Famous people from equatorial guinea

Since we'll for sure be seeing many famous characters and IPs in the public domain in the next coming years there's going to be for sure a giant surge or creative works be based off of them good and bad. Yet when you get to it there's plenty of characters that either don't get too much love and attention as they should or if they have potential yet aren't full realized that the public domain can greatly fix those issues. So which character and/or IP do you think would benefit the most out of being in the public domain? I got some in mind.

1. Bride of Frankenstein - Sadly for being among the famous line up for Universal Monsters she hardly got anything to do in her own movie character wise which is a real shame. Her being in the public domain can greatly change for obvious reasons. Having the chance to give her a lot more character depth and be more of a star in her own set of stories will do much good for her.
   
2. Princess Aurora from Disney's 1959 Sleeping Beauty movie - Like Bride of Frankenstein, Aurora didn't get much to do with her own movie aside from what we know of her personality. Getting the chance to do more with her character once she's in the public domain would address all of that.
   
3. The Monster and Horror characters from Marvel Comics pre 70s - Since Marvel was also doing plenty of monster and horror comics back in the 50s and 60s even before the start of the Marvel universe beginning with Fantastic Four, it wouldn't be a bad way to bring them back in interesting ways especially famous ones like Fin Fang Foom. It'd be a great way to give people new Marvel stories that aren't just super hero related
   
4. Dr Hugo Strange and his Monster Men - While I know he's technically already a deep character in his own right in the Batman comics I always did like his more mad scientist side since reading the original comics featuring him and his Monster Men which I think if done right can really be a compelling sci fi horror story in it's own right.
   
5. Horace Horsecoller and Clarabelle Cow - I've always have a soft spot for these two given they're among Mickey's earliest set of friends before Donald and Goofy came along and they were major characters in the early Mickey comics too. So it's making me excited to see them enter the public domain next year to give them the much needed life and love they deserve.
   

Hello, all! I've been working for a while on this worldbulding concept for both an RPG campaign and a short novel following the adventures of three halfling private eyes in a high fantasy setting, and would like some feedback on both the concept and grammar (english is not my first language, so all pointers to improve readability are greatly appreciated).
My main doubts at this point: does this seem an overall appealing prologue to you? Does this make you interested in this world, and does it expose enough context to comfortably transition to a character-driven narrative of their first case in this setting?
Thank you in advance!
Prologue
In the Old Manor at the high end of Cobblestone Slant Road, there lived three Halflings of the Deftnose clan. Bellewyn, Edwyn, and Oswyn were their names, and all and sundry regarded the siblings as the best private eyes in the history of Overmeer and the world at large, as they were the first to conceive of making an honorable profession out of snooping around other people's business, pitching their sharp intellects against the ploys of spies, crooks, scammers, and thieves –in exchange for a modest fee, of course.
The following stories sum up a mostly reliable account of their wondrous exploits, which would be greatly embellished and sung as legends for generations to come, inspiring many to follow in their footsteps. But before we delve into said deeds, it's paramount to recall what the world was like back then, when the vast and empty continent across the Fair Seas had just started being properly settled by the peoples of Amaranth.
Unlike the inland colonies that would follow (formal territories of the old kingdoms subordinate to their values and justice systems), Overmeer, the first settlement of the New West, was founded as an independent city state by freelance pioneers who braved the difficult task of kickstarting civilization from scratch. That first race to the new lands attracted bold and valiant entrepreneurs, but also all kinds of scoundrels.
Those pioneers included humans and elves, dwarves, halflings and gnomes, and even the widely villainized orcs and goblins, eager to leave behind a land ravaged by war and entangled in centuries-old, now senseless quarrels. This colorful assembly of cultures, however, made it difficult to find consensus on what should be the laws of Overmeer, resulting in an extensive, contradictory, and ever-changing tapestry of lax regulations filled with loopholes, enforced by a Militia whose understanding of justice greatly varied depending on the individual's roots and origin.
As such, shortly after 200 years from the start of immigration, Overmeer had already grown to rival the capitals of Amaranth in wealth and glory, but also far surpassed them in sheer volume and sophistication of corruption.
Nonetheless, Overmeer's permanent open ports policy made it one of the main trade hubs in the world, and its binding status of neutrality towards the old continent's nations promoted it into a natural seat for embassies of all banners, where the disputes of the Old East could be negotiated far from the heightened passions surrounding the epicenters of traditional power. All wars start and end in Overmeer, as the saying goes.
It's in this cauldron of worldly culture, bustling trade activity and dangerous political affairs that the Deftnose siblings seized the opportunity to establish their practice: taking advantage of the law that dictates that every profession is entitled a to representative guild and an office in the Old Manor, they create the career of private investigator seemingly as a clever means to get themselves free, luxury housing; pressed into proving this strange new business is not a scam, however, they soon start taking cases and building their reputations.
At the time, Overmeer had a diverse population of half a million people, most of whom were workers who lived in the crammed Red Districts surrounding the harbor, so-called because of the hue of the redheart wood used for its construction and the dust that rises from its beaten dirt paths. Atop a hill sat the walled High Town, built of beautifully sculpted and vividly painted limestone, home to merchants, priests, scholars and ambassadors, the city warden, and their secretaries and deputies.
From their office windows on the third floor of the Old Manor, just beside the bronze gate that separates the rich from the poor, Bellewyn, Edwyn, and Oswyn had a privileged view of both sides of Overmeer, and went on to peek deep into the core of this exciting new world as they unraveled the now-famous mysteries of their tale.

