Category Archives: Evolution

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read more from the original source:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why is having a green facility important?

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

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

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

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

How do the Stollflatbed knitting machines streamline the knitting process?

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

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

Excerpt from:

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

This article was originally published here

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

ABSTRACT

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jason Waight

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(Photo credit: Getty Images)

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

Look no further than Cal Petersen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Britta Lewis/Waterloo Black Hawks

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Andy Slaggert(Melissa Wade)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dennis Wierbicki/ USA Today Sports

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Matt Millar (Photo courtesy of Dubuque Fighting Saints)

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

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

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

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

Canadian Press

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Adam Pantozzi/NHLI via Getty Images

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

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

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

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

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

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

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The Evolution of Cal Petersen - CaliSports News

A star was born when Chief Meteorologist Jeff Lyons for 14 News in Evansville, Indiana brought Betty his cat on-air during a weather hit. USA TODAY

If the world of misinformation had its way, Dorothy would be adding parades of deadly tornadoes alongside lions, tigers and bears on Kansas'list of worst nightmares.

Despite fact-checkers efforts, Facebook users continue to misrepresent a photo illustration of a May 2016 tornado's evolution. The image, which MamouChoctow posted July 11, appears to depicta series of seven hurricanes simultaneously striking a Kansas horizon.

Intense Supercell with a Mass of Tornados North of Minneola Kansas. By @ Jason Weingart,Choctaw captioned the photo.

There were more tornadoes in Kansas between 1950 and August 2018 than in every other state besides Texas.(Photo: clintspencer / Getty Images)

Many Facebook users expressed awe at the photo and terror at the presumed destruction, while some commented that the scene was not as it seemed.

Like a menacing army of tornados marching on. Wow, what a photo! Nyla Slosson commented.

But Harris John quoted from the image's Wikipedia caption: This image is created from eight images shot in two sequences as a tornado formed north of Minneola, Kansas on May 24, 2016. This prolific supercell went on to produce at least 12 tornadoes and at times had two and even three tornadoes on the ground at once,

Choctaw has not yet responded to USA TODAYs request for comment.

Fact check: Hurricane Hanna did not collapse border wall in Texas

The supercellstruck north of Minneola, Kansas, on May 24, 2016, and was photographed by storm chaser Jason Weingart.

According to the National Weather Service, the supercell produced 12 to 15 tornadoes that afternoon and early evening. The tornadoesdid not strike simultaneously in a line as Choctow suggests.

Supercell tornadoes are the most common kind of tornado, which form from supercell thunderstorms. Scientists theorize that supercell tornadoes form when winds at different heights, speeds and directions form an updraft of rotating air.

Fact check: Viral photo shows Obama, Fauci visiting NIH lab in 2014, not a 'Wuhan lab' in 2015

Weignart has confirmed via phone call with USA TODAY and within the description on his website that the image captures one single tornado, not a mass of multiple tornadoes.

It is the evolution of one single tornado, Weingart told USA TODAY.

Evolution of the first of several tornadoes in Ford County, Ks on May 24, 2016, Weingart describes the photo on his website.

He told USA TODAY he created "Evolution of a Tornado" from a time-lapse he recorded.

Weingart sells the image online and has made it availableon Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons. He also uploaded a video of the tornado to YouTube.

In 2017, Weingart submitted"Evolution of a Tornado" as an image series to the Wiki Science Competition and won.

"About a year later someone on Facebook downloaded and posted it as a 'mass of tornadoes'and it went viral," he said.

Fact check: Picture of a massive dust cloud is over Phoenix, not Puerto Rico

We rate the claim that a widely shared photo of a May 2016 stormdepicts a mass of tornadoes simultaneously striking FALSE because it is not supported by our research. The photographer Jason Weingart has confirmed in his online descriptions and directly to USA TODAY that he edited a time-lapse of a single tornado into one image to createa visual representation of thestorm's evolution.

Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.

Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.

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Fact check: Image doesn't show mass of tornadoes; it's an edited evolution of one tornado - USA TODAY

The hat and baseball are connected like Ben and Jerry. One without the other doesnt make sense. Nobody says, Hey, while youre at the grocery store can you pick me up some Bens?

Ben needs Jerry. Ballplayers need caps.

