Category Archives: Evolution

The Gundam franchise is excessively popular, especially in Japan where people live and breathe the mech-style figurines introduced in this video game slash movie series. To talk about one specific title that managed to make landfall in relatively recent times, Gundam Evolution is what comes to mind in an instant.

The developer Bandai Namco Online Inc. of the free-to-play first-person shooter announced yesterday that their latest IP has been blessed with more than 1 million players ever since the games release on September 22, 2022.

The Rundown:

In official terms, the blog post reads,

Regarding the GUNDAM EVOLUTION PC version service, more than 1 million people have played in the first week since the launch on September 22, 2022, and we were able to get off to a better start than expected. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the development and operation teams.

With that said, the title seems to be riddled with a ton of issues, errors, and other bugs that are impeding playability and not letting certain PC players through. The developer has addressed these concerns as well in the blog post, promising a better environment for enthusiasts in the wake of the forthcoming patches.

First up, abalance adjustmentupdate will make headway in improving Gundam Evolutions current troubled state starting October 21st. In the meantime, users can keep pace with the officially curated Report Status List to note down the overall progress made in plucking out pertinent issues.

Some of the major problems associated with the game presently include the main weapon not firing, stuck progress for various challenges thereby being impossible to complete, consistent disconnections with no probability of establishing a reconnection again, and levitating units in different scenarios.

Others have complained about the inability to complete microtransactions. The payment transfer doesnt occur properly and compels things to come to a standstill. On the flip side though, preparations are underway for the second season of Gundam Evolution as well.

According to the developer, the PC variant of the sci-fi shooter will commence Season 2 on 30 November, bringing forth a whole swath of goodies for curious players. Were talking new playable characters, new venues, and a revamp of added features to make sure the gameplay doesnt start getting monotonous.

Despite everything else, many still complain about the lack of European servers on Gundam Evolution, making playability and matchmaking significantly harder for those dwelling in Europe. In other news, the title in question is being compared to Overwatch 2 with the only difference being the inclusion of mechs and robots.

Do let us know what you think of the 1 million player milestone of Gundam Evolution down in the comments section.

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Gundam Evolution Reaches The 1 Million Player Milestone On PC - eXputer

The digital era is here thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic induced lockdown. During the lockdown, we witnessed the rise of several new trends like work from home, online dating, delivery apps but more importantly, we all witnessed the rise of social media and creators. The Covid-19 pandemic induced lockdown got all of our creative juices flowing and it gave many people the time, platform and opportunity to grow their social media handles and become creators. During this time, the digital advertising market also grew, more importantly, the influencer marketing took the center stage in digital marketing.

The significant growth of social media has made it essential for brands to have a powerful presence online, especially amid the cut-throat competition in the market and in the digital world. This has also made it important for brands to not only connect with their target group via innovative content marketing strategies but also strengthen their hold and reputation by acquiring more consumer base and influencer marketing is the preferred manner in the current day and age. The reason the increasing content consumption by people across the globe.

The time of brand oriented approach to marketing is over. Its now time for a more customer-centric approach, more so because customers have also grown smarter and prefer a brand that has a problem-solving approach towards marketing their product and/or service. While consumers still trust celebs when they promote a brand, they also know that celebs are paid to say what theyre saying. But when an influencer or a creator promotes a brand, they dont just promote it, they share their consumer experience with their followers along with valuable, authentic and credible information which makes the brand the followers pick too. This is also why micro and regional influencers are trusted more by their follower base as opposed to big influencers. In fact, the rise of influencer marketing has also given rise to influencer owned brands. Several influencers have started their own companies to capitalize on their own popularity and obtain a steady source of income and growth.

Another thing to note is that with the rise of the influencer marketing industry, social media platforms have also found a way to bank on it and increase their income via ad revenue plans. The evidence in question YouTube Shorts and Facebook Reels. Both these platforms have introduced ad revenue sharing plans to attract more influencers and creators on their platform.

And we all know along with the influencers come their fans and followers as well as brands.

As per Influencer Marketing Report, the platforms that focused on influencer marketing raised over $800 million funding in 2021 and the influencer marketing industry is expected to grow to about $16.4 billion in 2022. Nearly 80% brands used Instagram for influencer marketing in 2021 and this number is expected to grow in the near future with most brands dedicating a special budget for influencer marketing. The main cause of the growth in the influencer marketing industry is the connection the influencers and creators build with their audience. With the gradual growth, influencers have built a connection with their followers and when they promote a product or service, their fans and followers follow! More importantly, this helps build consumers faith in the brand. Influencer marketing aids brands in expanding their target group and reaching a bigger audience while growing their social media presence, following as well as traffic on their site while converting leads and driving sales.

Views expressed above are the author's own.

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The evolution of influencer marketing industry in post-Covid digital era! - Times of India

15 Oct-2022 13:15 PM

VRIS by Rahul and Shikha is home to high-end Indie fashion inspired by ornate floral motifs, delicate chiffons with intricate handwork and all the beauty that anyone can ever imagine. This Jaipur-based ethnic fashion brand brings in a wear line with a perfect blend of modern designs and ethereal murals in the name Char Chinar and Bagh-E-Gul. Featuring an array of embroidery styles that are perfected by the artisans of VRIS, each clothing item in the collection is a dream where flowers and ethnicity bloom. Fine running stitches conjure up to the lengths of the kurtas and gorgeous dupattas to give a glimpse of the timeless fashion that will be talked about for generations to come.

