 6-foot-2 man in terms of howshe compares to those of her own gender; and she isnt particularlytall for the weight class, either. Germainede Randamie is 5-foot-9, Holly Holmand KetlenVieira are 5-foot-8, and JuliannaPena and RaquelPennington are only a hair shorter at 5-foot-7. All of thesewomen are muscular and well-built, too. Thus, in terms of sizerequirements, womens bantamweight can be compared to either menslight heavyweight or heavyweight. Its also no surprise that aweight class requiring such exceptional size is far less talentedand skilled than one in which a much larger portion of thepopulation can compete. Also keep this in mind: Just likebasketball and American football attract a lot of physically giftedlarger men, sports like basketball, volleyball and tennis attract alot of physically gifted larger women.

What about the future? Personally, I see the 115- and 125-poundwomens weight classes being the main divisions for a long time tocome. New, talented fighters are constantly emerging in those twoclasses, whereas I cant think of the last time a real blue-chipbantamweight or featherweight prospect came along. Some peoplethink the 105-pound womens weight class is the future and haveeven clamored for the UFC to add it. I disagree. Atomweight isactually going too far in the opposite direction. Not manyathletic, muscular women are petite enough to comfortably make 105pounds on a consistent basis. At that point, youre probablyselecting fighters who are mostly 5-foot or 5-foot-1, and outsideof Asia, that is well below the mean height. Not surprisingly, thetalent level at atomweight is actually far inferior to that ofwomens strawweight. Consider that AyakaHamasaki, viewed by many to be the all-time greatest atomweightfighter, was brutalized and knocked out by a young LivinhaSouza in less than two minutes. Souza was never known for herpunching power and was actually smaller than Hamasaki for thefight, as she barely had to cut any weight. It could be argued thatshe has never been a Top 20 strawweight, even as she improved overthe next few years. However, she decimated the greatest atomweightever.

That is actually a relatively minor objection. Even assuming thetalent level improves, female atomweights just arent interestingto watch for the same reason few people watch mens boxing at 105pounds. Their blows just dont do enough damage. There are hardlyany knockouts at womens atomweight outside of huge skilldisparities, ground-and-pound or exhaustion. Thus, the contestseither take the form of pure point fighting, with little damagesustained by either side, or grappling. Its just too boring fortoo much of the audience, and thats always going to be true, evenif womens atomweight finds its own version of the legendaryRicardo El Finito Lopez.

I do believe there is hope for the heavier weight classesat leastat 135 pounds. As womens MMA becomes more common, more tall,athletic women will pursue it as a career. We wont see skilledwomens bantamweight prospects as often as we see them at 115 or125 pounds, but they will eventually get there. Sadly, Nunes may beretired by the time these talents become serious contenders, but itwont be a wasteland forever. The same cannot be said forfeatherweight and especially lightweight. There will be occasionalsuperstars like Cyborg and KaylaHarrison at those weights, but the size requirements are tooextreme for either division to thrive for the foreseeable future.

More here:

The Evolution of WMMA Weight Classes - Sherdog.com

Gabrielle Union is not only a beloved movie star, but a celebrated style icon. Through the years, the actress has dazzled Us with her fashion on and off the red carpet.

The Nebraska native first emerged onto the scene in the 90s, starring in several classics like Bring It On, Shes All That and 10 Things I Hate About You. As she rose to fame, so did her reputation as a force in fashion.

On and off the screen, Union never fails to look chic. From gorgeous ball gowns to sleek suits, she always manages to stay on trend. Her street style is just as eye-catching. She can be seen in everything from flowy pants and sports bras to pinstripe blazers and pleated skirts. She has also been known to rock a timeless Canadian suit as well as bold pops of color to catch the eye.

One of Unions most standout looks came at the 2019 Met Gala. The Being Mary Jane alum opted for a diamond-adorned gown by Dundas that featured a plunging neckline and thigh-high slit. Her long hair was pulled back and covered with a face-framing cap. She layered the sheer frock with a matching cape and completed the look with leather gloves and Jimmy Choo heels.

Another noteworthy ensemble was the Vivienne Westwood design she rocked at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2022. The simple A-line gown showed off her figure with a strapless neckline and a tight bodice. The timeless piece was paired with subtle rings and a chunky pearl choker with a rhinestone centerpiece. Her smokey eye makeup matched the black dress but didnt take away from it. She finalized the look with open-toe heels.