These days, wearing a baseball hat is common place. They are worn by most people and have become a part of everyday attire for quite a few baseball and non-baseball fans alike. But where did these hats come from and how did they evolve into the fashion statements that we adorn today?

The mid to late 19th century was a cornucopia of hats and hat styles. From deerstalkers (think Sherlock Holmes) to jockey caps, to pillbox caps (Civil War couture), to boaters and fedoras, the man or woman of the Industrial Revolution had plenty of head wear to choose from. And from these various styles developed the baseball hat that we know today.

The place was Hoboken, New Jersey. It was June 19, 1846. The first officially recorded baseball game was being played between the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club and the New York Base Ball Club. The Knickerbockers lost 23 to 1. They also wore straw hats as they played, thusly triggering the love affair between baseball and hats, although their hats were probably better suited for a pleasant row around the pond.

Fourteen years later an amateur team named the Brooklyn Excelsiors donned the ancestor of the modern baseball cap. The Brooklyn-style hat had a rounded-top and a button at the peak. The Excelsiors were in the midst of a championship season in 1860 and that could be one reason the style caught on. Champions tend to set the trends. Who doesnt want to follow a winner?

In 1901, the charter member of the newly founded American League, the Detroit Tigers, wore a cap with something new on it. What was that newfangled thing? A logo. The dark blue cap had a running orange tiger stitched on the front. It seems so simple and standard now, but in 1901 it was revolutionary.

Baseball hats in the 1920s and 1930s, well, grew. The bill, or visor, became longer in an attempt to further shade the players eyes from the sun. The visor also became firmer, allowing for the wearer to shape the bill to their comfort level. Probably the most iconic hat from this era, and possibly of all baseball history (although, Boston Red Sox fans would surely disagree), is the New York Yankees cap.

As the 30s came to a close the idea of bigger is better continued to sink its claws into American society. The baseball hat wasnt exempt. Although the bill stayed the same length, the crown grew up. With the gain in altitude the front of the hat allowed for more advertising space. For the next sixty years, give or take a few, this hat style dominated the national game and worked its way into the closets of the American citizen.

Baseball hats have always been made of wool. You know the stuff, its itchy and hot. Then, in 2007, Major League Baseball decided, for the comfort of its players, to switch to a polyester blend. So long wool, hello breathability.

Who knows what the baseball hat will evolve into? Possibly, instead of stitched logos, they will become digital, with different images attainable on a single hat. Maybe the bill will get longer, perhaps long enough to match Scotty Smalls hat from the Sandlot. Whatever direction the baseball cap takes it is a part of the fabric of our society and has become not just a tool of functionality, but a statement of fashion.

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Around the Horn In Six Hats (The Evolution of Baseball Caps) - Last Word on Baseball

The Pokmon franchise is going strong for nearly 25 years. That's a quarter century of new pocket monsters, adventures, and updates. The series is constantly evolving like its namesake creatures. That also includes adding newPokmon each generation.Occasionally, an entire new evolution will be added to an existingPokmon or evolutionary line, which is exciting for fans.

RELATED:10 Pokmon We Want To See In Detective Pikachu 2

Fans are always clamoring for a new form or version of their absolute favorites. With Dynamax, Gigantamax, regional variants, and Mega Evolutions in the games, fans have been able to see their favorites in all-new ways. Still, there are somePokmon that never get these updates, or some that could still use some more.

This Ghost/Grass anchor is known as the Sea CreeperPokmon. It was added in Generation VII, a perfect aquatic addition to the Alola region in the Sun and Moon games. It is a huge anchor held to a ship's steering wheel by seaweed. ThisPokmon not only has a neat design, but it's also the only one that can learn the move Anchor Shot.

Dhelmise absolutely deserves an evolution, as it cannot evolve into any otherPokmon. Speculating on what an evolution could look like for this cool creature, it could possibly evolve into a large ghost ship itself, or even a giant sail. Fans would love a new design.

Absol is one of the series' most popularPokmon. This Dark-typePokmon has been around since Generation III, where it captured hearts with its stand-out design. Although not one of the most powerfulPokmon, it is one of the most memorable. It's so popular, in fact, that itis one of the few to be given a Mega form.

RELATED: The 10 Most Powerful Pokmon Cards, Ranked

Somehow, it still doesn't have an evolution, though. Absol would be a prime candidate to get a newPokmon in its line, given its fan-favorite status. Simply imagine how cute an emo kitten would be as a predecessor, or to see it evolve into an even more ferocious feline.