16-minute read.

pro-West party leader says they met PM Pashinyan and discussed a referendum to solidify Armenia's shift to EU

KHZMALYAN (European Party of Armenia): The referendum is our suggestion and demand. We presented it to Pashinyan and expect a response within a reasonable timeframe. We advised making a public statement soon. A referendum would also make Pashinyan's job easier by allowing the people's will to decide Armenia's direction.
REPORTER: How did Pashinyan respond?
KHZMALYAN: He suggested the meeting be held in a closed format so I can't reveal all details. We hope that our voice, our offer, our demand, was heard. If we do not receive a positive response, we will take measures by employing the same methods currently used by anti-European forces [the ongoing protests led by pro-Russian ex-regime]. We will take to the streets and demand a referendum for Eurointegration if necessary.
REPORTER: How long are you ready to wait before taking action?
KHZMALYAN: A few months. Georgia will hold parliamentary elections in October, and Moldova will hold a similar Eurointegration referendum - also in October. The U.S. will hold presidential elections in November which will be important for Armenia's future. Even if the worst scenario unfolds in all three countries, Armenia must stand firm and not take a step back. Armenia could become the leader in democracy in all of Eastern Europe if you consider the situation in Georgia, Hungary, and Slovakia [pro-Russia populist leader]. Armenia could receive an unprecedented level of assistance from Europe under those circumstances.
REPORTER: Did Pashinyan say he plans to leave CSTO?
KHZMALYAN: We did not demand specific dates but we urged him to complete all these processes this year, preferably by November.
REPORTER: Did Pashinyan agree?
KHZMALYAN: The participants of the meeting are under the impression that we were able to present convincing arguments but time will show what actions he takes. The government functions very poorly but nevertheless, they are doing something, they are taking steps.
REPORTER: On May 9, Bagrat Galstanyan gave Pashinyan 1 hour to resign but it's May 21 and he is still here. Why wasn't the opposition able to remove him?
KHZMALYAN: The 3 former presidents and their surrogate forces, backed by 30 years of power, were unable to bring forward a figurehead, a single ideology, that could win the hearts of the people. They used various political technologies, they switched between black and white robes, and they extended the 1 hour to 7 days, but none of that helped because the Armenian people hate them more than they hate Nikol Pashinyan.
REPORTER: You used to be a lot harsher on Pashinyan but something appears to have changed in your tone after your recent meeting with him. What is the reason?
KHZMALYAN: We were able to present our demands and the timelines to accomplish them. Unlike the archbishop and the former regimes surrounding him, we did not give "one hour" for Pashinyan to accept our demands; we did not make ultimatums. We believe the current government is carrying out and will carry out the will of the people to overcome the status of a Russian colony and join the ranks of free nations. We did and do see steps [taken by the government] towards this; we cannot ignore this. We saw the Strassbourg, but also Moscow. We saw the [April 5 meeting in] Brussels, but also [the recent meeting between FMs in] Almaty. We are told this is an attempt to "balance" and we understand where they are coming from, but our factions speak on behalf of over 60% of Armenians who view Russia's policies as deadly for Armenia. We expect concrete actions and we have formed a platform to continue this work; there will be petitions and other actions from us. We are ready to assist Pashinyan, who may be constrained due to ongoing negotiations, by being the public voice and saying the things he cannot say. We will continue to work, to pressure, to influence, to demand. Our meetings also continue abroad. We will press on until we reach our goal - the Eurointegration of Armenia. //
Several prominent Western-oriented political parties recently formed an alliance to promote Armenia's Eurointegration.
video,

Pashinyan appoints a ruling party member as a deputy head of the newly formed Foreign Intelligence Service - the Armenian "CIA"

After the 2020 war, Pashinyan said Armenia will need a modern intel agency to gather information and analyze foreign threats, while the NSS -- described as historically a "pro-Russian" agency by many -- will focus on internal matters.
source,

Pashinyan met the deputy head of the United States CIA to discuss bilateral, international, and regional issues

A delegation led by David Cohen is in Yerevan. Cohen also met NatSec Armen Grigoryan.
source, source,

Armenia's Investigative Committee chief hosted U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs

Qyaramyan and Yoder discussed bilateral cooperation, the recent retraining for Armenian agents and technical assistance, cooperation between law enforcement agencies of Armenia and the United States, anti-narcotrafficking, and the fight against gender-based violence.
Yoder also met Armenia's Interior Minister Ghazaryan to discuss the ongoing police reforms and formation of new divisions, the fight against narco-trafficking, technical assistance for rescuers, and retraining courses. Yoder emphasized effective cooperation, noting that the achievements within the framework of sectorial reforms are exceptional. The US wants to expand the agenda of cooperation.
source, source,

Armenian army officers continue to take part in NATO exercises titled Regex 2024 held in Moldova