The festive and wedding season in 2022 is going to give enough reasons to every fashion lover to walk in style every step of the way. From stylish embroidered skirts and jackets to handworked dupattas and churidar suit sets, VRIS has custom pieces for functions and parties in both bright and light shades. Exploring their other collections is also a delight for ethnic fashion lovers, including many celebrities. Indias favourite diva Kareena Kapoor Khan dropped jaws in the outfit styled by VRIS for the Unicef Event help in Lucknow in 20161. Stealing the shows at the Lakme Fashion Week2time and again, the brand contributes to revolutionizing the ethnic regality in India.

Words from the Founders

Taking inspiration from diverse cultures and geographies, our team of artisans reimagine fashion onto flowy silhouettes- dresses, kaftans, kaftan shirts, tops and pants. We cultivate traditional styles keeping victorian aesthetics in mind, which is why we stick to using premium fabrics like chanderi, linen and silk in our statement pieces. Being completely stylish and comfortable, each clothing item from our collections stands to be the right choice for weddings and festivities. Thanks to our psychology of combining modern colour palettes with wonderful traditional prints and handwork. explains co-owner Shikha.

After graduating from the National Institute of Fashion Technology, New Delhi, in 2002, Rahul partnered with Shikha in 2013 to bring VRIS to life. The label has been a favourite to several celebs, namely Kangana Ranaut, Aditi Rao Hydari, Deepika Padukone and Dia Mirza and makes impressive appearances on the prestigious fashion week circuits across the country. The founder duo, Rahul and Shikha Mangal, are known for having spectacular taste in ethnic fashion. They look beyond the mainstream to pare down their fashion quotient and sustainable mindset into traditional silhouettes. Whether it is about choosing outfits for intimate weddings or getting elevated looks for the festive season, this homegrown brand is ought to be on every celebrity and fashion lovers list.

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Bringing in the Evolution of Artistry in Ethnic Fashion: VRIS by Rahul and Shikha - First India

Blockchain timeline: 1990

Much of the groundwork for the blockchain was set in the early 1990s. Stuart Haber and Scott Stornetta met while working for US software company Bellcore, where they identified a problem: the world relied so heavily on records that werent authenticated by an independent party, diminishing trust in their efficacy and the duo wanted to set about creating a solution.

Within a year of presenting their idea, Haber and Stornetta had written the algorithm that would become recognised as the blockchain.

The term itself is derived from the way data, such as the record of a transaction and its unique hash, is packaged into blocks and linked together like a chain. The more blocks are added, the stronger the chain becomes.

By the end of the 1990s, computer scientist Nick Szabo had attempted one of the very first applications of this new decentralised system, proposing bit gold a forerunner to the very popular bitcoin. Bit gold was never implemented, and it would take another decade before anybody would build on Haber and Stornettas work to launch a decentralised currency.

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Timeline: Evolution of blockchain tech in supply chain - Supply Chain Digital

Photo credit: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, via Flickr.

Editors note:We are a delighted to present a series by biologist Jonathan Wells asking, Is Darwinism a Theory in Crisis? This is the fourth post in the series, which is adapted from the recent book,The Comprehensive Guide to Science and Faith.Find thefull series here.

Philosopher of science Thomas Kuhn compared scientific revolutions to political revolutions. Like a political revolution, a scientific revolution typically divides people into competing camps or parties, one seeking to defend the old institutional constellation, the others seeking to institute some new ones.1The camp defending the old paradigm uses every means at its disposal, including all of its professional societies and publications, to resist the challenger. Since the mid 20th century, established paradigms have also controlled enormous funding from foundations and taxpayers, and thus jobs in educational and research institutions. With careers at stake, things can get ugly.

In the late 1990s, in Burlington, Washington, high school biology teacher Roger DeHart taught evolution as required. But he also shared with his students a few articles from mainstream science publications that questioned some aspects of neo-Darwinian theory. Militant Darwinists intimidated the local school board with threats of a lawsuit, so DeHart was reassigned to another subject and his biology class was turned over to a physical education instructor. In 2002, DeHart left his career as a public high school teacher and eventually moved with his wife and children to another country.2

In 2003, Dr. Nancy Bryson was head of the Division of Science and Mathematics at the Mississippi University for Women. After she presented an honors forum titled Critical Thinking on Evolution, a senior biology professor read to the audience a previously prepared statement calling her presentation religion masquerading as science and accusing her of being unqualified to talk about evolution. The next day, Dr. Bryson was informed that her contract as division head would not be renewed. She subsequently had to find work elsewhere.3

In 2004, biologist Caroline Crocker was a visiting professor at George Mason University. While covering a required section on evolution, shegave one lecture on evidentiary problems with Darwins theory and briefly mentioned the controversy over intelligent design. At the end of the lecture, she told students to think about it for yourself. For this reason, Crockers contract was not renewed.4

