I am just starting up my stream again after taking a break during finals. Before it was lagging on the video side but not on the audio side. It seems it's still doing that. My wifi used to be incredibly fast and it was still doing it. Now I do have much slower wifi but I don't think thats the problem here. I have attached the logs below. Thanks for the help in advance. Also I know the logs look crazy on here. I believe there is some way to condense them to make it easier for yall to read but I am unsure on how to.
7:21:21.908: CPU Name: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 6-Core Processor
17:21:21.908: CPU Speed: 3700MHz
17:21:21.908: Physical Cores: 6, Logical Cores: 12
17:21:21.908: Physical Memory: 16310MB Total, 11301MB Free
17:21:21.908: Windows Version: 10.0 Build 19045 (release: 22H2; revision: 4291; 64-bit)
17:21:21.908: Running as administrator: false
17:21:21.908: Windows 10/11 Gaming Features:
17:21:21.908: Game DVR: On
17:21:21.908: Game Mode: Probably On (no reg key set)
17:21:21.909: Sec. Software Status:
17:21:21.910: Microsoft Defender Antivirus: enabled (AV)
17:21:21.910: Windows Firewall: enabled (FW)
17:21:21.911: Current Date/Time: 2024-05-16, 17:21:21
17:21:21.911: Browser Hardware Acceleration: true
17:21:21.911: Hide OBS windows from screen capture: true
17:21:21.911: Qt Version: 6.6.2 (runtime), 6.6.2 (compiled)
17:21:21.911: Portable mode: false
17:21:22.129: OBS 30.1.2 (64-bit, windows)
17:21:22.129: ---------------------------------
17:21:22.130: ---------------------------------
17:21:22.130: audio settings reset:
17:21:22.130: samples per sec: 48000
17:21:22.130: speakers: 2
17:21:22.130: max buffering: 960 milliseconds
17:21:22.130: buffering type: dynamically increasing
17:21:22.132: ---------------------------------
17:21:22.132: Initializing D3D11...
17:21:22.132: Available Video Adapters:
17:21:22.133: Adapter 0: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660
17:21:22.133: Dedicated VRAM: 6271533056 (5.8 GiB)
17:21:22.133: Shared VRAM: 8551178240 (8.0 GiB)
17:21:22.133: PCI ID: 10de:2184
17:21:22.133: HAGS Status: Enabled (Default: No, Driver status: Supported)
17:21:22.133: Driver Version: 31.0.15.4592
17:21:22.134: output 0:
17:21:22.134: name=OMEN 27i IPS
17:21:22.134: pos={0, 0}
17:21:22.134: size={2560, 1440}
17:21:22.134: attached=true
17:21:22.134: refresh=144
17:21:22.134: bits_per_color=8
17:21:22.134: space=RGB_FULL_G22_NONE_P709
17:21:22.134: primaries=[r=(0.685547, 0.308594), g=(0.264648, 0.667969), b=(0.150391, 0.057617), wp=(0.313477, 0.329102)]
17:21:22.134: relative_gamut_area=[709=1.329573, P3=0.980123, 2020=0.703173]
17:21:22.134: sdr_white_nits=80
17:21:22.134: nit_range=[min=0.500000, max=270.000000, max_full_frame=270.000000]
17:21:22.134: dpi=96 (100%)
17:21:22.134: id=\\?\DISPLAY#HPN3674#7&21a00807&1&UID16641#{e6f07b5f-ee97-4a90-b076-33f57bf4eaa7}
17:21:22.134: alt_id=\\.\DISPLAY1
17:21:22.134: Loading up D3D11 on adapter NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 (0)
17:21:22.231: D3D11 loaded successfully, feature level used: b000
17:21:22.231: DXGI increase maximum frame latency success
17:21:22.231: Hardware-Accelerated GPU Scheduling enabled on adapter!
17:21:22.232: D3D11 GPU priority setup failed (not admin?)
17:21:22.714: ---------------------------------
17:21:22.714: video settings reset:
17:21:22.714: base resolution: 1920x1080
17:21:22.714: output resolution: 1920x1080
17:21:22.714: downscale filter: Bicubic
17:21:22.714: fps: 30/1
17:21:22.714: format: NV12
17:21:22.714: YUV mode: Rec. 709/Partial
17:21:22.715: NV12 texture support enabled
17:21:22.715: P010 texture support not available
17:21:22.717: Audio monitoring device:
17:21:22.717: name: Default
17:21:22.717: id: default
17:21:22.717: ---------------------------------
17:21:22.734: [3D Effect] loaded version 0.1.0
17:21:22.738: No AJA devices found, skipping loading AJA UI plugin