Additionally, she shows her love for fashion by working behind the scenes. She has clothing lines with New York & Company and Fashion to Figure and offers hair products at Walmart and Sally Beauty by her brand Flawless by Gabrielle Union.

In September 2021, the Breaking In actress opened up about her clothing line with InStyle, sharing that she wanted to not only create pieces that were versatile for each person but versatile for every occasion. The affordable clothing line ranges in sizes from 0-20 and includes pieces that are perfect for a night out or in the office.

Union always looks like a masterpiece, and were taking a look back at her most iconic looks.

Keep scrolling to see how Unions style evolved through the years:

Originally posted here:

Gabrielle Unions Glamorous Fashion Evolution Through the Years: Pics - Us Weekly

The Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition, presented by NJPAC in Newark, recently announced the five finalists for the competition on November 20. Allan Harris, Kristin Lash, Ekep Nkwelle, Luca Gutirrez Rebolloso and Lucy Yeghiazaryan will compete before a panel of judges, including Regina Carter, Christian McBride, T.S. Monk, Maria Schneider, and WBGOs own Pat Prescott. Held as the culminating event of the TD James Moody Jazz Festival, The SASSY Awards, as theyre informally known, will be hosted by WBGOs Gary Walker and the event will feature performances by the 2021 co-winners: Tawanda Suessbrich-Joaquim and Gabrielle Cavassa.

Gary Walker is interviewing each of the finalists in the weeks leading up to the competition. This week he spoke with his friend Allan Harris about growing up in Brooklyn and taking the D Train to Harlem to eat and take in the atmosphere at his aunt Kates Home Cooking soul food restaurant, located right behind the legendary Apollo Theatre. There Harris saw and, in some cases, met Ellington, Sarah, Count Basie, Ella and legions of other top jazz and R&B stars, influencing his own musical life to this day. Harris also talked with Walker about his development and evolution as a jazz singer, as well as about his Black Cowboy project.

Watch their conversation here:

Allan Harris interview by Gary Walker

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SASSY Award finalist Allan Harris on his evolution as a jazz vocalist - wbgo.org

Elias Petterssons continued evolution into an elite two-way centre is key to the Canucks becoming a contender

Even as the 2022/23 season threatens to come crashing down around their ears, good things are happening for the Vancouver Canucks.

Good things, and important things.

The team as a whole has decidedly under-impressed, but if there is one individual who has shown well, its at least one of the players who would seem to have the most to prove: Elias Pettersson. After a Jekyll-and-Hyde 2021/22 campaign, Pettersson came into training camp with plenty of question marks attached to his name, and he appears ready to replace them with exclamation marks.

Petterssons three goals and six points through four games speak loudly enough for themselves. Harder to notice, but perhaps deserving of even more attention, is the continued evolution of Petterssons defensive game. And its not just an instance of personal growth its something that is going to be key to the Canucks becoming a long-term contender.

Before we get to all that, however, lets pause to consider the concept of the elite two-way centre.

The gold standard for this sort of player is, of course, Patrice Bergeron of the execrated Boston Bruins. He might just be the greatest two-way centre of all time and we are not here to suggest that Pettersson is on track to become the next Patrice Bergeron. Not yet, anyway.

But Bergeron is not the only elite two-way centre in the league. Theyre scattered all over the rosters of notably the NHLs cadre of true contending teams.

Aleksander Barkov and Elias Lindholm were the runners-up for the Selke Trophy last season. Ryan OReilly was a regular nominee before them and two-way-centreed his team to a surprise Stanley Cup not all that long ago.

Anze Kopitar, Jonathan Toews, and Sidney Crosby did the job for their own mini-dynasties and Kopitar and Crosby can both still do it.

Names like Auston Matthews and Sebastian Aho represent the next generation of those elite in either end theirs, and Elias Petterssons, too?

The point to be made here, before we get back to Pettersson, is that elite two-way centres are one of the most invaluable assets in hockey. And its no great mystery as to why that is. Such players are able to pull down huge minutes against the best skaters the opposition has to offer and still come out on top most times.

Elite two-way centres dont just shut down their opponents, they overwhelm them. They dont just defend, they parry. These sorts of players control the ice for somewhere between a third and half of any given game, and because of that they seem to have a remarkable ability to almost singlehandedly transform their teams into contenders as they enter their primes. (And they usually age well, too.)

If Pettersson is truly approaching that stratosphere, its undeniably a good thing for the Canucks and their hopes of one day competing.

So far, so good. Pettersson has been the Canucks best defensive forward by leaps and bounds thus far in 2022/23, in addition to also being their best offensive forward.