In 2005, biology teacher Bryan Leonard was about to get his PhD in science education from Ohio State University. His dissertation, which was a quantitative study about how a group of students reacted to the critical analysis of evolution, had already been approved by his committee. At the last minute, however, three pro-Darwin professors (who admitted they had not read Leonards dissertation) lodged a complaint against him. The complaint alleged that he had engaged in unethical behavior by implying to students that there were weaknesses in neo-Darwinism. As a result, the university blocked Leonards PhD.5

David Coppedge began working at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California in 1996. For nine years he served as the team lead system administrator for the ambitious Cassini mission to Saturn. Then he was reprimanded and demoted for privately giving DVDs about intelligent design to co-workers who requested them. In 2011, he was let go.6

Internationally renowned paleontologist Gnter Bechly directed the 2009 Darwin Day exhibit at State Museum of Natural History in Stuttgart, Germany. The exhibit was strongly pro-Darwin, but it included a critique of intelligent design that featured some books by intelligent design advocates. After reading some of the pro-ID books, Bechly concluded that Darwinists had been misrepresenting intelligent design. He gradually changed his views and publicly declared his support for ID in 2015. After that, Bechly reported, the museum told him he was no longer welcome, and that it would be appreciated if I would decide to quit. He was eventually forced to resign.7

As Kuhn pointed out, mainstream scientific journals (like scientific societies) are also largely controlled by the dominant paradigm. For this reason, articles about intelligent design, or even articles on other subjects that have been written by known advocates of intelligent design, have rarely been published in mainstream journals.

Some years ago, I submitted an article on cell biology to a prominent scientific journal. The article did not mention intelligent design. After I made some recommended changes, my article passed peer review, and the editor emailed to tell me he wanted to publish it. He had just one final question: Was I the Jonathan Wells of intelligent design fame? (His words exactly.) I answered that I was. Afterward he sent the article to yet another reader, whose review didnt really deal with its contents but sounded like an angry rant from a pro-Darwin blog. The editor then informed me he had decided not to publish my article.8

In this same scientific journal in 2020, biochemist Dave Speijer justified the prejudice against intelligent design. He recommended that Internet searches hosted by tech giants explicitly discriminate against intelligent design; if the tech giants resist, the government should make them, he wrote. In particular, Speijer recommended mandatory color-coded banners warning of consistent factual errors or unscientific content, masquerading as science.9

Next, Theory in Crisis? Some Cautionary Words.

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Theory in Crisis? Circling the Wagons - Discovery Institute

"I would say it was less fun," Bochy said when asked about managing late in his career with the Giants. "I came up with the more traditional way of managing. I made the calls. I made the lineups. You could see how the game was changing, and that's fine."

Bochy began his managerial career in 1989, first working in the San Diego Padres farm system. After four seasons managing in the minors, Bochy became the Padres big-league manager, where he worked for the next 12 seasons. Bochy was 951-975 as the Padres manager, winning the 1998 pennant and four NL West titles.

The Padres eventually wanted to give a younger manager an opportunity, even though Bochy had led the team to two consecutive division titles, and that gave the Giants an opportunity to scoop him up.

Bochy became the Giants manager before the 2007 season and, after two losing years, helped San Francisco end their longest streak of losing campaigns in franchise history. Then, of course, Bochy led the Giants dynasty from 2010-2014, which was highlighted by three World Series titles.

Eventually, Bochy decided to step away from managing the Giants after the 2019 season. While he remains an intriguing candidate to return to a big-league dugout, his tenure with the Padres and Giants should have already cemented him as a future Hall of Famer.

Bochy's career as an MLB manager spanned one of the most subversive times in professional sports. Moneyball and the subsequent analytics revolution have not only transformed how the game is played but also how franchises operate. For most of baseball history, teams were defined by managers.

Managers were once entrusted to determine the team's lineup, pitching staff, and even a significant portion of personnel decisions. Over the past decade, however, the front office has become more involved in those decisions, oftentimes making those determinations for managers altogether. In the excerpt from Maddon's book, Bochy expressed frustration with less control of the team but also acknowledged that it has made some aspects of the job easier.

"You need a different style of leadership today," Bochy said. "A manager has to sell it. You can't just tell a guy what to do. That's why relationships are so important... In some respects, leadership can be a little easier and less stressful because a lot of times the player knows it's not the manager's call."

Every industry undergoes constant changes. Professional baseball has undergone a massive tectonic shift over the past twenty years, and managers have seen their power and influence dwindle as a result. Legendary former SF Giants manager Bruce Bochy watched that happen firsthand and indeed has several valuable insights on the positives and negatives of those industrywide shifts.

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Bruce Bochy discusses the evolution of managing - Yardbarker

Acquisition of end-to-end ticketing software provider enables VictoryLive to enhance its partnerships with event management and ticketing technology providers

ATLANTA and SANTA MONICA, Calif., Oct. 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. (together with its affiliates, "Clearlake") and Clearlake operating advisor Sam Soni announced today the acquisition of Ticket Evolution Inc. ("Ticket Evolution" or the "Company"), an end-to-end software provider for the event ticketing industry. The acquisition was completed through Victory Live, Inc. ("VictoryLive"), an event management and ticketing technology platform backed by Clearlake and Mr. Soni, who is a pioneer and leader in the multi-billion-dollar premium ticket and sports hospitality event industry. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Ticket Evolution manages thousands of sports and events tickets on behalf of both professional ticket resellers and rightsholders through an established B2B marketplace with distribution capabilities. The Company's offerings include both a full-service and an automated SaaS platform providing operational needs to ticket distributors, including ticket fulfillment and delivery. These software solutions are complemented by Ticket Evolution's pricing intelligence platform, which enables automated price changes in response to market fluctuations or pricing strategies.