The Fire-type anteaterPokmon from Generation V onward doesn't have an evolution. This is surprising, as it is has made cameos in the anime, manga, and many side games in the franchise. It's about time an evolution gets added to its line.

Fun fact: Heatmor is the only non-Bug typePokmon that can learn the move Bug Bite. This could be a clue as to what the anteater can evolve into: a Fire/BugPokmon. Not manyPokmon have the distinction of this specific, opposing dual typing, so it would make for a great final evolution for Heatmor.

Pinsir is one of the originalPokmon, with its origins going all the way back to good old Generation I. Beginning in Red and Blue, trainers could catch Pinsir in a couple of ways. Depending on the game, players could obtain Pinsir through trade, the Safari Zone, or Celadon City's Game Corner.

That made it exclusive and desirable. It also had a companion, as many do: Scyther, which got its own evolution in a later game. So why shouldn't Pinsir? It has a Mega Evolution form, but not a standard evolution. Maybe this will change in a later generation.

This cute giraffePokmon goes way back: first introduced in Generation II, Girafarig is Normal/Psychic and has no known evolutions. While not necessarily a fan favorite, it's about time such a sweetPokmon gets its dues.

RELATED:The 10 Biggest Problems With Pokmon Games (They Need To Fix)

Think of how adorable an evolution would be. It could grow into a tall, long-necked giraffe, much like Alolan Executor. Or, its design could be similar to the dinosaur-like Tropius from Generation III.

Stantler is another Generation IIPokmon with no evolutions. The Big HornPokmonis all kinds of classic: its design is a straightforward caribou while its type is simply Normal. Therefore, it provides a great foundationfor an evolutionary line, but it never got the distinction.

Fans would probably adore a pre-evolution that looks like Bambi. It would serve thePokmon well and make Stantler a desirable final evolution for players to reach. Maybe it will be chosen for a future evolution in another game, although it was introduced so long ago it's possible it will never get another form.

Maractus the flowering cactusPokmon has such a unique design that it's a shame it has no known evolutions. With the popularity of desert plants like succulents these days, which are all the rage with younger generations, it would be the cutest design to have a succulentPokmon evolve into Maractus.

On the other hand, Maractus could also evolve into a larger and even more powerfulPokmon, such as a large plant, like a Joshua Tree or Yucca. That would serve its unique design well and really add to thePokmon universe.

Klefki is the cute Steel/Fairy-typePokmon introduced in Generation VI. The Key RingPokmon has aone-of-a-kind look. But without any evolutions, it leaves so much to be desired. The possibilities are endless with this one! With the key motif, there are so many designs to play off of.

Here are a few to get the conversation started: it could evolve into a skeleton key, playing off its spooky look; it could evolve from a little lock with a heart-shaped key in honor of being Fairy; or it could start off as one of the keys on its keyring, similar to the evolutionary line of Dreepy.

Without contest, Druddigon is one of the coolestPokmon from Generation V. But in a huge surprise, it doesn't actually have any evolutionary forms. Typically, Dragon-typePokmon do have evolutions, as they usually appear later in the game and take quite a bit of leveling up to get to its final form.

Therefore, it would make sense for Druddigon to have one, if not two, forms to precede its final evolution. All the great Dragon types have them, as they are meant to be challenging to raise and train. Only a few generations old, there's a possibility Druddigon's line could expand.

If there is anyPokmon most famous for its evolutions, it has to be Eevee. Its name even sounds like evolution, which is most likely intentional. The foxPokmon is one of the most adorable and acclaimed designs, even getting its own feature in theLet's Goseries.

Without fail, fans clamor for a new Eevolution with every generation that's announced. Interestingly enough, it did not get a new elemental evolution in the latest generation, but there are still so many possibilities out there: Ghost, Poison, Flying, and Dragon, to name a few. Game Freak simply has to continue expanding this line, there's no doubt about it.

NEXT:10 Pokmon So Dangerous, Only Tiger King Would Want One As A Pet

Next The 100: 10 Questions About Clarke Griffin, Answered

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10 Awesome Pokmon That Really Need A New Evolution | ScreenRant - Screen Rant

Cloudflare today announced the private beta launch of Workers Unbound, the latest step in its efforts to offer a serverless platform that can compete with the likes of AWS Lambda.

