As title said, I have been told I have cirrhosis based off the Fibroscan, but took a CT Scan and doc said no sign of scarring and also took a recent endoscopy which the doc said looks fine, but it did have inflammation due to Acid Reflux. Was told 6-9 months ago that I was low on vitamin D so I have recently been taking Vitamin D almost every day. Had some other blood work that was off like;
ANA (Positive Abnormal), AST/SGOT POS(62 High), p02 nonarterial(93 High), 02Sat (97 High), ALT/SGPT POC(62 High), CK POS(298 High),
Recent testing has showed the levels have stabilized.
Also had a Ultrasound for a liver and galbladder area and this is what it said; Ultrasound abdomen limited
TECHNIQUE: Sonogram of the right upper quadrant abdomen was performed. COMPARISON: No available comparison exam. FINDINGS: The liver is within normal limits in echogenicity and echotexture. No hepatic mass. No definite liver contour nodularity. No intra or extrahepatic bile ductal dilatation. The common duct measures 4 mm in diameter. 0.5 cm gallbladder polyp. No gallstone. No pericholecystic fluid. No sonographic Murphy's sign. The main portal vein is patent with hepatopetal flow on grayscale, color and spectral Doppler. Unremarkable partial visualized pancreatic head. The right kidney measures 11.7 cm in length. The right renal cortex is within normal limits in echogenicity. No right hydronephrosis. No gross right renal mass or stone. Unremarkable visualized upper.
Doc seems to not be taking this as serious as I feel it could be, I have been getting some rashes, loss of hair, joint pain, we talked about maybe Lupus.

When it comes to maintaining hygiene with convenience, automatic soap dispensers are a must-have in any modern home or commercial setting. Let’s delve into the features, benefits, and user experiences of three popular models to help you make an informed decision.
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2. Everlasting Comfort Automatic Soap Dispenser The Everlasting Comfort model is celebrated for its no-drip feature and adjustable output, which users find ideal for various soap types, including lotion and shower gel. Its motion sensor is praised for its responsiveness, and the modern design is a hit among users looking to add a touch of elegance to their spaces. While the majority of reviews are positive, citing its long battery life and hygienic touchless operation, a few users have experienced issues with functionality, such as receiving a non-working unit
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Recommendation: For those seeking a balance of style, functionality, and user satisfaction, the Everlasting Comfort Automatic Soap Dispenser stands out as the best choice. Its no-drip technology and adjustable output cater to a wide range of soap types, while the sleek design is sure to complement any decor. Despite a few reports of malfunctions, the overall user experience is overwhelmingly positive, making it a reliable and stylish addition to any setting.
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An old research paper reprinted in cheap textbooks:
Tibius Magdorus
Skingrad School of Julianos
4E 357
The nature of the soul has been a matter of debate among scholars and priests for millennia. However, recent research has brought us much closer to the truth of such matters, at least as the soul pertains to the old “white” and “black” divides. Indeed, many misconceptions must be rectified, and that is the purpose of this paper. First, however, some history needs to be established.
The original divide between white and black souls was devised by Vanus Galerion (2E 581) in order to combat the Order of the Black Worm by establishing legal “white” souls trapped from non-sapient beings and illegal “black” souls harvested from sapient beings. This has remained the “common knowledge” of souls even to this very day. It is, however, a purely political construct which bears little similarity to actually existing modern research. After all, Galerion’s old system of soul trapping defined the souls of Minotaurs as “white,” which would no doubt disturb our friends from Sancre Tor.
In modern terminology the “color” of a soul is not a matter of size or humanity, but content. White souls are raw Anuic creatia, formless and easily shaped by the psychomancer. All souls are white at birth; research performed by scholars at the University of Kragenmoor (Rallon et al., 4E 355) found that the souls of feti are not significantly different in substance from the soul of an ox or a goat, often weaker. Black souls are dense with psychic substance: as mortal souls absorb mythic pollution in the form of memories, emotion, knowledge, belief, daedrons, magicka and so on, the density increases, the soul becoming “darker.” This process is a spectrum, however, not the crude binary dated literature might lead you to believe. The most common “black” souls in usage, those of condemned prisoners, are not as dense as the souls of great mages; size is also known to be variable, mammoths and very old trolls often have souls as large as an average Dunmer or Nibenean (Adair et al., 4E 250).
In the past, necromancers erroneously believed black souls were inherently superior to white souls. Today enchanters and psychomancers have noted that both souls have drawbacks. White souls are generally useful for any kind of task, but are weak and therefore require a larger quantity for any given product. In contrast, black souls are much stronger but are specialized. Argonian souls, for example, produce more reliable water-breathing amulets and war veteran souls are more useful in combat-enhancing enchantments. Otherwise they are only about as powerful as a “grand” level white soul, sometimes weaker (see again, Adair et al., 4E 250).
Perhaps the most recent controversy in soul science has been the issue of “souldust,” the residual soul particulates which are emitted from ingenium workshops. They seem to have negative effects on overexposure; the Benevolence of Mara in Bravil (4E 356) reporting incidents of patients gaining memories of other lives, imbalanced emotions, dissociated identities, increased agitation, disturbing dreams, insomnia, and mental fatigue. A similar report found this “soul sickness” is disrupting natural ecosystems, killing plants and causing abnormal behavior in animals (Elisgan and Cassa, 4E 341). Counter arguments from the Chorrol Academy and the University of Skywatch refute this, insisting such diseases are more complex and souldust is a negligible variable (Doran, 4E 347; Larethal, 4E 350). May future research endeavor to clarify these mysteries and unlock the true potential of the soul.
References
Adaire, V., Gaien, L., N’Thula, & al-Rihad, J. (4E 260). Variations of soul productivity in arcane engineering. Journal of Psychomancy, 9(1), 28-40.
Benevolence of Mara, Bravil. (4E 346). Modern soul-sickness in Tamriel. Benevolence of Mara Health Reports.
Doran, U. (4E 347). A refutation of the Benevolence of Mara’s ideological warfare on modern industry. Chorrol Academy Press.
Elisgan and Cassa. (4E 341). Souldust pollution in Woodhearth and environs. Republic Ecology Review, 10(1), 50-91.
Galerion, V. (2E 581). Guild Memo on Soul Trapping. Collected Texts of the Mages Guild, pp. 399*.*
Larethal, K. (4E 350). Souldust pollution re-examined. University of Skywatch Magazine.
Rallon, Z., Hlaalo, C., Sadryon, A., & Gulas, T. (4E 355). An analysis of stillborn souls. Kragenmoor University Press.

Turn 1 - Pick murloc that buffs minions in hand by +2/+1 called very hungry winterfinner, pick divine shield quillboar, pick choral mrrglr
Turn 2 - Play very hungry winterfinner, get 3 procs during that combat, they hit the cards that are locked in hand, get super excited
Turn 3 - Find another winterfinner in shop plus the buff spell. Play buff spell, partner passes wintefinner. Get triple into scourfin (deathrattle give a random inion in your hand +5/+5)
Turn 4, buy another winterfinner and random unit
turn 5 - level
Turn 6, triple scourfin into a rylak and pass
Turn 7 - fill board with more random units
Turn 8 level, and pass partner a 80/46 divine shield quillboar
Turn 9 deal 15 damage to dragons comp
Turn 10 - take 15 due to ghastchoiler dying last
turn 11- level again to get choral asap, 100 attack and around 30-40 health due to all buffs,
turn 12, level, get it down and find another choral,
turn 13 - have two chorals and the buff murlocs, scourfin, giving a bunch of units in hand buffs,
turn 14 - go fourth because someone found pokey, drakkari, and had 300/300 quillboars on the field.
Fun game.

Happy Friday, Barkada --

The PSE gained 70 points to 6628 ▲1.1%

Shout-out to Shehana Jean for the positive feedback on the AREIT div card, to Miguel Camus for fighting the good fight with his new startup (InsiderPH), to financial freedom for even more great design advice for the div cards, to daddyew for getting out (of APL) at the right time, to Dividend Pinoy for (like me) growing impatient for a warehouse REIT, to echAir for the positive feedback on my weird "building of buyers" analogy that I used to try and explain how inflows/outflows work with index rebals, to Satorun in for the tl;dr (too long; didn't read) of the DDMPR saga, to Jing for the sad boat meme appreciation, to Rod Leaf for mentioning APL's stinky FOO as the last time he saw the MB Siphon 1 ("siphoning off people's money"), to Jr Martin for warmly congratulating Ely and Gladys on their 1-year anniversary, to VodkaMartini_007 for spilling the beans on the location of the MB Siphon 1 ("the Port of Irene in Cagayan"), and to arkitrader for the pathetic boat vibes haha.
US April inflation came out and surprised to the downside, meaning that (at least in the US) domestic demand has cooled and consumer inflation has resumed its downward trend. US markets immediately pumped, with the Dow Jones average crossing the 40,000 mark for the first time. Will the PSE get any of that shine?

▌In today's MB:

• BSP holds rates steady
• DDMPR declares falling Q1 div
• Jollibee Q1 profit: P2.6-B (up 27%)
• PSE puts ANI, INFRA, C, and PNX on suspension notice

▌Daily meme Subscribe (it's free) Today's email

▌Main stories covered:

• [NEWS] BSP keeps interest rates steady... The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) [link] said yesterday that its Monetary Board decided to keep rates steady. In doing so, the BSP said that inflationary risks “continue to lean toward the upside”, but that its latest forecasts showed that “inflation would settle close tot he upper-end of the target range.” As for inflation expectations, the BSP said that those “remain well-anchored”. The Monetary Board said that it “deems it appropriate to ensure tight monetary policy settings until inflation settles firmly within the target range”, and indicated that such a stance would also “help keep inflation expectations anchored”.
  
  • MB: At least the BSP stopped talking about wage increases as a potential inflationary risk. That said, does anyone else detect an air of contradiction in what the BSP is saying? Perhaps contradiction is too strong of a term, but I get the growing sense that the BSP’s reasons for keeping rates high are somewhat diverging from its own analysis. The BSP says that it’s primary objective is price stability, so we can infer that it’s keeping rates high as a means of trying to suppress price increases, and yet the BSP has again and again told us that the driver for price increases is a problem on the supply side of the equation, not the demand side. Interest rate adjustments don’t impact supply-side problems, because interest rate increases are meant to suppress demand. We don’t have a demand problem. Adding to this is the BSP’s concern about maintaining a tight policy to keep inflation expectations anchored, despite noting just a paragraph earlier that inflation expectations were already “well-anchored”. This implies that there is psychological space for the BSP to lower rates within the framework of current expectations. This is picky stuff, I know, there are simply too many people and companies struggling under high rates to ignore the rapidly decreasing marginal utility of yet another cycle of the BSP’s conservative observation of the situation. Just my personal opinion.
• [DIVS] DDMPR declares falling Q1 div at 116% payout ratio... DDMP [DDMPR 1.17 ▲0.9%; 37% avgVol] [link] declared a Q1/24 dividend of ₱0.023476, payable on July 15 to shareholders of record as of June 19. The dividend has an annualized yield of 8.03% based on the previous closing price. The total amount of the dividend is ₱419 million, which is 116% of the ₱362 million in distributable income that DDMPR reported for the quarter. Relative to DDMPR’s IPO price, the dividend increased DDMPR’s total stock and dividend return to -32.29%, up from its pre-dividend total return of -32.33%. DDMP REIT Fund Managers reported that DDMPR’s occupancy as of March 31 was just 76%, with occupancy at its main building (DoubleDragon Plaza) listed at just 70.8%.
  
  • MB: The dividend amount is up 1.4% from DDMPR’s disastrous Q4/23 dividend, but it’s down 7.5% y/y and down 15.8% from Q1/22. DDMPR is the second-oldest REIT on the PSE. It issued its first dividend to shareholders in Q4/20. Its sponsor,DoubleDragon* [DD 10.48 ▲10.0%; 581% avgVol], is bursting at the seams with potential assets that could be downloaded to DDMPR to diversify the REIT’s portfolio and breathe some much-needed life into this stagnating afterthought. DDMPR’s assets are fine, but their strategy in how to monetize those assets is outdated. Gone are the days when high commercial rents from POGOs could excuse the growing issue of collections from those POGOs. Now we have DDMPR suffering from high (and going higher) rates of delinquency. Gone are the days when investors were lapping up the chance to get in on the commercial office space game. Now we have the threat of a POGO ban and the existential threat of AI putting all of the “easy” BPO leasing opportunities at risk. Gone are the days when DDMPR’s inactivity could be explained away by its newness. Now we’re left picking through the rubble of yet another disappointing Quarterly Report, yet another y/y dividend reduction, and bagholders have heard no plan from management on what they’ll do to right the ship.*
• [EARNINGS] Jollibee Q1 profit: ₱2.6-B (up 27%)... Jollibee [JFC 224.00 ▲0.9%; 300% avgVol] [link] posted a Q1 net income attributable of ₱2.6 billion, up 27% from its Q1/23 net income attributable of ₱2.1 billion. JFC said it was able to grow profit margins and exceed its Q1 performance outlook thanks to “healthy top line growth combined with further operational efficiencies and effective management of expenses”. JFC’s system-wide sales were up 10.4% to ₱86.8 billion due to new store additions and same-store sales growth was up 5.5%, which JFC said was due to increased volume. Across all of JFC’s segmented business units, “Europe, Middle East, Asia” had the largest same-store sales growth (+14.7%) and system-wide sales growth (+25.5%). The “People’s Republic of China” and “Highlands Coffee” were negative in terms of same-store sales growth (-3.7% and -9.0%, respectively), and only the People’s Republic of China business unit was negative in terms of system-wide sales growth (-3.7%). JFC said that its difficulties in China are partly due to a high bar effect from last year’s success, and a slowdown in the quick service restaurant industry in that country more generally. JFC said that while Highlands Coffee saw its same-store sales growth fall 9.0%, it did “better than industry” and managed to gain 4% market share during that period.
  
  • MB: The bee perseveres. It has made massive bets in “coffee” and “China” that could pay off handsomely in the future, and all of this activity has likely bought the management team some more time with its shareholder base to deliver on the delicious fruits of these bets. JFC’s stock price is up almost 150% from its COVID low, but it’s somewhat rangebound between about ₱200/share and ₱270/share. The stock hit ₱273/share in late February, only to rapidly retreat back to the ₱215/share level over the next six weeks in a pattern that the share price has repeated two or three times already this year. Generally speaking, the highs are higher and the lows are higher, but maybe with all the segments firing this busy season the stock will finally be able to push out of that range.
• [NEWS] Several notable firms placed on suspension notice for failure to report... The PSE [link] notified four high-profile companies that their shares would be suspended at 9 AM today if 2023 Annual Reports were not posted. The companies that were put on notice are Tony Tiu’s AgriNurture [ANI 0.57 ▼1.7%; 102% avgVol], Philippine Infradev [INFRA 0.53 ▲1.9%; 262% avgVol] and two from pseudo-tycoon Dennis Uy, Chelsea Logistics [C 1.30 ▲4.0%; 526% avgVol] and Phoenix Petroleum [PNX 4.17 ▼0.2%; 78% avgVol]. Should any of these companies fail to submit their Annual Reports before 9 AM, they will remain suspended for up to three months until such report is submitted. If nothing has changed after three months, the PSE must begin involuntary delisting proceedings.
  