Lets get to theNaturalStatTrickboxscores.

In the season-opening game against the Edmonton Oilers, matchup duties were split fairly evenly among the Canucks top-three centres.

JT Miller played the most against Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but infamously wound up being on the ice for all five goals against. Bo Horvat chipped in and faired better, but only spent 3:57 of even-strength time against McDavid and even less against Draisaitl.

Compare that with Pettersson, who played 5:16 at evens against McDavid and 3:58 against Draisaitl. Not only did Pettersson not allow a goal during that time, he and his linemates held the Oilers to just a single shot with McDavid on the ice, and two with Draisaitl. Pettersson would wind up with a 70.00% Corsi while sharing the ice with McDavid.

The Philadelphia game is harder to break down because of the Flyers lack of star forwards. Petterssons matchups were all over the place in this one, and he wound up playing the most even-strength minutes against, of all people, Nicolas Deslauriers. Still, Pettersson controlled the game as best he could, winding up with no even-strength goals against again, and some eye-popping underlying analytics. Petterssons Corsi against Deslauriers? Try 80%, up a full ten points on his anti-McDavid performance.

Then came the Washington Capitals.

In this game, coach Bruce Boudreau clearly started to lean on Pettersson and his two-way abilities a little bit harder. Pettersson pulled down 7:48 of even-strength ice-time against Anthony Mantha, 6:34 against TJ Oshie, 6:18 against Evgeny Kuznetsov, and 4:25 against Alex Ovechkin.

Again, the fancy stats were undeniably tilted in Petterssons favour. Heck, even the non-fancy ones were. Pettersson played nearly half the game against the Washington top-six and held them to just two even-strength shots while he was on the ice. Just two!

Finally, in the third period, Pettersson surrendered his first even-strength goal against of the season, an Ovechkin goal that put the Capitals up 6-4. For those keeping score at home, thats nine periods of play before Pettersson got scored against at evens, and it took the greatest goal scorer in the history of the sport to do it.

Not bad.

Its the kind of defensive performance that would stand out on any team. On a team where JT Miller is on the ice for nine straight goals against to open the year, it stands out more.

Well cop to it: this article was mostly written before Tuesdays game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Petterssondidsurrender the game-tying 3-3 goal to Johnny Gaudreau. That went along with a goal and an assist and came after another otherwise superb defensive effort, but it still wasnt ideal.

Then again, think about what it says about the increasing trust that Bruce Boudreau is placing in Pettersson that he was out there defending a third period one-goal lead against a guy they call Johnny Hockey. When the final minute of regulation came not too long thereafter, it was the Podkolzin-Pettersson-Hglander line on the ice, masterfully controlling the flow of play and safely seeing the Canucks to overtimewhich Pettersson then proceeded to very nearly win with a shot off the post.

For the first time this season, Pettersson was deployed against Columbus as the 1C, pulling down 21:25 in ice-time. In keeping with the theme of this article, 10:12 of that ice-time was even-strength minutes spent matched up against Gaudreau. We hate to invoke the name again, but thats Bergeron-level deployment, plain and simple.

Heck, on that note, we almost forgot about Petterssons penalty killing prowess. Hes only killed a grand total of about 70 minutes of penalties thus far in his career, but hes also only given up six power play goals against in that time. Hes already on pace to nearly double his PK minutes in 2022/23 over the previous year.

Should Pettersson continue down this path of development, one has to imagine that hes got Selke Trophy votes in his near-future. And if the Canucks are wise, theyll do everything in their power to keep pushing him in this direction. Give Pettersson more matchups, tougher deployments, and greater responsibility. Hes clearly ready for it, and more opportunity might be all that he needs to begin achieving elite results over the long-term.

No matter what else happens with the team around him, Pettersson becoming an elite two-way centre is going to bring the Canucks closer to contention. Such players can often carry franchises on their backs for a good, long while, just as Pettersson has already been doing in the early goings of 2022/23.

More here:

Elias Pettersson's continued evolution into an elite two-way centre is key to the Canucks becoming a contender - Canucks Army

Ursaluna is a new Pokemon that was introduced in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. You will need to have it as part of your collection to complete your Pokedex but to get there, first, you need to catch and evolve an Ursaring. This guide will teach you how to evolve Ursaring into Ursaluna in Pokemon Go.