17:21:22.738: Failed to initialize module 'aja-output-ui.dll'
17:21:22.742: No AJA devices found, skipping loading AJA plugin
17:21:22.742: Failed to initialize module 'aja.dll'
17:21:22.742: Skipping module '../../obs-plugins/64bit/chrome_elf.dll', not an OBS plugin
17:21:22.747: [CoreAudio encoder]: CoreAudio AAC encoder not installed on the system or couldn't be loaded
17:21:22.747: Failed to load 'en-US' text for module: 'decklink-captions.dll'
17:21:22.748: Failed to load 'en-US' text for module: 'decklink-output-ui.dll'
17:21:22.753: A DeckLink iterator could not be created. The DeckLink drivers may not be installed
17:21:22.753: Failed to initialize module 'decklink.dll'
17:21:22.773: [Downstream Keyer] loaded version 0.3.0
17:21:22.831: [Dynamic Delay] loaded version 0.1.4
17:21:22.845: [Freeze Filter] loaded version 0.3.3
17:21:22.871: [Gradient Source] loaded version 0.3.2
17:21:22.930: [input-overlay] Loading v5.0.4-HEAD (5f18f42) build time 2023.05.08 07:27
17:21:22.931: Skipping module '../../obs-plugins/64bit/libcef.dll', not an OBS plugin
17:21:22.931: [input-overlay] Initializing SDL2 for gamepad input (compile-time: 2.26.1, run-time: 2.26.1)
17:21:22.931: Skipping module '../../obs-plugins/64bit/libEGL.dll', not an OBS plugin
17:21:22.931: Skipping module '../../obs-plugins/64bit/libGLESv2.dll', not an OBS plugin
17:21:22.964: [Move Transition] loaded version 2.11.0
17:21:22.965: Failed to get nvARPose.dll version info size
17:21:22.984: [Advanced Masks] loaded version 1.1.0
17:21:22.998: [obs-browser]: Version 2.23.4
17:21:22.998: [obs-browser]: CEF Version 103.0.5060.134 (runtime), 103.0.0-5060-shared-textures.2594+gc69ad37+chromium-103.0.5060.134 (compiled)
17:21:23.019: [Composite Blur] loaded version 1.1.0
17:21:23.028: NVENC supported
17:21:23.186: [NVENC] AV1 is not supported
17:21:23.193: [noise suppress]: NVIDIA denoiser disabled, redistributable not found or could not be loaded.
17:21:23.194: Failed to get NVVideoEffects.dll version info size
17:21:23.195: [NVIDIA VIDEO FX]: FX disabled, redistributable not found or could not be loaded.
17:21:23.256: [obs-shaderfilter] loaded version 2.3.1
17:21:23.274: [Stroke Glow Shadow] loaded version 1.0.2
17:21:23.307: [obs-websocket] [obs_module_load] you can haz websockets (Version: 5.4.2 RPC Version: 1)
17:21:23.307: [obs-websocket] [obs_module_load] Qt version (compile-time): 6.6.2 Qt version (run-time): 6.6.2
17:21:23.307: [obs-websocket] [obs_module_load] Linked ASIO Version: 102900
17:21:23.318: [obs-websocket] [obs_module_load] Module loaded.
17:21:23.338: [pixel-art] plugin loaded successfully (version 0.0.4)
17:21:23.364: [Scene As Transition] loaded version 1.1.0
17:21:23.365: Skipping module '../../obs-plugins/64bit/SDL2.dll', not an OBS plugin
17:21:23.381: [Source Clone] loaded version 0.1.4
17:21:23.400: [StreamUP] loaded version 1.4.0
17:21:23.410: [vlc-video]: Couldn't find VLC installation, VLC video source disabled
17:21:23.442: [phandasm_waveform]: Registered v1.8.0 x64
17:21:23.442: [phandasm_waveform]: Using CPU capabilities: AVX2 AVX FMA3 SSE2
17:21:23.470: ---------------------------------
17:21:23.470: Loaded Modules:
17:21:23.470: win-wasapi.dll
17:21:23.470: win-dshow.dll
17:21:23.470: win-capture.dll
17:21:23.470: waveform.dll
17:21:23.470: vlc-video.dll
17:21:23.470: text-freetype2.dll
17:21:23.470: streamup.dll
17:21:23.470: source-clone.dll
17:21:23.470: scene-as-transition.dll
17:21:23.470: rtmp-services.dll
17:21:23.470: pixel-art.dll
17:21:23.470: obs-x264.dll
17:21:23.470: obs-websocket.dll
17:21:23.470: obs-webrtc.dll
17:21:23.470: obs-vst.dll
17:21:23.470: obs-transitions.dll
17:21:23.470: obs-text.dll
17:21:23.470: obs-stroke-glow-shadow.dll
17:21:23.470: obs-shaderfilter.dll
17:21:23.470: obs-qsv11.dll
17:21:23.470: obs-outputs.dll
17:21:23.470: obs-filters.dll
17:21:23.470: obs-ffmpeg.dll