  • MB: These companies are not a random sample, and they’re not representative of the PSE as a whole. Will ANI, INFRA, C, and PNX push their luck right up to the deadline, or will any of these companies slip into a suspended state for failure to complete one of the most basic components of public corporate life? As usual, retail bagholders will just have to wait and see what the owners decide to do.

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Nepenthe, often dubbed "The Entertainment Capital of the World," is a vibrant oasis nestled at of the edge of desert. Its skyline is adorned with iconic landmarks like the towering Obelisk, the mesmerizing Moonstone , and the labyrinthine replica of the Palace of Mirrors.
Neon lights cascade down bustling streets, drawing crowds to the endless array of casinos, hotels, and entertainment venues that line the boulevard. The air is alive with the sounds of slot machines, the laughter of revelers, and the melodies of street performers.
But alas all that glitters is not gold.
In the shadows of the glitz and glamour, organized syndicates run the streets of Old Town, enigmatic corporations pull invisible strings from their lofty towers of influence in the Financial District, the “unregistered” dodge the vice like grip of the FBME at City Center, and something immemorial calls hauntingly from desolate canyons and caverns of the Eternal Desert.
Nepenthe is a city of dreams, where fortunes are won and lost in the blink of an eye, and where the line between fantasy and reality blurs beneath the relentless glow of the desert sun.
Nepenthe is a modern setting D&D 5e ASYNC PBP campaign played over Discord. This campaign will contain adult content and themes. +18 required.
DM is 30+; PT (UTC -7); Experienced but easy going.
If interested DM with completed application:

1. What would you like to be called?
2. What is your discord handle?
3. What are your chosen pronouns?
4. How old are you?
5. What is your time zone?
6. What is your availability? Average posts per day in active campaign?
7. Would you be open to a weekly set group session in addition to normal asynchronous daily play?
8. Do you have experience with PBP and/or D&D? (No wrong answers all levels of ability are welcome)
9. What sort of characters interest you?
10. While Nepenthe is not an ERP, strong violence and gore may be present in story telling. Do you have any lines or veils? (A line would be something you prefer never to come up in game. A veil is while an event may happen within game, the action occurs “off screen” or “faded to black.”
11. Please provide me with a writing sample. (Could be from previous campaign)
12. Do you have questions for me? Anything about the campaign?

Limiting campaign to 5-6 players. I will keep applications open at least through the weekend.

16-minute read.

the AM-AZ border delimitation in Tavush is drawn with 1976 maps; village Kirants gains access to lands unreachable since the 1990s; loses 4 properties

On May 15 the border commissions of Armenia and Azerbaijan held a meeting to discuss the continuation of the Tavush-Gazakh delimitation. They confirmed the completed work and agreed to continue.
The statement says that parties are using the 1976 maps by Soviet CoGS [the one that Armenia wanted].
A Protocol was signed on the meeting results. The sides agreed to set the date and the place of the next meeting of the Commissions.
REPORTER: What does this mean?
PASHINYAN OFFICE: The commissions had installed several border posts to locate the coordinates on the ground. These coordinates were taken from the 1976 maps. Now the cartographers have agreed on the border lines between the posts, again based on the same maps. In other words, the reproduction of the border in these areas is complete and signed, and the border is considered delimited in these sections.
REPORTER: Why the 1976 maps?
PASHINYAN OFFICE: It's the map with de jure power at the time of the collapse of the USSR. The Armenian government announced that we were not drawing a new border, but rather reproducing the existing border at the time of the collapse of the USSR.
REPORTER: The commissions' statement says that these 1976 maps went through legal procedures in 1979. What does it mean, and why didn't we use the 1990 maps?
PASHINYAN OFFICE: In 1979 the relevant USSR authority verified the 1976 maps and their legal basis. These maps were used until the collapse of USSR. These are the most recent maps verified by authorized state agencies of USSR.
REPORTER: Not all border posts have been installed in the convoluted section of Kirants. How will this be resolved? Will you build new roads or houses?
PASHINYAN OFFICE: The 3 remaining coordinates of Kirants were pinpointed with the use of a computer and the border posts will be installed later. The rest [another 8 posts in Kirants] are already there. The good news for Kirants is that around 25 hectares of land that have been unreachable for 33 years will be returned to the village. The border resembles the 1976 line. As we said earlier, yes, there is a need to build a bypass road, which can be accomplished in 2-3 months. We will also rebuild the road between H-26 and Acharkut and Kirants, which is an alternative road for Kirants. As for property issues, the volumes are small and the government will compensate in such situations.
REPORTER: What about Baghanis, Berkaber, and Voskepar?
PASHINYAN OFFICE: The most sensitive topic in Voskepar was the fate of the church, and on the Voskepar-Baghanis section, it was the Soviet-era road. Both issues received the best resolution: the road is fully within Armenia and so is the church, and the border line is quite far from the road and the church. As for Berkaber, there were no such sensitive topics.
REPORTER: When will the sides deploy border guards?
PASHINYAN OFFICE: Within 8-9 days, and a bit later in the 3 sensitive areas of Kirants after further clarifications. //
On Thursday, PM Nikol Pashinyan spoke about the May 15 border commission.
PASHINYAN: This is a major success for two reasons: (1) A very important cornerstone was placed for the future development of Armenia as an independent and sovereign state, (2) for the first time since independence, we have an officially delimited border, which will significantly increase the level of stability and security in that section and along the entire border. I'd like to thank the border commission leader Deputy PM Mher Grigoryan and all members, and every member of the National Security Council.
I'll provide further details. As you recall from the May 15 statement, it says the borders are delimited based on the 1976 maps that underwent the legal procedures in 1979. As you know, our principle was to reproduce the existing border with de jure power instead of drawing a new one. To accomplish this, we made a reference to the 1991 Almaty Declaration in the April 19 agreement, and it became the basis for the entire delimitation process. On May 15 we specified the 1976 maps; these are the most up-to-date USSR maps with de jure power.
In USSR, a map could be granted a de jure power by a special state agency that collected maps and legal processes and verified their accuracy and legitimacy before confirming the administrative border of Soviet republics. In the area where these delimitations are taking place, in 1979 this USSR state agency verified the 1976 map and it's the most recent map with de jure power.
This was a very important principle for us. We must accept wherever this border passes through. If we chose to draw new borders, that would create a ground for future military conflicts and escalations. The ongoing process, which should not be underestimated or overestimated, abides by the principle of adhering to the legal border and significantly reduces or eliminates possible escalations. This agreement was a major success.
Berkaber: there were no issues here.
Baghanis & Voskepar: at first we thought that some issues could arise here, around the church and, as the locals say, the "old road". If you've ever been there you have seen this road sign, when you pass Baghanis, the sign warns you that the road is being observed [under Azeri scope] and it was not advised to use this road during tense periods. Now, as a result of border delimitation, this road is not only confirmed within Armenia, but it will be safer for travel as a result of the new circumstances [border guards replacing the militarized armed forces, less dispute = less conflicts]. As for the church, we don't have a problem here because the border passes significantly further away from it.
So to recap, we recorded no problems in Berkaber, Baghanis, and Voskepar because we chose to follow the de jure border line and we did so. Following this principle is also why we will have certain problems in Kirants because we don't want to draw an entirely new border. We must use this principle for the entire AM-AZ border, with no exceptions. Not only we are creating a precedence for delimitation, but also a formula to be used for the future entire delimitation process and to make it predictable. If parties decide to make mutual concessions in certain areas, we could discuss the launch of legislative processes to authorize them, but for now, we have agreed on a principle to be used for the entire AM-AZ border. On each section of the border, we will use the most recent USSR maps that hold de jure power.
MHER GRIGORYAN: On May 15 the border commissions also discussed the Regulation and it appears we have an agreement to reflect these principles in the Regulation. Efforts are underway to prepare the Regulation. Azerbaijan wants to continue the border delimitation with the same framework and algorithm used thus far.
PASHINYAN: We should implement the reached agreements in full within 8-10 days. The border guards were deployed in Baghanis-Voskepar around 10 days ago. They were deployed alongside the installation of the white border markers. They are currently studying the terrain to launch the permanent service there. The same will be done in other sections.
source, source, source, source, video,

the list of properties that fall under the Azeri side of the border in Kirants after the delimitation of the 3 problematic sections

1 house, 1 lodging, 1 trailer-shop that doesn't operate, and 1 garage. The government plans to compensate for them and will build a new section of this road that passes fully through Armenia.
source, source, see the map here,

opposition MP from ARF/Kocharyan faction got fed up with protesters' road blocks in Tavush villages

Gegham Nazaryan, a father of a fallen soldier and an opposition MP who - unlike his colleagues - doesn't always engage in toxic exchanges with the ruling party, decided to visit the border village Kirants, where he asked the road blockers to open it.
He engaged in an argument with a protester from another region who came to Kirants to block the road. The MP complained that blocking the road is what Azeris would want.
The MP also engaged with an activist-reporter from an opposition outlet who was covering the road blockings. The MP accused the reporter of "having bad intentions" and of "manipulations". The activist-reporter accused the MP of having secret ties with Pashinyan during an intense yelling match. "Great speech. You call yourself a journalist?", rhetorically asked the opposition MP.
ARF leaders responded saying their MP was not speaking/acting on behalf of the party.
STYOPA SAFARYAN (pro-West figure): MP Gegham Nazaryan also senses that some forces are attempting to carry out Artsakh 2.0 in Armenia by attempting to derail the border delimitation process. //
In related news. The protesters pressured the mayor of Kirants who gave an interview last week and admitted that the delimitation went much better than he expected. On Thursday he offered to resign from his position during a confrontation with an opposition media outlet reporter who was unhappy about the mayor's positive portrayal of the delimitation process.
longer video, video, video, video, source, source,

Armenian government approves a $2 billion permanent housing assistance program for Nagorno-Karabakh refugees; rollout in stages

SOCIAL MINISTRY: We need to provide long-term housing to allow the forcefully displaced persons to socially and economically integrate into Armenia. The program has three components: (1) Obtaining a house or an apartment with a subsidy, (2) building a house with a subsidy, (3) subsidizing the mortgage if the refugee has already purchased a house.

... The size of the subsidy varies depending on the geographical location and the size of the family

(1) ֏5 million ($12,900) per family member to obtain housing in one of the 242 towns or villages.
(2) ֏4 million ($10,300) per family member to obtain housing in one of 148 towns or villages.
(3) ֏3 million ($7,700) per family member for all other settlements except Yerevan's 1st and 2nd Zones.
(4) and ֏2 million ($5,200) if you already have a mortgage.

... Conditions to qualify

(a) Families forcefully displaced after 27 September 2020.
(b) Refugees who accept Armenian citizenship.
(c) The living space cannot be smaller than 12 m² per family member.
(d) The property's value cannot exceed ֏55 million ($141,000).

... If you buy a house cheaper than the subsidy amount, you can use the remaining balance to...

(1) buy agricultural land worth up to ֏5 million
(2) renovate the newly purchased house if necessary, worth up to ֏4 million
(3) buy furniture and appliances, up to ֏2 million

... Which forcefully displaced families do NOT qualify?

(a) If they are already a recipient of another housing program that began immediately after the 2020 war.
(b) If one of the family members owned a house or apartment in Armenia as of 2023-09-19 or at the time of application.

... Conditions if you want to receive aid to build your own house

(a) Select one of the preapproved projects/plans.
(b) The construction company must be licensed in Armenia.

... The assistance will stop if

(a) If two family members under the age of 55 are absent from Armenia for >180 days per year unless they leave Armenia to receive education in one of the top 400 international universities, aviation training, or military training.

... The housing assistance will roll out in phases

The first phase will include families with 3 or more children if they want an apartment or 2+ children if they want a house, low-income families, those who already have a mortgage, families who lost a member in war, and creditworthy families who can take out a separate loan amounting 50% of the assistance size.
The second phase, starting 2026-01-01, will include families with 2 children if they want an apartment or families with 1 child if they want a house.
The third phase, starting 2027-01-01, will include everyone else.

... PM Pashinyan about the refugee housing program

PASHINYAN: The working group has done a lot of work to get here, thank you. Spread the word so people will know the details of this assistance program. No one should be forced to visit or call an office to receive basic details.
We have decided not to adopt a "flat" approach; the amount of aid increases based on the family size and the location of the house. We had to exclude the [expensive and crowded] central parts of Yerevan. We also have to ensure a proportional load on the educational facilities.
If the refugee has an active mortgage loan taken in Armenia, let's say taken in 2016, each family member will receive ֏2 million towards that mortgage. So if you have a family of 6 [Nagorno-Karabakh families are often larger than Armenia-based families], you receive $31,000 to pay off your mortgage.
On the other hand, our brothers and sisters from Nagorno-Karabakh who are well-off and already own a house without an outstanding mortgage balance, won't receive assistance because the goal of this program is to help those who don't have a house.

... How much will this cost?

FINANCE MINISTER: There will be up to 25,000 recipient families, and if we use the averages, it amounts to [voice is starting to crackle] ֏500 billion ($1.3 billion) for the housing costs alone. There will be additional expenses associated with this program. Every year, for the next 10-12 years, we will confirm the annual expenditures. So the overall costs will amount to ֏700-800 billion.
PASHINYAN: So that's roughly a $2 billion investment program in Armenia. Also, by becoming citizens of Armenia to take advantage of this housing program, the refugees won't lose any refugee rights or privileges, and they will not lose the ongoing monthly cash [40+10] assistance programs.
FINANCE MINISTER: We have launched a new line in the migration services to handle the expected uptick in applications in the coming months so people won't face long lines. The passport departments in provinces will begin to handle citizenship applications just for refugees; today this is only possible in Yerevan.
video,

EU's EBRD and US's USAID to develop connectivity in the South Caucasus

During the EBRD forum held in Yerevan, the two signed a Memorandum of Understanding to develop the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor, to further enhance connectivity between Asia and Europe via the South Caucasus.
It's about expanding trade, green energy, investment, as well as transport and digital infrastructure in Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.