The acquisition of Ticket Evolution represents a step in the execution of VictoryLive's strategy of providing more optionality for rightsholders, resellers, and affiliates by partnering with event management and ticketing technology and data providers. Together with Ticket Evolution, the VictoryLive platform will offer solutions for both rightsholders and professional ticket resellers, with a full technology stack to address a range of customer needs.

"We are excited to add Ticket Evolution to our platform and believe that this acquisition represents an opportunity to accelerate value creation and drive optionality for rightsholders, resellers, and affiliates," said Mr. Soni, VictoryLive Founder and CEO, who is also the former CEO, Founder, and Chairman of PrimeSport and an industry pioneer responsible for developing a unique event management business model. "Ticket Evolution continues to leverage its technology to drive efficiencies in the ticketing market and is enabling the shift to fully digital and mobile ticketing experiences."

"Sam's relationships with rightsholders and resellers combined with Clearlake's access to capital and sector expertise provide levers to drive accelerated growth at Ticket Evolution," said Curtis Cheng, CEO of Ticket Evolution. "We believe in the Company and our strategy, and we are excited to bring onboard partners who back that strategy. We are looking forward to investing in product development at the combined platform given the complementary nature of our technology and industry relationships."

"Our acquisition of Ticket Evolution underscores our fundamental growth strategy for VictoryLive, which looks to expand relationships with and support the growth of event managers by investing in technology and data," said Behdad Eghbali, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, and James Pade, Partner and Managing Director, of Clearlake. "We are thrilled to leverage our O.P.S. approach in partnership with Sam, Curtis, and the management team."

Sidley Austin LLP acted as legal advisor to Clearlake and VictoryLive. Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP acted as legal advisor to Ticket Evolution.

About VictoryLive

VictoryLive is a platform focused on partnering with event management and ticketing technology and data providers. Clearlake launched VictoryLive in November 2021 by partnering with VictoryLive Founder & CEO Sam Soni, who is an established and recognized professional in the sports event management industry and is credited as a pioneer and leader in the multi-billion-dollar premium ticket and sports hospitality event industry. With over 30 years of experience, Mr. Soni was the former CEO, Founder, and Chairman of PrimeSport, a ticketing and event management company formerly backed by Clearlake. He has been at the forefront of innovation, creating many of the current ticketing and packaging models in place for regular season schedules to championship events for the NFL and NCAA. More information is available at http://www.victorylive.com.

About Ticket Evolution

Ticket Evolution is an end-to-end software platform for the ticketing industry, managing thousands of sports and events tickets on behalf of both professional ticket resellers and rightsholders across several mission-critical solutions. Ticket Evolution's comprehensive offerings include an established B2B marketplace with distribution capabilities, as well as both a full-service and an automated SaaS platform providing operational needs to ticket distributors, such as fulfillment and delivery. These solutions are complemented by a pricing intelligence platform, which enables automated price changes in response to market changes or pricing strategies. More information is available at http://www.ticketevolution.com.

About Clearlake

Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. is an investment firm founded in 2006 operating integrated businesses across private equity, credit, and other related strategies. With a sector-focused approach, the firm seeks to partner with management teams by providing patient, long-term capital to businesses that can benefit from Clearlake's operational improvement approach, O.P.S. The firm's core target sectors are technology, industrials, and consumer. Clearlake currently has over $70 billion of assets under management, and its senior investment principals have led or co-led over 400 investments. The firm is headquartered in Santa Monica, CA, with affiliates in Dallas, TX, London, UK, and Dublin, Ireland. More information is available at http://www.clearlake.com and on Twitter @Clearlake.

Media Contacts:

Jennifer Hurson (Clearlake and VictoryLive)[emailprotected]845.507.0571

SOURCE VictoryLive; Clearlake Capital Group, L.P.

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Clearlake Capital and Sam Soni Acquire Ticket Evolution through VictoryLive Platform - PR Newswire

I was wondering here recently (Diary, September 28th) about the origins of the word fluthered, one of Irelands countless euphemisms for drunk.

Even Terry Dolans A Dictionary of Hiberno-English had declared it of origin unknown, although Dolan cross-referenced Sean OCaseys Fluther Good as a person who might be of interest to inquiries.

That seemed to me a stretch since, unlike Fluther, the term meaning drunk is always in the past tense. For all we knew, OCaseys present-tense protagonist might instead have been a musician, or descended from one, and so etymologically related to Phil the Fluther, of Percy French fame.

But as I have since learned, fluthered has just this year made it into another dictionary, the ultimate authority on these matters. On a proud day last June, it took its place alongside the other f-words in the online Oxford English Dictionary, labelled Irish-English, colloquial.

Of the examples cited by the OED, the earliest was from James Joyce, via a 1927 extract from the Work in Progress that became Finnegans Wake. In a rare instance of simple English in that text, Joyce referred to somebody falling fluthered.

The most recent example, by contrast, was from The Irish Times in 2017 quoting a very different book Oh My God, What a Complete Aisling on this truism of life in Ireland: Thats the problem with early weddings everyone is fluthered by teatime.

