Monthly Archives: September 2021

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

Posted: September 4, 2021 at 6:13 am

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Diogo Jota (24) has stepped up admirably.

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

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

But how can the tactics evolve with the personnel?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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How will Delta evolve? Here’s what the theory tells us – Q Costa Rica News

Posted: at 6:13 am

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

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

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

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New coronavirus inside magic crystal ball

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Finally, evolutionary theory has a warning about future pandemics.

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

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

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

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How will Delta evolve? Here's what the theory tells us - Q Costa Rica News

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Outback Steakhouse’s Digital Evolution, and the Amazon Effect on Restaurants – FSR magazine

Posted: at 6:13 am

Consumers are calling the shots more than ever.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Trump loyalists team up with anti-vax doctors for health and freedom tour – The Guardian

Posted: at 6:12 am

Top loyalists to Donald Trump, who frequently push lies about election fraud, have joined forces with conservative doctors touting unproven Covid curesand vaccine skepticism, and like-minded evangelical ministers at a series of events across the US this summer.

The conservative ReAwaken America tour featuring ex-general Michael Flynn and top Donald Trump loyalist donors has held events in Florida, Michigan and other states.

It underscores how Trumps allies, anti-vaccine doctors and conservative preachers are amplifying baseless claims that are hurting the nations public health and its democracy with potentially far-reaching impacts, say pandemic and election experts.

The tour comes as Covid cases soar and as Republican drives to pass state laws weakening voting rights increase. While the tour has touted Flynns key role, a Tulsa Oklahoma media figure and Christian entrepreneur named Clay Clark has been instrumental in orchestrating the gatherings also dubbed health and freedom conferences using his ThriveTime podcast and radio show and Charisma News coverage.

The ReAwaken events have featured talks by vaccine skeptics such as Simone Gold, who was charged for taking part in the Capitol riot and leads Americas Frontline Doctors, a rightist group that garnered attention for touting dubious Covid-19 cures such as ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine.

Stella Immanuel, a Houston doctor who is part of Golds group and who spoke at a Michigan ReAwaken rally on 20 August, gained notoriety last year for public remarks at a Washington rally near the supreme court, suggesting Americas health problems were linked to alien DNA and sperm from demons.

Another doctor listed as a speaker at the rallies is Scott Jensen, a former state senator and Fox News favorite who is running for governor in Minnesota. Last year, Jensen was a candidate for Politifacts lie of the year for claiming baselessly that doctors were overcounting Covid cases for their own financial gain.

Further, the conservative tour has provided new audiences for rich Trump donors such as Mike Lindell, the chief executive of MyPillow, who has stated falsely that Trump would be reinstalled as president by 13 August, and Patrick Byrne, the former chief of Overstock, who bankrolled with millions of dollars a spurious audit in Arizonas largest county that has drawn bipartisan fire for lacking merit.

The ReAwaken meetings, which each appear to have drawn audiences in the hundreds or more, have also taken place this year in Oklahoma and California, with more slated for Colorado and Texas in coming months. Promotional materials indicate that attendees are asked to pay $250 for general admission or $500 for VIP tickets, with pastors eligible for half-price tickets.

Voting rights lawyers and pandemic experts are troubled by the volume of election and pandemic disinformation that the ReAwaken tour seems to be spreading.

Many Americans believe the 2020 election was stolen, despite numerous failed court cases alleging it and recounts that verified the results, said Gerry Hebert, who spent over two decades as a senior lawyer at the justice department handling voting rights.

Hebert added: People have refused to wear masks and get vaccinated because of Covid disinformation campaigns. Lies and disinformation campaigns can kill, both our fellow Americans and our democracy, and this ReAwaken America tour seems designed to accentuate these problems.

Similarly, Covid experts say that the ReAwaken America tour is exacerbating medical disinformation.

These events are stark reminders of how Trump was elected in 2016 and remains popular to this day, with many now vying to assume his mantle in campaigning for elected office at all levels of governments, said Irwin Redlener, who leads Columbia Universitys Pandemic Resource and Recovery Initiative.

Im actually embarrassed by the fact that there are doctors fully into this craziness.

Flynn, who was pardoned by Trump late last year after twice pleading guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador in the federal investigation into Kremlin meddling in the 2016 elections, has become a fixture at conspiracy-heavy gatherings this year, including one in Texas in May that was backed by QAnon advocates who have falsely claimed Trump will become president again this year.

Other Trump loyalists have popped up at the ReAwaken events, including Roger Stone, a longtime Trump adviser who also was pardoned by Trump after he was convicted of lying to Congress and other felonies as part of the federal inquiry into Russian meddling in the 2016 elections, and Charlie Kirk who runs the pro-Trump youth group Turning Point USA.

Anne Nelson, the author of Shadow Network, a book about the rightwing Council for National Policy, which boasts some key evangelicals, said Clarks ReAwaken tour has echoes of earlier religious political entrepreneurs but said Clark has modernized their techniques with religious rallies and media platforms promoting Trump surrogates like Michael Flynn and medical misinformation peddlers like Simone Gold, to build momentum for the radical right, leading up to next years midterms and 2024.

The ReAwaken gatherings have dovetailed with more drives by conservative doctors and Trump loyalists spreading pandemic and election disinformation.