The MoU seeks to enhance the planning, design and construction of critical energy, transport, digital and agricultural infrastructure in the region. It also aims to: improve the efficiency of customs, tariff and border operations; attract private capital investment into the South Caucasus economies for the development of the Middle Corridor; and adopt the highest international standards to promote economic connectivity with Europe and among South Caucasus countries.

source,

other EBRD projects were announced

source,

Lake Sevan is back to 2021 levels after the heavy precipitation in May: VIDEO

OFFICIAL: As of May, the level was 1900.46, which is 2 cm higher than the 2021 mark and 29 cm higher than January 1.
2021 was a harmful year for Sevan because of unprecedented heat waves. In June 2021 there was an evaporation of 153M m³ water, which was a historical high, while the precipitation on the surface was only 4.8M m^3, which was 4x lower than the previous historical low [WTF?]. Also, the river flow was at 40%. As a result of all this, instead of the usual 7 cm increase for June, we observed a 10 cm decline.
This year the conditions have been much better. We are finally back to the May 2021 levels. The rains filled it up from above, and the Arpa-Sevan tunnel from below the rocks. This tunnel has already brought 89M m³ this year, which is 2x more than last year.
Another contributing factor is the reduced reliance on Sevan for irrigation because the agricultural fields are still wet. Last year we had to tap into Sevan starting May 14. This year the government hasn't even summoned a meeting to authorize a release of water.
The 5 largest reservoirs currently hold 605M m^3, up by 240M. Only the Aparan reservoir is lacking. In Ketchut reservoir the water is above the famous "flowers" (margaritka). This is the first time in 5 years that the water is above the margaritkas. When the water rises above margaritkas, it drops down and flows into Lake Sevan. Overall, 90% of the water entering Sevan is wasted by evaporation.
REPORTER: Rains will return starting May 22.
video,

EBRD will provide $10 million to finance the Armenian private sector’s investments in growth, competitiveness, and greener and more sustainable practices

upgrading their production facilities and processes to EU standards. At least 70 per cent of the loans will go to support the green transition. Borrowers will receive incentive grants and technical advice funded by the European Union

source,

anti-corruption: former MP from Gagik Tsarukyan's BHK party is arrested under the suspicion of defrauding several homebuyers through real estate machinations

AUTHORITIES: Ex-MP Aragats Akhoyan's construction companies collected ֏274 million from several prospective apartment buyers in 2010-2014. He pocketed the funds.
source, source, video,

Armenia signs Council of Europe's Bioethics Convention

The Oviedo Convention is the only international legal instrument that defines the principles for the protection of human rights in the field of medicine and biological medicine.
FM Mirzoyan met Marija Burić on Thursday in Strasbourg to sign it.
source,

Armenia will open an embassy in Cyprus

Currently, Armenia’s Ambassador to Greece also serves as Ambassador to Cyprus. The seat of the Cypriot Embassy in Armenia is in Moscow.
In March Cyprus said it would open an embassy in Yerevan.
source,

Belarus leader Lukashenko suggests he and Ilham Aliyev discussed the 2020 war before it began

Lukashenko is in Baku to strengthen the strategic AZ-BY relations.
LUKASHENKO: We are brothers and we have a common vision of the world and where it's headed. I remember our conversation before the 2020 war, your liberation war, when we had a philosophical debate at a dinner table. At the time we came to the conclusion that it's possible to win the war. That's important. It's very important to preserve that victory. I also agreed with you at the time that the most difficult period would come after the liberation of the lands. Today is that difficult period when we have to revive those lands and return people, while others will born there. It'll be difficult to revive these lands in 5-10 years; it requires extensive work. Belarus is ready to help Azerbaijan. //
Nikol should have greeted Putin at the airport to avoid the war.
source,

Luxembourg lawmakers urge government to act for implementation of World Court orders by Azerbaijan

Deputies have unanimously adopted a motion asking the government to act for the implementation of the ICC orders by Azerbaijan.
The MPs urge to demand from Azerbaijan an immediate release of all Armenian prisoners of war, support peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, expand the partnership between Armenia and EU, support the normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey, deepen the diplomatic relations between Armenia and Luxembourg.
source,

ranking member of Armenia's ruling party about EU membership

The MP Khandanyan says Pashinyan has already announced that Armenia wants to deepen ties with the EU as much as possible and that how soon Armenia submits a bid to become an EU candidate will depend on the signals coming from the EU. In general, today the EU is not ready to expand because some EU members oppose it, said Khandanyan. When the EU sends a signal that it's ready, Armenia will "accelerate" the steps, said Khandanyan, adding that Armenia itself has already sent that "signal" that it wants closer integration with the EU.
But first, Khandanyan says Armenia must improve its resilience because the transitional phase will be full of risks. Armenia expects the EU's assistance to improve the resilience [reduce reliance on Russia].
source,

Բրյուսելի հանդիպման արդյունքներով ԵՄ-ն կշարունակի նպաստել ՀՀ տնտեսական զարգացմանը

PM Pashinyan hosted EU's Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis to discuss the implementation of the economic agreements reached on April 5 in Brussels to improve Armenia's resilience.
Pashinyan also called for the EU's assistance in implementing the refugee housing program adopted by the Government this morning.
The EU Trade Commissioner said the EU will continue to assist Armenia's development, including in the areas of energy, infrastructure, diversification of markets, implementation of higher standards, improvement of business environment, etc.
source, other meeting, other meeting,

U.S. Ambassador Kvien is "optimistic about the opportunities offered by Armenia to U.S. and other foreign companies"

A meeting was held at the central bank building participated by Ambassador Kvien and other guests of the EBRD forum that's being held in Yerevan this year.
Ambassador Kvien also highlighted Armenia's high economic growth rate in recent years.
source,

Armenia's membership to EAEU is beneficial for Armenia: Moscow

DEPUTY FM of RUSSIA: I don't know what the Armenian leadership plans to do in the future, but EAEU is undoubtedly a mutually beneficial process. This is reflected in the economic growth figures of Armenia.
source,

Armenian government invites the head of Metsamor nuclear plant to join talks with European Commission officials

The infrastructure ministry and NPP chief met a delegation led by the European Commission's Deputy Director-General for International Cooperation and Development Marjeta Jager.
The European Commission official thanked for the invitation and welcomed the steps by the Armenian government towards the energy reforms in Armenia. They spoke about NPP's operation and future plans.
They discussed the exchange of experience and financial programs.
source,

Armenia and European Commission officials discussed the implementation of April 5 agreements reached in Brussels

The head of the European Commission's Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations Adrienn Kiraly was hosted by foreign ministry on Thursday.
They discussed programs to improve Armenia's resilience under the April 5 agreement, the full implementation of CEPA and its expansion.
source,

Moscow released a somewhat misleading statement after the recent meeting between Pashinyan and Putin, according to National Security Council chief Armen Grigoryan

According to Grigoryan, Pashinyan did not "ask" Putin to maintain troops on the borders with Turkey and Iran. According to Grigoryan, Pashinyan asked Putin to remove the Russian guards from Yerevan's airport and AM-AZ border, and when Putin asked Pashinyan if he also wanted to remove them from TR and IR border, Pashinyan said "no", because those guards were installed under a different agreement. Context in Wednesday news digest.
Grigoryan also criticized Russia's attempts to stoke divisions between Armenia and Iran by presenting the EU observer mission as anti-Iranian. Grigoryan demanded Russia present evidence of the EU mission carrying out activities outside of their AM-AZ border monitoring mission. "Iran has already expressed its stance. I don't understand why Russia is attempting to use the EU's Monitoring Mission to cause issues," said Grigoryan.
source,

Armenia's NatSec chief Armen Grigoryan advised Russia to improve its own human rights conditions and freedom of speech before commenting on Armenia's internal affairs

Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova recently complained about Armenian police using force to clear the roads blocked by pro-Russian party activists. Zakharova also complained that the West wasn't criticizing the Armenian government for it.
NatSec GRIGORYAN: Armenian protesters have been able to fully exercise their freedom of speech during legally organized rallies. Illegal actions are obviously countered by police. Perhaps Russia should first look at itself before criticizing us.
REPORTER: Look at what? Russia doesn't have opposition, how can they oppress something that doesn't exist?
ARMEN GRIGORYAN: Russia should discuss its own kitchen. The developments in Armenia are not related to Russia.... or are they? If these protests are tied to Russia, Moscow should directly say so. If Moscow sees a problem, they must say it directly, and not do so by dragging others like they did in the case of Iran and the EU Mission.
source,

during a meeting in Yerevan, Jordan's foreign ministry expressed concern over the attempted takeover of part of the Armenian district of Jerusalem

The Deputy FM of Jordan met his Armenian counterpart in Yerevan to discuss bilateral relations and regional issues. The parties criticized the attempts to change the status quo in Jerusalem.
source,

Pashinyan and Diaspora Office held a meeting about the iGorts professional repatriation program: VIDEO

source,

monkeys could soon become smarter than you

Are monkeys entering the stone age? Capuchin primates were filmed using tools to dig for food underground, days after an orangutan treated its own wound with plant.
The footage joins a growing number of studies looking into the tiny South American primate's use of stone and stick tools, an emerging field that some research universities now describe as 'documenting the Monkey Stone Age in real-time.'
video,

ALL TIME PICK RECORD: 223-156 (verified on my instagram finzchatsmma)
LAST WEEK: 5-7 (ouch)
PRELIMS
SW W Bout: Emily Ducote v. Vanessa Demopoulos
Records: 13-8 v. 10-5
Last 5 Fights: WLLWW v. WLWWW

• Ducote is coming off a win against Ashley Yoder who was coming off a 2 year layoff herself
• Emily throws with a lot of power but often finds herself getting outvolumed in earlier rounds - she debatably lost RD1 against Yoder but almost got a late round finish with how she pushed the pace
• Against Hill and Loopy, she was kept on the backfoot and was getting outworked by both of them - not bad losses considering those are two elite/crafty strawweights
• Ducote has excellent TD defense as well - the only bad thing is she sometimes leaves openings on the break of a takedown - both loopy and Angela clipped Ducote a couple times on the exit
• Vanessa has a big reach disadvantage in nearly every fight she has fought in, but she was able to record a clean knockdown on Maria Oliviera who had a 10+ inch reach advantage, so I don’t think this matters too much
• One thing about Vanessa is her reach is a$$, so she is absorbing way more strikes than a normal strawweight would - but then you look at Ducote, and she somehow absorbs even more (vanessa 5 to ducote’s 7)
• Ducote lands double the strikes Vanessa does and Ducote’s only UFC losses have been to high caliber competition who have been able to outland her
• I don’t envision Vanessa getting a takedown which is her main path to victory - she does have some punching power but Emily is way more accurate and lands bigger shots
• Vanessa has a chance to get Emily out early since she’s a slow starter, but I think Emily has what it takes to finish the fight here
• Vanessa is debatably on a 2 fight losing streak and the one impressive win she had, she was knocked down very early, so...
• For betting purposes, I think I am staying far away

PICK: Emily Ducote by RD3 TKO
BW Bout: Alatengheili v. Kleydson Rodriguez
Records: 16-9-2 v. 8-3
Last 5 Fights: LWWDL v. LWLWW

• 1st thing I like to examine is if either fighter has been chinned: Alatengheili has been chinned 3 times, all outside the UFC, to varying levels of opponents; Kleydson has yet to suffer a KO loss
• I rate Alatengheili’s win over Chad Anheliger more than anyone on Kleydson’s resume
• Kleydson has had one convincing win and it was a KO against Shannon Ross - who hasn’t knocked out Shannon Ross? - The other win on DWCS was a complete mismatch as he had a 5 inch reach advantage, and his opponent finished his pro career with a record of 6-4 after that.
• Alan hasn’t broken 50 sig strikes landed in any of his 7 UFC bouts - he throws with power as evidenced in his RD1 KO over Kevin Croom - he had a near 10 inch reach disadvantage in that bout as well
• Both men will utilize takedowns if they feel they can win a round with them - they don’t land many and aren’t good at controlling
• To properly handicap Kleydson, we can only really look at his bout against CJ Vergara since that’s the only one with no shenanigans
• In that bout, he was off to a face start, but time and time again I am seeing that if he is on the backfoot, he is not having a good time
• Kleydson is not good at fending off takedowns, but he is good at reversing positions on bottom at the expense of a lot of energy
• Alan’s main paths to victory are going to be shoot for takedowns and pressure Kleydson as much as he can
• I think alat can definitely do this - in fights he has lost, he finds moments of success - against Gutierrez, he got lit up with leg kicks for 12 minutes and then almost found a knock out against the cage
• Kleydson’s only path to win here is a knockout early - I think Alat has more paths to victory if he can mix in wrestling and continue his forward pressure throughout the fight, leading to a late round finish or a decision victory
• For betting purposes, I do like the idea of a unit on Alatengheili

PICK: Alatengheili by UD
SW W Bout: Piera Rodriguez v. Ariane Carnelossi
Records: 9-1 v. 14-3
Last 5 Fights: LWWWW v. LWWLW

• Both women have not fought in a year, and Ariane hasn’t fought in 2 years since her loss to Loopy Godinez
• Carnelossi doesn’t handle takedowns well - she has an 8% TD defense - she was taken down 8 times by Godinez and THREE times by LIANG NA THE GOAT
• In the defense of Ariane, she did suffer a knee injury in the first round which left her wide open for takedowns, but surrendering 3 to liang na is not a good look
• Piera, on the other hand, has landed takedowns on every opponent she has faced thus far and averages over 3 per contest
• Another thing to note - Carnelossi’s 2 UFC wins have come against winless UFC competitors - Nunes and Liang have ZERO UFC victories
• Piera lands more volume than Carnelossi and I think she will be able to have her way on the feet
• I have yet to be impressed by a full Carnelossi performance: she did do well against Nunes but she was rocked by Liang in RD1 and was controlled for a decent amount of time
• On the feet, I’d say the striking is very similar although I give the slight edge to Piera
• Carnelossi can also go for her own takedowns here, but Piera has done decent against women who chase TDs on her
• She did get tapped out by Gillian Robertson but I will chalk that up as an exception since Gillian is an elite BJJ practitioner
• Ultimately, I see more paths to victory for Piera - she can clip Ariane, fend off her takedowns, and get takedowns of her own
• Ariane can win by amassing control time and landing a lucky punch, but I don’t envision that happening
• Plus, Piera has been in multiple close fights that were debatably 1-1 after 2 rounds, and she has come out on top in Round 3 in all of them
• If you want to take a dog shot here, not the worst idea - this fight will more than likely be 1-1 heading into RD3 and anything can happen in low level WMMA, especially considering Ariane has been on the shelf for a while and could have been improving her game in that time
• For betting purposes, it’s dog or pass so I am passing

PICK: Piera Rodriguez by Unanimous Decision
MW Bout: Abus Magomedov v. Warlley Alves
Records: 25-6-1 v. 14-7
Last 5 Fights: LLWWW v. LLLWL

• Both fighters are coming off of short losing streaks, but both fighters were dominated in those fights by their opponents
• Abus is hard to predict - we’ve only seen him in 3 ufc bouts - he got a quick KO finish over Dustin Stoltzfus who had never been KO’d prior, a KO loss to Sean Strickland who simply outworked and put a pace on him, and a decision loss to Caio Borralho
• In that loss to Caio, we learned a lot - Abus is RD1 KO or bust and for him to be -200+ is crazy even knowing his opponent is chinny and has been finished a bunch
• Now let’s look at the Alves side - he has lost 5 of his last 7 and got finished in 4 of those losses - KO’d by Ikram at MW, split decision loss to Dalby at WW which he debatably won, KO loss to Jeremiah Wells where he debatably won RD1, triangle choke loss to Randy Brown where he won RD1 clearly, and a KO loss to James Krause where he was simply outclassed
• Alves has not performed well when he has the reach disadvantage, and he has a 6 inch reach disadvantage against Abus and will be significantly smaller
• It will be fun to see the leg kicks in this fight - both guys love to fire them at will and both have had successful KOs from their kicks
• If I was coaching Alves to win, the blueprint to beat Abus is simple - gas him out with clinch work and takedown attempts and hunt for a late round finish - Abus gasses in every fight we’ve seen that extends past the 1st
• I give Alves the wrestling advantage here - Magomedov might be Dagestani but he’s shot for only 1 takedown in his 3 UFC bouts and was unsuccessful - he shot for 0 against Borralho in a fight he was getting clipped on the feet
• Alves is chinny so backing him is a mega concern but backing Abus is equally as dumb especially at -295
• Both Alves and Magomedov are super active in RD1, so if this somehow extends beyond that, Alves is a worthy live bet
• I am predicting either a RD1 KO from Abus, or a RD3/Decision finish from Alves
• For betting purposes, I’d much rather bet the under 1.5 rds than I would a bet on either guy to win