To evolve an Ursaring into Ursaluna, you obviously need an Ursaring, which you can easily acquire via the evolution of Teddiursa. Ursaring evolves from Teddiursa from level 30 or can be caught in the wild at Ursas ring in the Crimson Mirelands. Once you have Ursaring in your hands, the next step is to acquire a special evolution item called a Peat Block. The Peat Block is only found in Crimson Mirelands, and you have to dig it up. It doesnt matter where you dig, but you can only get it that way.

Will also get Peat Block as part of completing Request #77 Gone AstrayIn the Icelands. After finishing the request, speak to Zeke, and it will reward you with a Peat Block, an Ice Stone, and five Star pieces. These other gifts are also powerful evolution tools for other types of Pokemon.

Once you have the Peat Block with you, wait for the full moon to appear. Make sure that the weather isnt poor because otherwise, you wont be able to see it or evolve the Pokemon. Also, if the full moon has passed, you will, unfortunately, have to wait for the next day or cycle. For those interested in getting as many opportunities to evolve Ursaring into Ursaluna, November 12, 2022, is a special event where that is possible. Back to the full moon. When ready, give the Peat Block to Ursaring, and it will evolve into Ursaluna. The evolution happens in Crimson Midlands. And thats how to evolve Ursaring into Ursaluna.

Pokemon Go is available on iOSand Android platforms.

Link:

Pokemon GO: How To Evolve Ursaring Into Ursaluna - The Nerd Stash

M&A is an important tool for change in the chemical industry. Like products, applications and processes, it is a source of growth and innovation for chemical companies as they seek to optimize their portfolios, adopt new business models and navigate their way through a constantly evolving industry.

A Snapshot of the Industry M&A Landscape

In recent years, the chemical industry has seen several exceptionally large transactions and several waves of consolidation. But beneath these high-profile spikes in activity lies a steady level of M&A that has continued, even through global economic slowdowns.

Most of these transactions, if we look at total deal value, have taken place within companies home markets. For example, our research the Accenture Chemical Industry M&A Study revealed that deals where North American buyers targeted North American companies account for a significant percentage (75%) of their transactions. Similarly, deals with European buyers and sellers are in the majority (55%) in Europe. But there is some notable inter-regional activity. A large percentage (42%) of deals involved European buyers focused on North American companies, with roughly one-third (35%) of Chinese buyers fixed on European companies and about one-fourth (24%) of Japanese/South Korean buyers turning to North American targets (fig. 1)

So, whats behind these cross-regional transactions? It may relate to the benefits that can be accrued from extending into regions that have notable advantages. For example, it seems likely that companies in Japan and South Korea, which have mature chemical industries with a good technology base, are looking to North American targets to make further gains in their specialty positions. Chinese chemical companies, on the other hand, are often in need of more advanced technology, which likely drives their interest in European companies.

The Drivers of M&A

Our analysis of buyer rationales behind M&A transactions suggests that chemical companies are fairly risk-averse in their approach. With consolidation and portfolio extension cited by buyers as the rationale for a combined 67% of transactions, it seems that they are focusing largely on what they already know rather than looking to diversify into entirely new areas. Even the 11% of transactions where forward/backward integration was cited as the driver for buyers could reflect an interest in wanting to expand the existing business without taking significant risks.

For their part, sellers cited a range of reasons for their actions. More than half the transactions involved the sale of a whole company, with investor exit and synergies being the most common reasons. About one-fifth of the transactions involved the sale of a segment of the business to refocus the portfolio, or because the segment was underperforming or encountering financial or antitrust issues.The research also uncovered two trends that are changing the nature of M&A in the industry: the increased participation of private equity firms, and the growing influence of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission requirements in M&A-related decisions.

Private Equity is Raising the Bar

Private equity is playing an increasingly active and prominent role in the M&A arena. In the last ten years, private equity has executed between $16 billion and $23 billion in transactions each year a figure that accounts for 9% to 43% of total transaction value annually, and 23% of total transaction value on average over the entire period. Some of these deals have involved relatively small companies, but many have been in the multibillion-dollar range.

Private equity groups have proven to be highly effective players in chemical industry M&A. Frequently, they buy assets from chemical companies, increase their value over the course of a few years, and sell them for substantially more. In general, they tend to sell assets at higher multiples compared to chemical company sellers (fig. 2)

This suggests that chemical companies are missing out on higher multiples because they are foregoing opportunities to restructure and optimize businesses before selling them. Setting up lean and simplified organizational structures and cost-effective business platforms, business services and operating models typically enables sellers to capture more value in a transaction, especially if the improvements are documented and evident in the companys actual financial performance.