17:21:23.470: obs-composite-blur.dll
17:21:23.470: obs-browser.dll
17:21:23.470: obs-advanced-masks.dll
17:21:23.470: move-transition.dll
17:21:23.470: input-overlay.dll
17:21:23.470: image-source.dll
17:21:23.470: gradient-source.dll
17:21:23.470: frontend-tools.dll
17:21:23.470: freeze-filter.dll
17:21:23.470: dynamic-delay.dll
17:21:23.470: downstream-keyer.dll
17:21:23.470: decklink-output-ui.dll
17:21:23.470: decklink-captions.dll
17:21:23.470: coreaudio-encoder.dll
17:21:23.470: 3d-effect.dll
17:21:23.470: ---------------------------------
17:21:25.613: Settings loaded successfully
17:21:25.630: QWidget::setTabOrder: 'first' and 'second' must be in the same window
17:21:25.630: ==== Startup complete ===============================================
17:21:25.742: QObject::connect: No such slot io_settings_dialog::RefreshUi()
17:21:25.742: QObject::connect: (receiver name: 'io_config_dialog')
17:21:25.824: All scene data cleared
17:21:25.824: ------------------------------------------------
17:21:25.842: [win-wasapi: 'Desktop Audio'] update settings:
17:21:25.842: device id: {0.0.0.00000000}.{875a7084-c1c0-4e85-b84d-cb67b9376718}
17:21:25.842: use device timing: 1
17:21:25.843: [Loaded global audio device]: 'Desktop Audio'
17:21:25.843: [win-wasapi: 'Mic/Aux'] update settings:
17:21:25.843: device id: {0.0.1.00000000}.{0be91329-94c5-4292-ba1d-e18c277583dc}
17:21:25.843: use device timing: 0
17:21:25.843: [Loaded global audio device]: 'Mic/Aux'
17:21:25.845: [duplicator-monitor-capture: 'Display Capture'] update settings:
17:21:25.845: display: OMEN 27i IPS (2560x1440)
17:21:25.845: cursor: true
17:21:25.845: method: DXGI
17:21:25.845: id: \\?\DISPLAY#HPN3674#7&21a00807&1&UID16641#{e6f07b5f-ee97-4a90-b076-33f57bf4eaa7}
17:21:25.845: alt_id: \\.\DISPLAY1
17:21:25.845: setting_id: \\?\DISPLAY#HPN3674#7&21a00807&1&UID16641#{e6f07b5f-ee97-4a90-b076-33f57bf4eaa7}
17:21:25.845: force SDR: false
17:21:25.937: WASAPI: Device 'Headset Earphone (CORSAIR Slipstream Multi-Device Receiver)' [48000 Hz] initialized (source: Desktop Audio)
17:21:25.948: Switched to scene 'Scene'
17:21:25.959: ------------------------------------------------
17:21:25.959: Loaded scenes:
17:21:25.959: - scene 'Scene':
17:21:25.959: - source: 'Game Capture' (game_capture)
17:21:25.959: - source: 'Display Capture' (monitor_capture)
17:21:25.959: - source: 'Keyboard' (input-overlay)
17:21:25.959: - source: 'Mouse' (input-overlay)
17:21:25.959: - scene 'Scene 2':
17:21:25.959: - source: 'J5 Create Cam' (dshow_input)
17:21:25.959: ------------------------------------------------
17:21:26.001: WASAPI: Device 'Headset Microphone (CORSAIR Slipstream Multi-Device Receiver)' [48000 Hz] initialized (source: Mic/Aux)
17:21:26.041: J5 Create Cam: data.GetDevice failed
17:21:26.041: J5 Create Cam: Video configuration failed
17:22:40.273: OpenType support missing for "Open Sans", script 11
17:22:40.273: OpenType support missing for "Arial", script 11
17:22:40.274: OpenType support missing for "Tahoma", script 11
17:22:40.278: OpenType support missing for "MS UI Gothic", script 11
17:22:40.284: OpenType support missing for "SimSun", script 11
17:22:40.290: OpenType support missing for "Segoe UI Emoji", script 11
17:22:40.294: OpenType support missing for "Segoe UI Symbol", script 11
17:22:40.299: OpenType support missing for "Open Sans", script 12
17:22:40.299: OpenType support missing for "Arial", script 12
17:22:40.300: OpenType support missing for "Tahoma", script 12
17:22:40.300: OpenType support missing for "MS UI Gothic", script 12
17:22:40.300: OpenType support missing for "SimSun", script 12
17:22:40.300: OpenType support missing for "Segoe UI Emoji", script 12
17:22:40.301: OpenType support missing for "Segoe UI Symbol", script 12
17:22:40.302: OpenType support missing for "Open Sans", script 16
17:22:40.303: OpenType support missing for "Arial", script 16