PICK: Abus Magomedov by RD1 KO
BW W Bout: Tamires Vidal v. Melissa Gatto
Records: 7-2 v. 8-2-2
Last 5 Fights: LWWWW v. LLWWW

• The narrative for this fight is Gatto is looking for a bounce back and Vidal is the perfect opponent to get that win
• This is actually a move up in weight for Gatto - her last fight was canceled after weigh ins so rather than cutting weight again, she is fighting at BW for the 1st time in her UFC run
• Gatto seemingly possesses all the upside here - she has the takedown edge, she is better at fending off takedowns, and she has the power edge with 2 UFC KO wins compared to Vidal’s one
• Off of stats alone, you would think this fight is going to be razor close since their outputs are nearly identical
• Getting out struck by Montserrat Rendon isn’t the best look for Vidal, but Rendon fights a much different way than Gatto - she is more grindy and clinchy whilst Gatto is more in your face
• Watching the Rendon fight, it is clear what Vidal’s strategy is - she is going to pound low leg kicks until her opponent puts her hands down, then she is going to fire overhangs off of leg kick feints
• Against Rendon, this did not work - Rendon countered nearly every low kick with a cross and got multiple takedowns off of Vidal’s leg kicks
• The Gatto side isn’t super trustworthy in this matchup - when she gets taken down, she is willing to stay in guard for a long time while she fishes for subs
• If this fight hits the ground, I think a finish will soon come after
• I give Gatto the power edge, the grappling edge, and the takedown edge - I believe she can clip Vidal on the way in and get the fight to the mat, leading to a submission victory
• For betting purposes, I like this fight to end in sub

PICK: Melissa Gatto by RD2 Submission
LHW Bout: Oumar Sy v. Tuco Tokkos
Records: 9-0 v. 10-3
Last 5 Fights: WWWWW v. WWWLW

• This fight was put together this week so it’s hard to give a full handicap but I will try my best
• After suffering a KO defeat to Mingyang Zhang in the Road to UFC as a -600 favorite, Tuco went on a 3 fight win streak: decision win against a 3-2 guy, and back to back TKO victories over guys with 1-7 and 19-10 records - his record is insanely inflated
• Oumar has a relatively simple gameplan - get this fight to the mat as quickly as possible - he is a big position over submission guy so you won’t see him chasing finishes on the ground super often
• He is willing to get a sub, and he willing to get a ground and pound TKO, and he is willing to back mount for 15 minutes en route to a decision victory
• Looking at the tape, Tokkos can so easily get his back taken and has let opponents do this such as Clayton York
• I don’t think Oumar is chinny, and Tokkos’s main win condition is going to be an early KO which I don’t see him finding
• Oumar by sub is a risky play considering he is all 3 paths to victory, but I like it when you factor in Tokkos’ proclivity to being taken down by higher level wrestlers
• For betting purposes, I really like Oumar as a parlay piece

PICK: Oumar Sy by RD1 Submission
LW Bout: Tom Nolan v. Victor Martinez
Records: 6-1 v. 13-5
Last 5 Fights: LWWWW v. LWWWW

• Tom Nolan as a -500 favorite is absolutely crazy to me considering his only UFC performance was a 30 second KO loss, so I am going to try to do everything in my power to look for fade material in this writeup
• Well, I didn’t get far. Martinez is coming off of a KO loss to Jordan Leavitt, who only has one other KO victory in his career (by a slam)
• There’s nothing on tape that would show Martinez is chinny - his KO loss was a knee to the body, and his only other KO loss was his 1st professional fight
• Prior to his KO loss, Nolan was on a 6 fight win streak and a 4 fight KO streak
• Ok - I have seen enough
• Martinez was nearly KO’d in his DWCS fight in RD1 and somehow managed a comeback
• Nolan is getting a quick finish here or he is going to get finished trying - I will take my chances on him though
• For betting purposes, Nolan by KO is a worthy read

PICK: Tom Nolan by RD1 KO
MAIN CARD
SW W Bout: Angela Hill v. Luana Pinheiro
Records: 16-13 v. 11-2
Last 5 Fights: WLWWL v. LWWWW

• Can’t really handicap this fight based on stats - Angela Hill been in the UFC for eons it feels like and she is an aging fighter who has liked somewhat decent in her recent fights
• On the feet, I give Luana the power edge - she loves throwing overhands and hooks and throws with vicious intent
• In her fight against Michelle Waterson, she was losing rounds via points until she would clip Michelle with a big shot, thus swinging the round in her favor
• Luana doesn’t throw with much volume, but when she lands, she draws a big reaction which is key for the judges especially in WMMA when the rounds are separated by a razor thin margin
• The question is is Angela Hill the type to get rocked like this? I think not
• Angela is going to turn this into a grindy type fight - she definitely has the fight IQ to win a fight like this
• Angela’s last fight against Denise Gomez is a very good one to rewatch since Luana and Denise share similar characteristics in the fact that they both throw with heat early and they both gas as the fight wanes on
• In Hill’s losses, she was either getting taken down a lot or was outvolumed on the feet - Luana doesn’t throw with high volume so don’t see that happening - Luana does average over 2 TDs per fight but she’s not a high level wrestler like that and I see Angela having more success in that department as well
• Hard to make a pick here - I think Luana will throw the bigger shots, but I also think Angela can grind out Luana along the fence and point strike her way to a very close decision victory
• For betting purposes, I like the over 2.5 rds, but I think this should be a fade

PICK: Angela Hill by Split Decision
BW Bout: Adrian Yanez v. Vinicius Salvador
Records: 16-5 v. 14-6
Last 5 Fights: LLWWW v. LLWWW

• This card seems to be full of fighters looking to get right after a bad loss, or fighters the UFC is trying to prop up giving them a can to defeat
• This is one of those fights
• Yanez is on a 2 fight losing streak after having big jump ups in competition: he lost to Rob Font by getting absolutely destroyed from his jab, and he lost to Jonathan Martinez by getting absolutely destroyed with leg kicks
• We have seen Yanez in a UFC branded octagon 8 times, and NOT ONE of those fights included a takedown - he wasn’t, nor did he shoot for one and succeed
• Salvador, on the other hand, shot for 2 takedowns against CJ Vergara and landed zero, and he shot for 6 takedowns on Victor Altamarino and landed 1
• For all intensive purposes, this fight is going to stay standing, and Yanez has excelled on the feet against lower level competition
• It is interesting to note: of his 8 ufc bouts, 3 of them were a 1st round KO victory
• Against Randy Costa, he lost RD1 before getting a liver shot KO in RD2
• Against Davey Grant, he arguably lost 2 rounds before winning a split decision
• Salvador has had one impressive performance and it was a KO win against Shannon Ross, and who hasn’t KO’d Shannon Ross
• Watching the tape on his fights against CJ and Altamarino, you can see a couple of things: he does badly against guys that mix in TDs (Yanez will not), and he throws with vicious intent just like Yanez. If he has you pressed against the cage, you better bite down on the mouthpiece and hope for success.
• Salvador is also moving up a weight class so his chin might be better and he may have more power
• Ultimately, I’ve always thought of Yanez as having Top-15 level talent, and I cannot expect him to lose here
• For betting purposes, I may throw Yanez in a parlay or simply bet this fight to end in KO

PICK: Adrian Yanez by RD2 KO
WW Bout: Ramiz Brahimaj v. Themba Gorimbo
Records: 10-4 v. 12-4
Last 5 Fights: WLWLW v. WWLWL

• Pretty simple to breakdown Braimaj - he has 10 wins, all by submission, and 3 losses by decision, and the 1 ko loss he has could have went to a decision but his ear was falling off so the doctor had to step in - he also has not fought since 2022 whilst Themba has been super active in the UFC recently and has shown huge improvements fight to fight
• In fights that stay standing, Brahimaj has been pummeled - he barely shot for a takedown against Max Griffin and was brutalized on the feet for 3 rounds until the ref stepped in for his ear
• We know Ramiz’s game, but does Themba have the tools to expose Ramiz’ weaknesses and negate his strengths?
• Well, Themba has 2 Guillotine losses on his record - it is concerning how he keeps his neck out there to be taken when he shoots for a takedown
• I am hoping Themba has improved his FIGHT IQ since his Fletcher fight since he has a new team and new camp - if he shoots for takedowns, he might be cooked with a Ramiz gilly
• Themba recorded a nasty knockdown on Takashi Soto in their bout - I see this fight going similarly
• Themba losing by gilly is the only way I see him losing - if he goes in for a lazy takedown perhaps
• Outside of that, Themba has KO power shown in his most recent performance, has striking ability shown in his Soto performance, and has sub/back mount ability, which has been shown in all his UFC fights thus far
• For betting purposes, I really like Themba as a straight pick

PICK: Themba Gorimbo by RD2 KO
WW Bout: Khaos Williams v. Carlston Harris
Records: 14-3 v. 19-5
Last 5 Fights: WLWWL v. WWLWW

• On the surface, this appears to be a striker v. grappler matchup, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say that - Carlston definitely has hands outside of his elite grappling - Khaos, yeah, he’s mainly a striker
• If this fight stays standing, I give Khaos the slight edge - he doubles Carlston’s output and 3 KO victories compared to Carlston’s 1
• Wathcing over his last few fights - Khaos fights in a very particular manner - he charges in with a flurry of power shots and is willing to get point fought to a decision if he doesn’t land a KO blow
• He has a split loss to Randy Brown which was super close, and it was only close because of the occasional power shot Khaos landed
• He has a decision win against Bodoya in a fight I could have seen him lose, but his big power flurries are what got him the W
• He is very good at fending off takedowns as he fended off 4 of Randy Brown’s attempts and 2 of Bodoya’s, but we also haven’t seen him tested against elite wrestlers (Carlston is not an elite wrestler, mind you)
• Now looking at Harris - not the best striker but he has excellent clinch work if he gets close and excellent BJJ if the fight somehow hits the mat
• One thing I noticed in his Wells fight - he got dominated for 2 rounds and nearly subbed, but it wasn’t because he was taken down - rather, he kinda almost threw himself at the ground and Wells followed him
• Against Gooden, he showcased his clinch work and showed he has pretty good takedowns
• This is a match of question marks: We haven’t really seen Khaos’ grappling/wrestling on display yet, and we haven’t seen what happens if Carlston Harris is forced to stand and abandon his wrestling for 3 rounds
• If we’re going by paths to victory, it’ll be a long night for Harris if he can’t get a takedown
• Khaos I think just has more ways to win: he can get the knockout since we’ve seen Harris recently chinned; he can get the decision victory if he outlanding Harris as well
• BUT... after reviewing Khaos v Michel Pereira, how on earth can you pick this man?
• Pereira landed takedowns at will and nearly got a RNC on khaos - if harris gets into similar spots, it should be wraps
• For betting purposes, I really like Carlston as a straight pick

PICK: Carlston Harris by RD2 Sub
FeathW Bout: Edson Barboza v. Lerone Murphy
Records: 24-11 v. 13-0-1
Last 5 Fights: WWLLW v. WWWWW

• We find ourselves in the main event and this one is fairly straightforward to break down, not straightforward to provide a pick
• Barboza is coming off back to back wins, one a KO on Billy Q and another a 5 round decision victory over Sodiq
• Against Sodiq, he was nearly KO’d in the 1st, but then he himself almost got Sodiq KO’d later in the bout
• Edson is a super dangerous striker - you didn’t need me to tell you that - the issue he’s had in his career has been not being able to beat the upper echelon of fighters in his weight class
• Edson has recorded knockdown in nearly ALL of his past 10 fights, having 1 in at least 6 of them, even in fights he wound up losing
• Edson does have trouble with the takedown, but I rate Murphy’s wrestling similarly to Sodiq’s - I picked Sodiq in that fight for this reason but Edson turned it up to a whole ‘nother level as the fight progressed
• We have yet to see Murphy compete in a 5 rounder, but we have also not seen Murphy get super tired in the 3 rounders he’s fought in
• Both guys are proven finishers with multiple KO victories, but both guys have also shown abilities to grind out close decision victories - although Barboza often finds himself on the losing side if a fight sees the scorecards
• The level of competition is not comparable - Lerone Murphy’s best wins are against guys that are no longer in the UFC, and even the guys that are, they aren’t the best level
• Lerone leaves so many openings on the feet - Edson’s unique striking is going to give him issues IMO
• Edson does have a chin issue - this is the only concern - he was wobbled and nearly finished by Sodiq in RD1, and Sodiq isn’t known for his striking like that
• Edson was also knocked down twice by Giga and even once by Bryce Mitchell of all people
• Edson is also aging so that could be a factor here, but ultimately, how do you not side with the guy who’s been on a recent career resurgence AND the guy who has fought the higher level of competition AND the guy who has been in 5 rounders before?
• For paths to victory, they both have KO and decision, so can’t really use that to predict either - but Murphy may have a sub path even though he has 0 wins by that method - in his Culibao fight, he nearly got a RNC from his wrestling
• I have seen Murphy wobbled before, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see an Edson finish
• BUT - I have also seen Edson wobbled and KO’d by lesser competition, and I have seen Murphy utilize his grappling before
• For betting purposes, I like Lerone Murphy straight up - his win conditions are too volatile in this matchup

PICK: Lerone Murphy by Unanimous Decision

Hi all - I just got my Cardio IQ results and am attaching them. On March 11 I had my labs drawn at a routine physical - LDL was 163. I ordered my own Cardio IQ and just got the results. I dropped my LDL by 39 points. I am a bit unsure what to make of the LDL particle number and ApoB. I am hoping they will decrease as I lower my LDL further. Should I be worried? Thanks so much