At times, chemical companies may believe that making those changes is too daunting a challenge. However, it is striking to see how quickly such changes can be implemented by new owners after a merger or acquisition a clear demonstration that such value-creating changes are feasible and implementable. However, such efforts are often impaired by the seller organizations legacy mindsets and management attitudes. For chemical companies considering a sale, it is important to keep in mind the value that such efforts can bring. Typically, each million dollars in cost savings and profit improvement has the potential to create millions more in value, based on the transaction multiple.

Factoring in GHG Emissions

Reduction in GHG emissions a major issue in the industry appears to be emerging as an important factor in M&A decisions. In order to meet their net-zero goals, chemical companies will have to make significant capital investments in GHG emission-intensive businesses such as ammonia, ethylene and propylene production. In Europe, for example, according to research we conducted with NexantECA, achieving the EU Green Deals 2050 net-zero GHG emissions goal will cost the industry about 1 trillion in direct improvements, the relocation of plants to be near green energy sources, the cost of downtime incurred through the transition, and so on.

Those demands appear to be playing a role in M&A. The research identified a pattern in which companies are selling businesses that produce both higher levels of GHG emissions and relatively lower financial returns. For example, one company divested a large fertilizer business that contributed 50% to its GHG emissions but only 5% to its EBITDA, while another divested a synthetic rubber business responsible for 25% of the companys emissions and just 9% of EBITDA.

For businesses looking at these costs, the question is whether to invest in reducing GHG emissions or to divest the GHG-intensive assets to get them off the books. In some cases, at least, they may be choosing the latter approach. It seems clear that GHG considerations, while not the sole driver of M&A activity, appear to be having a growing influence on the decisions being made.

What Chemical Companies Can Do

M&A has played a prominent role in the chemical industry over the last decade, and that can be expected to continue in the years to come. Understanding M&A trends and how to best approach these deals will be key to engaging in successful and value-creating transactions.

One important action is the deployment of technology as a value lever for M&A. This will allow companies to capture the benefits from insights, automation and future-ready platforms for divestments and to accelerate the integration of acquired businesses. On a related note, chemical companies should aim to complete restructuring efforts prior to a sale in order to reduce the chance of leaving value (in the form of increased multiples) on the table. They should also take a fact-based approach to assessing the impact that transactions will have on GHG emissions to avoid conducting fire sales of GHG-intensive businesses.

Given the importance of M&A in the industry, chemical companies should view M&A as a core capability with an end-to-end perspective that extends from well before transactions to well after. And they cant forget about people and culture, as effective change management is essential, particularly for the small but influential group of individuals in leadership positions. Such capabilities will be key to helping chemical companies use M&A to reshape themselves and thrive in a constantly evolving industry.

Author: Bernd Elser, a Managing Director and Global Chemicals Lead, Accenture, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

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The Evolution of Chemical Industry M&A - CHEManager

NORTH MANKATO, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Taylor Corporation announced an exclusive partnership with Colateral for its Print & Visual Impressions enterprise group (TPVI); a collaboration to streamline retail campaign management and deliver localized marketing for multi-location retailers across the U.S. and Canada.

The Colateral SaaS platform leverages automation and real-time data to elevate efficiency, minimize waste and cut costs in the supply chain, while enabling store-specific marketing messaging and delivering significantly increased revenues.

With shoppers expecting greater personalization and an increasing need for sustainable marketing, in-store advertising must evolve to give retailers and brands a competitive advantage on the high road, said Dorian Spackman, founder and CEO of Colateral. Colateral helps clients reduce cost and waste by automating campaign management processes, enabling them to earn more with localized promotions and improved commercial trade partnerships. Were delighted to partner with Taylor due to our shared desire to bridge the gap between online and offline for retail.

TPVIs Vice President of Sales, John Lewchenko, offers insights into the partnership, citing the retail services sector as a strong growth opportunity and Colaterals customizable offering as a key differentiator compared to competitors offerings. Colaterals record of success speaks for itself, and its unique value proposition helps our retail clients optimize their marketing spend. Investing in this partnership helps us deepen our commitment to retail clients as the sector continues its post-pandemic recovery.

The partnership demonstrates both companies' ongoing, shared commitment to supporting the retail industry. The last two years have been unprecedented, and our teams are changing the game to partner with customers in new ways, adds Lewchenko. Were investing heavily to reset the standard on helping clients build, manage and automate their in-store marketing campaigns.

