ASA - Advertising Standards Authority

So, inside some other post, I was asked why gambling is bad... My reply ended up being really detailed, so I'll promote it to a post of its own (just copy-pasting it here; no new words)... [Note: list of 3 points about loot boxes at the end...]
(I work at a company that sells gambling services... I see how the sausage is made...)
By the way, I love PoE and GGG. Still, loot boxes are bad.
I personally get to see the statistics side of oddsmaking. It's always about suckering you out of your money, because by definition all you are doing is paying more money as the price of getting less money (on average), but you also need to feel like you have a chance at getting the upper hand, even though in the long run you don't.
For example, sometimes, if you're really "good" at betting, you just end up working for the oddsmaker on a bad deal. It's really hard for them sometimes to get the odds perfectly right (although the profit margin still takes care of 99.9% of punters). So, if you're a professional gambler making a regular profit, what's basically happening is that you are investing an enormous amount of time and expertise to try and make tiny profits at the margins, and the bookmaker monitors your activity and learns about the market from you, at what ends up being a lower cost than if they hired experts to give them the same info on a salary. Plus you constantly run high risks! Which is why my company is full of ex-gamblers who were able to make a profit for a while, and intelligent enough to realise that they were still getting a bad deal, and come to the company and offer their services directly. (For another way gambling companies guarantee their own profits by passing on the risk to gamblers, research "balancing the books": yes, a professional gambler could make some profits this way, but if you're possibly making profits by taking on a risk that a large gambling corporation wants to get rid of, do you really think you're getting a good deal, especially considering how much time and expertise you sink into the activity? EDIT: more info)
The only way I know of to make a consistent and considerable profit off gambling is when a pro gambler is allowed to make a profit off other gamblers, in a move that a company makes to increase total amounts played. So, for one person to profit, many others are being seriously scammed, and the company is safely skimming its percentages off the top.
There are many different ways a gambling company presents bad deals to you, hoping that your intuition misfires about one of them and you decide to throw away your money. Examples... There are single bets, of course. But then there are also combinations, and these screw with your intuition--you can convince yourself based on a narrative (e.g. team 1 wins first half, team 2 comes back in second half), where in fact the actual hard cold odds are against you. There is "cash out" where you take a fraction of a likely-seeming win early (but at a loss), which of course simply taxes you for your risk aversion. There are "systems", creating more and more complex bets, until you convince yourself you've set up the perfect deal, and yet the company's profit margin keeps growing the more complex you make it.
Anyway, those are the parts I work on as a software guy. (By the way, this isn't the worst thing in the world, it's not as bad, as, say, the military industry or the military itself, or say religions or banks, because at some level gambling is voluntary. And making gambling illegal is a terrible idea-we should fight it through education, not prohibition. Still, I only work there because I'm currently a completely non-creative software grunt (and currently satisfied with that). If I get to the point of pursuing higher-level jobs, I'll look elsewhere.)
But the most nefarious part of all is the psychological work they pull on you. That's not my area of expertise, so if you want it explained you need to look elsewhere (recommended book: Thinking Fast and Slow--it's not about gambling, it's about psychology). They are constantly doing things to 1) give you false hope and 2) artificially trigger some pleasure response in you.
E.g. most people are naturally risk averse and loss averse, e.g. losing $10 brings more pain than winning $10 brings pleasure. In reality, a gamble is about paying, say, $10 to win an average of, say, $9, so that's a terrible and painful deal. In addition to all the advertising and bright colours and encouraging sounds and making you read success stories and all the other psychological manipulations, they can also straight up befuddle you with numbers. So, losing $10 brings more pain than winning $10 brings pleasure, but what if you pay $10 but you're not really at a risk of losing that much, because on average you win $9 back, so you're only really risking a single $, and yet if you get lucky you won't win a mere $10 but millions? Suddenly that sounds good, right? Risk $1 to win $10000000? Of course not: you're still risking $10 and taking $1 losses on average each time you play, and the high rewards are vanishingly rare and built into that average.
That's it about gambling for money. On loot boxes I'm no expert, but, beyond the basic problems (encouraging addiction, exploiting minors who beg money from parents and don't understand how they're throwing it away, generating gambling "pleasure" while giving you "bits" instead of any real value, etc), I can point out a couple of extra scummy aspects:

They can say "the box costs 30 points but all the possible rewards are worth at least 50, the average reward is worth 70 and the best is worth 400"... really??? Those prices are completely arbitrary... Who says the footprints are "worth" 50 or some random hideout decoration is "worth" 200? Talking about average microtransaction point values in a loot box is completely misleading.
Either you (a) lose on the statistics of getting complete sets or you lose on (b) being psychologically manipulated into buying extra stuff you didn't actually want so much (or (c) you just lose by getting useless stuff). Let's say you decide to pick up a couple of boxes and see what you get before buying more stuff. You might just get useless stuff, of course (case c). But what if you get the body armour or wings? Now you might say "I'll get more boxes to complete the set". But the chances of getting any one part of a set are not anywhere near as bad as your chances of completing a set (like map lab trials, but much worse because loot boxes contain many more items), so you are getting totally fleeced (case a). Alternatively you could go "oh look, I got x in the box, I'll buy matching items y and z from the shop later" so you think you got x cheap and y and z at normal prices. But you are being manipulated into buying y and z. Would you really have bought x and y and z from the shop if there had been no loot box? Only rarely. The rest of the time you are overspending (case b).
Loot box gifts are another scummy behaviour, considering people don't have good intuitions about statistics. Most of us get bad results from the gifted boxes, but some will get lucky. Those of us who are already gambling on loot boxes won't be affected by the outcome of a few extra boxes. Those who wouldn't ever buy them normally, and get bad results, who cares. But those who wouldn't normally buy them but get lucky a few times in a row might decide it's a good deal after all. So, it's manipulating us psychologically in a way that is statistically designed to fail at no cost most times and succeed sometimes, which makes money. (While also giving everybody holiday presents or race prizes, making the company appear generous.)

FuboTV DD (First time making DD, please give advice)

I tried to make it easy to skip around if you just want to see the financials or estimates. Just scroll to them if you don't care what the company is or their sectocompetition/management. TL;DR at bottom with final thoughts.
Introduction
“FuboTV ($FUBO) is an American streaming television service that focuses primarily on channels that distribute live sports, including NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and international soccer, plus news, network television series and movies.
Launched on January 1, 2015 as a soccer streaming service, FuboTV changed to an all-sports service in 2017 and then to a virtual multichannel video programming distributor (vMVPD) model. As a vMVPD, FuboTV still calls itself sports-first but its expanded channel lineup targets cord cutters, offering a selection of major cable channels and OTT-originated features that can be streamed through smart TVs, mobile and tablets and the web. The service is available in the United States, Canada and Spain as of 2018."
From their home page:
They are the only competitors in their space of digital sports broadcasting, offer 4K streaming and upscaling of live sports, cloud DVR capability ranging from 250 or 1000 hours on standard plans, and is available on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox One, Android TV, Android Smart TVs, and Android/iOS smartphones and tablets, with plans ranging from $24.99/month to $79.99/month (not including add-ons).
They have also recently acquired one company and have made plans to acquire another to allow for in-house sports betting. They have stated in a press release that they plan to release a sportsbook before the end of the year. This will push them into a broader spectrum outside of only TV and sports streaming, and into the sports betting sector along with DraftKings ($DKNG), FanDuel ($PDYPY), and Penn National Gaming ($PENN).
Plans and Add-ons
FuboTV offers three standardized plans as of February 8, 2021: the Family plan is priced at $64.99/month (normally $75.97/month), Elite at $79.99/month (normally $100.95/month), and Latino Quarterly at $24.99/month, along with offering additional add-ons. Each plan offers a range of channels, cloud DVR capabilities (which allows fast-forwarding through commercials), and casting to multiple devices simultaneously. Only the Elite plan does not offer a 7-day free trial (Channels page).
The Family plan includes 117 channels (mostly news and entertainment with roughly 40 that offer sports, including ESPN), up to 250 hours of DVR space, and casting to 3 devices at once. The quarterly prepaid includes a free upgrade to 1000 hours of DVR space and 5 casting devices at home with 3 on the go (Channels page).
The Elite plan includes 164 channels (includes an additional “47 entertainment channels”), up to 1000 hours of DVR space, and casting to 5 devices at home with 3 on the go. This plan does not offer a quarterly prepaid (Channels page).
The Latino Quarterly plan includes 250 hours of DVR space and can be streamed on up to 3 devices at once, but only has 32 channels. This plan needs to be prepaid every 3 months for a total charge of $74.97 and does not offer a monthly service (Channels page).
Upgrades include additional DVR space--1000 hours for an additional $6.99/month for the Family and Latino Quarterly--and increased device casting--an additional 2 devices at home with 3 on the go for another $9.99/month for the Family and Latino Quarterly plans. You can also add a variety of channels and sports packages (the Latino Quarterly has fewer channel add-ons compared to the Family and Elite plans, which both have the same channel varieties). Sports Plus with NFL RedZone is an additional $10.99/month, but includes all professional and college sports broadcasting services for football, basketball, baseball, hockey, tennis, fighting, etc. (Channels page).
Fubo has recently removed its former Standard plan, which included only 65 channels, up to 2 casting devices, and only 30 hours of DVR support for $60/month.
Financials and Growth
Fubo has yet to file an annual report as they have gone public in October of 2020, but they have filed a 10-Q for Q3 2020. All numbers in thousands.
Assets-
Between December 31, 2019 and September of 2020, assets have increased from $368,225 to $799,313 (a 117% increase) . Total current assets increased from $17,973 to $58,016, but accounts receivable decreased from $8,904 to $6,975--this may be attributed to the increase in prepaid subscriptions which increased from $1,445 to $12,177 which shows strong customer satisfaction and retention.
Liabilities-
Liabilities have increased from $145,049 to $290,376 (a 100% increase). The largest contributors to their liabilities are “Due to related parties” increasing from $665 to $85,847, “Warrant liabilities” increasing from $24 to $28,085, and “Accounts payable” from $36,373 to $61,679. Long-term borrowings have decreased from $43,982 to $25,905.
Revenues-
Subscription revenues increased by $53,433, totaling $92,945 for the year. Total revenues including advertisements and licensing have increased by $61,202, totaling $112,669 for the year and an increase of 47% YOY. Q4 revenue is estimated to be between $94,000 and $98,000 which would be a 77-84% increase YOY.
Expenses-
Subscriber related expenses total $114,315 for the year. Total expenses have totaled $500,249 for the year.
Subscribers-
Ended Q3 with 455,000 paid subscribers, a YOY increase of 58%, and plans to end 2020 with over 545,000, an increase of 72% YOY.
Competition
Its closest competitors are Hulu + Live TV (owned by Disney ($DIS)), YouTube TV (owned by Alphabet ($GOOG)), and Sling TV (owned by Dish Network ($DISH)).
Hulu + Live TV

Includes league networks
50 hours of free DVR (200 hours for $9.99/month)
More than 74 channels
Unskippable ads on DVR without upgrade to 200 hours
2 streams at a time
$64.99/month
Can add ESPN+ and Disney+ for an additional $7/month

YouTube TV

Includes league networks
Unlimited DVR storage
More than 85 channels plus YouTube Red Originals
3 streams at a time
Sports Plus package for an additional $10.99/month
NBA LeaguePass for an additional $40/month or $119.99 annually
Starting at $64.99/month

Sling TV Blue

Includes league networks
DVR up to 50 hours (200 hours for $5/month)
More than 45 channels
3 streams at a time
Sports Extra package for an additional $11/month
Starting $35/month
Can be combined with Sling TV Orange for a total of $50/month

Sling TV Orange

Includes league networks
DVR up to 50 hours (200 hours for $5/month)
More than 30 channels
1 stream at a time
Sports Extra package for an additional $11/month
Starting at $35/month
Can be combined with Sling TV Blue for a total of $50/month