Posting here cause so little people check up on DFV!
Between war, genocide, today’s housing market, the social security you’ve paid your entire career that you may never see, political corruption at its finest. How about everything happening with Baby Reindeer, Met Gala, the list goes on.. Even McKamey Manor is still operating despite mountains of evidence law enforcement ignores (do you remember? they ‘legally’ torture people with the promise of an extreme haunted house experience and winning $20k that you have no chance of winning? allegedly.)
Reckless Ben - I shut down McKamey Manor https://youtu.be/ckX-RuoEles?si=YzatLiL8Ylrz0tqO
It took a few reckless YouTubers who banned together with a just a pure passion for a situation where they really saw potential in their odds to level what many people have been silenced about in their aspirations to bring justice to an obviously broken system.
And for $GME ?
Sony Pictures - Dumb Money available on ad free Netflix https://youtu.be/bmr8YmwnZ3w?si=IKemq9bTnEZc92Ix
Netflix - Eat The Rich: The GameStop Saga https://youtu.be/P8jtdao1zkE?si=WR-ELXnT2Yd71nSt
The banks seem to be bailed every. single. crisis.
The housing crisis https://youtu.be/IjZ-ke1kJrA?si=i6JbUkmWenOYvJQ5
https://youtu.be/vgqG3ITMv1Q?si=S7NLjBcjOhUP3MCE
The March 2023 bank failures https://youtu.be/YDwDMF_f5rM?si=rS0ShhpoyKFN3QH5
https://youtu.be/z8B9K145uTg?si=eC8uKhfun5g7cR96
The ongoing issue with social security https://youtu.be/j1Bfxxhdn6g?si=cCMFq2zgJ6_7ESY1
The controversy around voting rights https://youtu.be/yn36tY7rNUM?si=3V1f2xrBXlm5d8-F
Citizens United https://youtu.be/k5kHACjrdEY?si=QUn9yhl7UfOMHWqL
Where are you left in this?
CNBC - How much do Americans need to be comfortable? https://youtu.be/TgVtXT5Mqj0?si=Oq96lGY4LHxm8H-_
Don’t mistake this post for financial advice. Personally I just… https://youtu.be/Hp_bGdp_yhc?si=wl2IVCqZ65-eFtE3
I believe the people should make informed decisions if they so choose to participate in this market as you can so quickly be in financial ruin. If you so choose to research the recent uproar, please don’t let the following links be your only source of information. Do your own due diligence.
$GME has a seemingly healthy debt to equity ratio lowering their long term debt obligations by 11 million last quarter. Despite their decrease in revenue, they’ve lowered their operating lossed from 311.6 million to just 34.5 mil! Please understand this is unaudited as mentioned in the quarterly report. Take a look for yourself.
GameStop - GameStop Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2023 Results https://investor.gamestop.com/news-releases/news-release-details/gamestop-reports-fourth-quarter-and-fiscal-year-2023-results
Financial Visualizations - $GME https://finviz.com/quote.ashx?t=GME&ty=c&ta=1&p=d
Talk about GameStop’s future is a hot topic and has a new investment plan embracing video game giants future plans.
Bernard Zambonin - GameStop will likely report a profitable year for the first time since 2018 https://www.thestreet.com/memestocks/gme/gamestop-will-likely-report-a-profitable-year-for-the-first-time-since-2018#:~:text=However%2C%20the%20tide%20turned%20when,ahead%20of%20the%20previous%20projections.
Bernard Zambonin - Is Ryan Cohen steering GameStop toward a Berkshire Hathaway or Icahn Enterprises Transformation https://www.thestreet.com/memestocks/gme/is-ryan-cohen-steering-gamestop-toward-a-berkshire-hathaway-or-icahn-enterprises-transformation-
Forbes - Yes, a digital-only gaming future is coming, and we can’t stop it https://www.forbes.com/sites/mitchwallace/2023/10/13/yes-a-digital-only-gaming-future-is-coming-and-we-cant-stop-it/?sh=7b82b7673bd7
Rebekah Valentine - Phil Spencer says Xbox is ‘supportive’ of physical media amid rumors of shift to digital business https://www.ign.com/articles/phil-spencer-says-xbox-is-supportive-of-physical-media-amid-rumors-of-shift-to-digital-business
I wish you all the best of luck. https://youtu.be/Hp_bGdp_yhc?si=JVr6CQcddjDfWm_6

Clover

Five humans, missing...

Spoilers for all of Undertale Yellow's main routes below
Undertale Yellow is a fan-made prequel to the hit indie game Undertale. While Undertale follows the story of Frisk, the seventh human child to fall into the monster ruled Underground, Undertale Yellow follows the story of their immediate predecessor. Meet Clover, the sixth human. Unlike the humans that fell before, this gun-toting cowboy is unique in the sense that their journey to the Underground was no accident. Clover entered the Underground voluntarily in order to investigate the disappearances of the previous five humans and, if it turned out they perished at some point after their fall, hoped to avenge their deaths. See, while Frisk possessed a red SOUL that embodied Determination, Clover's SOUL is yellow for the trait of Justice. Clover's journey would lead them all throughout the Underground, meeting some monsters that will be familiar to those who have played Undertale and some brand new faces as well.
Like Undertale before it, Undertale Yellow's story can be altered significantly depending on the player's actions. Perhaps Clover befriends the monsters they meet and determines they were unfairly trapped underground, deciding to sacrifice themselves to bring monster kind closer to freedom. Or maybe Clover will blame the monsters for the deaths of the previous human children, avenging them with swift cruelty. Either way, Clover will act in the way they believe they can best embody Justice.

So How Do the Fights Work Anyway?

Like its predecessor, Undertale Yellow tends to treat RPG mechanics as literal aspects of the game's world. Due to the abstract nature of fights in both Undertale and Undertale Yellow, with enemy monsters targeting Clover's SOUL rather than their physical body, it's understandable that there may be some confusion about how Clover actually scales to certain monsters. Luckily, this is a bit more clear in Undertale Yellow than it was in the original game, as the reveal trailer shows that the attacks of monster are things that Clover physically has to react to and dodge (we even see this same attack utilized in game) even though the battle menu only shows their SOUL.
But this is just for when encounters have already begun, what about before that? And what triggers encounters anyway? There's an area in the Wild East where boulders are falling onto the path that Clover needs to dodge. If they fail to avoid them, this begins an encounter too, where Clover is given the opportunity to avoid the "attacks" in the battle menu to negate damage. Other examples include Clover escaping damage from hot steam after touching it and avoiding damage from Axis' energy balls after they hit them. What this means for standard versus fights is a little vague, but it likely means that any attack that would deal meaningful damage starts an encounter and that it would be impossible to simply kill Clover with a sneak attack. Even if it hit them, Clover would still get the opportunity to dodge before the proper fight begins. That said, there is one example of Clover dying without triggering an encounter at the end of the Neutral Route. It's possible this is because it was an unescapable situation but the mechanics of it are still vague and unclear.
As seen with the previous examples such as the falling boulders and steam, it seems that attacks that hit Clover's SOUL and their physical body are more or less interchangeable. Or rather, it isn't possible to circumvent the SOUL to only hit the physical body because even attacks that hit Clover's physical body will trigger an encounter that can then be dodged or endured by the SOUL.
Finally, it's worth noting that the sizes of objects can vary from their appearances in the battle to what they look like in the overworld. We see Clover's SOUL alongside their physical body a few times throughout the game and it's pretty consistently a little larger than their torso. So this thread will describe feats with that scale in mind.

Other Things To Note

• At the end of certain routes, Clover acquires certain abilities/powerups that don't necessarily apply to the rest of the game. Feats or items that are limited to those routes will be marked with the corresponding route.
  
  • [Pacifist] Feat
• Like your standard RPG's, Undertale Yellow possesses a leveling system that will increase the more enemies that Clover kills, with certain abilities being unlocked after certain levels are achieved. However, in the Genocide route Clover showed off the ability to level up rapidly simply by being filled with enough righteous fury. Abilities that are locked behind certain levels will also be marked accordingly.
  
  • Feat^{LV 19}
• The majority of feats will come from Undertale Yellow, but occasionally clips from trailers and other promotional material on the director of the game's Youtube channel will be used, which will be labeled with a T like so:
  
  • Feat^T

Physicals

Strength

• Breaks a piece of wood that had jammed an elevator door with a pickaxe, which broke the pickaxe despite it being described as sturdy previously
• Pushes aside a cabinet
• While physically holding the lid of a trash can Clover is able to deflect Axis' energy attacks back at him which destroyed portable generators about as tall as Axis himself
  • Clover also uses this lid to deflect Axis' bombs
• [Anti-Feat] Needs Martlet's help moving a table

Speed/Agility

• Runs roughly 2/3rds faster than they walk, traveling the same distance in 1.5 seconds that it took them 2.5 seconds to walk
• Climbs a good distance up a rope, though Flowey resets the timeline before they reach the top
• While fighting Decibat they react and move relatively to various attacks that appear to be sound-based
  • Note that blue attacks don't harm you if you're standing still and orange attacks don't if you're moving
• Passes over a bridge when the boards were constantly elevating and lowering
• Moves out of the way of Dunebud's arrows
  • We see in the game's reveal trailer that these arrows move much faster than their in-game counterparts would suggest
• Avoids the soundwaves produced by Starlo's bell attack
• Escapes Axis during their chase
• Jukes the hell out of Axis
• Moves relatively to the arrows and flintlock pistol shots of a pair of mini robots
• Climbs a laundry chute

Durability
Blunt

• A tumbleweed knocks them onto a lower platform and they don't even flinch
• Even while using the Patch, Clover's starting accessory that offers no extra defense, Clover can withstand several giant boulders smashing into them
  • While using the Steel Buckle or superior defensive items, this damage is totally negligible
• Takes several blows from Ed that launch massive boulders into the air
• Withstands the Guardener's attacks which could smash giant gears that are larger than Clover
• [Genocide] Gets hit by large meteors summoned by Zenith Martlet

Falling

• Jumps down a hole into the Underground and lands on a bed of flowers
• Falls through the floor of the Ruins and lands in a bed of flowers in the Dark Ruins, quickly jumping to their feet afterwards
• Crashes a speeding boat over a ledge, sending them over and into the mines
  • Flowey did comment they seemed pretty hurt by this
• Falls down a trap door

Heat

• Survives in the Steamworks with no issue, which was hot enough to light Moe's clothes and stand on fire over the course of their conversation
• Withstands multiple fire attacks from Asgore before eventually succumbing to them (with Asgore being the strongest non-final boss monster in the original Undertale)

Other

• Gets shocked repeatedly by Dalv's electrical attacks, enduring four before eventually succumbing
• A giant fan produces a sandstorm that pushes them back a considerable distance
• Gets hit by dynamite thrown by Starlo
• Survives multiple shots from Starlo's revolver
• Withstands hits from Axis' energy balls which later destroy Axis' portal generators
  • During Axis' boss fight, Clover takes no damage from this at all
• With the highest defensive accessory they take negligible damage from Ceroba's attacks which shatter stone pillars (they also take a glancing blow from these attacks in a cutscene without damage, though it takes them some time to return to their feet)
  • [Pacifist] Clover later withstands Ceroba's attacks after she had powered up into her Kitsune form, which dealt double damage compared to her previous attacks (2HP with the best defensive item instead of 1HP)
• [Pacifist] Endures for a little over a minute after their soul had been extracted from their body (though they were too weak to do anything but crawl)
• [Genocide] Gets crushed by blocks with enough force to shatter them which are not affected by their SOUL's energy beams
• [Genocide] Here is the top of UG Apartments before Clover's battle with Zenith Martlet compared to after, which assuming Martlet's attacks were responsible for any of this damage means that Clover would scale to it
• [Genocide] Clover grows so powerful that Asgore's trident shatters against their SOUL^{LV 20}

Skill

• Shoots a hat off a dummy
• Beats Starlo in a quickdraw contest
• After being fully lasso'd by Starlo, Clover is still able to effectively avoid his attacks and even tricks him into shooting his own lasso twice
  • Starlo is accurate enough to shoot sticks of dynamite out of the air
  • Clover is still able to fight back as well
• Can shoot something as small as a micro froggit
• Opens a door by shooting its control panel
• Plays a mean harmonica^T
• Holy shit they're so sick with it^T

Justice SOUL

• Flowey talks about how Boss Monsters are stronger than others and that a human SOUL is even more powerful than them
• [Pacifist] During the final boss, Clover is powered up and given a plethora of different abilities (the reason for this isn't explicitly stated, but it's likely because they felt their cause was just, more so than they ever had in the rest of the game)^{LV 1}
  • [Pacifist] Endures repeated enraged attacks from Ceroba that should have killed them before returning to full HP as the next phase of the boss starts^{LV 1}
  • [Pacifist] Can fire energy blasts from their SOUL which are strong enough to overpower Ceroba's own charged blasts^{LV 1}
    • They can quickly fire smaller shots on top of the more powerful charge shots^{LV 1}
    • A weaker version of Ceroba's attacks could shatter stone pillars^{LV 1}
  • [Pacifist] Is able to phase through attacks, including otherwise unavoidable AOE attacks^{LV 1}
  • [Pacifist] Clover is able to Hope, allowing them to take an extra hit without damage^{LV 1}
  • [Pacifist] Clover is able to Endure, regenerating health from a range of 5HP to 10HP^{LV 1}
  • [Pacifist] Clover is able to Remember, granting them a speed buff over the course of that turn^{LV 1}
  • [Pacifist] After cracking Ceroba's Kitsune mask, Clover is able to see a memory of her past talking to her dying husband^{LV 1}
• [Genocide] After hearing that Axis, the penultimate boss, killed a human child, Clover is filled with such rage and a desire for justice that they automatically leveled up and developed the ability to shoot energy blasts from their SOUL. The first blast obliterated the trash can lid Axis was using as a shield and after further leveling up they fired a massive beam that obliterated Axis entirely. Clover also gained an assortment of other abilities at this point^{LV 15/19}
  • [Genocide] Smaller shots can be rapid fired and a brief charge allows Clover to fire the beam^{LV 19}
    • [Genocide] It required two small shots to destroy the meteors Zenith Martlet summons and they're completely obliterated by the beam^{LV 19}
    • [Genocide] With enough shots Clover destroys Martlet's armor that their gun was completely useless against (based on the fact that the Fight button is locked during the phase of the fight that she's wearing the armor)^{LV 19}
    • [Genocide] Clover's beam is strong enough to completely obliterate Asgore as well as his throne and the wall behind him^{LV 20}
  • [Genocide] Like in the Pacifist ending, Clover is able to dash which smashes blocks that their shots and beams couldn't break and allows them to phase through otherwise unavoidable attacks without damage^{LV 19}
  • [Genocide] After destroying Martlet's armor, Clover is able to see into mind and witness her backstory^{LV 19}
  • [Genocide] Clover is able to Endure, automatically recovering anywhere from 20HP to 25HP^{LV 19}
  • [Genocide] Here is the top of UG Apartments before Clover's battle with Zenith Martlet compared to after, with Clover presumably being responsible for at least some of the damage^{LV 19}
• [Genocide] Throughout the game, Clover is able to undo mistakes thanks to the SAVE function. Primarily, this is thanks to Flowey doing so for you, becoming an in-universe stand-in for standard RPG Saving and Loading and ultimately allowing them to revive at the latest SAVE point for standard enemies or directly back into the battle for Boss encounters. However, at the end of the Genocide route Clover levels up enough to steal Flowey's control of the timeline, ultimately taking the SAVE ability for themselves which they can use to SAVE and LOAD in the middle of battle^{LV 20}

Gear

Note that while Clover can store excess items in boxes they find around the Underground, they can only carry eight items in their inventory not including their current Weapon, Ammo, Armor, and Accessory. Later in the game they discovered the Dimensional Satchel which allows them to access the boxes from anywhere, but they still only have eight slots to bring into an encounter.
Weapons
Guns

• Toy Gun - Clover's default weapon is a simple toy gun
• Wild Revolver - A gift from Starlo, purchased from Blackjack's shop
  • While the Toy Gun only fires once per turn, the Wild Revolver is fired six times in a row
  • While the Wild Revolver looks and functions like a typical revolver, note that Blackjack does say that he made it so as not to be lethal (though the following line about how anything could be lethal if used enough times consecutively makes this seem more like a meta joke about RPG fight mechanics, even going so far as to mention the ballet shoes that are a weapon in the original Undertale)

Feats
Note that cutscenes will always play out the same regardless of whether the Toy Gun or Wild Revolver is being used, so while the Revolver is obviously the more powerful of the two the Toy Gun is much more powerful than it's name would suggest and the following feats apply to both weapons.