17:22:40.303: OpenType support missing for "Tahoma", script 16
17:22:40.303: OpenType support missing for "MS UI Gothic", script 16
17:22:40.304: OpenType support missing for "SimSun", script 16
17:22:40.304: OpenType support missing for "Segoe UI Emoji", script 16
17:22:40.304: OpenType support missing for "Segoe UI Symbol", script 16
17:22:40.305: OpenType support missing for "Open Sans", script 20
17:22:40.306: OpenType support missing for "Arial", script 20
17:22:40.306: OpenType support missing for "Tahoma", script 20
17:22:40.306: OpenType support missing for "MS UI Gothic", script 20
17:22:40.306: OpenType support missing for "SimSun", script 20
17:22:40.307: OpenType support missing for "Segoe UI Emoji", script 20
17:22:40.307: OpenType support missing for "Segoe UI Symbol", script 20
17:28:12.277: User is ignoring service bitrate limits.
17:28:12.331: [obs-nvenc: 'advanced_video_stream'] settings:
17:28:12.331: codec: H264
17:28:12.331: rate_control: CBR
17:28:12.331: bitrate: 4500
17:28:12.331: cqp: 20
17:28:12.331: keyint: 60
17:28:12.331: preset: p5
17:28:12.331: tuning: hq
17:28:12.331: multipass: qres
17:28:12.331: profile: high
17:28:12.331: width: 1920
17:28:12.331: height: 1080
17:28:12.331: b-frames: 2
17:28:12.331: lookahead: false
17:28:12.331: psycho_aq: true
17:28:12.331:
17:28:12.389: ---------------------------------
17:28:12.390: [FFmpeg aac encoder: 'adv_stream_audio'] bitrate: 160, channels: 2, channel_layout: stereo
17:28:12.390:
17:28:12.396: [rtmp stream: 'adv_stream'] Connecting to RTMP URL rtmp://iah50.contribute.live-video.net/app...
17:28:12.397: User is ignoring service bitrate limits.
17:28:12.399: encoder 'advanced_video_stream': Cannot apply a new video_t object after the encoder has been initialized
17:28:12.399: encoder 'advanced_video_stream': Cannot set the scaled resolution after the encoder has been initialized
17:28:12.399: encoder 'advanced_video_stream': Cannot enable GPU scaling after the encoder has been initialized
17:28:12.399: ---------------------------------
17:28:12.399: [FFmpeg aac encoder: 'Track1'] bitrate: 160, channels: 2, channel_layout: stereo
17:28:12.399:
17:28:12.411: ==== Recording Start ===============================================
17:28:12.411: [ffmpeg muxer: 'adv_file_output'] Writing file 'C:/Users/Lyla/Videos/2024-05-16 17-28-12.mkv'...
17:28:12.473: [rtmp stream: 'adv_stream'] Interface: Realtek PCIe GbE Family Controller #3 (ethernet, 1000↓/1000↑ mbps)
17:28:14.221: [rtmp stream: 'adv_stream'] Connection to rtmp://iah50.contribute.live-video.net/app (99.181.98.28) successful
17:28:14.221: [rtmp stream: 'adv_stream'] Socket send buffer is 65536 bytes
17:28:14.222: ==== Streaming Start ===============================================
17:51:44.043: [ffmpeg muxer: 'adv_file_output'] Output of file 'C:/Users/Lyla/Videos/2024-05-16 17-28-12.mkv' stopped
17:51:44.046: Output 'adv_file_output': stopping
17:51:44.046: Output 'adv_file_output': Total frames output: 42334
17:51:44.046: Output 'adv_file_output': Total drawn frames: 42349
17:51:44.047: ==== Recording Stop ================================================
17:51:44.057: warning: 2 frames left in the queue on closing
17:51:46.732: [rtmp stream: 'adv_stream'] User stopped the stream
17:51:46.732: [rtmp stream: 'adv_stream'] Socket send buffer is 65536 bytes
17:51:46.734: Output 'adv_stream': stopping
17:51:46.734: Output 'adv_stream': Total frames output: 14825 (42356 attempted)
17:51:46.734: Output 'adv_stream': Total drawn frames: 42430
17:51:46.734: Output 'adv_stream': Number of dropped frames due to insufficient bandwidth/connection stalls: 27531 (65.0%)
17:51:46.734: [rtmp stream: 'adv_stream'] Freeing 22578 remaining packets
17:51:46.745: ==== Streaming Stop ================================================
17:51:46.806: warning: 2 frames left in the queue on closing