The vMVPD Sector
Cord-cutting has become increasingly popular over the last few years with consumers dropping traditional cable and satellite networks in favor of streaming services--such as Hulu, Netflix, Disney+, etc.--and vMVPD services.
In 2019 alone, 6.3 million people cut their cable connection, totaling 39.3 million. In a survey of what they might miss most from cable networks, 52% said they don’t miss anything, 23% missed live events on TV, 22% missed news, and 19% missed live sports. Although not all of those that miss aspects of cable will pay for another subscription service, the sentiment exists for a sports-focused platform that offers other large networks as well.
Another report by Parks Associates reveals that 17% of vMVPD subscribers switched from traditional TV within the last twelve months. In the same report, a survey conducted on current broadband households determined that 43% were “likely to switch to a… vMVPD within the next 12 months." The potential growth exists for the live digital broadcasting space, although it is slowing down.
With the spread of COVID and quarantines, people have been spending more time at home. When things open and quarantines end, that will be the true test for these providers as people will spend less time watching TV.
The Sports Betting Sector
Legal sports betting has taken a huge leap in recent years with the introduction of online sports betting; the ability to place wagers from anywhere at any time and have instant gratification has boomed with its slow legalization. This sector has a forecasted value of $150 billion with other competitors already having a completed project and vast market share. In 2019, DraftKings ($DKNG) and FanDuel (PDYPY) controlled 83% of the market share.
FuboTV plans to join into this space with its own sportsbook. Their recent acquisition of Balto Sports in December of 2020, whose business was in simulating fantasy sports games, is Fubo’s first step into sports wagering. They plan to create a free-to-play gaming system alongside online sports wagering.
Their next planned acquisition, which was announced in January of 2021, will be to acquire Vigtory, a sports betting and interactive gaming company. According to BusinessWire, they plan to utilize Vigtory’s “sportsbook platform and digital gaming assets, and its consumer-driven betting technology, to develop a frictionless betting experience for fubo’s customers."
These recent acquisitions set Fubo up to create an all-in-one viewing and betting experience, which could add new customers to their subscriber list and seal them into online wagering.
It has been over two years since the Supreme Court has denied the federal ban on sports betting, which would have made online betting illegal in all of the United States. Currently, more than two dozen states have legalized sports betting, but most have only legalized in-person betting. More states may be willing to legalize to take advantage of the increased revenues and taxes associated with gambling and online wagering. As of 2020, six additional states plan to legalize some form of betting, although some are only allowing in-person. There are an additional 14 states that are considering the notion to allow legal gambling, whether in-person, online, or tribal.
Management and Investors
David Gandler - CEO / Director / Co-Founder
Appointed as CEO and director in April of 2020. Prior to Fubo, Gandler had a 15 year career in marketing and advertising in local broadcast and cable TV within both general and Hispanic markets at companies such as Time Warner, Telemundo, and Scripps Networks Interactive.
Alberto Horihuela - CMO / Co-founder
In charge of marketing, Horihuela was head of Latin America for SVOD service DramaFever.
Simone Nardi - CFO
Nardi has worked as SVP and CFO of Scripps Networks Interactive where he was responsible for the finance and strategic planning for the company’s international business. Was also a key player in refinancing TVN S.A.’s billion dollar debt.
Large Investors

Islet Management, LP with 5,108124 shares
Morgan Stanley with 3,317,333 shares
FMR LLC with 1,262,907 shares
BlackRock Inc. with 956,678 shares
Merger with FaceBank for $100 million revolving credit

Analysts and Estimates
Average analyst ratings put Fubo at a Buy to Strong Buy rating with an average price target of $45.50 with a high of $60 and a low of $30. EPS estimates are estimated to be -5.23 for 2020 and -1.64 for 2021.
Currently has a short float of about 75%, but the short volume has been holding at roughly 15-20% over the last month and has drastically declined from its October short volume of over 50%.
Originally valued at $700 million less than a year ago, a current valuation of $3.19 billion is respectable for this company and is on par for its current performance.
Risks

Marketing fails and Fubo is never known as a household name, so consumers stick with other more known providers
Their sportsbook fails and becomes dead weight and wasted money
Subscriber count and streaming drops as quarantine lifts, reducing revenues while maintaining expenses
Consumers opt for cheaper options
People paying for the sports package cancel when the season is over, creating a boom and bust cycle if not managed correctly

Final Thoughts / TL;DR
With its drastic growth over the last year (400% in the last 4 months), support from FaceBank and well-known investors, and plans to join the sports betting sector, FuboTV has potential to become a household name and grow well beyond its current valuation by combining both sports broadcasting and online sports betting into one convenient place. Although unlikely to overthrow any of the current forces, it can become the best live sports broadcaster that people can turn to when they cut cable but want to keep live sports. It has many hurdles to overcome (creating their sportsbook, better marketing, increasing subscriber count, etc.) before it is any real competition to its already established competition.
At a $3.19 billion market cap and very high (75%) short interest, it will be very difficult to realize consistent growth, but it is on par for a company with almost $100 million in revenue.
My Position
25 shares at $47.30

Edit: edited final thoughts/TL;DR
Please provide feedback! First time actually researching and compiling information for a company and not just reading about them on here. Also, please ask questions to clear up any confusion; it was kinda hard to put everything together neatly, so I might have accidentally left stuff out or oveunder explained some things.

GME Explained - When a Meme Stock meets a Short Squeeze (High Effort Post)

I have a new account and I don't know if this will post but this is my summary about the whole GME situation. Removing all the hype and all the myths, this is what actually went down.
I think there is so much spin on the whole situation and I want to present my view of what happened.
First of all, I'm going to explain what wallstreetbets was all about prior to GME.
Wallstreetbets is a subreddit that was originally meant for "investors" who liked to take big financial risks with the stock market. These risks were sometimes taken for fun and sometimes taken in the hopes of getting lucky and getting a massive return on investment in as short a time period as possible. The user base prior to the massive influx was actually made up of somewhat experienced investors who understood the market and the risks they were taking. Yes, they called themselves and each other autistic and retarded. But that was actually really far from the truth. The reason they called each other retards is because when you're posting information about stocks you always have to explain, for legal reasons, that you're not a financial advisor. If you are a financial advisor it's actually illegal to post that information. But the community has a certain self satirizing sense of humour. As a result, some users would say that their advice shouldn't be trusted because they are not qualified to be financial advisors because they are retarded and eat crayons or whatever else they could come up with to be funny. It was also a way to ironically justify some of the gambles they were taking because they knew they were being reckless with their portfolios. If someone was making a decision with an investment where they had a 90% chance of losing all their money and a 10% chance of doubling their value, they would justify going through with it by saying they were autistic or they were so dumb they accidentally hit the buy button. They had a similar sense of humour and used to call the moderators and each other gay. This was not due to homophobia but because the joke was that if you were constantly making decisions which would result in massive financial losses you could only possibly doing it because you like to get fucked.
Sometimes they would help each other out by posting research they had done on stocks that they thought were undervalued or had a potential to increase in value over a short period of time for numerous different reasons.
Wallstreetbets was never meant to be any kind of movement. It was just a subreddit for people who enjoyed taking chances and more often than not lost copious amounts of money.
They even had flairs for posting losses and gains. More often than not, losses. It was more about posting massive losses for shock value or posting gains to brag. They called the losses "loss porn". It was just a way of sharing what they were doing and just getting attention and feeling better about the losses.
So where does Game Stop (GME) come in to the picture?
Sometimes users of the subreddit would post due diligence that was actually really well thought out. Some users had done some research on Game Stop and realized that the shares were undervalued. They weren't expecting what happened at all, at least not initially. The original thinking was that GME was undervalued because, unlike similar companies which had declined such as Blockbuster, the company still has the potential to turn around and increase their revenue as they had capitol and infrastructure and could very easily turn around their business model. They could move away from physical copies of games and physical merchandise and move into esports and online sales. The fact this could happen had been overlooked and as a result there was a chance to get a large return by investing before any such changes were announced and selling after the stock shot up or by holding long as the company gradually improved its earnings.
Quite a few users bought in to GME long before there was a massive uptick in the value of the stock.
Here's where the hedge funds come in to play. Quite a few investors and hedge funds had shorted GME the same way they had shorted Blockbuster. Shorting is slang for short selling. Which is a process where investors borrow shares from a brokerage and sell them immediately hoping they can buy back the shares at a lower price.
To simplify it, let's say you borrowed a share for $10. You now owe the broker $10. But you also sell the share for $10 so your debt is covered. Later, when the value has dropped you buy the share back for $2. So the share you borrowed is now worth less but you only owe the brokerage $2 as you didn't borrow cash but the value of the share. So you only owe the brokerage $2. So you pay the brokerage back $2 and you pocket the $8 that the share decreased in value from the time you borrowed it until the time you sold it back to the brokerage. There is a time limit on the borrowed share as well. The brokerage expects it to be sold back within a reasonable amount of time depending on the agreement.
So short selling is basically a bet that a shares value will decline and you profit by the amount the shares value declines.
Because everyone thought GME would decline in value over time lots of investors and hedge funds thought it was a safe bet to short GME because everyone thought the company would go out of business like Blockbuster not taking in to account the subtle differences between the two companies and that there were hidden ways GME could turn around and become a more profitable company again.
And now I'm going to skip ahead to explain what happened next.
There were some news about changes to the company and some of those changes indicated that the company would turn around. The news increased the value of the shares somewhat. This wasn't initially as big of a deal. However the shares continued to gain value long enough that shorting the stock was no longer a profitable move and was resulting in major losses.
Going back to the example before, if you borrowed a share for $10 and sold it and it was now worth $20 your only option would be to close your position once your time window is up. Closing your position means buying back the share for its current value and returning it to the brokerage. So you would be forced to take a loss of $10. Unlike with shares there is an unlimited potential for losses when you short sell. The more the stock grows in value the more money you lose.
Since the company was turning around many short sellers were forced to close their positions.
What are fundamentals? Fundamentals basically means what the actual value of a stock should be based on a businesses performance and ability to generate revenue. This definition will matter in a moment.
The value of a shorted stock suddenly increasing can result in what's known as a short squeeze. A short squeeze is when the value of a stock suddenly increases and the shorts are forced to close their positions as soon as possible to minimize their losses. The more the stock goes up, the more a short seller loses.
But with stocks the supply and demand can also play a role in their value. This is why the value of Gamestop shares suddenly skyrocketed at first.
To close their positions the short sellers all had to buy back stock at the same time and return it to the brokers. This created an artificially increased demand. It's a temporary increase which is basically a bubble caused by the shorts closing their positions.
Because GME was basically the most heavily shorted stock ever the value increased drastically.
Contrary to popular opinion, this is actually where Reddit played the biggest role in what happened next.
Some of the users of Wallstreetbets were now posting about their massive gains and the public caught wind of what was happening. Everyone saw the stock going up and saw an opportunity to buy in. This is a newer phenomenon. It's colloquially referred to as a meme stock. The public attention increased the demand. Everyone wanted in on the gains. So at the same time that the shorts started closing their positions everyone started buying in. This created more demand and the stock bubbled.
In case you don't know what a bubble is, it just means that the value of the stock is increasing due to heavy demand and interest and not due to the fact that the business is increasing as much in value. When a bubble happens there will always be an eventual correction. Either gradual or sudden depending on the specifics. The correction will return the value of the stock back down to a reasonable amount based on the businesses actual performance and not based on the hype.
So now there was a perfect storm of the shorts closing their positions and many investors buying in hoping to sell the stock once it peaked before its value dropped back down once the buying frenzy stopped.
So, essentially, the GME phenomenon was a meme stock meeting a short squeeze.
The sad part about this whole thing is how many people who didn't know enough about how the market works just thought it was an opportunity to make massive amounts of money in a short period of time. They didn't know what risk they were taking or when the window of opportunity would close.
The hype really didn't help. Lots of different interests were hyping the stock online. This is where the real market manipulation occurred. People who had bought in to the stock knew that the more people bought in the more their shares would increase in value. In addition the short sellers knew that the less people bought in the less they would lose.
This created strong polarization about the situation both online and in the media. And it became impossible for someone who didn't have at least an intermediate understanding of the stock market to discern the hype and misinformation from the reality.
What happened was that there was a lot of buying from retail investors fuelled by online misinformation or lack of knowledge and all the shorts trying to close their positions to minimize losses which created a bubble. The savvy retail investors sold their stock at or near the peak of the bubble and made a killing with return rates of about 1,700% while everyone else lost money.
The lesson learned here is not to believe online hype and information from online sources or even the media if there is a strong conflict of interest.
Anything else you may have heard about the situation is being spun and is fictitious.
There was no rally to try to take out the hedge funds. That was an incidental side effect of what happened. Although that narrative definitely encouraged more people to buy and hold, making the bubble bigger and also creating the demand needed for those selling to be able to cut their losses or earn their gains by selling the stock.
There was no big conspiracy by hedge funds to try to destroy Game Stop although that narrative definitely encouraged those with nostalgia for the business to buy in.
The biggest problem with this is how online narrative turned into a form of market manipulation and how both sides, retail and hedge funds, were manipulating online discussion and even the media to try to maximize their gains or reduce their losses.
There was no silver squeeze either. That was paid advertising by the hedge funds to get people to buy silver to try to shift the buying away from GME and into silver to reduce their losses while realizing short term gains in silver.
There's only one story here. A short squeeze met a meme stock. Any other narrative is either disinformation, confusion or wishful thinking.
The end.
I know I'm going to be hated for this post and I expect to be downvoted into oblivion. But I don't care. I just want people to see what actually happened so that we don't all make the same mistakes and lose money.
Disclosure: I am not a financial advisor and I did briefly own some GME shares to try to take advantage of the volatility and lost about $20.
I hope this clears up a lot of the confusion for anyone trying to understand the GME phenomenon.