GOOGLE TRANSLATE: The exercise is organized with the support of the NATO Joint Forces Command in Naples, Italy, and aims to train the military according to Western standards for planning and conducting exercises, crisis management, strengthening and assessing the level of interoperability of forces in a multinational environment.
We remind you that the exercise "Regex 2024" consists of several workshops during the current year. The first workshop took place between February 16 and March 1, and the second between 22 − April 26, 2024. //
source, source,

NATO and Armenia strengthen cooperation in defense education

Armenia's defense ministry representatives recently visited NATO headquarters to discuss NATO’s Defence Education Enhancement Programme (DEEP) for Armenia.
NATO: The DEEP programme is an excellent tool to support Armenian military education system reforms and strengthen the country’s cooperation with NATO.
ARMENIA: With the support of DEEP experts we implemented major changes in all levels of our educational curriculum at Military Academy, starting from cadets up to the most senior levels. It helped us to establish cooperation with many international partner institutions.
source,

Armenia is an emerging destination for UK and global investors: Armenia's Ambassador to London Business Matters

👔 Armenia is committed to building a knowledge-based, export-oriented, and inclusive economy.
👔 Armenia is diversifying its growing economy with pioneering sectors, creating ample investment opportunities.
👔 Armenia’s investment legislation grants equal treatment to foreign investors
👔 There are no restrictions on remittances and repatriation of profits, free exchange of foreign currencies and no limitations on staff recruitment
👔 The country’s favorable business climate and ‘open-door’ policy is also reflected in international reputable rankings where Armenia is ranked one of the highest in the region.
👔 Although Armenia has a relatively modest internal market, it offers different models of economic cooperation and serves as a gateway to major world markets
👔 Armenia has maintained a high level of cooperation with the EU through CEPA
👔 Armenia and UK will soon have a CEPA-like agreement
full article, source,

Turkey modernizes an Azerbaijani Su-25ML jet with guided bombs and Teber missiles

It uses KGK laser guidance for missiles and increases the reach to 110 km.
source,

Pashinyan's Chief of Staff hosted the French Ambassador to discuss defense, economy, infrastructure, and humanitarian topics

... also the upcoming events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Charles Aznavour.
source,

Parliament Speakers of Armenia and Ukraine discuss the situation in the South Caucasus and Ukraine

source,

Q&A with ruling party MP Vahagn Alexanyan about the ongoing protests led by pro-Russian opposition

REPORTER: You continue to criticize the "holy movement"...
ALEXANYAN: The what now?
REPORTER: ... the "holy movement", by calling it a "pagan" movement. What is the ruling party's stance and do you discuss this internally?
ALEXANYAN: Of course we do, although I don't think Kocharyan's decision to name this movement "holy" is helping them. It's comical.
REPORTER: Do you have proof that Bagrat srbazan is [tied with Kocharyan]?
ALEXANYAN: Bagrat Galstanyan is surrounded by the entire political team of Robert Koharyan, he was a member of Kocharyan's 2022 protests and gave similar speeches he gives today, he received a praise from Russian propagandists, and he was named by a Russian propagandist Aram Gabrielyanov as a potential candidate for a new protest movement just a few months prior to these events, so it's beyond reasonable doubt that Bagrat Galstanyan is part of Kocharyan's team.
REPORTER: You were earlier accusing Galstanyan of being a Russian agent, and now Kocharyan's agent?
ALEXANYAN: Same thing.
REPORTER: The opposition gathered many thousands of supporters on May 9. What does the size of the crowd indicate?
ALEXANYAN: It was similar to Kocharyan's final rally before the 2021 elections. And?
REPORTER: The opposition created a video of "Pashinyan's lies" and broken promises. Will you respond?
ALEXANYAN: The clip itself is a lie and manipulation. For example, one of the supposed lies was Pashinyan's promise of an amnesty for overdue fines and penalties. You are a journalist, you tell me, was there an amnesty or not?
REPORTER: Pashinyan had also said that POWs could wait "just a few more months" and that he wouldn't "sacrifice Armenia's sovereignty" in exchange for bringing them back sooner. Why aren't they back?
ALEXANYAN: Dozens of POWs returned home in December, and efforts continue to bring back the rest. Literally 1-2 days before the POWs' return, the opposition claimed that the POWs were "forgotten" by the government. "Ոչ մի բան չեք անում:"
REPORTER: What about the Nagorno-Karabakh leadership?
ALEXANYAN: There are efforts to return them as well.
REPORTER: Why did the police form a wall to block entry to village Kirants [for nonresidents]?
ALEXANYAN: I think the NSS said they had to take action to prevent interference with the border work. From what I can tell, the protest leader himself went there yesterday and returned only 15 minutes later so there wasn't a big desire to stay there apparently.
REPORTER: They plan to hold a big rally on May 26 where they might nominate Bagrat srbazan as the PM's candidate to replace Pashinyan.
ALEXANYAN: Why not go straight for [alleged narco baron] Mihran Poghosyan [who publicly praised the protests]?
REPORTER: There appears to be a consensus around Bagrat srbazan after a meeting between several forces.
ALEXANYAN: Consensus minus one, where "minus one" is the people. Or to be more precise, "minus two", because the Constitution also prohibits Bagrat from serving as a prime minister. Congratulations on an initiative that's dead on arrival. It's absurd. They suggested replacing the Constitution to allow a dual citizen to serve as PM. Okay... To get Canadian citizenship you have to take an oath to serve the best interests of Canada. To allow dual citizens to serve as PM in Armenia we have to accept for the PM to have loyalty towards another state. The alternative is for the candidate [Bagrat] to admit that his word [oath to Canada] wasn't worth a dime. Երևի մատերը խաչ արած ա երդվել։
REPORTER: But don't you think you are manipulating because Galstanyan received Canadian citizenship just to be able to serve in the church in Canada? He didn't go there to live or conduct business.
ALEXANYAN: It doesn't matter why he went to Canada. He is a citizen of Canada and took an oath. Even religious leaders with dual citizenship cannot become prime ministers. I don't have an issue with him being a dual citizen, but it limits his office options. He still hasn't renounced his Canadian citizenship even after all these talks about a possible nomination.
REPORTER: Galstanyan said he is ready to renounce it as soon as there is a need for it.
ALEXANYAN: In other words, he seeks "guarantees" that he will be the candidate in order to renounce it?
full,source, source,