As to fluthereds origins, the OED ventured it was probably a variant of an earlier term. Step forward peloothered, a word now rare, although it turns out that, inevitably, James Joyce used that too.

There he is in Dubliners (1914), from a story in which an alcoholic is retrieving details of an embarrassing incident and asks what happened. It happened that you were peloothered, Tom, somebody explains. The dictionary also cites a 1942 headline from the Economist magazine: Peloothered on words. The Irish love playing with language.

But there is no Irish Times citation in this case, and with good reason, because for 151 years, according to our archive, the paper was conspicuously silent about peloothered. Then the term finally staggered into the database for the first (and until now only) time, in 2010. And that was also thanks to Joyce, and a feature on Irish words in the OED.

Perhaps the lack of peloothering in our pages during Joyces time reflects the predominance of sober Protestants in editorial roles back then. One the other hand, the many accounts of Bertie Smyllies famous editorship suggests sobriety was the exception rather than norm.

And here is Smyllies star columnist, Myles na gCopaleen, a man who had extensively researched the condition, responding to a 1942 readers query about the meaning of the term moppy with a list of synonyms:

drunk; jarred; fluthered, canned; rotten; plasthered; elephants; fluthery-eyed; spiflicated; screwed; tight; mouldy; maggoty; full to the brim; footless; blind; spaychless; blotto; scattered; merry; well on; shook; inebriated; tanked up; oiled; well-oiled; cock-eyed; cross-eyed; crooked; boozed; muzzy; sozzled; bat-eyed; pie-eyed; having quantum sufficio; and under the influence of intoxicating liquor.

No peloothered there either. Indeed, strange to say, the only Irish newspaper columnist who ever seems to have featured the term was Hugh Leonard in his long-running Sunday Independent slot. Leonard used it often, including even in the context of a London West End play, Noel Cowards Fallen Angels, wherein the wives get peloothered.

He once wondered if the word derived from yet another synonym for drunk, polluted. But it seems not. The OED links both fluthered and peloothered to an older term, blootered, which in various spellings it can trace back to 1820.

That was originally from the North of England, it says, but is now chiefly Scottish and Irish (northern). And sure enough, printed instances of blooter include a 1983 Ulster phrase book, where its spelt as bluther. Speaking of Protestantism, luther seems to be the only common element in all cases. The opening consonant is the flexible bit.

But getting back to fluthered, if the Oxford English Dictionary is correct, the word has made a similar transition to the word formerly known as crack. That too started out in the north of England and Scotland before migrating westward, applying an Irish passport, and taking up permanent residency here.

The c-words Irish spelling is now also recognised in the OED. But the completeness of its reinvention was confirmed by a minor controversy during the England v India cricket test this summer. That involved the batsman Johnny Bairstow, who despite being an English northern, according to the London Times, downplayed the row by saying it was only a bit of craic.

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Fluther's Theses Frank McNally on the curious evolution of a drunken adjective - The Irish Times

Sari is one of the most common and loved pieces of clothing that most women across the country regularly wear. But, a sari, in todays time, seems incomplete without an accompanying blouse. The case, however, wasnt the same before the arrival of colonisers in the country prior to whom the larger part of our country had women either leaving their upper body uncovered or slightly covered by breast bands, fashion designer Varun Chakkilam shared. The matter of covering or keeping body exposed also rested on the social position of women and it was never a uniform emergence of styles across India, he said.

The advent and rule of British colonisers in the country brought about a significant change in the way men and women dress up as they introduced new clothing forms, previously unknown to them. In fact, the words petticoat and blouse, which we use so often to describe a traditional Indian ensemble, are ideas which were foreign to the Indians at the time and were introduced by them in our country. They were considered sophisticated additions to the culture of our country as they believed a womans womanhood should be covered as nudity was looked down upon as something backward and immoral by the westernised society, the designer added.

Agreeing, Dr Toolika Gupta, founding member and secretary of the Textiles and Clothing Research Centre, New Delhi, said that fusing blouse and petticoat in the countrys sari culture is altogether a foreign concept.

So, what did women wear before blouses came into the picture? Descriptions found in 6th-century BC Sanskrit and Pali texts show the earliest precursor to the present-day sari and blouse pairing was a three-piece ensemble: antriya, the lower garment; the uttariya, a veil worn over the shoulder or the head, and the stanapatta, a chest-band. Wearing even the stanapatta wasnt considered standard practice and many women didnt opt for it, depending on their choice, regional custom, class or caste. But of course, as time passed by and situations evolved with several foreigners coming into our land, gradually, a way of dressing also crept into our culture, Dr Gupta added.

A report by BBC notes that Jnanadanandini Debi, sister-in-law of poet Rabindranath Tagore, is credited for popularising blouses, jackets, chemises and modern-style saris in India. It added that Debi did the same after she was denied entry to clubs under colonial rule for wearing the sari over her bare breasts.

As such, the blouse once non-existent with saris became an important accompaniment to cover a womans modesty. Just like every fashion garment, it saw a series of changes over the decades, resulting in an array of patterns, designs, and silhouettes. Then onwards, till date, we have seen a humongous variety of this fitted piece of clothing for women in varied styles with public figures from the high caste of the Indian society to politicians, actors and performers setting up trends. It has evolved from the traditional Indian blouse to a statement piece in itself today, Chakkilam mentioned.