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.

MB is written and distributed every trading day. The newsletter is 100% free and I never upsell you to some "iNnEr cIrClE" of paid-membership perks. Everyone gets the same! Join the barkada by signing up for the newsletter, or follow me on Twitter. You can also read my daily Morning Halo-halo content on Philstar.com in the Stock Commentary section.

Subscribe here

Read today's full newsletter here

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.

You don't have to read the entire post as I realize it's quite long. You can just answer the question in the title if you want.
I'm asking this because I've seen a lot of people say that ER is the greatest soul game ever made. I'm curious on your guys' opinion. I asked here cause I think I'll get the least biased answers. Also, this includes Sekiro too.
For me ER would be number 4 on my favourite soulsborne games list. 1st is sekiro for the gameplay and an actual narrative for once, 2nd is Bloodborne for the setting, the design and number 3rd is dark souls 3 cause of its tight experience and having my second favourite boss (Nameless king) with 5th being DS2 SotFS and last being DS1 solely cause I lose interest in the second half. If I was just going by the first half it would be number 5.
While I love ER I do have some issues with it (this is all my opinion)
I don't really like the open world. It was great the first time but the second time the open world felt a bit tedious. It was like if you took the world of dark souls and stretched it out so it would take you longer to reach Point A to Point B. This is for subsequent playthroughs btw since souls games are kinda meant to be played again (you'll come back anyways, you always do) Everything past the first playthrough felt like an empty map. And if you like to do fresh playthroughs instead of NG+ you would have to pull out the wiki to see which cave has which upgrade material. It loses it's magic.
I loved the linear experience of Dark souls and Bloodborne where every area felt connected with its shortcuts. It felt like a rougelike in a sense. You knew everything about the map but you could play differently this time in a reasonable amount of time.
The mountaintop was just a straight run to the fire giant.
The legacy dungeons fixed this issue but doesn't help when 70% of the map is open world.
Also, the enemy recycling. Seriously, how many dragons do we need. And those watchdogs, magma wyrms, the erdtree avatar, Beastmen, fucking ulcerated tree spirits I understand open world games need to recycle enemy and to have an enemy drop an important upgrade material (why the rotten lizard?!) but it feels like 50% of the enemies we have are the one's mentioned above.
The Boss scaling was another issue for me. I would say I'm pretty good at souls games but still struggle. I beat Isshin, Nameless King, Midir and Gael in my 3rd, 4th, 2nd and 4th try respectively while Friede, Father, Ludwig, Maria and Orphan took me close to 10, 8, close to 15, close to 5 and around 35 tries respectively. Did Gehrman and Moon presence first try. I have also completed Shura and Divine heir gauntlets.
The point is the bosses in ER have such a weird balance. Where you can solo bosses easily in the other games if you practice or fall into a rhythm, in ER bosses are designed around summons and sometimes summons break the game. I haven't been able to solo Malenia, Radahn (who is basically a raid boss) or Maliketh yet (after close to 50+ to 100 tries each). They feel designed to be beaten with summons while bosses like Margot, Placidusax, Fortisax, Godfrey and Horah Loux (who is Actually my favourite boss) felt so much more fun to play against and felt way more fair. Every death was my mistake and it didn't feel like I jumped from ER into Sekiro all of a sudden.
I know I probably suck with those three bosses and everyone has different experience (I died to the crystal sage nearly 10 times) but you can't deny that they play differently than other bosses.
I love ER and while I appreciate the open world and this experiment I really hope they don't make another open world right after this and instead go back to their tried and true linear formula. I know the DLC will be amazing as FS has a track record of delivering absolutely amazing DLCs.
Also, all of these issues I had were my own personal opinion. Feel free to share your own.