opposition churchman Bagrat Galstanyan demands the Armenian government compensate the damage done to the church during USSR and "return" the properties "legally belonging" to the church

This was said as a response to the critics of the church leadership who accused the church of turning into a political party and suggested taxing the church like a business.
BAGRAT: We have 19th-century churches that were forcefully confiscated and turned into ruins. The properties of the Armenian church must be returned to the church. The area of Moscow Cinema belongs to the church, half of the Katoghike Church was demolished and belongs to the church, and part of the items in Matenadaran were taken away from the church. Instead of threatening us with taxes, they must think about how they plan to return our properties, fully renovated and ready for service.
source,

the church is actually paying taxes but they do have some exemptions

The church paid $1 million in income taxes last year.
There are tax exemptions to import certain goods deemed for charity. They also don't pay property tax, and taxes on income generated from the sales of ceremonial accessories. The latter two are the frequent targets of church critics.
source,

Armenia's Constitutional Court has a vacant seat. Pro-Russian opposition criticizes Pashinyan's ruling party for favoring a "George Soros-linked" judge who worked for U.S. State Department.

A Serj-era judge is leaving the Constitutional Court after receiving a job offer elsewhere so one seat is vacant. It is the judiciary's turn to nominate a CC judge, so hundreds of judges recently held a meeting and voted for Judge Balayan as their candidate. Balayan's father was a CC judge during Kocharyan's tenure. He was accused in the Wikileaks report of having inappropriate deals with President Kocharyan. Pashinyan's ruling party did not vote to approve Balayan. This led to a second gathering of hundreds of judges where they voted to nominate Judge Khachaturyan as their candidate. The parliament summoned him for Q&A on Tuesday.
SPEAKER: We invite the representative of the judiciary to present their nominee for CC.
JUDICIARY REP: 267 judges voted. Judge Davit Khachaturyan, a member of the Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation, won the majority votes.
2000-2005: [blah blah blah]
2003-2006: Legislative Assistance Project Manager at Southern Caucasus Anti-Drug (SCAD) Program, sponsored by European Union and implemented by United Nations Development Program
2006: Program Assistant at U.S. Embassy in Armenia, Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL)
2007-2013: U.S. Embassy in Armenia, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Legal Specialist
2014: Academy of Justice of the Republic of Armenian-Russian, Vice-Rector and Lecturer
2015-2016: Council of Europe Office in Yerevan, Program “Strengthening Health Care and Human Rights Protection in Prisons in Armenia”, Legal Expert
2016: EU project “Development and Strategic Studies”, Expert on Judiciary and Human Rights field reforms
2015-2017: EU project “ENP Progress Reports and Assessment Reports on Armenia´s Compliance with GSP+ obligations”. Expert on Rule of Law/Justice.
2013–2020: Law Faculty of Yerevan State University. Lecturer. Development and teaching of courses for the Master Program: “European Standards for the human rights protection in criminal proceedings”, and “Professional Skills of a Lawyer”
etc.
OPPOSITION MP: The ruling faction earlier chose not to confirm the appointment of Judge Davit Balayan; they obviously prefer Davit Khachaturyan. Can you explain why you didn't mention that Khachaturyan served on the board of directors and later as the president of the board at George Soros's Armenia-based Open Society Foundations? How will this record impact his work at CC?
JUDICIARY REP: I presented parts of his professional activities available on the court's public platforms. You can ask the candidate directly.
OPPOSITION MP: The Soros Foundation publicly listed him as a member so I don't understand why it's being hidden now. In your opinion, how will his work at the Soros Foundation affect his impartiality?
JUDICIARY REP: The majority of judges chose him and it's up to Parliament whether to confirm or reject.
RULING MP: Was the voting held in a closed session or can you see how each judge voted?
JUDICIARY REP: It's a closed format. My duty here is to present the candidate. [basically, leave me alone I'm just doing my job]
RULING MP: Why not make the court voting and internal discussions more transparent for the public to see so we will have fewer conspiracy theories on why one judge was preferred over the other?
JUDICIARY REP: I share the view that it needs to be as public as possible but the majority of judges voted to keep the session closed to the press.
RULING MP: Just because the discussions and the vote were behind closed doors that doesn't mean it was anti-democratic, but still, it's better to publicize the process. We hope to see a change in this approach.
JUDICIARY REP: The ballot casting will always be secret and I think that's the right approach in order to allow judges to express themselves without constraints, but I agree that the discussions and speeches should be public. Either way whatever we discuss behind closed doors always reaches the press so in practice there isn't really a major transparency issue there.