After episode 33, I really feel like we need to address the Gacha Situation seriously

This is gonna be a really long, rambling post about gacha, gambling, addiction, psychology and ethics. If you want the TL;DR, here it is: Joey and Garnt are at the very least irresponsible influencers, and at the very worst they might have a serious addiction that stems from a low dopamine life-style.
We all most likely watched the episode and know what happened and what was talked by who, but for further context, if you are unaware of anything, even after the memes, on the last episode of Trash Taste Podcast, specifically in the last 40 minutes of it, the Boys discussed (and argued) about the gacha game scene and gambling addiction. You can check it out on the sticky post on the top of the subreddit front page.
To cut it short, Connor argued that gacha games are just as if not more dangerous than actual gambling, specifically for a few reasons. First, it is a game of no return. In real life gambling, you can (fleetingly) get real money back from it, and even make a considerable profit. Gacha games simulate the act of gambling while offering no significant reward or value other than a measle amount of dopamine and a cute character to play with. Secondly, the game is marketed towards older kids, teenagers and young adults on an age range of 12-25 years old, an age group where most individuals are either not mature enough to manage their money safely or even financially independent at all, with most people in this range not even being active members of society yet. Furthermore, the gacha-gambling model is largely unregulated and unsupervised by authority figures, be it responsible adults, laws or any other regulating institution.
To this, Garnt (largely) and Joey (in a lesser but still significant way) responded that, while they agree no one should be able or willing to spend such large amounts in these games, they do not pose significant harm to most people, and even further, can present justifiable value enough to be acceptable in their current forms, with minor changes. At one point, Joey expressed the idea that if these games made it difficult for him to spend money, he would mostly just not play them at all rather than go free-to-play. Garnt attempted to defend the idea that spending on these games was not necessary and going the F2P route was not only possible, but easy. He himself, however, admitted to that not being the case with him.
This is the thick and short of it. Now let me get into the main argument this post is attempting to make.
Connor's position along the entire discussion was entirely and utterly reasonable, and not only that, but even after being soft-gaslighted into being less harsh on his stance, he still was the only one willing to take the problem seriously at all.
Garnt and Joey, kn the other hand, began the discussion with an ironic and memey tone, not taking it at all seriously. When Connor's stance didn't change and his points began hitting a little too close to home, that's when they got defensive of their point and tried to appeal to various fallacious arguments and unbelievable takes. Most notably, Garnt defended that "If you have a problem with gambling or if you have poor self-control, you just should not be playing Gacha Games", which beyond being obvious, is a bonkers thing to say. It would be akin to saying "if you feel depressed or suicidal often, you should just ask for help and not kill yourself" or "if you have a drug problem, maybe don't go buy drugs". It is a statement that hides behind it's obvious correctness to take away attention from the fact that this adds nothing of value at all to the discussion,nor does it make for a suitable defense of the system that gacha ganes operate in.
The first big problem with this entire thing is that the three of them, both in the podcast and with their individual channels, have a great influencing power. Having your opinion, no matter who you are, broadcast to over a few hundred thousand people world-wide is bound to influence or resonate with some of the audience. When the person in question is a respected figure, speaking to an audience of admirers or fans, most of which at a young age, and within a subject matter of interest to the audience, the influence rate will grow even bigger. In this midst, there is statistically no way at least a handful of people didn't watch this episode and felt like they had their actions justified. Add to this that the gacha community at large is either aware but indifferent to the similarities it has to gambling, or straight up defensive of the entire model, and you have a pretty dangerous mixture of things here.
The second issue I see and hope to convey on this matter is that both Garnt and Joey seem unaware of just how scummy and messed up the tactics behind gacha games are. It's not just rate manipulation and constant advertising. The entire development process is centered around creating the perfect space for you to spend copious amounts of money without feeling that you really spent them. It goes so much deeper than just making cute girls to sell you. From the game page on the app store you get it from to the main menu, to the game design, to the in-game systems, to the rates, to the promotions, to the update cycle, to the end game, to the daily challenges, EVERY LITTLE ASPECT of it is engineered to rewire your bain into believing that it's not that bad to spend, and having the desire to do so more often than you reasonably would.
This is a very important one, amd Connor briefly touched on it in his rant. Cassinos, actual gambling places, build and thought to make you spend and lose, are like a glass door compared to the five inch lead wall that is the gacha strategy. They show you the rates at all times. They offer you the option to set yourself a limit. They make you aware that you are spending money, they cap the age at a minimum of 21, they have a lot of systems in place to control bad spenders. Of course, most of those came from law and regulations, but even before that, back in the 18th amd 19th centuries, no normal adult would advocate or defend that 12 to 18 year olds should be able to gamble real money into pieces of paper or cardboard cutouts. So imagine thinking, for even a moment, that what gacha games do is even close to okay. It is not, by any measure, morally, ethically or lawfully, okay.
But it gets worse. Way worse. Here is where I began actually worrying about the boys, in particular Joey and Garnt, the latter most of all.
They seem to actually believe that the above exposed is somehow justifiable based on little doses of dopamine, memories and the abstract idea of "the experience" you get. They compare spending ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS on a game to get TWO DIMENSIONAL IMAGINARY GIRLS to a night out with friends where you spend a hundred dollars in food or drinks.
What the actual f*ck.
This is not just bad. It's really, really bad. It's unreasonably and unbelievably absurd. It nearly collapses the entire concept of reality from just how bad a take this is.
No. No, no, no. NO. In no way, in no conceivable theoretical way, one of those things is comparable to the other. Never. This is the type of thing that depressed people tell themselves to justify self destructive behavior. Spending copious amounts of disposable income into games just to get "a daily dose lf dopamine" going is insane. Just for reference, you can get dopamine for free by doing any of the following:
Exercising
Finishing a task-list
Cleaning your room
Working on a passion project
Playing any sport, specially with friends
Going for a walk with you pet
Having a conversation with a friend or significant other
Having a good meal
Waking up from a good nap
Watching a fun movie
Traveling
Hiking
Riding a bike
Radical sports
Reading a good book
Seeing a long-time relative or friend you missed for a long time
Getting a hug
Having sex
Sleeping cuddled with you SO
Holding hands
Kissing
Watching the sun set/rise
Going to the beach
Camping
Playing an actual good videogame that isn't f*cking Genshin or FGO
This is not an exhaustive list. It's literally just things I thought off the top of my head while writing this. Some of those activities require some money to do, and some are impossible during the pandemic. But most of them are free/cheap and easy to do at home or with little to no contact with anyone.
If getting a good pull in a lootbox virtual casino is the best way you can think of to get any dopamine release, or if that release is so significant to you as to justify spending more money than some people make in a week, then I'm sorry, but you have a serious problem. I mean it. I know the Boys can do most or all of those things listed up there and much more. I know for a fact they are not in a situation of loneliness, vulnerability or isolation, even in the current world situation. So why is it that Garnt thinks gambling is a good solution for boredom in the quarentine? Or why did Joey insinuate that making it harder for him to spend money would just make him drop the game?
And if these two, that as I said are in a very privileged spot of having easy access to healthy ways to produce dopamine and conquer isolation, are having this kind of relationship with these games, what's to say of people around the world, including many of their listeners/viewers, who either live alone and/or have no perspective of a successful career with easy access to basically limitless disposable income like they do? What's to say of the teenagers who spend all night up playing games, watching anime, jerking off and stealing their parents' credit card to buy pulls? What's to say of the depressed university students who have a shitload of debt thrown at them and live an isolated, virtual life right now? What about them?
Joey and Garnt might not have any problem controlling themselves, or have enough money to waste such that a thousand dollars into gachas doesn't feel unreasonable, no matter how actually unreasonable it is. But they are either ignorant of the actual problem, or (and I sure hope I'm completely off on this one) completely unemphatic to their struggles. Because "Just don't play" is not a thing someone with empathy for the gambling addicts would say. Connor was deadass on this one.
And that leads us to the final nail in this horrific, goldplated coffin. The memes.
Yes, the memes.
There are so many memes. Garnt mentioned that "no one memes on the guys going bankrupt" while doing just that for half an hour. The entire gacha culture is basically a serious sociological and psychological problem deep-rooted into the heart of the zoomer generation. And yet it wears a mask mad e of memes, that hides the actual problem under a nearly impenetrable layer of irony, self-pity and depressive jokes. But the subject is not that funny under the magnified lens of a closer look.
The easygoing demeanor with which gacha addicts and casual underaged gamblers treat the entire thing is so light on the mood, so soft on the eyes, that you may just forget that those people might be ruining their lives. It's not a joke. It should not be treated like one. The meme culture around gacha fames has created more gambling addicts among 15 and 16 year olds than any illegal casino would ever dream of. These young people are just laughing away ridiculous sums of money for a teenager to spend, and feeling none of it until it is too late to go back and give up.
I am not trying to guilty trip any of the Boyys here, nor am I accusing them of being apologetic of underage gambling. I'm just trying to put this entire thing under a serious light. Because it needs someone to do so. This post comes from a place of worry and love, not one of disrespect or accusations. I simply want the Boys to look at this in a responsible way.
I might be talking to the walls here. I might really be just shouting in the vacuum. But if I can try to make my voice be listened to, I will. Because I must. If you read all the way down to here, I have two more things to say.
One is: please, do not let the monetization model these games operate in get to you. If you've spent any amount of money on them and feel tempted to continue, I insist you don't. If you have only ever played them without spending, and are still having fun, you're free to do so, but tread carefully.
And the other is: gacha mechanics can ruin much more beyond your financial wisdom. They are actively harmful to the games industry as a whole. Instead of making good games out of passion, these developers are being led to create mediocre games out of greed from the higher ups. If gou care about gaming at all, or if you just give a shit about an industry many people love, I request that you understand why gacha games are a bad sign, and that you spread that awareness, if you can. This is a really important subject to me and I think ut should be to other gamers as well.
Thank you for reading. Have a great day. Save your money.
P.S.: Garnt, Joey and Connor. If you guys read this, I love you and what you do. I listen to this podcast almost religiously, and I really enjoy all of it. Please, take care of yourselves and have a great 2021. Peace. (This is a shot in the dark, the chances of them reading this are so low I feel almost stupid. But hey, I tried huh?)

Feb/4/2021: (1) Armenia will grow weed (2) Colonel charged w/bribery & tampering w/draft during war (3) Education reform: grading, curriculum, preschool (4) Bill: treason, disability ranking, media (5) Diplomacy (6) Rumors & rebuttals (7) Cancer stats & free treatment (8) $750M bond (9) in-out stats

Your 14-minute Thursday report in 3497 words. Part 1.

anti-corruption: Defense Ministry official busted with bribery & tampering with draft during war

NSS report says: a Colonel, who had oversight over subdivisions, received a ֏975K bribe from a conscript to transfer him to another location on Sep-13-2020. Part of the bribe was transferred to his online gambling account.
When the war began, a draft was declared and recruits began training at a location in Armenia. The Colonel took a ֏1.2M bribe from a soldier in exchange for not sending him to the front lines.
During the winter draft, the Colonel took a ֏5.2M bribe from another conscript and used his connections to send him to the desired service location. A similar ֏1M bribe was requested on January 6th from another recruit.
The Colonel took another ֏1.4M bribe to help promote a conscript and allow him to work at a hospital instead of regular service.
On October 22nd, during the war, the Colonel decided to help a friend move from bordering Khndzoresk (Syunik) hospital back to Yerevan. As a result, the clinic became understaffed and couldn't fulfill its duties. Moreover, the Colonel then helped the same friend not to be deployed on Syunik borders as a soldier and instead to handle tasks in the rear, on October 26th, in exchange for a ֏300K bribe.
On October 13th, during the war, the Colonel and his accomplices wanted to help a soldier to leave Artsakh. When they learned that the latter was already on the "deserted" list, they took steps to remove him from the list.
Then, he learned that his friends' sons received a draft notice, and use his connections to remove them from the draft list.
After the war, on Dec-13, a friend asked the Colonel to make sure that his son, who was serving in Lusakert, wasn't sent to the front lines. The Colonel contacted the Lusakert facility but learned that the soldier was not among those who were supposed to be sent to the front lines. Nonetheless, the Colonel decided to defraud his friend by claiming that "he took care of it", and received a ֏200K bribe.
The colonel and over a dozen others were arrested. Illegal weapons were found under their possession. The investigation continues to expose other possible suspects.
https://youtu.be/ifo13WJLpsU
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042334.html

bill: harsher punishment for treason, spying, espionage

BHK MPs drafted a bill to increase punishment for traitors, spies, passing of state secrets. They want to raise the maximum punishment from 15 years to 20-life. The authors explained the move by citing many media reports about alleged "treason" incidents.
The bill was discussed at a relevant Parliamentary committee. The chairman QP MP Vladimir said he supports life imprisonment as the minimum punishment. However, during the discussion, they agreed to settle on 15-20 years plus property confiscation, or a life sentence.
The committee found the espionage punishment too harsh and asked the bill author to reduce it from 15 to 12 years. The BHK author agreed.
The bill was approved unanimously and will be debated/voted on the Parliament floor later.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042354.html

Jalal is back with another position

The wounded ex-Artsakh army commander Jalal Harutyunyan will serve as the Republic of Armenia's Defense Ministry's Head of the Military Control Service. He will replace General Movses Mosi Hakobyan who quit on November 18th.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042353.html

Russian-Turkish ceasefire monitoring group begins operations

Russian troops are using ORLAN-10 and FORPOST drones to monitor Am-AZ troop locations and movements.
https://youtu.be/ToSLqUDj6OE
https://factor.am/335089.html

ECHR received Armenia's complaint against Azerbaijan regarding 228 POWs / Azeris counter-claim for 13 POWs

Armenian families submitted a petition to ECHR to require Azerbaijan to provide information regarding 228 individuals. Azeris want to know data about 13 people.
(From the language it is unclear to me whether the petition is for confirmed POWs, or it also includes families of missing soldiers who want to know whether their relatives are POWs. Likely the former.)
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042406.html