Over the years, adapting to the ever-growing fashion trends in the country, this basic piece of clothing soon became important and relevant. With everything evolving, be it our lifestyles, food habits and garments, why should the blouse be left behind? While the basic purpose is to cover the body, we are also going global in terms of silhouettes and designs, fashion designer Anju Modi noted.

Agreeing, Nishit Gupta, Director, Kalki Fashion, said blouses have now become the talk of the town. In the early era, blouses were considered a piece of clothing to cover the body while wearing a sari. In recent times, people believe in experimenting, he told indianexpress.com.

Calling it a style statement, Modi added, It is a very important garment for any ensemble. We may call it a crop top or a jacket or a corset or a bustier they are all blouses and the idea is the same.

How have they evolved?

According to Chakkilam, a standard blouse in todays time is a defined mix of global style elements across all cultures. The sari blouse has evolved into an open interpretation and I think thats lovely women arent afraid to pair non-traditional styles like dress shirts or even t-shirts as blouses. Women are also more open to experimentation and trying blouses with deeper cuts and neck styles, such as corset and halter styles, said designer Sumeer Kaur, founder, Lashkaraa, adding that statement blouses can and are now mixed and matched with different styles for a completely new look.

For brides, especially, blouses are particularly significant, Gupta said. Its the most personally curated and bespoke garment that a bride gives utmost prominence to, for her wedding. Each bride gets her blouse designed bearing in mind her body shape, her facial features, the colour of the sari and sometimes even the theme of the wedding, he told indianexpress.com.

According to Gupta, there are around 150 different types of patterns and most of them are made with different necklines and backs!

The influence of popular culture

Film, television, magazine and other modes of popular culture continue to seep into our daily lives, influencing our choices and ways of living. The evolution of the blouse, too, saw a major imprint of contemporary pop culture. TV, media, movies, shows, and fashion shows have been changing the trends throughout. Of course, they create an impact on peoples dressing sense. Young generations tend to copy their favourite stars on how they dress up, Gupta said.

Agreeing, Chakkilam said Bollywood and Indian brides have brought blouses to the forefront, with experiments in sensuousness, shape, silhouette and style. Naming a few such iconic popular creations, the ace designer said, Some iconic creations that are re-remembered to date are The Kamasutra choli by designer Rohit Bal, fluted and pleated blouses by industry veteran and pioneer Tarun Tahiliani, the iconic Bipasha Blouse by designer Sabyasachi were the greatest trends followed till date coming in cycles of fashion. Bikini-style blouses by Manish Malhotra, in the recent 2000s, had been popularised by Priyanka Chopras hit number Desi Girlwhich has multiple variations till date according to comfort, size and occasion.

Believing that popular culture has changed the way women wear blouses, Kaur added, We are living in the era of social media and also find so many different ways to style and wear a sari by our favourite influencers, as well. So, popular culture is indeed quintessential in the way sari blouses have evolved.

The different blouse designs

Varying in sleeves, necklines, silhouettes and work, among others there is now an array of blouse designs to choose from. Blouses are a symbol of fashion and status and are being made according to ones choices. Most of the varieties are based on their necklines, eg: halter neck, boat neck, high neck, collar neck, knotted blouse, illusion/sheer neck blouse and many more, Gupta said.

He added that people now also add motifs of gods and goddesses, elephants, peacocks, and other random things to their blouses. Some of them are intricately sewn on the back of the blouse. Some exclusive blouses are handmade with the finest skills and intricate details and hence each of these blouses is a statement piece, he said.

According to Chakkilam, fitted and uncomfortable blouses are now replaced with more comfortable and wearable designs. Designers have been experimenting with high necks, zippers and looser fits. Today, women wear a variety of non-traditional blouses, including shirts and sweaters, he said.

But what has remained a classic and all-time favourite is the backless blouse, according to Modi. The all-time favourite blouse design among people is the backless kind. This is what Ive observed ever since I started working in the traditional space. They are covering and revealing, at the same time. Backless blouses have been a part of our history for thousands of years when the Gujarati women would wear cholis held together at the back with just a string, she told indianexpress.com.

Deepika Padukones sensual yet elegant backless blouses in Ramleela, designed by Modi, took fans by storm due to their love for backless blouses. People still want the same. They look hot and sexy, but not indecent, the designer said.

But, what has been gaining much attention recently from celebrities and the general public alike are the corset blouses. The nineties saw corset-style bustier blouses engineered to fit. This blouse is now being reimagined with halter or high necks, in crop top and bodycon silhouettes, or full-sleeved, strappy or sleeveless styles. Embellishments include larger-than-life beads, sequins and motifs, and even chains and leather. A blouse today is in a transitioning phase of being genderless as it can be worn by people of all gender types according to the individualistic expression of self, he said.

From a side-kick to a hero

Earlier, what used to be just a supporting character to saris, is slowly stealing away its limelight, becoming the focal point of ones ensemble, according to designers. The blouse is now seen as the highlight of a design when earlier the sari would be the statement and designers would focus on highlighting the sari with different embroideries and embellishments. Now, you can pair a plain georgette sari with a statement blouse and it literally completes the look the blouse is no longer insignificant compared to the sari and it is truly what completes the entire ensemble, Kaur said.