TPVI has become the exclusive licensed reseller across North America of Colateral. The partnership helps Taylor expand its retail solutions offerings for customers with a wide range of signage opportunities. Leadership from both companies are working in concert to deploy Colateral to the North American market as of October 2022.

About Taylor

Taylor is among the top five graphic communications companies in North America. Headquartered in North Mankato, Minn., we are a team of more than 10,000 client-driven experts with operations spanning 32 states and eight countries. We use deep industry knowledge to strengthen your customers brand experience, enhance business efficiency and improve bottom-line profitability.

https://www.taylor.com

About Colateral

Colateral Ltd. enables multi-location retailers and brands to deliver localized on-brand marketing campaigns in every store. Our SaaS platform provides end-to-end control of in-store marketing campaigns, from briefing to implementation and analysis, with full traceability. Founded in 2015, we support over 10,000 stores for leading retailers, brands and financial services companies across the U.K. and Europe.

https://colateral.io

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Taylor Print & Visual Impressions Partners With Colateral to Drive the Evolution of Marketing in Bricks-and-Mortar Retail - Business Wire

Thrillist: How did you get started doing drag? What drew you in?

Untitled Queen: I went to graduate school for my MFA in Fine Arts at Parsons in 2007. I went to school with a friend, Jess Ramsey, who was a sound artist and DJ in nightlife at the time. She really encouraged me to try [drag], but I was never really that interested in it, at all. I thought drag was okay when I went out but wasnt really obsessed with it; I wasnt watching Drag Race or anything like that.

And then it was one of those cases where I was the last person to know. Everyone knew I was probably a drag queen I started to finally think about itand I met Macy Rodman, who is an amazing trans pop star. Anyway, the short story is that she was just starting her iconic punk drag show called Bath Salts and she was like, Hey do you want to do the first one? And I was like, Okay. And then Ijust said yes to anything.

I met Merrie Cherry out one night during Pride and she was like, Hey, I have a competition called Dragnet at Metropolitan. Do you want to compete? I did that competitionI wonand that just snowballed.

I entered into this Brooklyn nightlife that just made sense to me, and I realized Ive been doing drag my whole life; my whole art life has been very much connected to what we call drag. Its been about 10 years and I havent stopped since.

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Brooklyns Untitled Queen Discusses Art & the Evolution of Brooklyn Drag - Thrillist

The evolution of Pakistan

PAKISTAN is now over 75 years old. In all these years, it has seen multitudes of ups and downs. Many enormous milestones have been achieved.

Pakistan and its people have played a critical role not only in the region but in the international community as well.

The evolution of Pakistan has been marked by internal challenges but a large part of its progress or the lack of it has been caused by world events.

It has been a journey of choosing sides, deciding the fate of millions and the idea of surviving and thriving.

Unfortunately, many objectives have been missed along the way. And challenges never stopped coming.

Political instability, poverty, corruption, interference and violence have been the bane of the country and still continue to pose an existential threat.

Some credible questions naturally come to mind, is Pakistan a failed state? Is there something lacking in the people that has not allowed them to prosper like other nations?

And finally, what will it take to change the nation for the better? These queries force us to reflect and rethink the way Pakistan has evolved and what can be said about the foreseeable future.

Now is the time to take a pause and observe the journey of Pakistan as a single unit rather than a fractured narrative of blames and inadequacies.

Pakistan was born as an ideological state. The country inherited hostile neighbours. The most fundamental factor that can be deciphered from the history of Pakistan that changed the face of the country, its societal, economic and foreign policy is its relationship with the United States.

Liaquat Ali Khan wrote the first chapter of Pakistans foreign policy. He along with his team decided that Pakistan would not maintain a neutral stance; a mistake that would haunt the nation for generations to come.

The then Prime Minster cancelled his tour of Moscow and went to Washington instead. In the coming years, Pakistan vowed to watch the interests of the Western world against the onslaught of communism of the Soviet Union.

Pakistan became a frontline state. Instead of focusing on independence, economic development and industrialization, Pakistan relied on funding from the Americans in the form of USAID, PL480 and memberships of SEATO and CENTO.

Pakistan was unable to avoid the effects of the cold war. Missile sites were installed and U2 airplanes began flying from Peshawar.

Further, cheap imports from rich nations began flowing in which eliminated the incentive to industrialize the nation.

Exports were ignored. Foreign policy and alliance with the West overshadowed all other areas of development and progress.

And the matters were about to get worse. Cold war saw its peak in the form of the Cuban missile crisis. Pakistan was a frontline and a military conflict seemed obvious.