The company first launched its Workers edge computing platform in late 2017. Today it has hundreds of thousands of developers who use it, and in the last quarter alone, more than 20,000 developers built applications based on the service, according to the company. Cloudflare also uses Workers to power many of its own services, but the first iteration of the platform had quite a few limitations. The idea behind Workers Unbound is to do away with most of those and turn it into a platform that can compete with the likes of AWS, Microsoft and Google.

The original motivation for us building Cloudflare Workers was not to sell it as a product because we were using it as our own internal platform to build applications, Cloudflare co-founder and CEO Matthew Prince told me ahead of todays announcement. Today, Cloudflare Teams, which is our fastest-growing product line, is all running on top of Cloudflare Workers and its allowed us to innovate as fast as we have and stay nimble and stay agile and all those things that get harder as you become a larger and larger company.

Cloudflare co-founder and CEO Matthew Prince (Image Credits: TechCrunch)

Prince noted that Cloudflare aims to expose to third-party developers all of the services it builds for its internal consumption. The fact that weve been able to roll out a whole Zscaler competitor in almost no time is because of the fact that we had this platform and we could build on it ourselves, he said.

The original Workers service will continue to operate (but under the Workers Bundled moniker) and essentially become Cloudflares serverless platform for basic workloads that only run for a very short time. Workers Unbound as the name implies is meant for more complex and longer-running processes.

When it first launched Workers, the company said that its killer feature was speed. Today, Prince argues that speed obviously remains an important feature and Cloudflare Workers Unbound promises that it essentially does away with cold-start latencies. But developers also adopted the platform because of its ability to scale and its price.

Indeed, Workers Unbound, Cloudflare argues, is now significantly more affordable than similar offerings. For the same workload, Cloudflare Workers Unbound can be 75% percent less expensive than AWS Lambda, 24 percent less expensive than Microsoft Azure Functions, and 52 percent less expensive than Google Cloud Functions, the company says in todays press release.

As it turned out, the fact that Workers was also an edge computing platform was basically a bonus, but not necessarily why developers adopted it.

Another feature Prince highlighted is regulatory compliance. I think the thing were realizing as we talk to our largest enterprise customers is that for real companies not just the individual developer hacking away at home but for real businesses in financial services or anyone who has to deal with a regulated industry, the only thing that trumps ease of use is regulatory compliance, which is not sexy or interesting or anything else but like if your GC says you cant use XYZ platform, then you dont use XYZ platform and thats the end of the story, Prince noted.

Speed, though, is of course something developers will always care about. Prince stressed that the team was quite happy with the 5ms cold-start times of the original Workers platform. But we wanted to be better, he said. We wanted to be the clearly fastest serverless platform forever and the only number that we know no one else can beat is zero unless they invent a time machine.

The way the team engineered this is by queuing up the process while the two servers are still negotiating their TLS handshake. Were excited to be the first cloud computing platform that [offers], for no additional costs, out of the box, zero millisecond cold-start times, which then also means less variability in the performance.

Cloudflare also argues that developers can update their code and have it go live globally within 15 seconds.

Another area the team worked on was making it easier to use the service in general. Among the key new features here is support for languages like Python and a new SDK that will allow developers to add support for their favorite languages, too.

Prince credits Cloudflares ability to roll out this platform, which is obviously heavy on compute resources and keep it affordable to the fact that it always thought of itself as a security platform first (the team has often said that the CDN functionality was more or less incidental). Because it performed deep packet inspection, for example, the companys servers always featured relatively high-powered CPUs. Our network has been optimized for CPU usage from the beginning and as a result, its actually made it much more natural for us to extend our network that way, he explained. To this day, the same machines that are running our firewall products are the same machines that are running our edge computing platform.

Looking ahead, Prince noted that while Workers and Workers Unbound feature a distributed key-value store, the team is looking at adding a more robust database infrastructure and distributed storage.

The team is also looking at how to decompose applications to put them closest to where they will be running. You could imagine that in the future, it might be that you write an application and we say, listen, the parts of the application that are sensitive to the user of the database might run in Portland, where you are but if the database is in Ashburn, Virginia, then the parts that are sensitive to latency in the database might run there, he said.

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Cloudflare launches Workers Unbound, the next evolution of its serverless platform - TechCrunch