Red Cross visited 4 Armenian POWs in Azerbaijan

They were able to establish contact with families.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042428.html

Russia expects UNESCO to soon visit Armenian monuments that went under Azeri control

https://factor.am/335437.html

Russia removed tomato import ban on 13 Armenian firms

Russian regulator will allow 13 Armenian sellers to export tomato and pepper to Russia again after earlier finding a food virus in them. A similar ban was implemented against Azeri tomatoes.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042433.html

US Congressman demands an explanation from the US ambassador to Azerbaijan over "congratulatory" statement

Rep. Bred Sherman wants to know why the US ambassador to Azerbaijan Lee Litzenberger congratulated Azerbaijan's Economy Minister with "de-occupying territories and US's willingness to aid Azerbaijan with rebuilding those territories". He reminded the US officials that the US is a member of the Minsk Group and should take steps to ensure Artsakh's safety and prevention of a new war.
Bred Sherman praised Biden's appointee Anthony Blinken for stating that the US will review its military assistance to Azerbaijan after the latest war in Artsakh.
Artsakh MFA yesterday released a statement urging countries, officials, and organizations to refrain from such "congratulatory" statements.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042370.html

de-occupy Hadrut NGO

... aims to help 13,500 Hadrut residents who lost their homes during the war. It was founded during the war by activists who held protests in front of various embassies. In the early days, they received aid from President Sarkissian's office. The latter gave shelter to 25 families.
Today the NGO aims to help refugees with employment, while simultaneously lobbying for Minsk Group to de-occupy Hadrut so residents can return. "I hope that one day our NGO will shut down because Hadrut is no longer occupied," said co-founder Meri Davtyan.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042286.html

govt session: financial aid for Syunik border villagers

The government approved a new aid package for residents of Syunik's Shurnukh and Vorotan villagers. Those who lost their homes will qualify for the same aid package as Artsakh refugees: one-time ֏300K payment plus monthly ֏65K payments for 6 months. There is another pending aid package to build new houses for them.
Context: Two dozen houses in Vorotan and Shurnukh went under Azeri control because they were built on the Azeri side of the internationally-recognized borders.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042362.html

bill: disability ranking to be replaced with degrees of functionality impairment

The government approved a bill, yet to be approved by Parliament, to reform the disability system. The disability assessment process will analyze the person's level of functional impairment while taking into account surrounding conditions.
"Today, the system is run under a 1993 law that does not do a comprehensive assessment of the surrounding environment, person's ability to function in public life," says the govt.
The draft bill will repeal the 1-3 Categories and Disabled Child category. A person's functionality impairment degrees will be light, medium, heavy, or deep. Disability will no longer be considered a permanent health problem. The assessment will be based not only on the factor of health problems but also on the environmental factors of the person's activity and participation in public life.
Healthcare and Social Ministries, NGOs, the UN, and the EU worked together to create and test an assessment methodology.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042365.html
Tags: #DisabilityLaw #disabled

bill: require unknown Telegram/Facebook media channel owners identified before "linking" by mass media

QP MPs want to require social media channel operators identified before a "mainstream media" can link to them. It doesn't restrict citing "anonymous sources", however. It also requires outlets to disclose sources of revenues for transparency. Read yesterday's news for context and arguments in favor or against it.. The debate continued today.
QP MP Arthur: For example, a legitimate news organization with an editorial staff of 30 people generates information, holds interviews, etc., while a Telegram channel that we do not know where it is managed from and by whom, begins to disseminate sensationalized information and over time becomes more "legitimate" than real media outlets because media outlets "advertised" them.
This is also a national security risk because it is very possible that such sources are being operated by an adversary country to spread instability and an atmosphere of fear in the country. //
The co-author criticized the critics who "claimed that the bill intends to ban anonymous sources. That's not true. This also won't affect the protection of journalists' source secrecy."
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042357.html
If you're interested in more debates:
https://youtu.be/MTHwRa4YjgY , https://youtu.be/ThDNVwZYEp8 , https://youtu.be/S6C_NocS9N0 , https://youtu.be/3_-i2Z23ubI , https://youtu.be/wiPnmfeLNJ8
Tags: #MediaLaw #TelegramLaw #FreeSpeech

rumors and rebuttals: Artsakh army isn't being dissolved

Serj's won-in-law Mishik earlier circulated rumors that were denied by state officials. Today, Kocharyan-ally Vitali Balasanyan, who serves as Artsakh's Security Council chief, confirmed that the army isn't "disintegrating." After the restructuring process, there will be subdivisions with professional contractors, he said.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042344.html

rumors and rebuttals: Azeri flag won't fly over Artsakh govt buildings

Vitalik Balasanyan also denied rumors about Azeri flags being installed on Artsakh govt buildings in Stepanakert.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042344.html

rumors and rebuttals: Azeri families won't resettle in Stenapakert / none are shopping in market

Vitalik Balasanyan said there are false rumors about two districts in Stepanakert being populated by Azeris, and Azeris allegedly freely shopping in Stepanakert market.
"Dear citizens of Artsakh, on behalf of the authorities of the Artsakh Republic, I assure you that despite the irreparable losses inflicted on us as a result of the war, the state is always committed to fulfilling its responsibilities to ensure the security and normal life of the population. Accordingly, I urge you not to pay attention to the false news. Everything is being done to create and expand the necessary conditions for a dignified life of the people of Artsakh."
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042344.html

rumors and rebuttals: Artsakh envoy won't stop operating in Russia

The Permanent Representation of the Artsakh Republic in Russia will not be terminated, said the Artsakh govt in response to rumors.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042367.html

rumors and rebuttals: no single currency in EAEU trade bloc

EAEU would like to inform you that you've been misled about alleged plans to establish a single currency among member-states.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042427.html

location "Hollywood, Yerevan, Armenia"

There is a district called Hollywood in Yerevan, Armenia. Gamblers were caught running an underground casino in there. This is the second such bust in the past few months. The police say ֏5.5B in damages was done to the state.
https://youtu.be/sp0Sb--e_ms?t=60
https://factor.am/335320.html

anti-corruption: prosecutors charge education officials with ֏1.2B auction shenanigans

Prosecutors said: State Oversight Committee (SOC) audited the "National Center for Educational Technology" government-affiliated agency's finances between 2013-2020. Every year, the agency submitted a report on the work done by them towards servicing the education system. The bill was ֏700M annually.
It was revealed that between 2012-2015, they granted an auction-based contract to the same company. It received a combined ֏2.8B in funding. The law requires the auction-holding officials to examine the market and take other steps before the auction. They failed to do so.
Later, during 2017-2019, the same company was selected to do the job, but this time it was only paid ֏300-400M annually, far lower than during the previous years.
֏1.2B in damages was done to the state. A felony case is launched.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042389.html

re: Armenia's $750M eurobond sale / lowest % in history / $3B demand by investors / economy news

Read yesterday's news for context.
Pashinyan: The issuance of $750M eurobonds is a strong positive signal for the start of the economic year. The issuance was done under the most favorable conditions in the history of our republic, with the lowest 3.8% percentage rate. Our previous record was in 2019 at 4.2%. The demand was for $3B but we decided to issue only $0.750B.
First, it provides a guarantee of macroeconomic stability. Second, this is the first serious signal of overcoming the post-war economic shock, which shows that international investors have confidence in the economic future of Armenia and the policy pursued by the government. //
Economy Minister Janjughazyan: this was part of our long-term plan and we had planned to do it while drafting the 2021 budget. We planned to issue fewer bonds but decided to add $250M because of favorable terms. We plan to use that extra cash towards the stabilization deposit, as a safety pad, to be used throughout the year if necessary.
As long as our budget has a deficit we will have to borrow. But this is only part of the story; the country's overall debt burden is calculated based on various indicators. So far Armenia has been rated as a country with a lower debt burden.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042351.html, https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042352.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042363.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042393.html

how many people did leave and arrive after reopening air traffic with Russia?

The governments of Armenia and Russian worked on an "app" to allow mutual travel after taking a test. By February 15th, there will be 4-route flights in 2 directions. There were several flights in the past few days.
3900 left and 3400 arrived. 1423 Armenian citizens left and 1263 Armenian citizens arrived. "More people were willing to leave in December than today," noted Diaspora Committee chief Sinanyan.
"Some people flew to Russia but had to return due to a problem. This wasn't due to the COVID app implemented by us. Preliminary data shows that they went to Russia with a paper QP code which raised the suspicion of Russian authorities. We will work with them to resolve this," said Deputy PM Mher. (say what??)
"We need to better inform the public about the existence of this app. Restoring routine flights will help the tourism industry," said PM Pashinyan.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042358.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042383.html

Pashinyan about the suspended Amulsar gold mining project

He repeated his earlier position that "Decisions must be made that take into account Armenia's best interests."
"The mining industry plays a very important role in the development of Armenia's economy, including in the security context."
"We must make decisions to make investment programs acceptable for the Armenian public while taking into account interests of Republic of Armenia."
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042368.html

COVID stats

1829 tested. 147 infected. 352 healed. 11 deaths. 4637 active.
"We're negotiating for vaccines via COVAX global initiative. Separately, we're negotiating with Russia for Sputnik-V. Vaccines should be available in March. It will be targeted at specific groups. It won't be mandatory," said Healthcare Minister Avanesyan.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042341.html , https://youtu.be/vXz3pHx1BlM?t=92

the consumer market price increase in the past 12 months

Armenia's consumer market inflation was +4.5% from January to January. Food +6.4%. Alcohol & tobacco +10.8%. Clothing +2.6%. Utilities +0.6%. Appliances +5.8%. Healthcare +5.6%. Transport +5.7%. Telecom +0.5%. Leisure & culture -0.8%. Education +2%. Dining +1.6%. Misc +3.5%.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042323.html

Parliament MP stops a citizen's suicide attempt

Someone tried to jump from Kievyan bridge. QP MP Gor Gevorgyan was nearby and stopped the attempt. The police took the distressed person to a station.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042329.html

psychological support will be provided to war participants and the public

Emergency Ministry says 15-30% of people have PTSD after the war. Today the government approved a plan to provide psychological aid to war participants and others. The target group includes families of missing people, POWs and their families, those who received disabilities, families of those who died, those who fought in the war, IDPs, civilians who were affected in any way. The program will work in Armenia and Artsakh.
The government will purchase services from experienced mental health service agencies.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042403.html

Armenia will grow industrial marijuana on mass industrial scale / incentive to boost land utilization

Hemp is a type of weed that contains less of the substance that makes you feel high. The government wants to grow industrial hemp on a mass scale to boost ~~mood~~ land utilization and revenues.
Pashinyan: this is going to open room for many speculations. It's important to present the project in detail so the public will have a full understanding of what is being done. Unfortunately, "hemp" is interpreted as something else, while in reality, it is a very important industrial raw material. The growing process has risks but there are oversight mechanisms that have been tested in many countries.
Deputy PM Avinyan: the US, Russia, and China have a great experience with industrial hemp production. The practice was examined by the Economy Ministry. We're talking about industrial production only. It will significantly activate agricultural land utilization. Today, 40% of lands are gone unused. This is part of our plan to boost the production of high-value agricultural products.
https://youtu.be/ssZgr2DR3DM?t=7
https://www.healthline.com/health/hemp-vs-marijuana#marijuana
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042372.html

Education Minister says the "controversial" parts of Church/History merger were "resolved"

Education Ministry wants to merge the school subjects "Armenian Church History" and "Armenian History". Critics said it will shrink the church-related materials too much, others called it treason, while others supported the decision, stating that it's all part of our history and having a separate class is inefficient.
Education Minister Dumanyan says he met colleagues at the National Academy of Sciences and they resolved the conflicts "that caused a noise earlier." He will reveal details soon.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042379.html , https://youtu.be/V0sC3dx-gzU

Major education reforms: "education alone will not solve all problems, but there is no problem that can be solved without an education"