CANDIDATE KHACHATURYAN: First, every part of my biography has always been public and part of public discussions. Second, I have always voted in favor of making internal discussions open to the press; it's the best way to avoid incorrect assumptions. Full speech here.
OPPOSITION MP: Congratulations. The ruling party intends to approve your candidacy just as they voted for you in the past for other positions. In all of those instances, you didn't mention your work at the Сорос Foundation. Now, a very interesting coincidence [drumroll... are you guys ready for this bombshell?], during the same time while you worked at Сорос foundation, in 2006-2013, you were also a U.S. Embassy employee [got 'em]. //
Nikol Pashinyan has resigned.
Tavush stretches all the way to Russia.
Bagrat srbazan becomes the Supreme Leader of Historical Soil & Water and the Generalissimos of Slow-Melting Candles... and of course removes the speed cameras from highways.
OPPOSITION MP (continues): With this biography, how do we know you are not an agent of foreign influence?
CANDIDATE KHACHATURYAN: I was not an "employee" at the Soros Foundations. Other famous figures have served on the Board [mentions a famous doctor]. Everyone who was part of the Board had duties but it was not really an "employment". As for my simultaneous work with the U.S. Justice Department, there was no conflict with my membership or presidency at the Board because the latter was fully a public activity and we were only given a symbolic sum to compensate for our expenses; we are talking about less than $100/mo. I will let you be the judge regarding an agent of influence. There is a lot that's missing from my biography that read here [lists some boring constitutional research work, etc.].
OPPOSITION MP: You keep being "promoted" by the ruling party without having the chance to finish your terms. The longest job you've ever held was at the Сорос Foundation - 8 years. The brother of the head of the Anti-Corruption Committee, who is about to join the CC, cannot be impartial. Again, what guarantees can you present that you are not a [Western] agent?
CANDIDATE KHACHATURYAN: Your expectation for guarantees stems from the assumption that the [Open Society Foundations] were engaged in activities other than the ones they were actually engaged in. I won't present any "guarantees" because there is no "threat" to begin with. As I've said, that part of my biography has always been discussed publicly and the activities were public and covered by the press.
RULING MP: In your speech you spoke about the judiciary in the U.S. and brought examples. The U.S. doesn't have a Constitutional Court. Don't you think we should also merge the Constitutional and [Cassations Court] with the upcoming referendum to have one Supreme Court with corresponding chambers?
CANDIDATE KHACHATURYAN: I support having one unified body like in the U.S., or clarifying the duties to prevent each body from interfering with the other. Lengthy answer.
OPPOSITION MP: A person [in Kirants] received permission [from USSR] to build a house and live in it. Then the [Armenian] government told him there was a mistake [after the clarification of borders]. Some 50 years after this incident, what would your verdict be in this case?
CANDIDATE KHACHATURYAN: I understand the context. This issue is the task of the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister and we cannot interfere in each other's institutions. I assume there will be a peace agreement eventually that will be sent to the Constitutional Court for examination, therefore I will refrain from making prejudgments now in order to be allowed to take part in future processes.
full video, source, source,

anti-corruption: Armenian authorities conclude that luxury Dubai property belonging to former regime MP's relative was not obtained illegally by him therefore will not be sized as part of an asset forfeiture case

Mher Sedrakyan (Tokhmakhi Mher) is a Serj-era MP whose family is going through an asset forfeiture case worth ֏7.5 billion ($19.3 million) that includes 22 real estate properties, cars, and company shares registered under his name and the names of immediate family members.
Additionally, investigative journalists recently found a luxury property in Dubai registered under the ex-MP's relative. Authorities have concluded that he is not the true ownebeneficiary of this Dubai apartment, therefore it won't be seized.
source,

the army concludes exercises for commanders

Context in May 14 news digest. The defense ministry says they have noted improvements and deficiencies and will take steps to correct them.
source,

Defense Minister Papikyan visited the frontlines and the newly built fortifications: PHOTO

The army continues to dig, asphalt, and build.
source,

Armenia's Foreign Minister met the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency during an international forum

ROSSI: Effective cooperation has been established between Armenia and the IAEA. We discussed several issues on the bilateral agenda, oncology and radiation medicine, safety, and reliable operation of the Armenian NPP.
MIRZOYAN: We plan to extend the lifespan of Metsamor NPP until 2036 while exploring new opportunities.
source,

Armenian lawyers went a strike on Tuesday to protest a bill that would move them from a turnover tax-based system to a VAT-based taxation