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,

1. Cosculluela “El Principe Ghost Edition” (2010) – Some may get mad at seeing this “El Principe” #1 when “Odisea” is at #8 especially because Coscu’s 200 thousand units sold is 10x less the amount of Ozuna’s “Odisea”. But unless you were there, you cannot fathom the fact that “El Principe” was the equivalent to “El Abayarde” during the “Back To The Underground Era” (2009-2014). Major labels dissed Rap & Reggaeton and most of it went back to the underground. And even if it did receive a release from a major like “El Principe”, unless you were Yankee or Don or signed a 360, you were not getting any promotional dollars invested in you. This album remained “underground” outside of Puerto Rico, but it became the hottest thing in the culture thus it did phenomenal numbers with no mainstream exposure. But the most important facet is the music. And this album is full of classics from beginning to end with much variety yet Cosculluela does not abandon his underground lyricism at any moment for commercial success. You have ballads with Zion & De La Ghetto, but hardcore songs like “Plaka Plaka” and “Un Pesito”. There is no doubt that when this album came out Cosculluela was the #1 Latin MC on planet earth and his career is now legendary thanks to “El Principe” in which every single song was good and a hit!

Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6A6eSLDcS2r7qT9ZFYSJlL?si=-YBA4YGST0OIXn23ZU-XtQ

1. Jowell & Randy “El Momento” (2010) – Wisin & Yandel’s “WY Records” joined forces with the legendary “White Lion Records” to present this masterpiece. Half the album is produced by Wisin & Yandel’s superstar team of Nesty, Victor & Gomez while the other half is done by Live Music (DJ Giann, Dexter, Mr. Greenz & DJ Blass). It is Jowell & Randy’s best album to date and their most successful one to date. People remember hits like “Un Booty Nuevo” feat. Yaviah, “Loco”, & “Solo Por Ti” but songs like “Amanece” and “Chica de Novela” are all time classics within the Reggaeton community. If you missed this one, do yourself a favor and save your life by hearing it.

Listen On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6JUteqYW61MphFHmJe5AAU?si=FPqrD5hmSpqvpHknPvmVzw

3. Ñengo Flow “Real G 4 Life” (2010) - Ñengo Flow became a superstar in Colombia with this album and later the rest of the world. “Real G 4 Life” has now become a mantra for Latinos raised in the barrio across the globe. The album was the best of both worlds. Half of it is Ñengo’s gritty, dark and violent tone with help of ultra underrated MC John Jay. The second half is club bangers with all tracks becoming hits in the Reggaeton world. This album is now one of the most influential in the history of Latin Music, not just Rap & Reggaeton.
Listen on YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lyv_kcReUgQuIS_13uattK3TJKVK8Dhsc&si=W7rdpwG7vj5QyeiH

4. Anuel AA “Real Hasta La Muerte mixtape version” (2016) – Anuel’s debut 13 track mixtape is a tour de force. Every song is either an underground hit or a commercial radio/club smash. He was just untouchable at this point. Lyrically he was also at his peak here as his lyrics kinda made more sense in their angst while recently he sounds kinda pointless. His punchlines were also much more clever in this era and he became a legend in the culture with this work alone which is much superior to the album version of 2018. Please don’t get them confused, one is much better than the other.
Listen Here: Anuel AA - Real Hasta La Muerte (The Mixtape) (2016) : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

5. Kase.O “El Círculo” (2016) – “El Ciculo” by Kase.O is definitely the most sophisticated album on this list. For those not “in the know” Kase.O has been widely considered the undisputed best lyricist alive since Canserbero passed away. He was a member of the legendary Hip Hop group ‘Violadores Del Verso’ and presented a masterclass of a product with “El Círculo” in 2016. Apart from his supreme battle rap skills, we have songs with social content, R&B romance, and a variety of underground Rap sounds from R de Rhumba. If we were to rate on pure skill alone, this album may be #1.
Listen on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/el-c%C3%ADrculo/1152540356