... said PM Pashinyan during a govt session while discussing education reforms. Kids in 1-5 grades will no longer receive grades; tt will be pass or no pass (still needs Parliamentary approval). "There will be a criticism. How can you not grade? But this is a comprehensive program that emphasizes the student's needs and preferences," said Pashinyan.
"We need to pay attention to how the time is spent in schools and what skills are being taught in school hours. It will reflect in our society 15-20 years later. It will define whether we have a technological product or not.
What we were doing in 12 years (school length) can be done within 9 years, but a 9-year school isn't the solution. Instead of shortening the school, we're trying to fill the gap in a way to have a 50% higher efficiency by the end of the 12th year.
In developed countries, education starts not from school but from preschool. The lower the education entry age the more developed the countries are," said Pashinyan. (the govt has a plan to make sure 70% of kids attend preschools by 2023)
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042394.html

cancer stats in Armenia / annual rate / drops among children / fewer abandon treatment

world
9.6 million people die from cancer annually. 1/3rd is possible to prevent. Another part can be cured with the help of early detection.
Armenia
Cancer was the 2nd leading cause of death in 2020. It has increased in the past 10 years but at a small rate. Lung cancer is more common among men, and breast cancer among women.
First time diagnosis by year: 2018 - 8762, 2019 - 7908, 2020 - 7050.
Deaths by year: 2018 - 5199, 2019 - 5434. 2020 - unavailable. (55% men, 45% women)
The cancer rate went up by 1.5x compared to 1990. However, it declined by 2x among children under 14yo.
Fewer people abandon treatment. 3 years ago 53% of lung patients did so, today it's 40%. Breast cancer treatment abandonment went from 47% to 22%. (I translated the word բարձիթողության as "abandonment". Correct me if it refers to something else.)
Artsakh
The number of cancer cases has decreased in Artsakh: from 345 to 260 YoY.
prevention
Oncologist Safaryan says the early detection helps to avoid complications and save lives, even if it's the type of cancer that is known to reappear. There are many patients who defeat cancer. "Smokers should get a lung x-ray twice a year. Those working in chemical plants should get a frequent screening. Do not ignore symptoms and չգցել ականջի հետև. You can defeat it more easily when it's at 1-2 stages. It's a lot harder when it advances to 4."
Preventing cancer isn't easy. The causes of this disease are many. Genetics, bad habits, obesity, surrounding environment. A genetic test can reveal the likelihood of suffering from illness. Some women choose to undergo a mastectomy to prevent possible breast cancer in the future.
"I decided that if 1-in-100 is destined to be cured, I will be that one," said Ashkhen, a woman who recently defeated cancer.
More: https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042291.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042364.html , https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042405.html

cancer diagnosis, surgery, and radiotherapy are free

The treatment was made free recently. The Oncology Center urges the public to get screened as part of an early-detection initiative. The pilot program began in Vanadzor; 307 women were screened.
Cancer diagnosis, surgery, and radiotherapy are free, while the medication has a co-payment.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042423.html

today in history

2004: Mike Zuckerberg founded Facebook to steal your SSN
1949: Sri Lanka declares indpendence
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042309.html

president meets donor

Artsakh president Arayik met donor Alec Baghdasaryan and thanked him. "Only with the joint efforts of the Armenian people is it possible to quickly overcome the difficulties and to plan development programs." Alec plans more charity programs relating to education.
https://armenpress.am/arm/news/1042326.html

donations to Artsakh & recovering soldiers

www.1000plus.am (recovering soldiers & their families)
www.HimnaDram.org (for Artsakh & Armenia)
www.ArmeniaFund.org (U.S. tax-deductible)

archive of older news

http://www.armeniapedia.org/wiki/Daily_Anti-Corruption_Reports

disclaimer

All the accused are considered innocent unless proven guilty in the court of law, even if they "sound" or "appear" guilty.

“FuboTV DD/Analysis” [BULLISH] {FUBO}

"FubuTV DD" [BULLISH] {FUBU}

Full credit to u/AlbibiG. The original post was posted on February 8th 2021. Enjoy. -

Introduction
“FuboTV ($FUBO) is an American streaming television service that focuses primarily on channels that distribute live sports, including NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and international soccer, plus news, network television series and movies.
Launched on January 1, 2015 as a soccer streaming service, FuboTV changed to an all-sports service in 2017 and then to a virtual multichannel video programming distributor (vMVPD) model. As a vMVPD, FuboTV still calls itself sports-first but its expanded channel lineup targets cord cutters, offering a selection of major cable channels and OTT-originated features that can be streamed through smart TVs, mobile and tablets and the web. The service is available in the United States, Canada and Spain as of 2018."
From their home page:
They are the only competitors in their space of digital sports broadcasting, offer 4K streaming and upscaling of live sports, cloud DVR capability ranging from 250 or 1000 hours on standard plans, and is available on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox One, Android TV, Android Smart TVs, and Android/iOS smartphones and tablets, with plans ranging from $24.99/month to $79.99/month (not including add-ons).
They have also recently acquired one company and have made plans to acquire another to allow for in-house sports betting. They have stated in a press release that they plan to release a sportsbook before the end of the year. This will push them into a broader spectrum outside of only TV and sports streaming, and into the sports betting sector along with DraftKings ($DKNG), FanDuel ($PDYPY), and Penn National Gaming ($PENN).
Plans and Add-ons
FuboTV offers three standardized plans as of February 8, 2021: the Family plan is priced at $64.99/month (normally $75.97/month), Elite at $79.99/month (normally $100.95/month), and Latino Quarterly at $24.99/month, along with offering additional add-ons. Each plan offers a range of channels, cloud DVR capabilities (which allows fast-forwarding through commercials), and casting to multiple devices simultaneously. Only the Elite plan does not offer a 7-day free trial (Channels page).
The Family plan includes 117 channels (mostly news and entertainment with roughly 40 that offer sports, including ESPN), up to 250 hours of DVR space, and casting to 3 devices at once. The quarterly prepaid includes a free upgrade to 1000 hours of DVR space and 5 casting devices at home with 3 on the go (Channels page).
The Elite plan includes 164 channels (includes an additional “47 entertainment channels”), up to 1000 hours of DVR space, and casting to 5 devices at home with 3 on the go. This plan does not offer a quarterly prepaid (Channels page).
The Latino Quarterly plan includes 250 hours of DVR space and can be streamed on up to 3 devices at once, but only has 32 channels. This plan needs to be prepaid every 3 months for a total charge of $74.97 and does not offer a monthly service (Channels page).
Upgrades include additional DVR space--1000 hours for an additional $6.99/month for the Family and Latino Quarterly--and increased device casting--an additional 2 devices at home with 3 on the go for another $9.99/month for the Family and Latino Quarterly plans. You can also add a variety of channels and sports packages (the Latino Quarterly has fewer channel add-ons compared to the Family and Elite plans, which both have the same channel varieties). Sports Plus with NFL RedZone is an additional $10.99/month, but includes all professional and college sports broadcasting services for football, basketball, baseball, hockey, tennis, fighting, etc. (Channels page).
Fubo has recently removed its former Standard plan, which included only 65 channels, up to 2 casting devices, and only 30 hours of DVR support for $60/month.
Financials and Growth
Fubo has yet to file an annual report as they have gone public in October of 2020, but they have filed a 10-Q for Q3 2020. All numbers in thousands.
Assets-
Between December 31, 2019 and September of 2020, assets have increased from $368,225 to $799,313 (a 117% increase) . Total current assets increased from $17,973 to $58,016, but accounts receivable decreased from $8,904 to $6,975--this may be attributed to the increase in prepaid subscriptions which increased from $1,445 to $12,177 which shows strong customer satisfaction and retention.
Liabilities-
Liabilities have increased from $145,049 to $290,376 (a 100% increase). The largest contributors to their liabilities are “Due to related parties” increasing from $665 to $85,847, “Warrant liabilities” increasing from $24 to $28,085, and “Accounts payable” from $36,373 to $61,679. Long-term borrowings have decreased from $43,982 to $25,905.
Revenues-
Subscription revenues increased by $53,433, totaling $92,945 for the year. Total revenues including advertisements and licensing have increased by $61,202, totaling $112,669 for the year and an increase of 47% YOY. Q4 revenue is estimated to be between $94,000 and $98,000 which would be a *77-84% *increase YOY.
Expenses-
Subscriber related expenses total $114,315 for the year. Total expenses have totaled $500,249 for the year.
Subscribers-
Ended Q3 with 455,000 paid subscribers, a YOY increase of 58%, and plans to end 2020 with over 545,000, an increase of 72% YOY.
Competition
Its closest competitors are Hulu + Live TV (owned by Disney ($DIS)), YouTube TV (owned by Alphabet ($GOOG)), and Sling TV (owned by Dish Network ($DISH)).
Hulu + Live TV

Includes league networks
50 hours of free DVR (200 hours for $9.99/month)
More than 74 channels
Unskippable ads on DVR without upgrade to 200 hours
2 streams at a time
$64.99/month
Can add ESPN+ and Disney+ for an additional $7/month

YouTube TV

Includes league networks
Unlimited DVR storage
More than 85 channels plus YouTube Red Originals
3 streams at a time
Sports Plus package for an additional $10.99/month
NBA LeaguePass for an additional $40/month or $119.99 annually
Starting at $64.99/month

Sling TV Blue

Includes league networks
DVR up to 50 hours (200 hours for $5/month)
More than 45 channels
3 streams at a time
Sports Extra package for an additional $11/month
Starting $35/month
Can be combined with Sling TV Orange for a total of $50/month

Sling TV Orange

Includes league networks
DVR up to 50 hours (200 hours for $5/month)
More than 30 channels
1 stream at a time
Sports Extra package for an additional $11/month
Starting at $35/month
Can be combined with Sling TV Blue for a total of $50/month

Islet Management, LP with 5,108124 shares
Morgan Stanley with 3,317,333 shares
FMR LLC with 1,262,907 shares
BlackRock Inc. with 956,678 shares
Merger with FaceBank for $100 million revolving credit

Marketing fails and Fubo is never known as a household name, so consumers stick with other more known providers
Their sportsbook fails and becomes dead weight and wasted money
Subscriber count and streaming drops as quarantine lifts, reducing revenues while maintaining expenses
Consumers opt for cheaper options
People paying for the sports package cancel when the season is over, creating a boom and bust cycle if not managed correctly

Illegal CSGO case opening sites openly advertising to Minors

Every problem with this game laid out in a review

I'm gonna preface this by saying in terms of hype for this game(that I had), I sit comfortable in the middle. I was keeping tabs on it but not digesting every ounce of media before it's release. I watched the trailers, small amounts of gameplay footage and such basically.

Character Creation

The character creation is severely lacking. As the game was originally advertised as an RPG(before cdkprbg pulled the bait-and-switch) and you expect a certain level of character customization. Even more so as this game has had nearly a decade of dev-time and was supposed to be the next-gen, ground-breaking RPG.
I can literally go back to 2008 and play Oblivion on launch day and make more unique characters(And I mean just using 1 race option as human). Fable has more character customization then this and they don't allow you to customize before play; just player actions that will change your appearance.
The sliders are uninspired, bad dev design and obsolete for the genre and year. The options are severely limited with only around 20 for most options; eyes, hair color, makeup, piercings, and genitals having even less.
There is no way to customize your height, weight, muscles or any options for deeper character design. You cannot choose a name(Just have "V" be your street name, no?). There is no options for voice(This is always gonna be a sacrifice for voiced protagonists but can easily still have pitch or other effects added in post.)
Simply put this is outpaced in every way from games that are over 20 years old and is unacceptable.

Backstory

The backstory makes no real or even slightly significant difference on the story or the overarching gameplay. The first 20 minutes are different and that is all, you still meet the same people, have the same missions and have the same experience. (Was V always a street rat? Who's to say?)
The game forces you to have Jack as your side-kick which is really annoying cause I(The player) does not care about him in the slightest. You have this really awkward, 2 minute, adventure-montage that I guess is supposed to make you care about him. This terrible design and blatant rail-roading just annoyed me and made me dislike him more as I'd have liked to just play through that and organically like him.
You get around 3 quests with him totaling around 10 hours if you take it slow and do all the optional shit.

Voice-Acting For Characters/NPCs/Dialog

I'm going to start by saying I'm running a high quality pair of studio headphones into a Amp/DCA and by and large; the voice acting sounds very hollow and uninspired. Action/Adventure games that have good voice acting: Metro Series, Portal 2, Mass Effect, Bioshock, Dark Souls, Doom, fuck even Fallout 4's voice acting was better then this.
I'm just gonna use Metro 2033/Portal 2 as my comparisons as they are quite old at this point and have some of the best voice acting I've ever had the pleasure to eargasm to. But, in those two very different games; they nail voice acting in two very different, yet, distinct ways. That I really think Cyberpunk 2077 could take notes from.
Metro 2033 very accurately takes environmental and physical context into account when a character speaks. If you are sneaking they^{^{^whisper,}} if you are gunning down Nosalis in the snow-rad storms, they shout. They give you important info accurately and quickly. They don't annoyingly repeat themselves and they seem to understand what voice they need to use as current environment calls for it.
The characters have very short times with Artyom but you care about every single one, they go out of their way to help your mission and those around them. They are bad-ass soldiers that are specifically tailored to enrich the story. The supreme voice acting serves as yet another way to immerse the player in the world.
In Portal 2 the characters voices very clearly show emotion. The way the characters articulate and the unique way their voice sounds fits their characters to an absolute T. There is simply no game that can pair characterization with voice so well.
As Portal 2 is much more scripted they don't talk depending on the context near as much(or well) but if you take the time to do all the bonus things throughout the story the range of emotion on these actors is astounding and could not fit their characters better.
In Cyberpunk 2077 the characters lack context. Jackson repeatedly saying the same things over and over again kills the immersion. If I am sneaking he will very loudly "whisper" that an enemy can spot me and he will say it again, and again, and again, and again, and again; every. Single. Fucking time a camera is on me or an enemy even has line of sight for .0000001% of a second.
Most of the NPC's dialog is limited to around ten of the same voice-lines whenever you interact with them. The game was advertised as an open-world, RPG; where you can talk to anybody. The voice acting for minor characters is on par with the first Fable and the voice acting for main characters is a cut above garbage. The only exception is Dexter Deshawn. His voice acting was actually very damn good for the short amount of time you get to enjoy it.
The dialog is very forced with no matter which way you talk to someone you have to answer how they want. Seriously, why is V such a cunt? Dialog is this: (What they want), (More info 1), (More info 2). No matter what you have to answer how they want. This feels more like a low-budget TellTale game mixed with the worst parts of Call of Duty, GTA, and Borderlands.