Context on the gray economy and why the government wants to gradually abolish the turnover tax system in May 2 news digest.
A group of lawyers said on Tuesday that their 5% turnover tax [for annual turnover under ֏119M] will become 10% this year, and in 2025 they will be required to switch to a 20% VAT/18% profit tax. The cost of legal services for many clients could increase by over 38%, they warned.
The Ombudsman and the Justice Ministry reportedly oppose this bill by the Finance Ministry.
source, source, source, source,

video shows the new payment terminals in Yerevan subway station

They plan to replace all gates next month. The Soviet-era tokens (zheton) are being replaced with QR codes, an app, and later - bank cards.
All stations will have payment terminals to purchase QR tickets. It prints out a paper with QR. Telcell's app lets you buy a ticket and instantly get a QR on the phone's screen.
Seniors who can't use "high-tech" can approach the token sellers and get a QR paper instead of a token.
video,

Yerevan will host an exhibition on Charles Aznavour’s 100th anniversary

Hundreds of rare artifacts will present the life and legacy of the legendary artist.
Location: National Museum-Institute of Architecture
Date: May 22-July 22
source,

Germany wants to purchase an Armenian man

Dortmund Borussia is interested in the services of Armenian national Edward Spertsyan as a replacement for departing Marco Reus.
During this season, midfielder Spertsyan has played 32 matches, scored 11 goals, and made 7 assists. His ass is worth €18 million.
source,

https://www.tvguide.com/news/bold-beautiful-joanna-johnson-1047477/
I recall reading the above interview when it was published in 2012 around the time when the show introduced Caroline Jr. (Linsey Godfrey) and her backstory included being raised by two mothers played by Joanna Johnson (the OG Caroline Spencer) and Crystal Chappell.
I'd like to excerpt from the article to share the following gems.

...TV Guide Magazine: With this announcement you seem to be the only officially "out" star currently in daytime soaps, even though the shows are loaded with gay actors. What's up with that?
Joanna Johnson: Daytime is a whole different world than primetime or theater or film. There's a greater intimacy between the viewers and the characters. They think you are your character. And that creates a lot of fear. Fear of rejection. I was so worried I wouldn't be employable as an actress if people knew I was a lesbian. Or that I wouldn't be believable in romance stories. I had to deal with a lot of self-loathing.
TV Guide Magazine: How bad did it get?
Johnson: After I started playing Karen, I remember doing a fantasy scene that showed what life would have been like if Caroline had not died of cancer. She was married to Ridge [Ronn Moss] and had two kids and a wonderful life. When we finished shooting, I ran to my dressing room and just cried and cried because I knew I was never going to have that kind of life.
TV Guide Magazine: Yet you did!
Johnson: I did! I'm married to [L.A. club promoter] Michelle Agnew and we have two beautiful children, Julian, who is five, and Harlow, who is two. And now we're finding out that Karen is married to this great lady Dani [Crystal Chappell] and together they have raised her daughter Caroline [Linsey Godfrey]. So times have certainly changed. I guess that's why I'm ready to open up. It feels weird and wrong to play this revelation about Karen's life and not talk about my own. I used to hang out with Ellen Degeneres, k.d. lang and Melissa Etheridge back in the day and thought it was so beautiful they were out, even though I didn't have the nerve. When I realized I was gay in my early twenties we didn't have role models like Ellen. I'm not anywhere near as famous as those ladies, but I guess it's my turn to do my little part. It's time to live a fully authentic life...
TV Guide Magazine: If you could go back in a time machine, what would you say to your younger self?
Johnson: Have the courage to embrace who you are. Don't project your own fears and low self-esteem onto others. Let your light shine!
TV Guide Magazine: What were your thoughts when you found out Karen is gay?
Johnson: When [exec producer-head writer] Brad Bell called and pitched the story I was kind of thrown. I just said, "Oh." And there was this very long pause. Then I said, "Where'd you get that idea?" He laughed. I laughed. And I said, "Just make sure you get me a hot wife." And he did! ...

Oh wow! If I were a gay man just starting out as an actor in the 1990's, I wouldn't come out of the closet too because there was a perception many viewers perceive me as my character and they wouldn't find me credible as a romantic leading man. Thank goodness we're living in more enlighten times.

We all know the kid is a “troll”. The sad part is that 17 y/o olds are making a name for them selves doing these antics. Nobody actually has a problem with the fucking kid. He has no idea what he is doing (his brother probably does). The sad part is that we accepted that these new forms of generating popularity through antics is becoming a new norm for fame.
After having a run of truly funny, goofy and interesting people we resort to this, it is just disappointing. We have seen enough of these kind of negative emotion evoking people generating attention on the internet. We just never thought we would see them on this podcast. Because we thought this pod was better than that.
But at the end of the day, if the pod understands the criticism, and moves on from it, who cares. Just please people are tired of these matan/fresh and fit/tate/ jake paul types. thats why we went to seek out real funny content like bad friends.
Also as fans pls just dont interact with them. They just see numbers. All they want is more comments and interactions. They know that is all that counts to become famous today. No morals and no ethics.