For instance, Golds Americas Frontline Doctors, which was formed with the help of Tea Party Patriots early last year, filed a motion this July aimed at the health department seeking to halt vaccinations. The motion contained some widely debunked assertions about Covid-19.

The discredited claims included that CDC data reveals that the two-shot Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine are not effective in treating or preventing Covid-19, and that the pandemic is not a public health emergency.

Further, Golds group announced in May that it was launching a national RV Uncensored Truth Tour with an initial focus on several states including Arizona, Texas and Florida.

Critics see the RV tour as another vehicle for Gold to spread disinformation, as in her comments in Washington at a rally the day before the Capitol attack, when she labeled FDA approved vaccines an experimental biological agent deceptively named a vaccine and urged people to avoid being coerced.

More broadly, Redlener is dismayed by the abundance of disinformation at the ReAwaken America rallies, and via similar avenues. The increasingly flagrant promotion of anti- science ignorance and bizarre political extremism is worrisome, he said.

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Trump loyalists team up with anti-vax doctors for health and freedom tour - The Guardian

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Heart of Dixie remains Donald Trump Country – The Troy Messenger – Troy Messenger

Posted: at 6:12 am

Former President Donald Trump paid a visit to the Heart of Dixie last week. Obviously, this is Trump country.

Alabama was one of Trumps best states in the 2020 Election. He got an amazing 65 percent of the vote in our state. If the turnout for his August 21 rally in rural Cullman County is any indication, he would get that same margin of victory this year if the election were held again. Many of those in attendance were insistent that Trump won last years presidential contest and that it was stolen from him.

The event was held on a desolate rural north Alabama farm. It was reminiscent of the 1969 Woodstock event in rural New York. In fact, our newly minted U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville referred to it as Trumpstock. Tuberville nor I either one attended Woodstock, but we are old enough to know about the legendary music and imbibing event. It was also reminiscent of some of the old George Wallace rallies in the 1960s only much larger.

The rally drew an enormous crowd. Estimates said there were 45,000 Trumpites in attendance and I am not an expert on estimating crowds, but I do not disagree with that number. It took me 30 minutes to walk through the crowd to get to my car.

Trump is truly an entertainer and Alabama is truly Trump Country, although there were quite a few folks in attendance from neighboring states. I was very appreciative to be given a VIP front row private reception invitation to the event. Allow me to share some of my observations.

Coach/Senator Tommy Tuberville won his seat in the U.S. Senate because Trump endorsed him. It is obvious that Trump and Tuberville like each other and have bonded. Tuberville ran for and is in the Senate for the right reason. He wants to spend some of his retirement years giving back to this country. Tuberville was not groomed to be a politician. He is a football coach, but he is doing a good job representing Alabama in Washington. He has put together a good staff headed by veteran Stephen Boyd. They are doing a good job with constituent service. Tuberville looked jovial, relaxed, and dapper when he spoke prior to Trump.

Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth gave a great speech. It was fiery and almost George Wallace level. He is a true conservative. He has two young sons who accompanied him to the rally. They are very gentlemanly young men, who are always courteous and mannerly.

Attorney General Steve Marshall gave an excellent speech. It was conversational, sincere and well received.

Congressman Robert Aderholt was spectacular and gave a great speech and welcome. He represents Cullman in congress. His 4th Congressional District gave Trump the largest percentage votes of any congressional district in the country. Aderholt looks like a congressman. He is polished and erudite, but has a grassroots appeal. His people in North Alabama love him.

Mo Brooks spoke and was fiery as ever. Trump has endorsed him in the senate race. However, Trump only endorsed him once on this night.

There is a lot of internal discord among the Republican Party membership. It appears that the Mo Brooks supporters have taken over the Republican Party hierarchy and that this Trump event was a Mo Brooks rally. Trump probably was asked to temper his Brooks endorsement. Indeed, Mo Brookss opponents, Katie Britt, Lynda Blanchard and Jessica Taylor were all in attendance.

Several state senators were there, along with the aforementioned state constitutional officers. I saw Greg Reed from Jasper, Tom Whatley from Auburn, along with hometown Cullman Senator Garlan Gudger, and PSC Commissioner Jeremy Oden also from Cullman County. In addition, Secretary of State John Merrill and Jefferson/Shelby Congressman Gary Palmer were in attendance.

It was good to see some of the old, longtime, 50 year Republican Party faithful founders there Elbert Peters from Huntsville, Joan and Paul Reynolds from Shelby County, and Vicki and Mike Drummond from Jasper. They were laboring in the Republican vineyards before it was cool to be a Republican, and still are.

I had a chance to see Trump closeup. He looks amazing for 75. People age differently. He is a lot more cognizant and alert than 78-year-old Joe Biden. If you made me bet, I would say that Trump is running for President in 2024 and that he will carry Alabama.

Happy Labor Day.

See you next week.

Steve Flowers is Alabamas leading political columnist. His weekly column is seen in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at: http://www.steveflowers.us.

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Heart of Dixie remains Donald Trump Country - The Troy Messenger - Troy Messenger

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Rex Murphy: I miss Donald Trump and the hypnotic hold he had on his enemies – National Post

Posted: at 6:12 am

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Biden is a stumbling, unready leader, visibly in a state of intellectual entropy

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I miss Donald Trump.