6. Yandel “Dangerous” (2015) - Yandel’s most commercially successful album as a solo artist is just a tour de force from beginning to end. This is Yandel translating his hitmaking abilities from “Quien Contra Mi” to the modern era. It is very commercial without losing the essence of the true Reggaeton sound. Most people remember “Encantadora” but even deep cuts like “Riversa” feat. De La Ghetto, “Loba”, “Dejame Explorar” feat. French Montana & “No Sales De Mi Mente” feat. Nicky Jam were among the best Reggaeton songs that decade.
Listen on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/dangerous/1046026029

7. Los De La Nazza “Orion” (2015) - This is the finest produced Reggaeton album of the 2010’s and the one that launched today’s #1 label ‘RIMAS’. It has an all star list of participants including Farruko, Nicky Jam, De La Ghetto, Ozuna, Kendo Kaponi, Pusho, Angel & Khriz, Luigi 21 Plus, Alexio (RIP) Juanka & many more… It is a very street album and not recommended for all audiences. The beats still sound impressive almost a decade later.
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1qA8Q6vn2oYXBwiMb55HTu?si=jFgI2oecQNKTj_uB3UZU-w

8. Ozuna “Odisea” (2017) – Ozuna’s debut album is chock full of hits and the most successful album on the list. He had already about 5 or 6 international hits before the album’s release and added another 5 or 6 more after it. Super catchy and well produced album.
Listen on YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_ncFovAV-r37ILWMjp65C285WwN3-5CSbw&si=ofFXc57ZnREL52nv

9. Baby Rasta & Gringo “Los Cotizados” (2015) – After a career that spanned over 20 years by the time of “Los Cotizados” release date, this is Baby Rasta & Gringo’s most successful album to date. The album is full of catchy songs and impressive features including Tito El Bambino, Nicky Jam & Farruko. Jumbo “El Que Produce Solo” does a fantastic job on the production end.
Listen on Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/los-cotizados/1361900453

10. Nico Canada “A Lo Under vol. 1 & 2” (2012) – Nico Canada brought an all star double album to the game in 2012. You have exclusive tracks from Plan B, Cosculluela, Nicky Jam, J Alvarez, Ñengo Flow, Maicol & Manuel, Alberto Style, Ivy Queen, Mexicano, Yomo, Tito El Bambino, J-King & Maximan, Voltio, Jowell & Randy and more… All produced by Nico Canada alongside Kronix Magical mostly with an old school 90’s feel translated to the modern era. Sadly, this album was not known outside the underground but is worth the listen as it is full of classic tracks.
Listen on Spotify: Vol. 1 https://open.spotify.com/album/6v6ie2iVsqY5HU0nYn9rgb?si=g6wVyDH-Qp6ZB98eLSbzhg
& Vol. 2 https://open.spotify.com/album/36McUo1zCJNAzHu7gmqfTG?si=ppYXTewfQiGWBqW4OPS-5Q

Honorable Mention: Shotta – Para Mi Gente/Flowesia (2014/2016), Plan B – House of Pleasure (2010), Cosculluela – Blanco Perla (2016), Alcolirykoz - Servicios Ambulatorioz (2017), Nicky Jam – Fenix (2017), Wisin & Yandel – Los Vaqueros El Regreso (2011), Daddy Yankee – King Daddy (2013) & Tito El Bambino – El Patron La Victoria Edition.
My personal Top 5: 1. King Daddy 2. Real Hasta La Muerte mixtape version 3. El Momento 4. Los Vaqueros El Regreso 5. El Principe

The following article may help you to explain what's Hi-Res music to your CD freinds as some of them may be mis-led into believe that "Hi-Res is useless" from information they got on the internet (especially from "audio science" discussion forums)

source: "768kHz for digital music sampling? Can you hear 384kHz? You're crazy... "(no-pseudo-science.blogspot.com)

Do I want to hear up to 384kHz? LOL... of course not 😂 768kHz sampling is for something else...

Hi-Res Audio DAC

The number one mis-understanding of why using Hi-Res music is:

"why we need to to hear frequencies that fall in the ultrasonic range (i.e. higher than 22kHz for most people)???"