How did we go from them to her or him? And why do we keep the distinctions? Foe example, Nars and Laura Mercier are brands created by or with well-known makeup artists, but neither brand is referred to as his or hers. Yet, Pat McGrath and Patrick Ta are also famous makeup artist whose brands are each referred to as being hers and his. Celebrities are often credited or criticized for the success of specific products, though usually they're just the face.
The people who don't like Nars's sexual shade names blame the company's faceless employees, but when they don't like Pat McGrath's products they seem blame her herself. For all we know Francois Nars is freaky f-dude demanding that we think about his sex life, and Pat spends her days designing runway looks and leaves running of the company to MBA holders. But since we now put faces to the names the praise and the vitriol seems so personal.

Welsh Corgis are the adorable, pint-sized pups famously loved by royalty, known for their playful nature and charming looks. Originating in Wales, these little herding dogs have a history as rich and lively as their personalities. But did you know these little furballs are also great at making people smile, just like a certain late-night comedy show? "Saturday Night Live" has been a staple of weekend entertainment, delivering laughs and unforgettable sketches for decades. From legendary skits like these, SNL's comedic legacy is unmatched. So, from the Pembrokeshire fields to the bright lights of Studio 8H, get ready for a journey filled with royal charm and comedic gold. The Corgis might not be doing stand-up, but their cuteness is definitely worth a sketch or two!

First of all, I would like to thanks Epic Game Store for giving away the Horizon Zero Dawn for free, cause if it weren't for EGS, I would never dive into Horizon universe and would miss out Aloy's story, and also my friend for gifted me his brother's old pc so I can play it. Both of you are the MVP.
Anyway, what's Horizon Forbidden West, you ask? Well, it's a sequel from the previous game, Horizon Zero Dawn. The Horizon universe tell us a tale about post-apocalyptic Earth and trying to survive while battling robots. Yeah, yeah, I know, post-apocalyptic world, what's new, right? Been there, done that, post-apocalyptic is the hot commodity for story telling.
But it's how they tell the story, and how, in this case, the VAs delivered the character's emotions. In the previous game, the dev left some crumbs here and there about what happened in the past, and how people trying to survive during the apocalypse event in form of audio logs and chatlog that you can collect as you explore the world. And of course we finally found out what happened during the Main Story line. But even then, it's not 100% retelling the story of the past, and Aloy (and also myself) have more questions than ever before.
I mentioned about how voice actoactress play a huge role for video game. and I know graphic/animation also play a huge role for making the character doesn't look like they just woke up from 1000 years sleep during an emotional scenes. And Aloy's VA really did an amazing job of delivering Aloy's character, from emotional scene to her banters with the NPCs, or even just her random rambling whenever I try to jump from the mountain "This is easier when I was a kid" yes, Aloy, thank you for reminding me. The rest of the team also did an amazing job, my eyes were watery during some scenes at the prologue and early chapter.
I'm the type of person that didn't really care for graphic as long as I can play it. I literally finished Final Fantasy XIV Heavensward with just 10 fps, I will forever grateful to everyone that was unfortunately met me in duty roulette cause I kept dying thanks to 10 fps and triple digit ping, that's why I changed to drg so if I died people would just like "ah yes, dead drg, what's new" and gently pat my silly catboi's head and move on.
But then again, my favorite game of all time is Mass Effect (oof, bad choice, I know) and, well, BioWare isn't famous for having state of the art animation, it's the story, it's how they deliver said story, and most of all, how with just listening to Liara's voice can make me cry like a baby. God, I miss my blue wife so much.
Opps, we getting sidetrack, I'm sorry.
But, I'm also not a hypocrite and seeing the graphic for Horizon Forbidden West makes forget what is reality for a second because, damn, those graphic looks amazing. Like have you see Aloy's hair?? Hello! Wish I have that hair. But I do still hoping there still some hidden glitch we can exploit, like the one on previous game where you have to climb a mountain while riding a horse to go back to the previous location.
I want to see what's waiting for Aloy at the Horizon of the Forbidden West, But, sadly, I can't afford the game now, I'm still looking for job, so far the furthest I get was interview phase, and of course, none of them get back to me ever again. And payment I get from doing odd jobs here and there is for helping my parents with groceries and bills.
I know the game is still expensive as shit, and I'm asking a lot from you. I will forever grateful to you if you're kind enough to gift this to me.
Anyway, thank you for reading this rambling. Have a nice day, folks!
Horizon Forbidden West Complete Edition
my Steam ID