Design For Characters/NPCs

I gotta give credit where credit is due. Overall the character design is top-notch. They look and seem like the exact types of people you would see in a Cyberpunk world. The random citizens, the gangs in their dens, the high level security officers, the characters throughout the story and the random npcs you have minor convos with. They all fit their respective "mini-themes" very well and could honestly not be better.
Not much more to say about this, I don't got a long winded paragraph as, well, it's good design and it fits. Ideally every category would be this short. I gotta wonder why these random ass npcs, quest characters and others all seem to have had access to a much better character creator then the player though.🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

Characters Progression/Skills/Etc

The leveling system is a joke. You are unable to respec your attributes and that alone makes respecing talents obsolete. Most of the perks are just... Not good. They do little to help and it's usually some minuscule number increase for some random thing.
The looting system is terrible and you're mainly just grabbing junk and bullshit as much and as quick as possible while people talk and walk around you. The crafting is uninspired. The armoweapon system is bad. You can't transmog stuff so it turns into a Fashion Souls balancing act. Players won't care about weapons, equipment or armor at all if every encounter you replace it with another piece that is a .0001% number bump. And there isn't a way to look good and have armor that works.
The skills are okay though, for the stealth system/hacking/combat the bones are there but in it's current form it needs more work. There needs to be a distinct way to increase your stats beyond perks/attributes or change it up so there is more of a reason to choose 'x' over 'y' it really feels like the best thing is to just rush every single stat to 7 at least and you can basically do anything.

Ai

Ooooh boy here we go. The AI. Ohmyfuckinggod so bad. So so so so bad. For starters the random NPCs in town seem to have no real schedules like what was promised, you can literally pick anyone and follow them after a certain point they 180 and walk back to another spot and repeat.
They only sometimes seem to react to combat around them and if you come to their rescue during a crime it seems like they forgot that they can stop cowering. If you attack them, sometimes they employ a very big-brain strat of running straight through walls. Can't kill them if they are unreachable, GG kek.
Jackson in combat will routinely vault over things that don't need to be vaulted over. Sometimes he vaults over something that makes sense, will change his mind; and vault right back again. Repeating as needed. The enemies seem to exhibit this behavior as well.
They lack the ability to contextualize how fights work. Halo: CE came out in 2001. Enemies in this game do not have the ability to flank, they don't realize if they have a shotgun they should get closer to you. Most enemies stand right out in the open because they know it takes five clips for them to die. Sometimes they stand there and muse about the wonder that is life; not caring they are being shot. Sometimes melee enemies continually attack where you were just standing even if you left a solid 45 seconds ago.
There is no driving AI of any kind. The cars seem to go along set paths and if you interfere in any way they freak out and go down the path with zoom. If you block their way they patiently wait. I was curious and sat in place for around five minutes and they didn't seem to mind either.

Combat/Difficulty

I've already touched on it but the enemies are mega-dumb. Throwing grenades at each other, standing in the open, not reacting to combat and unable to understand where the player actually is.
You don't receive an indicator when you are being shot and on the hardest difficulty it seems to take about 2-4 shots(depending) to kill you. And you don't realize you're low until you are very low. At that point you must heal right then, right there or you die.
The enemies aren't actually harder either, the difficulty just does the Bethesda thing where it really means these enemies have a lot of health, you're gonna be standing here for days shooting this dude. And then they 2 shot you.
The cover system doesn't seem to work well at all. There is no way to do anything except crouch and lean. They really could benefit from crouch, prone, and lean controls like RS: Siege or sum. And where is the wall running they advertised? The players should have more options for how to approach direct assault combat. Sometimes the cover can be shot through and it's hard to tell what is and isn't intentional. For instance at the hotel I was able to kill the "boss" robot by spam shooting him through the window with an LMG while he just stood there and his bullets hit the wood partition, but did not penetrate, yet, mine did.

Driving/Vehicle Missions/Missions

The driving is bad. I'm using mouse+keyboard so I'm obviously not expecting much, it doesn't have to be as good as GTA: V or anything. I was just expecting something slightly better then Jet Moto from '96. It's very tight yet loose at the same time.
If you are moving very slow the turning is so tight I have to routinely make 800 degree turns or back up and retry my entries like I'm driving a 46 wheeler or something. If you are at speed even tapping 'a' or 'd' makes you fly to the right/left at mach 100. Coupled with the fact that, pedestrians, buildings, decor and other cars routinely pop into existence directly in front of you, as you drive; makes for a very difficult mini-game experience.
The missions with vehicle combat could not be more scripted. I tried to reload my driving mission as I wanted to shoot out the motor bikes wheels before he jumps on the car and no matter how many bullets I put into it, he still does it. Doesn't matter if I turn down to the easiest difficulty and only tap his dome. He doesn't die till the crash.
The Keanu Reaves mission in the helicopter glitched for me and one of the soldiers managed to get wedged between two pipes in a very hard to reach spot for the helicopter's gun. Causing the mission to take much longer then necessary on that part. The helicopter followed the same path everytime so I could only shoot him 1-2 times, then have to wait to re-sweep around. When you got that long to focus on the vehicle missions the pre-set paths are laughable in quality.
The fact that there is no driving AI explains why the police pop into existence behind you, it is very sad to see a game with so much 'GTA' potential ruin one of the best parts, fighting cops and being in crazy gun-fights in cars. They lose you the second you turn the corner and don't even try to attempt a pursuit.
Most of the missions feel very copy/pasted with it usually being go here, kill 'x' return, go here get 'x' return, go here escort 'x' return. There needs to be more uniqueness in the side quests to give players entertainment off the main story.
Furthermore even just driving down the road to do a mission you are getting constant phone calls every few seconds for many different missions, and the player can't not answer the phone. Which is asinine. Why can't I refuse to answer? It rail-roads you into the character they want you to be, it rail-roads you into their quests, it rail-roads you into the story. As soon as you 'accept' a new mission(even if you are currently doing one) it tracks the newest mission as your current one one. Which forces you to re-track your current mission. Every. Time. This leaves the player feeling like this

NPC Interactions/Romance/Crime

This is kinda of a mix-match of the AI/NPC shit and the driving. You can literally rob an NPC blind and they don't care. The fact that there is no jail/prison system or some sort of punishment for crime is a huge oversight for an RPG. The fact you can't pick-pocket/hack random people is a huge oversight. The fact that cops can exist and teleport at will is poor design and about as immersion breaking as games can get.
With only 4 different people to romance(A huge selection of 1 person for each person on the sexuality spectrum) I can't help but feel cheated. Maybe Skyrim and Fable spoiled me but I'm used to games allowing us to romance whoever the fuck we want. It's asinine, lazy and bad game design.

World Design/Exploration/Adventure/Downtime/Player"Services"

I'm gonna start by saying there is a distinct difference between seeing the art and the ability to interact with the art. Most if not every building is just that. A building. You can not go into it, you cannot interact with it. There is no exploration to be had with it. There is a lot of places you can go, yes. But I'd say most areas you get to go, most places and most settings are simply empty backdrops for a cutscene/dialog.
The world from what I've seen is a vast emptiness with no real reason to explore. You don't get anything out of it and it all looks the same and leads to some dead end alley with another assault underway. You are decentivized to explore, in every sense of the word.
There is a very jarring lack of services for the player. I was under the impression(and I'm sure many others were) that there was gonna be loads to do in your downtime. There isn't. Only a handfull of stores all selling around the same shit, can't buy from most vendors or vending machines. No way to get haircuts, body-mods(I mean cosmetic not ripperdocs), plastic surgery or anything really.
There is no way to spend your downtime. No games, no gambling, there are no activities, you can't work out, you can't play fetch with dogs(are there even dogs?), there are no sports. No braindances(literally infinite missed possibilities with this one). No drugs(seriously wtf was this design decision?). Only 2 prostitutes(that I know of, has to be said give me the bonk if you must).
There is no taxi system(Delamain is just for the missions?) No subway system that spans the city that we were promised in leu of fast travel. It sucks that the only way around is to run, fast travel(I fucking hate fast travel) or the shit tier driving. Immersion breaking, bad, bad design.

Sound/Art/Atmosphere/Graphics

The sound is very hollow and lifeless, it feels like the sound isn't really "3d" it feels more like a faux 3d or someone shoehorned stereo to fit headphones. I can't ever really tell which side a sound is coming from if it is behind/in-front of me. It is either a very hard right or a very hard left.
Disappointedly the atmosphere sounds are quite bad, I don't think wind is even in the game and weather seems to only be triggered by certain missions? The rain sounds like the noises that come from a child's toy from the wallmart isle. Very hard edges if that makes sense.
The radio is very well done with many stations full of absolute bangers. The Cyberpunk music is absolutely gorgeous to my ears and makes my cock rock hard everytime I hear it.
The graphics on the other hand are quite bad. Everything is blurry and every single light sends shafts directly into your brain.(I recommend turning off: Motion blur, Film Grain, Chromatic Aberration, Depth of Field, and Lens Flare. These are mostly just preference but it makes night city look much better without all this blurry bullshit blocking your way and lights don't interact with your eye like it's a camera.)
It takes a while for graphics to "snap-in" when you enter a new area either through a loading screen or at speed in a car. And when they do I still can't tell if I'm looking at original doom or the newest triple a title from the year 2020. And this is at max settings 4k mind you.

Optimization/Lag/Bugs/FPS/Technicals

We've all seen't it by now. It runs like ass on last-gen consoles despite being a last gen game. It doesn't run much better on next-gen either. With good cards like the 3080 even struggling to run above 50 frames.
It's sad, stupid and unacceptable from a game being made for so long and from a large studio. The lag is real, people can barely play on any graphics. Personally I have to play 1080p on my 1080ti which sucks ass. Game just can't handle 4k and that's that. It needs to be said. It's a legit criticism.
Bugs. On par with some bethesda games and that's really fucking saying something. Personally I've seen: Tits/dicks clipping through clothes, being naked when I have clothes equipped, T-poses, People walking on nothing. Floating objects, obstacles that aren't corporeal, floating guns that shoot themselves, dead ragdolls exploding when bumped too much, a guard died when he walked into a pile of bodies I made. Multiple crashes. Jackson didn't give me the reality chip. Having underwear on in the showephoto mode(can't tell if this is censoring on purpose or an actual bug). Mouths not moving when people talk. Many combat bugs, being stuck in scan mode. Unable to change equipment sometimes. Floating UI that won't disappear.
Just all over the place with bugs really. I'm 100% sure there is more. Bugs are just part of a game but this shit is unacceptable from a triple a studio at launch of a game in development for 10 years.
The UI is very bad, the bright red color is annoying and a good QOL would be allow us to pick the color and scaling because, the text is very small sometimes and hard to read. The minimap is pretty bad and too far zoomed in to be of any help outside. I find myself constantly having to look through the map when I'm going somewhere.

Lies/Deception/Illegal Marketing Tactics/Left Out Content.

It has to be said. This game was said to be an RPG. They hammered this point home, again and again and again. Now they've quietly relabeled it as an Action/Adventure game. This is a bait and switch and is illegal.
Here's a good list of missing features.
Here's a good overview of the deception.

Conclusion

In conclusion; this is something you would expect from an Indie studio that hates their fan base. It has no soul, no love. And it seems the only people on the team that cared were the art and music department. Major props to you guys. Sorry you had to hard carry the group project.
I'm tired of typing so I got to give this game a final score of.....

1/5
And don't mistake my hate for rail-roads being the reason for the low score. All RPGs rail-road you into the main storyline. That's kinda their whole schtick. Cyberpunk takes the 'RPG' and shoves it firmly into a trash compactor. The are doing the one thing an RPG should never do... Rail-roading you into approaching the story how they want.

But it has Keanu Reaves so that actually makes it a 10/5. Happy gaming.

Binance official gambling site Bplay is rigged!