• Damages machinery
• Critically damages Axis who could withstand his own energy balls being reflected back at him with no physical damage, merely draining his power instead
  • After being rebounded Axis' attacks destroyed portable generators as tall as Axis himself
• Destroys robots with repeated shots
• Executes undamaged monsters in cutscenes/scripted fights in both the Pacifist and Genocide routes
• [Anti-Feat] Was unable to destroy the trash can lid Axis was using as a shield

Ammo
Rather amusingly, Clover will jam whatever odd materials they can find into their weapon which somehow works perfectly^T

• Rubber Ammo (AT 0) - The default ammo that Clover started their journey with
  • Toy Gun Wild Revolver
• Pebble Ammo (AT 3) - Small rocks that Clover discovered in the Dark Ruins
  • Toy Gun Wild Revolver
• Ice Ammo (AT 6) - Discovered near the start of Snowdin, these fragments of a shattered ice crystal don't melt and cool Clover's gun upon being loaded
  • Toy Gun Wild Revolver
• Coffee Ammo (AT 4 + 1 SPEED after perfect attack) - Found in a barrel near the exit of Snowdin
  • Toy Gun Wild Revolver
  • Compare the increased speed to Clover's normal battle speed
• Flint Ammo (AT 9) - Salvaged from an ore deposit outside the East Mines
  • Toy Gun Wild Revolver
    • Note that the shots make small explosions upon impact
• Glass Ammo (AT 5 + 2HP) - Taken from a shattered glass in the Dunes Gift Shop
  • Toy Gun Wild Revolver
• Silver Ammo (AT 3 + Bonus Damage for Perfect Shot) - Purchased from Blackjack's shop
  • Toy Gun Wild Revolver
• Nails (AT 10) - Found in a box in the Steamworks greenhouse
  • Toy Gun Wild Revolver
• [Neutral/Genocide] Friendliness Pellets (AT 11) - A gift from Flowey, acquired outside of the Steamworks
  • Toy Gun Wild Revolver

Armor

• Warn Hat - The default armor that Clover started their journey with
• [Pacifist/Neutral] Nice Hat - Visually identical to Clover's old one and offers no extra defense or benefits, but it is a pretty nice hat

Accessories

• Patch (Armor DF 0) - The default accessory that Clover started their journey with
• Feather (Armor DF 2) - A stray feather located in the tunnels near Dalv's house
• Honeydew Pin (Armor DF 4) - Purchased at the Honeydew Resort shop
• Band Merch Pin (Armor DF 5) - A pin given to Clover by a band's super fan in Honeydew Resort
• Steel Buckle (Armor DF 7) - Found inside a cubby in the East Mines
• Safety Jacket (Armor DF 6) - Found on a hook in the East Mines
• Fancy Holster (Armor DF 8) - Purchased from Blackjack's shop
• Safety Goggles (Armor DF 9) - Acquired from Vendy in the Steamworks
• Silver Scarf (Armor DF 6 and +2HP Every Turn) - Given to Clover by Slurpy in Snowdin after freeing his tongue from a frozen pole
  • Here is the scarf in use
• Delta Run Patch (Armor DF 10) - Purchased from Bits and Bites at UG Apartments
• Golden Bandana (Armor DF 12) - Found in a chest in the Steamworks
  • This did come at the cost of sacrificing the Golden Pear, Golden Coffee, and Golden Cactus

Food/Healing Items
Note that at their weakest (LV 1), Clover has 20HP and at their strongest (LV20), Clover has 100HP
Single Use

• Lemonade - 7HP
• Lukewarm Pop - 8HP
• Candy Corn - 9HP
• Packing Peanuts - 10HP
• Sea Tea - 10HP (+ Temporary Speed Increase)
  • Here is the Sea Tea in use
• Monster Candy - 10HP
• Corn Dog - 12HP
• Cold Pop - 12 HP
• Sponge Cake - 14HP
• Hot Pop -14 HP
• Trail Mix - 14HP
• Corn Chowder - 15HP
• Moss Salad - 17HP
• Ice Tea - 20HP
• Green Tea - 21HP
• Flower Stew - 20HP
• Hot Dog - 20HP
• Fruitcake -25HP
• [Pacifist/Genocide] Adult Soda - ???HP
  • It's actually 20HP
• [Genocide] Oasis Latte - 25HP
• [Neutral] Cake - 30HP
• [Genocide] Cinnamon Cookie - 35HP
• Golden Pear - Invulnerability for two hits
  • Here is the G. Pear in use
• Golden Coffee - Increases Clover's speed for 3 turns
  • Here is the G. Coffee in use (also note that this buff carries on to future encounters if the three turns aren't used)
• Golden Cactus - 15HP for 3 turns (Lose 5HP after first bite)

Two Uses

• Grassy Fries - 14HP
• Beef Jerky - 16HP

Unlimited Supply

• Spider Donut - 12HP
• Popato Chisps - 13HP
• Honeydew Coffee - 14HP
• Honeydew Pancake - 16HP
• Ice Water - 15HP
• Monster Candy+ - 15HP
• Root Beer - 18HP
• G.B. Bear - 20HP
• Dihydrogen Monoxide - 20HP
• Feisty Slider - 30HP
• Gravity Granola - 30HP
• Cinnamon Butterscotch Strudel - 30HP
• Floral Cupcake - 50HP
• Gun Powder - ???HP
  • Completely maxes out Clover's HP
  • Note that Clover can only acquire one of these on the Genocide Route

Misc

• Solves Martlet's extremely complicated lava rock puzzle
• Beats the infamous Shuffler gang at their own game
• Uses flint and a steel buckle to burn a thick stick that was jamming an elevator
• Keeps up with El Bailador during their dance off, who was out of breath after the fact
• [Pacifist/Neutral] The Doc in the Wild East can overcharge Clover's health with a one time extra 15HP (nearly double their health at LV 1)
• Stealthily creeps around the Steamworks factory, figuring out a passcode while staying out of Axis' view
• Clover has incredible willpower, since even after Flowey kills them and attempts to absorb their SOUL, Clover is able to resist him for the entirety of the ensuing boss fight which ends when Flowey realizes they'd be fighting for all eternity if they continued and opts to simply reset the timeline instead
• Breaks it down

Somebody calls for help
You answer the call

https://mailchi.mp/ibcadvancedalloys/ibc-advanced-alloys-reports-record-quarterly-profits?e=05db7e6675
Company Sets Several Financial Performance Records as it Releases its Financial Results for the Quarter Ended March 31, 2024**_________________________** Highlights of the Quarter and Trailing 12 Months (Unless otherwise noted, all financial amounts in this news release are expressed in U.S. dollars.)IBCCompanyTSX-V: IB; OTCQB: IAALF^{1 1} CONSOLIDATED RESULTSCOPPER ALLOYS DIVISIONENGINEERED MATERIALS DIVISIONMD&A sedarplus.ca https://ibcadvancedalloys.com/investors-centeINVESTOR WEBCAST SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY 20, 2024 https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81738838656?pwd=ZO9lyUWDbFp5GMmFwaHDGhXuEkAKgP.1NON-IFRS MEASURESOPERATING INCOME (LOSS) ADJUSTED EBITDA go here"Mark A. Smith”** [1] IBC reports non-IFRS measures such as “Adjusted EBITDA,” “Operating Income,” and "Free Cash Flow." Please see information on this and other non-IFRS measures in the "Non-IFRS Measures" section of this news release and in IBC’s MD&A, available on sedarplus.ca# # #IBC Advanced Alloys’ Reports Record Quarterly Profits FRANKLIN, Ind. (May 16, 2023) – IBC Advanced Alloys Corp. (“ ” or the “ ”) ( ) announces its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2024. IBC recorded its highest ever quarterly net income in the quarter of $1.36 million, or $0.01 per share, on sales of $10.2 million. Both net income and sales revenue set new quarterly records for the Company. Consolidated sales of $34.3 million on a TTM basis and sales of $27.0 million in the nine-month period ended March 31, 2024 also were the highest ever recorded. Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA rose to $2.5 million, a Q/Q increase of 325%, while YTD Adjusted EBITDA rose to $4.5 million. Consolidated operating income of $2.1 million was 24.4% higher Q/Q and flipped to a positive $3.2 million YOY. Net income for the nine months ended March 31, 2024 was $1.14 million ($0.01 per share) on sales of $27.0 million compared to a loss of $2.92 million ($0.03 per share) on sales of $21.2 million in the comparative period, representing a marked turnaround. This record performance was driven largely by increased sales and stronger gross margin performance in IBC’s Copper Alloys division, coupled with higher sales revenue from the Engineered Materials division of beryllium-aluminum products used in defense markets, and the recovery of an onerous contracts provision booked in the prior year. The Copper Alloys division also achieved near-record quarterly sales of $6.6 million, eclipsed only by sales of $7.1 million in the preceding quarter. A portion of the division’s sales over the preceding two quarters was driven by the completion of two special non-recurring projects. “The IBC team worked tirelessly to achieve some fantastic numbers and historic gains in the third fiscal quarter, which continued the strong sales and gross margin performance of the previous quarter," said Mark A. Smith, Chairman and CEO of IBC. “I like the momentum that we are generating, particularly with the leading performance of our Copper Alloys division. While market conditions have triggered closure of our Engineered Materials division sometime this summer, that team is striving to generate substantially to IBC’s bottom line as Engineered Materials completes contracts on hand.” IBC expects to incur a charge to operations in respect of its April decision to close the Engineered Materials division and is negotiating with suppliers and the building landlord to minimize such costs. Sales increased for the quarter and nine-month period ended March 31, 2024, mostly due to increased demand from customers in the defense and power generation sectors. Gross profit was positively impacted by improved material yield but negatively impacted by higher subcontract costs. Sales increased for the quarter and nine-month period ended March 31, 2024, largely due to more favorable prices for the division’s products in the commercial and defense markets. Full results can be seen in the Company’s financial statements and management’s discussion and analysis (“ ”), available at and on the Company’s website at . IBC will host a live investor webcast on Monday, May 20, 2024 at 11 a.m. Eastern featuring Mark A. Smith, CEO and Board Chairman, and Toni Wendel, Chief Financial Officer. They will discuss the Company's financial results for the quarter and nine-month periods ended March 31, 2024. Participants can join the webcast by going here at the scheduled start time: To call into a listen-only phone line to the webcast, please the toll numbers listed here: • +1 719 359 4580 US • +1 253 205 0468 US To supplement its consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with IFRS, IBC uses “operating income (loss)” and “Adjusted EBITDA”, which are non-IFRS financial measures. IBC believes that operating income (loss) helps identify underlying trends in the business that could otherwise be distorted by the effect of certain income or expenses that the Company includes in loss for the period, and provides useful information about core operating results, enhances the overall understanding of past performance and future prospects, and allows for greater visibility with respect to key metrics used by management in financial and operational decision-making. The Company believes that Adjusted EBITDA is a useful indicator for cash flow generated by the business that is independent of IBC’s capital structure. Operating income (loss) and Adjusted EBITDA should not be considered in isolation or construed as an alternative to loss for the period or any other measure of performance or as an indicator of our operating performance. Operating income (loss) and Adjusted EBITDA presented here may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. Other companies may calculate similarly titled measures differently, limiting their usefulness as comparative measures to IBC’s data. Operating income (loss) represents income or loss for the quarter, and year-to-date, excluding foreign exchange loss, interest expense, interest income, other income (expense) and income taxes that the Company does not believe are reflective of its core operating performance during the periods presented. A reconciliation of the quarter and year-to-date loss to operating income (loss) follows: Adjusted EBITDA represents the Company’s income (loss) for the period, and year-to-date, before interest, income taxes, depreciation, amortization, and share-based compensation. A reconciliation of the quarter and year-to-date loss to Adjusted EBITDA follows: For more information on IBC and its innovative alloy products, . On Behalf of the Board of Directors: Mark A. Smith, CEO & Chairman of the Board Net income of $1.36 million, or $0.01 per share, in the quarter on sales of $10.2 million – a new quarterly record. Sales of $34.3 million on a trailing 12-month (“TTM”) basis and sales of $27.0 million in the nine-month period ended March 31, 2024, also were the highest ever recorded. Copper Alloys division sales of $6.6 million were higher by 11.9% quarter over quarter ("Q/Q"), and Engineered Materials division sales were higher by 97.5% Q/Q. On a TTM basis, Copper Alloys sales of $24 million set a record for a 12-month period for the division. Consolidated adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (“Adjusted EBITDA”)^\1]) rose to $2.5 million, a Q/Q increase of 325%. Year-to-date Adjusted EBITDA rose to $4.5 million. Consolidated operating income of $2.1 million was 24.4% higher Q/Q and flipped to a positive $3.2 million year-over-year (“YOY”). Company to host live investor webinar to discuss results on Monday, May 20, 2024 at 11 AM EDT. SELECTED RESULTS: Consolidated Operations ($000s) Quarter Ended 3-31-2024 Quarter Ended 3-31-2023 Nine Months Ended3-31-2024 Nine Months Ended 3-31-2023 Revenue $10,241 $7,755 $26,958 $21,178 Operating income (loss) $2,105 $83 $3,243 $(1,138) Adjusted EBITDA $2,486 $585 $4,507 $315 Income (loss) for the period $1,361 $(509) $1,139 $(2,919) SELECTED RESULTS: Copper Alloys Division ($000s) Quarter Ended 3-31-2024 Quarter Ended 3-31-2023 Nine Months Ended 3-31-2024 Nine Months Ended 3-31-2023 Revenue $6,627 $5,925 $18,614 $16,035 Operating income (loss) $1,293 $1,290 $2,766 $2,231 Adjusted EBITDA $1,436 $1,426 $3,205 $2,645 Income (loss) for the period $915 $980 $1,680 $1,669 SELECTED RESULTS: Engineered Materials Division ($000s) Quarter Ended3-31-2024 Quarter Ended 3-31-2023 Nine Months Ended 3-31-2024 Nine Months Ended 3-31-2023 Revenue $3,614 $1,830 $8,344 $5,143 Operating income (loss) $1,230 $(855) $1,618 $(2,793) Adjusted EBITDA $1,417 $(613) $2,232 $(1,976) Income (loss) for the period $1,018 $(1,004) $1,101 $(3,046) Quarter ended March 31 2024 2023 ($000s) ($000s) Income (loss) for the period 1,361 (509) Foreign exchange (gain) loss 6 (13) Interest expense 710 629 Loss on disposal of assets 29 - (Gain) loss on revaluation of derivative - (11) Other income (4) (16) Income tax expense (recovery) 3 3 Operating income 2,105 83 Nine months ended March 31 2024 2023 ($000s) ($000s) Income (loss) for the period 1,139 (2,919) Foreign exchange (gain) loss 7 (5) Interest expense 2,130 1,862 Loss on disposal of assets 29 - (Gain) loss on revaluation of derivative 1 (70) Other income (70) (12) Income tax expense (recovery) 7 6 Operating income (loss) 3,243 (1,138) Quarter ended March 31 2024 2023 ($000s) ($000s) Income (loss) for the period 1,361 (509) Income tax expense (recovery) 3 3 Interest expense 710 629 (Gain) loss on revaluation of derivative - (11) Depreciation & amortization 374 413 Stock-based compensation expense (non-cash) 38 60 Adjusted EBITDA 2,486 585 Nine months ended March 31 2024 2023 ($000s) ($000s) Income (loss) for the period 1,139 (2,919) Income tax expense (recovery) 7 6 Interest expense 2,130 1,862 (Gain) loss on revaluation of derivative 1 (70) Depreciation & amortization 1,120 1,233 Stock-based compensation expense (non-cash) 110 203 Adjusted EBITDA 4,507 315 Contact: Mark A. Smith, CEO and Board Chairman Jim Sims, Director of Investor and Public Relations IBC Advanced Alloys Corp. +1 (303) 503-6203 Email: [jim.sims@ibcadvancedalloys.com](mailto:jim.sims@ibcadvancedalloys.com) Website: www.ibcadvancedalloys.com u/IBCAdvanced $IB $IAALF #copper ABOUT IBC ADVANCED ALLOYS CORP. IBC is a leading advanced copper alloys manufacturer serving a variety of industries such as defense, aerospace, automotive, telecommunications, precision manufacturing, and others. At its vertically integrated production facility in Franklin, Indiana, IBC manufactures and distributes a variety of copper alloys as castings and forgings, including beryllium copper, chrome copper, and aluminum bronze. The Company's common shares are traded on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "IB" and the OTCQB under the symbol "IAALF". Cautionary Statements Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Certain information contained in this news release may be forward-looking information or forward-looking statements as defined under applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information and forward-looking statements are often, but not always identified by the use of words such as "expect", "anticipate", "believe", "foresee", "could", "estimate", "goal", "intend", "plan", "seek", "will", "may" and "should" and similar expressions or words suggesting future outcomes. This news release includes forward-looking information and statements pertaining to, among other things, the Company’s expectation of further growth in revenue and market demand, and the ability of the Copper Alloy division to increase its production capacity, reduce unit costs of production, expand its product portfolio and expand into new markets, the closure of the Engineered Materials division and the expected charge to operations in connection therewith, and the completion of existing contracts by the Engineered Materials division. Forward-looking statements involve substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, certain of which are beyond the Company's control including: the risk that the Company may not be able to make sufficient payments to retire its debt, the impact of general economic conditions in the areas in which the Company or its customers operate, including the semiconductor manufacturing and oil and gas industries, risks associated with manufacturing activities, changes in laws and regulations including the adoption of new environmental laws and regulations and changes in how they are interpreted and enforced, increased competition, the lack of availability of qualified personnel or management, limited availability of raw materials, fluctuations in commodity prices, foreign exchange or interest rates, stock market volatility and obtaining required approvals of regulatory authorities. As a result of these risks and uncertainties, the Company's future results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in these forward-looking statements. All statements included in this press release that address activities, events or developments that the Company expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on assumptions made by the Company based on its experience, perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors it believes are appropriate in the circumstances. Please see “Risks Factors” in our Annual Information Form available under the Company’s profile at www.sedarplus.ca, for information on the risks and uncertainties associated with our business. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information and statements, which speak only as of the date made. The forward-looking information and statements contained in this release represent our expectations as of the date of this release. We disclaim any intention or obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking information or statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable securities laws. Copyright © 2024 IBC Advanced Alloys, All rights reserved.