The nascent nation needed a solid direction towards democracy, development and independence, but on the contrary, Ayub Khan imposed martial law.

The first of many to come. The able leadership and vision of the Quaid of rule of law, democracy and adherence to good governance was replaced by lust for power, personality worship and misleading policies.

Ayub Khan invested the funding coming from the West towards development projects but he failed to see the overarching outlook of the future with what he was doing.

He continued to weaken the democratic ideals of the nation for a good 11 years. After him came a plethora of political upheavals and then began the era of political rivalry between Z.

A Bhutto and Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rehman. And with Indian interference, the country was split into two in 1971.

The nation had not even recovered from this loss when General Zia ushered in another dark chapter for 10 years of military rule and political manoeuvring.

ZA Bhutto was hanged and once again, funds began flowing from Washington in the wake of the Russian invasion of Afghanistan.

While the foreign and defence ministries thrived, the development in terms of economy, taxation, industrialization, democratization and education descended into the background.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Western world and the Americans in particular were faced with the threat of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Former allies were now terrorists. And then finally, on the ominous day of 9/11 attacks, Pakistan became a war front once again; this time against War on Terror.

And so, the events unfolded into another military rule of Pervez Musharraf duly supported by Washington.

Bomb blasts, terrorist attacks, militants, boys from Madaris becoming suicide bombers became the order of the day and over seventy thousand precious lives were lost.

Evil seeds of the past had to be decimated by sacrifices by the brave jawans of the Pakistan army.

A sad and tragic chapter into the depth of how mistakes of today will have to be borne by the youth of tomorrow.

Soon, the nation came to know after the Peshawar attack that terrorists cannot be allied with, cannot be negotiated with and cannot be tolerated.

As mothers of the nation mourned the loss of children and loved ones, a new zest was born to rid the nation of this evil, with or without the help of the world.

Pakistan today is being ranked below many underdeveloped African nations. The economy is on the verge of collapse and default is imminent.

Education is at an all time low in comparison to other Asian nations. Floods have ravaged any chance of economic revival at least for the next many years.

Exports are stagnant. Loans are beyond limits and debt servicing is forcing the country to lose its sovereignty to financial institutions like IMF.

Is this the fate we can accept? Pakistan and its youths have yet to speak their last. This is the nation that made way for millions of refugees from India keeping the holy city of Medina in mind.

This is the country that gave home to over one and a half million refugees from Afghanistan and is among the top charity giving nations of the world.

This is the nation that has produced world class athletes, scientists, singers, writers, poets and icons.

No, the story and evolution of Pakistan is not done yet. This is the hallmark of this nation, to achieve the impossible and come back from certain darkness and oblivion.

The writer is Chairman, Jinnah Rafi Foundation, based in Lahore.

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The evolution of Pakistan | By Imtiaz Rafi Butt - Pakistan Observer

Its the classic underdog story.

The genre of dembow a Dominican style of music identified by its playful, rapid drum pattern and carefree energy began as a musical pariah, rejected by both mainstream and underground communities in its birthplace. When Id go to the television and radio stations, theyd say, No, we cant play that, El Alfa told Billboard in March. But you step in the streets, and all you could hear was dembow.

At that time, dembow faced relentless criticism and resistance due to what one Dominican Republic government official recently referred to as sexual and obscene content (not too dissimilar to what reggaetn acts faced early on in Puerto Rico). But in recent years, the genre has taken the world by storm. Latin stars across the board, including J Balvin, Rosala, Camilo, Natti Natasha, Daddy Yankee and Justin Quiles, have tapped into the genre in the last year alone, collaborating with dembow mainstays Chimbala and El Alfa, as well as the genres iconoclastic up-and-comer, Tokischa.

See latest videos, charts and news

See latest videos, charts and news

The genre has experienced greater awards show presence (Tokischa and Rosala live-debuted Linda at the 2021 Billboard Latin Music Awards), as well as Billboard chart highs (El Alfas La Mama de la Mama reached No. 9 on Hot Latin Songs last May). Its biggest stars are now transcending local nightclubs, performing across the global and and even packing arenas (El Alfa played a sold-out concert at Madison Square Garden in 2021).

While many non-Dominicans were exposed to dembow by way of El Alfa, today, a number of dembow artists are sharing the spotlight, including Tokischa, Rochy RD, Yomel El Meloso, La Perversa, Braulio Fogon, Gailen La Moyeta, Leo RD, Kiko El Crazy and Bulova, among others.