Truly, a blouse gives the entire ensemble a sense of completion and seamlessness to the look the colours, silhouette, choice of materials and the extent to which it complements the sari.

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From 'stanapatta' to a statement garment: Tracing the evolution of blouses in India - The Indian Express

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Paolo UggettiESPN

The video that's been dubbed "45 Seconds of Madness" on YouTube doesn't quite tell the full story. The final 45 seconds of a 2018 high school game between Gonzaga and DeMatha was one of the most thrilling finishes to a game, any game, ever. Randy Trivers, who is still the head football coach at Gonzaga, can recall the sequence from that night as if he was watching it off the clip that now has over 500,000 views, including a play that didn't make the final cut.

In the video, Caleb Williams' heroics are on full display, but Trivers adds in the color that is missing. Gonzaga had gone down 20 points to DeMatha in the first quarter. What appeared to be a hopeless game turned into a comeback spearheaded by the then sophomore quarterback. Yet, with less than a minute left, Gonzaga still trailed by three points.

Williams needed to work some magic. The first escape was a third-and-33 that Williams had to convert after an offensive pass interference and a sack set them back. He shuffled around the pocket before dropping a downfield dart to his receiver. First down. A few plays later, an end zone fade gave Gonzaga its first lead of the night. It was short-lived -- DeMatha returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, leaving Williams and Gonzaga only 15 seconds for a miracle.

The next play you see on the video is the game-winner -- a ridiculous Hail Mary attempt where Williams tosses the ball way up in the air and it finds a wide receiver. Pandemonium ensues.

But Trivers likes to talk about the play that came before. It's not in the video, but it's just as crucial. To even have a shot at the Hail Mary, Williams needed a chunk of yards and he needed them fast. So, he dropped back, hung in the pocket and hit a receiver streaking toward the sideline. The throw went for 15 yards, left four seconds on the clock and the stage was set for the game-winning prayer. To Trivers, that play (as well as the third-and-33) in that environment, with the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference championship on the line, embodies Williams.

"There are a lot of athletes that love to be in control and on top when it's favorable," Trivers said. "But when the odds are not with you, or the situation is sticky -- do you really want the ball? Do you really want the spotlight in that situation? When there's a high possibility of failing? Do you really want that? He's a guy that will genuinely take it every time."

It's often difficult to remember that Williams is still a teenager. He won't turn 20 until the day before USC faces off against UCLA this season in November. It's also hard to grasp that, between last season at Oklahoma and this year at USC, Williams has only started in 12 regular-season games in his entire college career.

"I've played alright, I feel like I can play better" Williams said this week when asked to assess his performance through six games. "I don't feel like I've unlocked everything that I can do. I'm trying to get to that point because this team needs my best."

As USC (6-0) heads to Salt Lake City for what will be one of the tougher games this season against Utah (4-2), Williams has looked and played the part of a veteran quarterback. It's what has helped facilitate the transition of Lincoln Riley's offense from Oklahoma to USC, and it's what has allowed everyone from the left tackle who has been on the team for five seasons to the new star wide receiver to trust him to lead a team with immediate College Football Playoff aspirations.

AS PATRICK MAHOMES scurried away from a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defender, spun gracefully to avoid another and then tear-dropped a jump pass into the hands of Kansas City Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire after traveling 39.4 yards a few weeks ago, Williams was watching.

"I thought it was awesome," Williams said of the play. "And I said, 'I can do that too.'"

It should come as no surprise to those who have watched him play that Williams watches and takes after Mahomes. Through six games, Williams has extended plays better than almost any other quarterback in the nation. According to ESPN Stats and Info research, Williams is averaging four seconds before a pass when pressured. Among quarterbacks with at least 30 such pass attempts, that is the fifth-longest average in all of college football.

"That's the kind of player he is," Riley said. "That's great if the pocket is clean all day. That's fine. But I mean, in modern day college football, that doesn't happen very often. It doesn't happen in the pros much either. That's why you're seeing an influx of guys who give you that ability and can make things happen."

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Williams isn't exactly a running quarterback (he's thrown for 1,590 yards and ran for 178 so far), but when necessary, he doesn't hesitate to do so. This season, he's looked confident taking off with his legs when the play calls for it, while also defibrillating plays when the pocket collapses and he seems on his way to being sacked.

"Sometimes you have to improvise," Williams said. As a kid, he was on the smaller side, so he had to find ways to gain an advantage on those bigger than him. "That was always kind of one of my things ... I'd just kind of duck under or duck under the legs or anything like that so yeah, I'd say I take a little pride in it."

For the linemen who protect him and the skill players who surround him, learning about Williams' propensity to keep plays alive keeps them on their toes. Literally.

"At this point, it's like black magic," running back Travis Dye said. "I turn around and it looks like he's about to be sacked and he Houdini's out of it. He can make a bad situation look just phenomenal. He's Johnny Football without all the mess."

"With him, you gotta keep going or you might miss a play," tight end Malcolm Epps said. Epps credits part of Williams' ability to avoid getting tackled and keep his legs moving to his work in the weight room. "Y'all don't see him in the weight room, he lifts, he lifts like the rest of us not like other quarterbacks, he lifts."