Doctoral candidate seeking current secondary-level teachers in the United States, who teach science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, and use music in the form of Content-Rich Educational STEM Songs, as an instructional strategy to teach STEM content.
If you are interested in participating in this study, please contact through a direct message, or via email at [tiffany.getty@wilkes.edu](mailto:tiffany.getty@wilkes.edu).
Also, please fill out this brief 2-minute survey to ensure you meet the qualifying criteria at the following link: https://forms.gle/DGz8axSvPB1itjjh7
Thanks so much!

TLDR: Planning a cost-effective sound upgrade for my 2006 Corolla LX with a JVC-KD-X280BT head unit and Hertz K 165 front and Uno X 690 rear speakers; aiming for good volume and quality without an amp, with an ideal budget of $300.
Hello all, I have recently purchased a 2006 toyota corolla lx, and I have been doing lots of research on how I can make the most cost-effective upgrade for my car's sound, and I thought people in CarAv could help! My priorities for this upgrade is:

• Get clean connection with basic fader controls. Don't care for any convenience features.
  
• Get plenty of volume WITHOUT an external amplifier. Bass requires a lot of power so I will need to save up for a proper subwoofer setup.
  
• Have 2 tonally similar speakers for the front and back. I have 6" woofers with tweeters in the front and 6x9" woofers in the back. Good midrange is a priority. Willing to EQ out any issues.
  

Things I am definitely going to replace is the front and rear speakers, and the headunit (stock doesn't have aux.) The headunit can get surprisingly VERY loud but the stock speakers distort very easily. Sound deadening wise, this car is pretty quiet, so no deadening is really needed at the moment.
Links to what I'm considering:
Headunit - JVC-KD-X280BT $70
22 watts RMS/50 peak x 4 channels. Pretty cheap. Not that many negative reviews about sound quality.
Front componet speakers - Hertz K 165 pair - $100
93.5 dB sensitivity. Not many of the negative reviews complained about the speakers being quiet.
Rear coaxial speakers - Hertz Uno X 690 - $100
94 dB sensitivity. Again, reviews did not complain about being quieter than stock.
These different speakers don't seem to be the same series but at least they are the same brand. My biggest concern about the speakers is that they will be very tonally different, and would not be able to be adjusted to sound right unless I had a super expensive DSP.
Is there something I'm missing? Will it be too quiet without an amp? Do I need a more premium headunit?
Thanks in advance!

Doctoral candidate seeking current secondary-level teachers in the United States, who teach science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, and use music in the form of Content-Rich Educational STEM Songs, as an instructional strategy to teach STEM content.
If you are interested in participating in this study, please contact through a direct message, or via email at [tiffany.getty@wilkes.edu](mailto:tiffany.getty@wilkes.edu).
Also, please fill out this brief 2-minute survey to ensure you meet the qualifying criteria at the following link: https://forms.gle/DGz8axSvPB1itjjh7
Thanks so much!

Cisco Router Security
What are the two access privilege modes of the Cisco router?
User EXEC Mode: This is the initial access mode for a router. In this mode, the user can access only a limited set of basic monitoring commands.
Privileged EXEC Mode: This mode provides access to all router commands, such as debugging and configuration commands. It requires a password for access to ensure security.
What is the approach for password for the privileged mode of the router?
enable secret [password]
uses hashing algorithm so that the password is not in plain text but encrypted
How to ensure that all passwords in the router are stored in the encrypted form?
service password-encryption
What is the difference between the Cisco router’s startup and running configurations?
How to save the running configuration into start up configuration?
Startup Configuration: Stored in the NVRAM, this configuration is used to boot the router. It remains unchanged until an administrator explicitly saves the running configuration to it.
Running Configuration: Held in the router’s RAM, this configuration is active on the router. Changes to the router’s configuration are made here and are effective immediately.
Know and be able to configure all aspects of the Cisco router covered in class. For example,
configuring the router interfaces, setting the router OSPF ID, etc.
enable
configure terminal
hostname MyRouter
interface GigabitEthernet0/0
ip address 192.168.1.1 255.255.255.0
no shutdown
exit
interface Serial0/0/0
ip address 10.0.0.1 255.255.255.252
clock rate 64000
no shutdown
exit
router ospf 1
router-id 1.1.1.1
network 192.168.1.0 0.0.0.255 area 0
exit
enable secret mysecretpassword
line console 0
password myconsolepassword
login
exit
line vty 0 4
password myvtypassword
login
exit
crypto key generate rsa
ip ssh version 2
ip ssh time-out 60
ip ssh authentication-retries 2
ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.168.1.254
access-list 10 permit 192.168.1.0 0.0.0.255
access-list 10 deny any
Practical Routing, OSPF, and Security
What is the difference between static and dynamic routing?
Static Routing: Involves manually setting up routes in the router's routing table through configuration commands. These routes do not change unless manually updated or removed. Static routing is simple, secure, and uses less bandwidth but lacks scalability and flexibility.
Dynamic Routing: Automatically adjusts routes in the routing table based on current network conditions using routing protocols. This approach allows for more flexibility, scalability, and fault tolerance, but consumes more resources and can be complex to configure.
What is the difference between link state and distance vector routing?
Distance Vector Routing: Routers using distance vector protocols calculate the best path to a destination based on the distance and direction (vector) to nodes. Updates are shared with neighboring routers at regular intervals or when changes occur. This approach can lead to slower convergence and issues like routing loops.
Link State Routing: Each router learns the entire network topology by exchanging link-state information. Routers then independently calculate the shortest path to every node using algorithms like Dijkstra’s. This results in quicker convergence and fewer routing loops.
Distance Vector Routing: Each router computes distance from itself to its next immediate neighbors. (RIP, EIGRP, & BGP)
-Does not build a full map of the network
-Focuses more on the next hop towards the destination
Link State Routing: Each router shares knowledge of its neighbors with every other router in the network. (OSPF and IS-IS)
-Builds a full map of the network
-Each router shares information
-Maintains a database of the entire network.
Give an example of the distance vector and link state algorithms.
Distance = RIPLink State = OSPF
What type of protocol is Routing Information Protocol (RIP)? Be able to understand
examples and solve problems.
Example of a distance vector protocol
dynamic protocol
-shares routing info with neighboring routers
-an interior gateway protocol that operates within autonomous system
-oldest of all dynamic protocol; RIPv1
-widely used open standard developed by IETF
-a distance vector routing protocol
-limited to maximum 15 hops;

 how rip works -rip sends regular update message (advertisements to neighboring routers) 

-every 30 seconds that resets after each successful ack
-route becomes invalid if it has not received a message for 180 seconds
-RIPv1 (obsolete) uses broadcast, while RIPv2 uses a multicast address -Update message only travel to a single hop
downside : limitations, each router in its table can only have one entry per destination. Have to wait for advertisement for an alternative path, cannot reach hops 15 paths away, little to no security.
What type of protocol is Open Shortest Paths First (OSPF) protocol? Be able to under-
stand examples and solve problems.

• an interior gateway protocol that operates within autonomous systems to build a full map of the network.
  
• widely used open standard developed by IETF
  

-a link state routing protocol

 intra as routing with RIP 

What is the Link State Advertisement (LSA) in OSPF? What is the Link State Database
(LSDB)?
-LSA contains data about a router, its subnets, and some other network information.-OSPF puts all the LSAs from different routers into a Link-State Database (LSDB)
The goal of OSPF is to be able to determine a complete map of the interior routing path to be able to create the best route possible.
The way this is done is that OSPF finds all the routers and subnets that can be reached within the entire network. The result is that each router will have the same information about the network by sending out LSA.
How does each router in OSPF create a map of the entire network?
Step 1 : Acquire neighbor relationship to exchange network information.
Step 2: Exchange database information, neighboring routers swap LSDB information with each other
Step 3: Choosing the best routes, each router chooses the best routes to add to its routing table based on the learned LSDB information.
What is the process for two OSPF routers to become neighbors?
A. a neighbor sends out a Hello packet including the router ID along with subnets that it routes to the given multicast address to a given OSPF area ID.

this is also a way for routers to tell neighbors that they are still on and good to go. 

B. Once other routers receive this packet, they run some checks. The neighboring routers must match the following requirements:
-area id needs to be the same (also used when scaling up OSPF)
-the shared or connecting link should be on the same subnet.
-The Hello and dead timer must be the same.
-the dead timer is having enogh time before the sending router assumes that the neighbor is down.
-this timer is typically 10 secs for point-to-point and broadcast networks.
C. If all is fine, the receiving router will go into Init stage and sends a hello message of its own. This Hello packet list its own network info along with the known neighbor R1. This puts R1 into a 2-way communication status.
D. R1 sends another Hello message to R2 with the information as a known neighbor. This allows the R2 now with a 2-way communication status as well.E. We now have a 2-way neighboring routers
What is the difference between point-to-point and multi-access networks? How does OSPF
handle each case?

Point-to-Point: A network setup where each connection is between two specific nodes or devices. OSPF treats these links with straightforward neighbor relationships since there are only two routers on each segment. 