Dominican Dembow is survival hood music and embodies Dominican Black joy its all ancestral from the dance movements to the diasporic drum patterns, says dembow historian, Jennifer Motaval. Throughout the years weve seen it evolve in production and lyricism, captivating global audiences. The music rose organically despite the many barriers that is monumental.

Below, Billboard explores the evolution of dembow by way of some of its most iconic musical moments.

1990: Shabba Ranks, Dem Bow

The genre dembow pulls its name from Jamaican dancehall artist Shabba Ranks anti-imperialist (and unfortunately, anti-gay) anthem Dem Bow, Jamaican Patois for they bow. The forever-sampled track became a catalyst for the Dominican genre, and sister genre reggaetn, both by way of reggae en espanol.

1993: DJ Boyo, Mujeres Andadoras

Within three years, Ranks riddim found its way to Quisqueya. Arguably the founder of Dominican dembow, DJ Boyo worked painstakingly to usher in a sound suited for a population responsible for the sweat-inducing tempo of merengue. Mujer Andadora arrived on the heels of Panamanian reggae en espanol godfather El Generals Tu Pum Pum, but was met with disdain from both radio DJs who mainly played salsa, bachata and merengue, and local spanish-language hip-hop artists. It remains the first example of Dominican dembow, before the sound became fully solidified.

2006: Los Andolocos, Ando Loco

Thanks to the rise of the internet and blogs, dembow was able to begin blossoming without the help of major television and radio stations. The track Ando Loco by Los Andolocos was the first to gain large-scale recognition in the Dominican Republic, being spun at clubs nationwide. This time period was also extremely fruitful for reggaetn across the way in Puerto Rico.

2010: Pablo Piddy, Quisqueyano Dembow

The 2010s can be understood as dembows springtime. An outpouring of popular tracks and artists bolstered the genre, like rapper-turned-dembowsero Pablo Piddy, Monkey Black, El Alfa and Chimbala, among others. Because of Piddys lyrical abilities, tracks like Quisqueyano Dembow brought a new level of composition and structure to the genre.

2012: Chimbala, Baila Con Lo Pie

While he started off producing records for dembow greats like El Alfa, Chimbala, aka el pequeito, stepped into full artist mode with the danceable Digo E and Con Lo Pie. Both tracks mark a pivotal moment for the ever-rising dembowsero, and remain dance favorites two decades later.

2014: La Materialista, La Chapa Que Vibran

Standing tall as one of the most recognizable women in the dembow genre, La Materialista made waves with her 2014 single, La Chapa Que Vibran. Moments like this (including Milka la Mas Duras Dale Ven Ven in 2009) were extremely noteworthy in a genre that like many others, did not prioritize creating space for women artists until much later in its history. Around the same time, other Dominican women in the urbano genre were also rising, like Amara la Negra and La Insuperable.

2017: Bad Bunny feat. El Alfa, Dema Ga Ge Gi Go Gu

El Alfa and Bad Bunnys Dema Ga Ge Gi Go Gu brought much of the larger Latin Urban music audience to dembow. The Puerto Rican megastar became a major supporter of the genre, collaborating again with El Alfa (2018s La Romana) and sampling other dembow artists like Chimbala and Rochy RD. While Conejo Malo was among the first of mainstream artists to tap into the explosive genre, he certainly wasnt the last, with Rosalia, J Balvin, Jowell y Randy, among others boasting a dembow track under their belts.

2020: Tokischa & Yomel El Meloso, Desacato Escolar

Dembow received the shake-up of a lifetime in 2020 by way of budding rapper-turned-genre mainstay Tokischa. Within a space historically dominated by male artists (save standouts like La Materialista, La Insuperable and Milka la Mas Dura), Toki burst onto the scene with sex-positive lyricism, bringing along a number of other female dembow acts, like Yailin la Mas Viral and La Perversa. She foreshadowed her mark on the genre with the opening line of Desacato Escolar: soy una nena rebelde.

2021: El Alfa, CJ & El Cherry Scom, La Mama de la Mama

It was the dembow single heard round the world. In summer of 2021, El Alfa, CJ and Cherry Scoms La Mama de la Mama dominated the streets and the charts, marking El Alfas (and arguably the genres) most noteworthy mainstream breakout moment, outside of a major outside collaboration. The electrifying single peaked at No. 9 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, marking a career high for El Alfa and the dembow genre.

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Hispanic Heritage Month: How Dembow Evolved into the Hottest Thing in Latin Urban Music - Billboard