If you asked similar question or answered someone's question like below, then you are pretty much belong to a group of people who don't know what's Hi-Res music is.

Hi-Res music is, in fact, to help your DAC to reconstruct better audio output for the audible range (yes, it is for the frequencies BELOW 22kHz with 768kHz sampling)...

(It is a real dialogue as I just saw it today in an Audio Science forum)

Someone asked:

Many DACs descriptions enhance in capital letters 32/768 kHz resolution. Is there any domain when such a resolution may be justified?

Other (more experienced member) replied:

Can you think of a circumstance where you'd even want a dynamic range of over 190dB and/or a frequency response up to 384kHz?

Apparently the Gray Moth can hear up to about 300kHz (gotta get away from those bats with that pesky echolocation thing), so there is that to consider if you want to record those sounds, but otherwise it doesn't seem to be useful for listening to music.

Sorry, I would like to help to debunk these misleading information on the spot in the discussion but I couldn't as I was stopped from replying that thread. I could only help here.

The wrong answer shown above is the number one mis-leading answer in an attempt to kill Hi-Res music (especially for the people who asked such question have limited knowledge about digital music / signal sampling).... I hope that guy won't really take the wrong answer from a supposed-to-be objective audio science based web site as a fact without checking more by himself.

Ok, then you may ask "then what Hi-Res do for us?" It is simple, let's see what it does first:

1. Over-sampling (ie. sample the original music signal more frequently within a second

2. More bits for bit-depth (i.e. 24 or even 32 instead of 16 bit)What are the benefits?

Over sampling helps to reconstruct final better audio signal from a DAC

1. Oversampling does help to reconstruct better audio signal as it improves anti-aliasing performance, increase resolution, and reduce noise.

2. In terms of sampling frequency, "Hi-Res" music (anything higher than 44k) is an example of oversampling (as in theory, only 44kHz is required). It happens during the ADC process. From point 1 above, it would help to regenerate better audio signal, hence, better music.

3. In terms of bit depth, "Hi-Res" music use more than 16 bit. It helps to reduce Quantization#Noise) error. it would help to regenerate better audio signal, hence, better music.

4. The purpose for using "Hi-Res" input is not for its ability to reconstruct signal outside the audible range. It is just a by-product. Yes, based on sampling theory, we can use 768k sampling to reconstruct signal with frequencies up to 384k but again, this is not what we needed.

5. Hi-Res industry used the by-product I mentioned in point 4 above as a marketing material when they initially pushed for SACD. It caused people who knows about the audible frequency range to consider Hi-Res music as snake oil (but it is not snake oil for other reasons stated above)

I don't want to go too deep about all the benefits here as it is extremely technical. If you really want to know. Let me know, see if I can help further.

(updated 29 April 2024, I saw this on facebook: Hi-Res Audio Hi Res: Why higher sample rates sound better and what you can do about it Facebook )

p.s.: Sigh... looks like one more guy (who asked the question above) was somehow convinced by the misleading info....

=========== Follow up ===========

update 28 Apri 2024:

that person was eventually banned for that thread as he was rising some concerns with his critical thinking. As stated in my other blog, "psueduo science hates critical thinking"; they cannot co-exist.

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

Hey everyone! 👋 I've noticed a lot of posts recently about Bee Swarm Simulator progression and event bee questions, and I wanted to help. About seven months ago, my friends joined the game, and seeing my level 18 fully gifted 4/5 pop shower SSA blue hive, they sought my help. While I've mainly played during Beesmas for the past three years, I tried my best to recall my early game experiences and what I could have done better.
The influx of questions got me thinking, and I decided to create a comprehensive Google Doc with answers to all those questions that might not be readily available on the wiki. This includes details on progression order, event bee order, and quests order. In the beginning, the tips sheet was based on my memory and a few random YouTube videos I stumbled upon. However, as my friends progressed in the game, I refined it to include what worked best for them. They are now endgame, one being a red hive and one a white hive so I could include information on all hive colors.
I'm committed to keeping it up to date, evolving it as needed whenever there are changes in the game. My goal is to help out all the players who have questions about progression and event bees. If you have a moment, check it out here: Link to Google Doc 🐝 Feel free to share it with anyone who might find it useful! I would also greatly appreciate any feedback you might have. Note: I posted this before, but it has been more than 1 month and not many people sought it updated anymore so I wanted to make sure it got out to people because of all the progression questions coming up recently.