Multi-Access Networks: Networks where multiple routers can connect on the same segment, such as Ethernet. OSPF uses a Designated Router (DR) and a Backup Designated Router (BDR) on these types of networks to reduce the amount of OSPF traffic and the size of the topological database.
DR selected by the highest OSPF prio.
Be able to configure OSPF routing given a topology.
–
Example:
Consider a topology with three routers R1, R2, and R3. The routers
are connected R1 =⇒R2 =⇒R3 =⇒R1.
R1 has interface f0/0 connected to the
interface f0/0 of R2. R2 has interface f0/1 connecting to the interface f0/0 of R3.
Finally R3 has interface 1/0 connecting to the interface 1/0 of R3. Assuming all
routers are Cisco 7200 routers, configure them to use OSPF to dynamically route in
this topology (you will be given the Cisco router manual for such questions).
•
R1enable
configure terminal
hostname R1
interface FastEthernet0/0
ip address 192.168.12.1 255.255.255.0
no shutdown
exit
interface FastEthernet1/0
ip address 192.168.31.1 255.255.255.0
no shutdown
exit
router ospf 1
router-id 1.1.1.1
network 192.168.12.0 0.0.0.255 area 0
network 192.168.31.0 0.0.0.255 area 0
exit
end
write memory
R2enable
configure terminal
hostname R2
interface FastEthernet0/0
ip address 192.168.12.2 255.255.255.0
no shutdown
exit
interface FastEthernet0/1
ip address 192.168.23.1 255.255.255.0
no shutdown
exit
router ospf 1
router-id 2.2.2.2
network 192.168.12.0 0.0.0.255 area 0
network 192.168.23.0 0.0.0.255 area 0
exit
end
write memory
R3enable
configure terminal
hostname R3
interface FastEthernet0/0
ip address 192.168.23.2 255.255.255.0
no shutdown
exit
interface FastEthernet1/0
ip address 192.168.31.2 255.255.255.0
no shutdown
exit
router ospf 1
router-id 3.3.3.3
network 192.168.23.0 0.0.0.255 area 0
network 192.168.31.0 0.0.0.255 area 0
exit
end
write memory
How does OSPF authenticate packets to protect against packet spoofing and tempering?
Be able to enable it a Cisco router.
OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) can authenticate packets to protect against packet spoofing and tampering using several methods. The two main types of authentication are:
Plain Text Authentication: This is simple and provides minimal security. It sends the password in clear text.
Message Digest 5 (MD5) Authentication: This provides stronger security by using cryptographic hash functions to authenticate OSPF packets.
Plain textenable
configure terminal
interface FastEthernet0/0
ip address 192.168.12.1 255.255.255.0
ip ospf authentication
ip ospf authentication-key cisco123
no shutdown
exit
router ospf 1
router-id 1.1.1.1
network 192.168.12.0 0.0.0.255 area 0
area 0 authentication
exit
write memory
MD5enable
configure terminal
interface FastEthernet0/0
ip address 192.168.12.1 255.255.255.0
ip ospf authentication message-digest
ip ospf message-digest-key 1 md5 securepassword
no shutdown
exit
router ospf 1
router-id 1.1.1.1
network 192.168.12.0 0.0.0.255 area 0
area 0 authentication message-digest
exit
write memory
Network Defense Fundamentals
•
What is IP spoofing? Explain.
-The ip packet contains the source and destination Ip addresses.-Is it straightforward to modify the ip address of the packet.
-IP Spoofing: sender chagrin his source address to something other than his real address.
How can IP spoofing be used in security attacks?
-If the attacker sends an Ip packet with a spoofed IP, they will not receive a response form the destination: the machine with the IP matching the spoofed IP will receive the response.Ip spoofing operation - the sender spoofs the source IP address to point to another target. The receiver system replies to the spoofed IP.
•
What are the countermeasures to IP spoofing?
Ingress and Egress Filtering: Network operators should implement filtering rules on routers and firewalls to block packets with source IP addresses that should not originate from those networks. Ingress filtering blocks incoming packets with a source IP address that is not valid for the network, while egress filtering blocks outgoing packets with an invalid source IP address.
Reverse Path Forwarding (RPF): This technique ensures that the incoming packets are received on the same interface that the router would use to send traffic back to the source. If the path does not match, the packet is discarded, preventing spoofed packets from passing through.
IPsec (Internet Protocol Security): IPsec can be used to authenticate and encrypt IP packets, ensuring that they come from legitimate sources and have not been tampered with. This makes spoofing attacks significantly more difficult.
How can IP spoofing be used to perform DoS attacks?
IP spoofing is often used in Denial of Service (DoS) attacks to obscure the attacker's identity and to overwhelm the target with traffic from what appears to be multiple sources. One common type of DoS attack that utilizes IP spoofing is a Smurf Attack. In a Smurf Attack, the attacker sends ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) echo requests to broadcast addresses of networks, with the source IP address spoofed to that of the victim. The devices on the network respond to the echo requests, sending replies back to the victim's IP address. This amplifies the traffic directed at the victim, potentially overwhelming their network and causing a DoS condition.
•
Know how to use
hping3
for performing ping floods.
Using hping3 to perform ping floods involves sending a high volume of ICMP Echo Request packets to a target to overwhelm it.basic ping floodsudo hping3 -1 --flood [target_IP]
Using spoofed source ipsudo hping3 -1 --flood -a [spoofed_IP] [target_IP]
Controlling the Packet Sending Rateo hping3 -1 --flood -i u1000 [target_IP]Combining sudo hping3 -1 --flood -a 10.0.0.1 -i u1000 192.168.1.1
Firewalling
What is a firewall?
a filtering device on a network that enforces network security policy and protects the network against external attacks.
According to NIST SP 800-41, what are the characteristics of a firewall?
NIST standard defines the possible characteristics that a firewall can use to filter traffic.
-(IP Address and Protocol type) filtering based on source/destination IP address/ports, traffic direction and other transport layer characteristics.
-(Application Protocols)controls access based on application protocol data
-(User identity) controls access based on user identity
-(Network activity)
What are the limitations of the firewall?
Firewall capabilities: -Define a traffic chokepoint in the network and protects against IP spoofing and routing attacks
-Provide a location for monitoring the security events -Provide non-security functions: loggin internet usage, network address translation-Serve as platform for VPN/IPSec
Firewall limitations:-protect against attacks bypassing the firewall, connections from inside the organization to the outside that do not go through the firewall.-protect against internal threats such as disgruntled employees.
What is a packet filter firewall? Be able to write and interpret rules and to spot configu-
rationflaws.
Packet filtering firewall : applies a set of rules to each packet based on the packet headers.Filters based on: source/destination IP, source/destination port numbers, IP Protocol Field:defines the transport protocol, Interface : for firewalls with 3+ network interfaces, the interface from which the packet came from/going to
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What is the difference between the default and allow and default deny policies? Which
one is the more secure one?
-when no rules apply to a packet, a default rule is applied: default deny : what is not explicitly permitted is denied default forward : what is not explicitly denied is allowed
default deny is more secure, you dont have to identify all of the cases that needs to be blocked, if one is missed, default deny will deny it.
Port 0-1023 reserved
1024-2**17 ephemeral
source port used by the system initialiatizng a connection is always chosen from the ephemeral ports
Be able to configure the packet filtering functions of iptables.
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Example:
Write iptables rules to block all ICMP traffic to and from the system.
iptables -A INPUT -p icmp -j DROP
iptables -A OUTPUT -p icmp -j DROP
Example:
Write iptables rules to block all traffic on port 22
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --sport 22 -j DROP
iptables -A OUTPUT -p tcp --dport 22 -j DROP
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Example:
Write iptables rules to block traffic to host 192.168.2.2
iptables -A OUTPUT -p tcp --dest 192.168.2.2 -j DROP
iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --src 192.168.2.2 -j DROP
What are the limitations of the packet filter firewall?
-does not examine upper layer data : cannot prevent attacks that employ application specfic vulnerabilities or functions.cannot block application specific commands.
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What is the stateful firewall and how does it compare to a packet filter?
A stateful firewall is a network security device that monitors and tracks the state of active connections, making decisions based on the context of the traffic. Unlike a simple packet filter, which examines individual packets in isolation based on predetermined rules, a stateful firewall keeps track of connections over time, distinguishing between legitimate packets that are part of an established session and potentially malicious ones. This contextual awareness allows it to block unauthorized connection attempts and prevent attacks such as spoofing and session hijacking. While packet filters, or stateless firewalls, operate faster and consume fewer resources by applying static rules to each packet independently, they lack the sophisticated traffic pattern handling and enhanced security provided by stateful firewalls.
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What is the application-level firewall? What are its advantages and limitations?
An application-level firewall, also known as an application firewall or proxy firewall, operates at the application layer of the OSI model. It inspects and filters traffic based on the specific application protocols (e.g., HTTP, FTP, DNS) rather than just IP addresses and port numbers. limitations : increased communications overhead due to two separate TCP connections

 and not transparent to the client 

Application-level gateways are also known as application-level proxies.
-act as a relay for the application-level traffic.
-runs at the application layer, and examines application-layer data
Supported ProtocolsFTPSTMPHTTP
What is a circuit-level firewall? What are its advantages and limitations?
-Similar to the application-level gateway, but only tracks the state of the TCP/UDP sessions.
-Does not examine application data , simply relays TCP segments
-Allow/deny decisions based on whether a packet belongs to an established and trusted connection
Advantage of circuit-level firewall -do not filter individual packets(simplifies rules)

-fast and efficient 

Disadvantages:

-do not filter individual packets -require frequent updates: traffic is filtered with rules and policies that need regular updates for new threats and risks -the vendor needs to modify the TCP/IP implementation for thor applications to use the circuit-level proxy. 

What are the different approaches to basing the firewall?

-stand-alone machines -software modules in roosters, switches, or servers, or pre-configured security appliances. 

What are the host-based firewalls?
Host-based firewalls: a firewall software module used to secure a single host.
What are the network device firewalls?
Network device firewall = routers and switches often have firewall functions, like packet filtering and stateful inspection, to check and filter packets
What are the virtual firewalls?
-in a virtualized environment, servers, switches, and routers can be virtualized and share physical hardware. The hypervisor that manages the virtual machines can also have firewall capabilities.
What is the DMZ? How is it used for securing networks?
A Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in network security is a physical or logical subnetwork that contains and exposes an organization's external-facing services to an untrusted network, typically the internet. The primary purpose of a DMZ is to add an additional layer of security to an organization's local area network (LAN). By isolating these externally accessible services, the DMZ ensures that if an attacker gains access to the public-facing systems, they do not have direct access to the rest of the network.
How the DMZ Secures Networks
Isolation of Public Services: Services that need to be accessible from the outside, such as web servers, mail servers, FTP servers, and DNS servers, are placed in the DMZ. These services are isolated from the internal network, which helps protect the internal systems from attacks that may exploit vulnerabilities in the public-facing services.
Controlled Access: Firewalls are used to create boundaries between the internet, the DMZ, and the internal network. The firewall rules are configured to allow only specific types of traffic to and from the DMZ. For example, incoming web traffic might be allowed to reach a web server in the DMZ, but not to access internal systems directly.
Minimal Exposure: Only the necessary services are exposed to the internet. This minimizes the attack surface, reducing the number of entry points that an attacker can exploit. Internal systems and data remain protected behind the additional layer of the firewall.
Layered Security: The DMZ provides an additional layer of defense (defense-in-depth). Even if an attacker manages to compromise a server in the DMZ, the internal network is still protected by another firewall, making it harder for the attacker to penetrate further.
Monitoring and Logging: Activities within the DMZ can be closely monitored and logged. Any suspicious behavior can be detected early, and appropriate actions can be taken to mitigate potential threats before they impact the internal network.
Traffic Filtering: The firewalls between the internet and the DMZ, as well as between the DMZ and the internal network, can filter traffic based on IP addresses, ports, and protocols. This filtering ensures that only legitimate traffic is allowed and that malicious traffic is blocked.
-if attacker compromises a server on the network, they will be able to pivot to other systems on the network.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of having the two DMZ firewalls be from
different vendors?
Using different firewall manufacturers for the two firewalls maybe a good idea, avoids possibility of both having the same vulnerability but introduces more complexity and management overhead.
Be able to write pfSense firewall rules
Penetration Testing
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What is penetration testing?
-legal and suthorzied attempt to locate and exploit vulnerable systems for the purpose of making those systems more secure.

pen testing, pt, hacking, ethical hacking, whitehate hacking, offensive security, red teaming 

What is the objective of the penetration testing?

Use tools and techniques used by the attackers in order to discover security vulnerabilities before the attackers do. 

What is the BAD pyramid?

The purpose of a red team is to find ways to improve the blue team, so purple teams should not be needed in an organization where the red/blue teams interaction is healthy and functioning properly. 

red attack
purple defender changes based off attack knowledge
blue defend
green builder changes based on defender knowledge
yellow build
orange builder changes based on attacker knowledge
Why are the penetration tests conducted?
-a company may want to have a stronger understanding of their security footprint.

-system policy shortcomings -network protocol weaknesses -network/software misconfigurations -software vulnerabilities 

What is the difference between penetration testing and vulnerability assessment?
-two terms often incorrectly ,interchangeably used in practice.
-vulnerability assessment : review of systems services to find potential vulnerabilities-penetration testing: finding an exploiting system vulnerabilities as proof-of-concept
What is the difference between black-box, white-box, and grey-box testing.
Black-Box Testing
Tester Knowledge: The tester has no knowledge of the internal structure, code, or implementation details of the system.
-lack knowledge of system
White-Box Testing
Tester Knowledge: The tester has full knowledge of the internal structure, code, and implementation details of the system.
-very thorough , but not completely realistic
Grey-Box Testing
Tester Knowledge: The tester has partial knowledge of the internal structure, code, or implementation details of the system.
What is the difference between ethical and unethical hackers?
-penetration testers, with proper authorization of the company, help improve the security of the company.
-unethical hackers, personal gain through extortion or other devious methods, profit, revenge, fame, etc. No authorization to conduct the attacks
•Ethical vs unethical hacking, penetration testers: obtain the authorization from the organization whose systems they plan to attack unethical hackers: attack without authorization.
Know the stages of penetration testing and the importance of following a structured ap-
proach.
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Planning and Reconnaissance:
Planning: Define the scope and goals of the test, including the systems to be tested and the testing methods.
Reconnaissance: Gather information about the target, such as IP addresses, domain names, and network infrastructure, to understand how to approach the test.
Scanning:
Purpose: Identify potential entry points and vulnerabilities in the target system.
Methods: Use tools to scan for open ports, services running on those ports, and known vulnerabilities.
Gaining Access:
Purpose: Attempt to exploit identified vulnerabilities to gain unauthorized access to the system.
Techniques: Use techniques like password cracking, SQL injection, or exploiting software vulnerabilities.
Maintaining Access:
Planning and Reconnaissance:
Purpose: Ensure continued access to the compromised system to understand the potential impact of a prolonged attack.
Methods: Install backdoors or use other methods to maintain control over the system.
Analysis and Reporting:
Scanning
Purpose: Document the findings, including vulnerabilities discovered, methods used, and the level of access achieved.
Report: Provide a detailed report to the organization, highlighting the risks and recommending steps to mitigate the vulnerabilities.
Remediation:
Gaining Access
Purpose: Address and fix the identified vulnerabilities to improve the security of the system.
Action: Implement the recommended security measures from the report to protect against future attacks.
Retesting:
Maintaining Access
Purpose: Verify that the vulnerabilities have been successfully remediated.
Process: Conduct a follow-up test to ensure that the fixes are effective and no new issues have been introduced.
Importance of Following a Structured Approach
Consistency: A structured approach ensures that each stage is systematically followed, making the testing thorough and reliable.
Comprehensiveness: Following each stage helps identify and address all potential vulnerabilities, leaving no gaps in the security assessment.
Documentation: A structured method produces detailed documentation, which is crucial for understanding the security posture and for future reference.
Effectiveness: It ensures that the penetration test effectively mimics real-world attack scenarios, providing valuable insights into how an actual attacker might exploit vulnerabilities.
Risk Management: By identifying and addressing vulnerabilities, organizations can proactively manage security risks and protect their assets from potential attacks.
Example:
What is the difference between the passive and active reconnaissance?
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Passive Reconnaissance
Definition: Gathering information about the target without directly interacting with the target system or network. The aim is to collect data without alerting the target.
Methods:
Publicly Available Information: Searching for information that is freely available on the internet, such as social media profiles, company websites, and news articles.
DNS Queries: Looking up domain registration information (WHOIS data), DNS records, and IP address ranges.
Network Traffic Analysis: Capturing and analyzing network traffic without sending packets to the target (e.g., using tools like Wireshark in a non-intrusive manner).
Search Engines: Using search engines to find information about the target, such as employee names, email addresses, and technical details.
Advantages:
Low Risk: Minimizes the chance of detection by the target because no direct interaction occurs.
Stealth: Suitable for the early stages of reconnaissance when the goal is to remain undetected.
Disadvantages:
Limited Information: May not provide as much detailed or specific information about vulnerabilities or configurations as active reconnaissance.
Active Reconnaissance
Definition: Actively engaging with the target system or network to gather information. This involves direct interaction, such as sending packets or probing the target.
Methods:
Network Scanning: Using tools like Nmap to scan for open ports, running services, and network topology.
Vulnerability Scanning: Running vulnerability scanners (e.g., Nessus, OpenVAS) to identify known weaknesses in the target systems.
Social Engineering: Directly interacting with individuals (e.g., phishing attacks) to gather information.
Probing and Enumerating: Sending specific queries or packets to the target to elicit responses that reveal information about the system (e.g., banner grabbing).
Advantages:
Detailed Information: Provides more detailed and specific information about the target's vulnerabilities, configurations, and active services.
Identification of Weaknesses: More effective in identifying exploitable vulnerabilities that can be used in subsequent attack phases.
Disadvantages:
Higher Risk: Increases the risk of detection by the target, which could alert them to the reconnaissance activity.
Potential Legal Issues: Unauthorized active reconnaissance can lead to legal repercussions if done without permission.
Summary
Passive Reconnaissance: Involves gathering information without direct interaction with the target, resulting in lower risk of detection but potentially less detailed information.
Active Reconnaissance: Involves direct interaction with the target to gather detailed information, but carries a higher risk of detection and potential legal consequences.
Both types of reconnaissance are essential in penetration testing to understand the target's environment and identify potential vulnerabilities while balancing the need for stealth and detailed information.
Be able to use the penetration testing tools discussed in class
nmap 192.168.1.1
nmap -sS -sV -O -A 192.168.1.1-sS: Perform a stealth SYN scan.
-sV: Detect service versions.
-O: Detect operating system.
-A: Perform aggressive scan (includes OS detection, version detection, script scanning, and traceroute).