In a terrible situation (venting)

Notes and Highlights of Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear’s Live Update December 17, 2020

Notes and Highlights of Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear’s Live Update December 17, 2020
Notes by mr_tyler_durden and Daily Update Team
Watch here:

Youtube: Update (YT Channel)
Facebook: Update (FB Page)

Headlines

234,021 Cases (+3,349), 2,316 Deaths (+54)
New cases by county: 475x Jefferson, 178x Kenton, 171x Boone, 126x Fayette, 119x Campbell, 106x Pulaski, 103x Hardin, 94x Daviess, 86x Madison, 80x Warren, 70x Wayne, 57x Laurel, 57x McCracken, 57x Shelby, 56x Pike, 48x Oldham, 44x McCreary, 38x Russell, 37x Taylor, 34x Jessamine, 34x Perry, 33x Bell, 32x Christian, 32x Letcher, 32x Nelson, 31x Bullitt, 31x Lincoln, 30x Anderson, 28x Allen, 28x Graves, 28x Henderson, 28x Marion, 28x Marshall, 28x Rowan, 27x Mercer, 26x Boyle, 24x Clinton, 24x Grant, 24x Montgomery, 23x Logan, 23x Ohio, 22x Floyd, 21x Adair, 21x Scott, 21x Spencer, 20x Calloway, 20x Fleming, 20x Mason, 19x Boyd, 19x Carter, 19x Casey, 19x Trigg, 18x Franklin, 18x Meade, 18x Muhlenberg, 17x Woodford, 16x Martin, 16x Whitley, 15x Knox, 14x Clark, 14x Garrard, 14x Hopkins, 13x Barren, 13x Harlan, 13x Simpson, 13x Washington, 12x Clay, 12x Lawrence, 12x Pendleton, 11x Knott, 10x Carroll, 10x Monroe, 9x Harrison, 9x Larue, 9x Lee, 9x Morgan, 9x Rockcastle, 9x Todd, 8x Bath, 8x Greenup, 7x Cumberland, 7x Jackson, 7x Lyon, 7x Owen, 6x Bourbon, 6x Hart, 6x Henry, 6x Johnson, 6x McLean, 6x Trimble, 5x Butler, 5x Gallatin, 5x Green, 5x Nicholas, 5x Union, 5x Wolfe, 4x Breathitt, 4x Carlisle, 4x Edmonson, 4x Estill, 4x Hancock, 4x Leslie, 3x Breckinridge, 3x Fulton, 3x Grayson, 3x Powell, 3x Webster, 2x Bracken, 2x Caldwell, 2x Elliott, 2x Lewis, 2x Livingston, 2x Owsley, 1x Ballard, 1x Hickman, 1x Magoffin, 1x Metcalfe
New deaths by county: 67 M Bullitt, 72 M Bullitt, 94 F Calloway, 83 F Carroll, 47 M Casey, 81 F Christian, 69 M Christian, 97 F Clinton, 82 M Clinton, 76 M Daviess, 92 F Fayette, 88 F Graves, 63 F Grayson, 68 F Grayson, 85 F Hardin, 94 M Henderson, 84 F Hopkins, 64 M Hopkins, 98 M Hopkins, 82 F Jefferson, 97 F Jefferson, 47 M Jefferson, 87 M Jefferson, 85 F Jessamine, 55 M Jessamine, 77 M Johnson, 66 M Kenton, 75 F Knott, 79 F Knott, 75 M Larue, 88 F Logan, 88 F McLean, 76 F Madison, 85 F Madison, 90 F Madison, 99 F Madison, 77 M Madison, 89 M Madison, 83 M Mason, 87 M Mason, 76 M Monroe, 81 F Muhlenberg, 77 M Muhlenberg, 61 F Nelson, 52 M Nelson, 75 M Oldham, 86 M Oldham, 95 M Oldham, 70 M Robertson, 87 M Robertson, 63 M Russell, 92 F Spencer, 73 F Union, 58 F Washington
Good News
.
Alright, the Healthy at Home Eviction Relief Fund is closed to applications, we had to close it today at noon, and that's because we now have 396 completed applications. <...>We're going to spend all of those dollars, all $15M and we're going to help at least 3477 households, I think that number will be more like 3,700.
Vaccine: So yesterday we were happy to confirm all 11 of the hospitals that Kentucky set to receive the initial delivery of vaccines have confirmed their receipts. <...> So the new news today is Pfizer has confirmed a second shipment for next week of 27,300 doses. Now the majority of this, and I'll explain in a minute, is going to go to our long term care program. We're excited that a second shipment was finally confirmed, I will say that this is lower than we anticipated based on the first allocation.
So today we are also starting our vaccine campaign, so that we can provide information to Kentuckians and build their confidence in these amazing vaccines. So, there are a couple phases of the campaign. <...> Video: It's just a little shot but the COVID-19 vaccine does more than keep you from getting sick. It will get folks back to work. Get our kids back at school. It's a shot of relief, of hope. All we have to do Kentucky is keep doing our part. We can't all get the vaccine at once, but we'll all get a turn. Get the facts, at http://kyCOVID19.ky.gov/
WH Report: That despite the nation escalating dangerously, we have seen a stability, that would be their way of saying a plateau, in new cases and a decrease in test positivity. That means we are doing better while the rest of the nation is doing worse. Here is what we showed in the map, just on Monday, that hospitals are reporting critical staffing shortages. We showed it more in ICU beds and how many are taken, but the state is managing. <...> A couple of other points, they talk a little bit about the vaccine and their current thinking, especially as we get past the stage they're in. They ask us to ensure comprehensive analysis of next tier priority of vaccinations, understand immunization of individuals over 65 will have the greatest impact on hospitalizations and deaths. In other words, if we want to cut down our deaths as quickly as we can, after long term care, they're suggesting we look at Kentucky ages 65 and up. That'll reduce deaths and also create more hospital capacity for everybody else who might get sick. And then they give some pretty startling statistics if you haven't seen them for those over 70 with COVID infection. 20% or more that get the infection are admitted to the hospital, nearly 10% die.<...>Also, a couple other warnings here, and significant warnings that at this point if you're over 65, or with a significant health condition, don't go to any indoor public space where anyone is unmasked. The White House now says that is an immediate threat to your health. So make sure you get groceries delivered, or have them have them brought to your car, and your medications delivered. That's where we are.
Dr. Stack: So as we look to Christmas, and Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, and New Years, and all the other holidays that happen around this time of year, it's very important that we adjust what we normally would do for the COVID year. So, we are again asking you to limit the size of your gatherings to eight people max, and no more than two households. Ideally you would stay with only your own household. I know this is difficult. I enjoy as much as anyone else getting together this time of year, clearly it is a highlight of the last few weeks of any year. But if you get together with people with whom you do not live, you should assume someone in that group is infected. If you eat and drink and take your masks off, you should assume you are at high risk for getting infected. The disease is that widespread at this time. <...>
Dr Stack: The Governor already commented that the KY COVID-19 hotline ((800) 722-5725) is now prepared to begin addressing people's general questions about vaccines. So if you are curious about its safety or its appropriateness for you they are prepared to answer general questions. Obviously, there is still limited information on a number of things you may be curious about and as we get more information the personnel there answering your questions will get progressively more information they can share. Things that you should not call that hotline for are asking to schedule appointments, asking “When am I going to be able to get the vaccine?”, advocating for when you should get the vaccine, those are things that they are not in a position to answer. So please save that hotline for people who have questions, who have information they're trying to find, and perhaps you have more difficulty navigating our website. For everyone else, our website- we will continue to update the vaccine page, so that we put more information, as we go forward, as we learn more about the guidance from the federal government and the subsequent phases for the vaccination we'll also try to put information there, so that people can have a one stop shop to go and find more recent updates.<...>
I've seen some reports that some Pfizer vials of vaccine contain an extra one or even two extra doses. Is that something that you're hearing from hospitals around Kentucky and could that mean that there are more than the 38,000 doses in this initial shipment? -- Let's send that over to Dr Stack because he just put out his opinion on that today. And let's hear from him directly.
- Dr Stack: [...] So yes, whenever they fill these vials the overfill just a little bit to make sure that they don't under fill the vial and it turns out that a lot of sites for reporting that they were able to pull out a full sixth additional dose for a five dose vial, it may be there's extra material beyond that. The FDA issued some tweets, even for me it seems odd that Twitter has become an official communication platform, but they have shared that they recommend that those extra doses, if they are full doses, that they be used. And I issued a memorandum today to the 11 hospitals who currently have inventory in Kentucky that they should, in fact, feel permitted to use those while we await official FDA guidance via channels, other than Twitter, so they are able to do that.
Will the number of people who choose not to get vaccinated have any impact on the timeline of when the state will start relaxing restrictions and mandates? -- We believe- I think the answer there is yes and no. We believe that enough Kentuckians are going to be willing to take the vaccine to where that won't be an issue but there will be the amount of time it takes to get everyone who wants to take a vaccine, a vaccine. You know they say nationally they want more than 70% maybe closer to 80% of individuals to take the vaccine, obviously getting there is going to require us having more knowledge on younger adults. But right now where I see public opinion, I believe that we can get there in Kentucky.
We've gotten questions from listeners, discussing the differences between the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccines. Is there one that either of you prefer over the other, or you have equal confidence in both and you're just going to be happy to get one or the other? Thank you. -- [...] Pfizer right now has been through the emergency approval process, Moderna hasn't gotten through that yet. Provided it does, and all things being equal, they appear to be 94, 95% effective each. Pfizer has a three week time period between initial shot and booster, Moderna has a four week time period, but if you're asking me in working on the logistics of getting the vaccine out all over the Commonwealth, Moderna doesn't require the deep refrigeration and so in many ways that makes it easier to get out to people.
- Dr Stack: So I agree with the governor, that there are differences in the timing and the logistics, but I would say if you are willing to receive a vaccine, and I hope the vast majority of you will be, then I think you should take whichever one you could get. It appears that though there are different timings and storage characteristics the performance of both is functionally equivalent and so you will get similar protection for both of them, so I would take the first one you can get.
Slides from Update

Full Notes

Hi everybody, it's four o'clock on Thursday, that’s when we get together and remember that we're gonna get through this, and we're gonna get through this together. I want to thank Logan County Schools for today's mask and for everything they do to educate our children, whether remotely, or in-person. Thank you for all your efforts in protecting our kiddos. We're going to start today with a couple pieces of good news, both in our economy, and in fighting COVID-19, then we're going to look at some of the entries in the White House report. And then get to our COVID report for the day, which, while the numbers are showing that we are stabilizing, or at least a little decrease from last week, we have our highest number of deaths today. So that'll be a tough part of today, but let's start with good news which we need to celebrate when we have it, and we do today.
So today I'd like to share news of another great company growing here in Kentucky. Taica Cubic Printing Kentucky, in Winchester, provides cubic printing, paint application, and assembly services on substrates for tier one automotive suppliers. The company opened its Clark County facility less than a decade ago, but it's already become an important and critical part of that community. Taica’s initial investment in Winchester planned for the creation of 30 jobs at about $22 an hour, but to date, the company has created 44 jobs paying an average hourly wage of $26 an hour, and they're not finished growing yet. I am happy to share that Taica now plans to expand the Clark County operation with a $4.4M investment that's gonna create another 20 good paying jobs. Like many industries, it's been a difficult year for the automotive sector. So I am all that much happier to see the continued success of companies like Taica. Kentucky is home to more than 520 automotive suppliers that cover nearly every aspect of the industry. Taica's announcement today adds to the more than 100,000 Kentuckians employed by automotive related businesses. The industry's continued growth, and the creation of quality job opportunities with strong wages, will be crucial in our recovery from this pandemic, so the commitment of Taica and other auto suppliers to our state is greatly appreciated. So thank you to the leaders of Taica Cubic Printing Kentucky, and everyone who had a role in this expansion. And congratulations to Winchester and Clark County on the growth of a great company.
Today we also have some good news for Eastern Kentucky. I'm excited to announce a $450,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission's Distressed County Infrastructure Program to upgrade wastewater infrastructure in Middlesboro. The current system is 34 years old and frequently fails, requiring expensive repairs. Middlesboro will use the funding to update the main sewage lift station and address aging pumps at the wastewater treatment plant. Upon completion, the upgrades will save the city $17,000 annually in operation and maintenance expenses, and it's going to provide better wastewater service for 605 businesses and more than 4300 households. Clean drinking water is a basic human right and even in the midst of this pandemic this administration with our federal partners have been investing, especially in areas that haven't seen that steady supply of clean drinking water. We have put dollars upon dollars in Eastern Kentucky to try to correct a decades long failure to give people that basic human right of clean water. This is a big part of how we build stronger communities and prepare for our future post COVID. So congratulations to Middlesboro on the award and thank you to everybody who worked on it and made it possible. Because of your work I'm confident we'll build a stronger, better Kentucky.
Alright, this next one, I don't know if you all have seen the news on TV but it's a big one. So today, the Commonwealth is in an even stronger position to help Kentuckians as we emerged from this pandemic after the Kentucky Supreme Court reinstated an almost $1.3B award for the Commonwealth of Kentucky and a judgment against Pokerstars. That's right, $1.3B. The Supreme Court reinstated the Franklin circuit court judgement, concluding the Commonwealth decades long fight against illegal offshore internet gambling. This will never be enough to make up for the damage to Kentucky's families and the states from the years of irresponsible and criminal actions, but this is a good day for Kentucky. This better positions us to emerge from this painful pandemic to help Kentuckians, to help our businesses, to provide quality health care to more Kentuckians, to strengthen our public schools and keep our promises to educators and other public employees, some of whom have been on the front lines battling the fallout of this company's greed. I also want to congratulate J Michael Brown, my executive cabinet secretary, for bringing actions on behalf of the Commonwealth in 2008, in this matter when he was the secretary of the justice and public safety cabinet, under another Beshear, seeking to stop the unregulated untaxed and illegal offshore gambling operations that were operating in Kentucky. Once the Kentucky Supreme Court's opinion is final, the Commonwealth will take aggressive steps to collect the judgment or the benefits of all Kentuckians. And I'm going admin, Michael and I have both been lawyers for much of our career and coming into this job I'd had the good fortune of securing one of the larger verdicts in the last 20 years in Kentucky of 11.4M. Well I think Michael’s case just brought in 1.3 billion, so I think once again, he gets that first place prize but I'm continuing my best to try to learn as much as I can from him.
Alright, the Healthy at Home Eviction Relief Fund is closed to applications, we had to close it today at noon, and that's because we now have 396 completed applications. And that's going to grow as some tenants and landlords call in and complete their applications. Remember, we had $15M to help people to make sure they didn't get kicked out of their home, and to make sure that they didn't emerge from this pandemic with significant debt. We're going to spend all of those dollars, all $15M and we're going to help at least 3477 households, I think that number will be more like 3,700.
Alright, let's go to the best news we've been having recently, and that's vaccines. So yesterday we were happy to confirm all 11 of the hospitals that Kentucky set to receive the initial delivery of vaccines have confirmed their receipts. These hospitals included Pikeville Medical Center, Baptist Health in Madisonville, Corbin, and Louisville, as well as Mercy Health Lourdes in Paducah. Here are some of the pictures of our frontline heroes being vaccinated, with what I believe is a miracle, a 94-95% effective vaccine. And remember these folks are folks working on COVID wings, that go in every day knowing they could contract this virus but they want to help your loved one to make sure that they can get better. So here you can see the first vaccine, in Paducah being given to Dr. Bradley Albert Albertson, a physician double-certified in both internal medicine and pediatrics, let's watch (Video).
Alright. You see everybody clapping? I got to tell you there is a new energy amongst our frontline workers. Seeing how quickly this day came, and knowing that as we move into 2021, we are going to defeat this virus, we are going to win. We have to take care of each other until we get there. So, all these pictures you've been seeing which are truly amazing, and they ought to give you hope, you ought to stay vigilant, but they ought to give you hope in a second wind. Everything you're seeing right now as part of the first allocation that came to Kentucky, the week of December 13th through the 19th and that's our first 38,025 doses from Pfizer. About two thirds of that went to long term care and the rest, went to those 11 hospitals. So the new news today is Pfizer has confirmed a second shipment for next week of 27,300 doses. Now the majority of this, and I'll explain in a minute, is going to go to our long term care program. We're excited that a second shipment was finally confirmed, I will say that this is lower than we anticipated based on the first allocation. And we'll be watching that as we move forward because the speed at which we can vaccinate long term care, the speed at which we can get back to something like-normal depends on the amount of the vaccine that we get. And it's by and large out of our control, but I want to make sure that I am transparent when we receive numbers about what we'll get, and if they're changed on us. So that same week Moderna, we believe, will get the initial allocation of 76,700. The vast majority of that are going to acute-care hospitals, all over the Commonwealth so that every acute-care hospital that is treating COVID patients, either gets it to administer itself, or a partner hospital that's gotten all the way through the system, if the other one hasn't, we'll get their amount so that they can provide those vaccinations- but every acute-care hospital, we believe next week, will have a certain number of vaccines for their frontline healthcare workers, and then we believe that the week of December 27th-31st, we will get 33,800 more doses of Moderna.