Like many other great college football players, Williams' skill, work ethic and talent are undeniable, but how he applies those qualities is where he stands out.

"What you need in that position is this steadfast confidence," Trivers said. "And you could sense it in him, you know, the way he moved, the way he walked, the way he showed guys that he was willing to prepare and work."

As Trivers points out, Williams has never been a "rah-rah" guy, but rather through poise in pressurized situations and a short-term memory when things go awry, Williams motivates in a more subdued manner that projects assertiveness.

That confidence shows in the way he approaches everything from pass rushes to interviews, to the weightlifting Epps mentioned, to the way he connects with his teammates and really, anyone in his orbit. Trivers describes it as a unique charisma that creates a "magnetic, gravitational pull." Riley calls it a "great feel for people."

That much was evident to even the average viewer who tuned in to watch Oklahoma once Williams entered the game against Texas as a replacement for Spencer Rattler last season. The Sooners promptly made a 21-point comeback and won the game. Talk to the teammates he now has at USC, and there's no shortage of singing Williams' praises when it comes to his leadership, which began in earnest as soon as Williams arrived on campus. Once players understood what kind of offensive plan Riley and Williams were bringing to the table, the buy-in was automatic.

"It makes you want to do better, it makes you want to be better," Dye said of watching Williams in Riley's offense. "It makes you want to be more perfect."

For wide receiver and reigning Biletnikoff winner Jordan Addison, who transferred to USC at least in part because of Williams (both are from the Washington D.C. area), the appeal of playing with Williams was rooted in the fact that he knew Williams would get him the ball. Once they talked, he also knew he and Williams would connect off the field.

"You know how sometimes you can just read someone, you can tell that they're being real," Addison said. "That's him, so that's just kind of how that went. And I just trusted him with [all of] it."

WHEN WILLIAMS WAS still in high school, former Gonzaga High and Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan would show up from time to time to throw the ball and throw with Williams. At that point, Hogan had been bouncing around the NFL for a few years.

"If you didn't know which one was who and you just watched the ball come out," Trivers said, "You wouldn't really know, 'Oh man, that's definitely the NFL guy and that's definitely the high school guy,' You wouldn't know it."

Though Williams has often come off as a natural, the development of his talent has always been in the hands of someone who realized what kind of potential he had. Trivers took it upon himself to maximize Williams in his offense, and after four years, that responsibility has fallen to Riley, who succeeded in doing that to the point where Williams packed up his bags and followed him 1,400 miles west to try to build on what they started.

As Hal Mumme pointed out a few weeks ago, the trust between quarterback and coach is at the crux of what makes the Air Raid great. For Riley, whose track record with quarterbacks has been as good as anyone's, that has rung even more true with Williams.

"It's definitely more ideal," Riley said of building his relationship with Williams from his true freshman season to his second year. "It helps you plan. You can start to project how people are going to play with him, how you want to play, how does that fit his skill set?"

The year-to-year advantage is clear, but when you're trying to transition an entire offense into a different program, having continuity between coach and quarterback creates an invaluable trust. As Riley pointed out earlier this season, what the two have gone through -- both at Oklahoma and in making the jump to USC -- over the past calendar year has only strengthened their communication and connection.

"I trust him completely," Riley said. "There's not anything that's offensive that we wouldn't do or wouldn't call with him. ... I don't worry about, 'This is gonna confuse him,' or 'Is this gonna slow him down?' He can handle it now."

This week, Riley was asked about his relationship with one of his former quarterbacks -- Jalen Hurts. Hurts, who now plays in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles, transferred from Alabama to Oklahoma where he became a Heisman Trophy finalist under Riley. The former Sooner smiled when talking about what he thought of their time together.

"Maybe more than anything, we got him to loosen up a little bit. Got him to relax," Riley said of Hurts. "Jalen is a pretty serious, stoic guy, and then coming out of the program that he did, there's a little bit of a different approach. [We] allowed him to be able to relax, play the game maybe a little bit more free flowing."

While it may have been an adjustment for Hurts to go from Alabama to Riley's Oklahoma team, contrasting that with Williams helps to understand why the two work together so well. Williams is already a loose guy, a relaxed but driven personality who embraces the free-flowing aspects of Riley's version of the Air Raid. And in Year Two of their partnership, they have almost created a separate language for themselves -- including gestures, hand motions and even whistles -- only they can understand.

"We kind of communicate really fast when I'm on the field, and he's on the sideline, just thinking through plays and things like that," Williams said earlier this season. "Sometimes I'll call the play, he likes it, he'll give me the shoulders or give me a thumbs up, which means go ahead. So it's a lot more trust, and a lot more flexibility."

Their relationship has evolved to the point where Riley said he knows almost right away, between Williams' mannerisms and such, what kind of day he's going to have. When going over film from the previous week's games, it doesn't take many words for them to know exactly what the other will want to focus on or fix for the following week. The two now seemingly live on the same page.

"There's just like a deeper understanding of what we're doing," Riley said. "Because of that, he's playing with a lot more confidence."

And because of Williams' place on the team, not just as a quarterback but as a leader, that has meant that the entire team is, too.

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The evolution of Caleb Williams and the instant remaking of USC into a contender - ESPN