This is just December and this, again, doesn't get us through our frontline healthcare workers or through long term care. So what we'll see is, in the very least, the first couple weeks of January, if not all of January, will still be going to those most at-need populations. So everybody stay patient. It's a wonderful day. We can see the end in sight. And it's also a little scary knowing how bad COVID is right now and there's a vaccine out there and and and you want it, especially during this most dangerous time. But those who are part of our healthcare capacity need it first so that they can be in that hospital, if one of your loved ones needs their help. And then those that are disproportionately dying- Long Term Care residents, which make up almost 66% of all deaths in Kentucky, again, need to come first. Now there's a lot of questions out there about who's next after this group. The answer is the federal government hasn't come to terms with that yet. I will show you in a minute some statements from the White House Task Force, especially as it comes to age. And if number one thing is to stop deaths in fighting COVID and how we distribute the vaccine, then age is the most effective manner at rolling out the vaccine if that is the ultimate goal.

So today we are also starting our vaccine campaign, so that we can provide information to Kentuckians and build their confidence in these amazing vaccines. So, there are a couple phases of the campaign.

First is education. There we want to assure awareness and public confidence about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.

Second, we want to ensure understanding of the phased rollout of the vaccine when that information is available. And that requires patience too.

Third, we want to help Kentuckians know that by visiting http://kyCOVID19.ky.gov/ they can get trusted information about the vaccine. There's going to be an update to our vaccine page and information there on Monday.

After the education phase of the vaccine campaign, comes the engagement phase, that's engaging with Kentuckians especially discreet population groups, through the correct channels to encourage commitment to taking this vaccine. Messaging will be shaped based on what we learned through community outreach efforts with black, Hispanic, and rural populations, specifically. What we learn in these discussions will help shape how we openly, honestly, and effectively communicate with those populations and ensure that there is an equitable rollout of this vaccine, that everybody gets protected; and that we not only provide the information but we provide it in the best way to get as many people protected as possible. Our goal for the campaign is to remind Kentuckians that no one likes the idea of getting a shot, but shots are just a small fact of life.

Why? Because a shot is and always has been the end of wondering what might happen. And this little shot does more than keep you from getting sick, it gets folks back to work, it gets your kids back in school, it gets our economy up and running again. It's the road to getting back to so many things that we enjoy. It's a shot of relief and a shot of hope.

The FDA authorized vaccines continue to arrive in Kentucky, all you have to do is do your part. We can all get the vaccine at once, and we'll all get a turn. You can find all the facts that http://kyCOVID19.ky.gov/

Alright, we're gonna run it again. So here's a look at our first general message advertisement that will be hitting the airwaves soon. It'll come with audio, when it does,

Video: It's just a little shot but the COVID-19 vaccine does more than keep you from getting sick. It will get folks back to work. Get our kids back at school. It's a shot of relief, of hope. All we have to do Kentucky is keep doing our part. We can't all get the vaccine at once, but we'll all get a turn. Get the facts, at http://kyCOVID19.ky.gov/

It's a lot better when we play it at the right time. So that's just the first of the messaging, as it will roll out. And that part of keep doing your part is so critical because we still have very high levels of COVID, it's still taking a lot of lives. In fact today I believe it's taken 54 lives. So let's keep doing our part to protect one another, until everybody gets a chance to get this vaccine, a shot at getting their shot.

I want to go over some of what the White House report this week. It says, first in their summary, the White House coronavirus Task Force sees what we're seeing in our numbers. That despite the nation escalating dangerously, we have seen a stability, that would be their way of saying a plateau, in new cases and a decrease in test positivity. That means we are doing better while the rest of the nation is doing worse. Here is what we showed in the map, just on Monday, that hospitals are reporting critical staffing shortages. We showed it more in ICU beds and how many are taken, but the state is managing. In other words, we're at a dangerous place but we are not over the tipping point yet. It's one of the reasons we're prioritizing the vaccine for our frontline health care workers but also why we need your help.

A couple of other points, they talk a little bit about the vaccine and their current thinking, especially as we get past the stage they're in. They ask us to ensure comprehensive analysis of next tier priority of vaccinations, understand immunization of individuals over 65 will have the greatest impact on hospitalizations and deaths. In other words, if we want to cut down our deaths as quickly as we can, after long term care, they're suggesting we look at Kentucky ages 65 and up. That'll reduce deaths and also create more hospital capacity for everybody else who might get sick. And then they give some pretty startling statistics if you haven't seen them for those over 70 with COVID infection. 20% or more that get the infection are admitted to the hospital, nearly 10% die. You’ve got to think for those are 70 this thing is 10 times more deadly than it is to the rest of the population. So this is advice from the White House Task Force and these are considerations they're asking us to take as we look at the next tier.

Also, a couple other warnings here, and significant warnings that at this point if you're over 65, or with a significant health condition, don't go to any indoor public space where anyone is unmasked. The White House now says that is an immediate threat to your health. So make sure you get groceries delivered, or have them have them brought to your car, and your medications delivered. That's where we are. If you're over 65, or you have one of these medical conditions, don't go to any place that is not enforcing a mask mandate for everybody inside. For those who continue to refuse to wear masks and want to be served in facilities, the White House is saying you are a deadly threat to anyone over that age. Please wear that mask when you go out. And if you're under 40 assume you became infected if you gather beyond your immediate household. Again, this is saying that we shouldn't get out with those outside of our household.

Again, a couple more that you can read here, but the final one warning about any gathering during December holiday. In other words, this Christmas, which is certainly one of my, if not my favorite, day of the year- do it with your immediate household. Do it with those that you live with. Remember what Christmas is about and remember the example that Jesus said and his teachings about caring for one another. Let's not do Christmas in a way that would dishonor loving our neighbor as ourselves. Let's make sure that we do the right thing over this holiday to protect those we love and all of those around us.

Positive cases today: 3,349 - Now that is a lot, but it is still less than last week

Probable cases: 828

Total confirmed cases: 234,021

Children Under 18: 372

New cases by county: 475x Jefferson, 178x Kenton, 171x Boone, 126x Fayette, 119x Campbell, 106x Pulaski, 103x Hardin, 94x Daviess, 86x Madison, 80x Warren, 70x Wayne, 57x Laurel, 57x McCracken, 57x Shelby, 56x Pike, 48x Oldham, 44x McCreary, 38x Russell, 37x Taylor, 34x Jessamine, 34x Perry, 33x Bell, 32x Christian, 32x Letcher, 32x Nelson, 31x Bullitt, 31x Lincoln, 30x Anderson, 28x Allen, 28x Graves, 28x Henderson, 28x Marion, 28x Marshall, 28x Rowan, 27x Mercer, 26x Boyle, 24x Clinton, 24x Grant, 24x Montgomery, 23x Logan, 23x Ohio, 22x Floyd, 21x Adair, 21x Scott, 21x Spencer, 20x Calloway, 20x Fleming, 20x Mason, 19x Boyd, 19x Carter, 19x Casey, 19x Trigg, 18x Franklin, 18x Meade, 18x Muhlenberg, 17x Woodford, 16x Martin, 16x Whitley, 15x Knox, 14x Clark, 14x Garrard, 14x Hopkins, 13x Barren, 13x Harlan, 13x Simpson, 13x Washington, 12x Clay, 12x Lawrence, 12x Pendleton, 11x Knott, 10x Carroll, 10x Monroe, 9x Harrison, 9x Larue, 9x Lee, 9x Morgan, 9x Rockcastle, 9x Todd, 8x Bath, 8x Greenup, 7x Cumberland, 7x Jackson, 7x Lyon, 7x Owen, 6x Bourbon, 6x Hart, 6x Henry, 6x Johnson, 6x McLean, 6x Trimble, 5x Butler, 5x Gallatin, 5x Green, 5x Nicholas, 5x Union, 5x Wolfe, 4x Breathitt, 4x Carlisle, 4x Edmonson, 4x Estill, 4x Hancock, 4x Leslie, 3x Breckinridge, 3x Fulton, 3x Grayson, 3x Powell, 3x Webster, 2x Bracken, 2x Caldwell, 2x Elliott, 2x Lewis, 2x Livingston, 2x Owsley, 1x Ballard, 1x Hickman, 1x Magoffin, 1x Metcalfe

Northern Kentucky has gotten hit hard. Pulaski County multiple days of high cases, but every single area in the state has multiple counties with 30 or more cases. Remember, it's everywhere.

Total tests conducted: 3,207,769 (PCR: 2,968,844, Serology: 99,173)

Positivity Rate: 8.45% - Our positivity rate it's down a little bit, but it's still pretty flat at 8.45%

Total hospitalized: 12,129

Currently hospitalized: 1,817 - Hospitalization up a little bit

Total in ICU: 2,830

Currently in ICU: 431

On a ventilator: 254

Total recovered: 33,666

New deaths today: 54

Total Deaths: 2,316

Alright, so our death report today is going to be one of the hardest since early on. It's by far the most people that we've lost. And remember that's a reflection of where this virus was about three weeks ago, and where it was trending because increase in deaths follow an increase in cases. More people get infected, a percentage of those will be hospitalized, and a percentage of those will die. So the more people who get infected the more people need to go to the hospital and the more people don't make it. I hope we don't have another day, where we have 54 deaths and this is going to be hard, because these are 54 families that need our help, and our compassion, and our green lights which is the color of compassion and renewal. They also need us to do better. Follow the rules to follow the restrictions because if you don't know someone who's been lost to COVID, someone close to you hasn't been lost to COVID, or someone close to someone you know then you're not listening. Because it has happened all over, Kentucky- far, far too much loss.

(continued in stickied comment)

ASA - Advertising Standards Authority

is advertising gambling illegal

is advertising gambling illegal - win

Kakegurui – Compulsive Gambler

Advertising alcohol or gambling should be illegal like advertising tobacco is

IF Online Gambling is Illegal in the United States, why is Poker Stars allowed to advertise itself on TV? Sure they have free games, but once you download it asks you to deposit real money.

[#181|+1266|102] TIL that it is not illegal to fix a sporting event for profit-driven but non-gambling schemes such as clandestine manipulation for the purpose of increasing suspense, viewer engagement and advertisement effectiveness

I wrote a long reply on why gambling, and loot boxes in particular, are bad...

FuboTV DD (First time making DD, please give advice)

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today in history

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disclaimer

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Illegal CSGO case opening sites openly advertising to Minors

Every problem with this game laid out in a review

Binance official gambling site Bplay is rigged!

In a terrible situation (venting)

Notes and Highlights of Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear’s Live Update December 17, 2020

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