Something I was thinking about when I watched the final moments of the most recent EFAP was Mauler’s observation that the internet content creator landscape used to be different when AVGN clones ruled Youtube and his question of how that shifted into video essayists and commentary channels. I thought about that for a while and I thought of some reasons why the landscape changed that I would like to share.
Managers
Something that people might not be aware of is how many Youtubers have people managing their content in the form of things like setting up brand deals and other services that I am not familiar with. Some of them are very public about what they do, some of them are more private. The important thing is how managers worked in the past.
One thing that I liked about Machinima, ScrewAttack, and Channel Awesome that the creators probably didn’t like is that they forced the older creators to stick to a set schedule of uploads and some of them forced creators to follow a set formula. This meant that the manager would make sure that if a creator uploaded a video every Friday at 2pm, they would have an upload every single Friday at 2pm.
How would this work if the creator wanted to take a week off? Well, the creator would have to have a video to upload in advance. What if the creator wanted to spend 3 weeks on a super-duper big video? Well, they could absolutely do that, but it would be a passion project and they’d still have to follow the set schedule for regular uploads.
This created a content landscape that I actually enjoyed a lot as a consumer because it’s probably the way it should be for reviewers. Every week, or every day in rare cases, a movie reviewer would need to review a different movie, which meant that a reviewer might have to force themselves to sit through a movie they don’t want to see like Fifty Shades Of Grey to give it a chance to subvert their expectations and earn a glowing review, or dig deep to find a new indie movie to review to fill that quota if they really didn’t want to sit through Fifty Shades Of Grey.
The promise of Patreon and creators becoming more independent was that creators would exclusively make videos on topics they wanted to do, but I personally think that was the wrong way to go. I’ve maintained a position that I prefer it when content creators are encouraged, or even forced, to talk about things that they don’t want to talk about because oftentimes that’s when reviewers are most interesting. Some of my favorite Roger Ebert reviews were when he reviewed a children’s movie like Space Jam or Pokemon: The First Movie, and some of my favorite Zero Punctuation reviews are when he has to pick out a random indie game and commit to reviewing it regardless of what the indie game turned out to be, like when he reviewed Hell Pie.
What I think has happened is that the lack of managers has encouraged content creators to upload whatever they want, whenever they want, which has usually translated to videos about ‘easy’ topics, like videos about Disney movies, being uploaded weeks, or even months, apart, which has made the content creation landscape, at least for reviewers, a lot less interesting, and a lot less engaging.
It’s actually one of the reasons why EFAP has been losing my interest lately, because although they upload a stream every week the topics they choose are generally ‘easy’ topics because I genuinely think the hosts don’t have the ability to make an EFAP on something more obscure, or even just ‘difficult’ like Baby Reindeer, very interesting, or they just won’t do streams on those topics because, as Rags said: “This is our show, and we can do whatever the fuck we want.”
Honestly, my hot take is that I liked you better when you couldn’t do whatever the fuck you wanted all of the time. In fact, one of my favorite Rags moments on EFAP was when he clearly didn’t want to be involved with the debate with Twin Perfect.
Sponsors
I remember the Adpocalypse and how Youtubers transitioned to sponsors over relying heavily on ad-revenue. What that event transpired into is that audiences were far more accepting of basically any form of making money that Youtubers would use. Patreon became a very dominant part of Youtube, but sponsors also became extremely common and audiences would even cheer in the comment sections when creators would have their first Raid: Shadow Legends sponsorship.
Sponsors are what I want to talk about because I have seen Youtubers show that they have a bunch of videos on their computer that they simply aren’t releasing to the public because they don’t want to upload a single video without a sponsor on their main channel, as well as Youtubers having a second channel where they upload ‘slop’ content without sponsors that most of their audience is usually unaware of or isn’t interested in.
The problem is that the appeal for pretty much all content on Youtube is the personalities of the people creating the content, which is less about the actual personalities and more like “That’s an actual person doing what they actually want to do, that’s so cool,” but that is usually undercut by the presence of sponsors. The fact that Youtubers will sit on a video they made and not upload it unless they can get a sponsor to pay for it always seemed strange to me, especially for Youtubers where the image they present is “I’m just a normal, chill guy who makes Youtube videos for fun,” which needs the caveat of “Uhhhh, I’m actually really poor and if I don’t take this BetterHelp sponsor I can’t afford my rent this month. Please understand, I’m barely making any money on Youtube,” when a sponsor is included in the video.
As weird as this sounds, there are communities of creatives online that don’t expect to ever make any money putting hours, days, weeks, months, and years of work into a project. There are modding communities, bloggers, game developers, fanfiction writers, and artists that only want comments saying “You did a good job,” and Youtubers used to be that way, or they used to present themselves that way before sponsors became as common as they are now.
I don’t say this often enough, but I remember when Youtubers would make videos about not just random pictures on Deviantart, but on fanfictions and pornographic videos. They’d do those videos for things like clout, which is something that I don’t see too often on Youtube.
People might say that there are a bunch of Youtubers that talk about obscure media and Youtubers that make things without any expectation of earning money, which I say “Well, yeah, but that’s not what I’m talking about,” and then I’d point to things like AVGN’s Atari Porn video, and old videos where commentary Youtubers would branch out from their niche to say “Hey, just for fun, we’re going to check out this weird fanfiction story,” or how Yahtzee would include fun projects he created at the end of his Zero Punctuation videos, like how he’d dub over scenes in video games like Half-Life and Painkiller, or how he made a slideshow with Garry’s Mod that depicted a love story between Heavy and Medic.
What I’m saying is that a large part of what made Youtube fun was that not every video from an established creator with 100k subscribers needed to be monetized, or even created with the expectation of being successful or well-received by the community. There was a time when the expectations people had for, say, Jim Sterling was for a high-quality Jimquisition video to be produced and uploaded to the main channel once a week, and for the other days to feature a minimally-edited video where he showed himself trying out a game or reacting to a trailer on his main channel.
In the past I said that I would like it if EFAP would talk about comments and read fanfictions on-stream and I was mocked for it, but I stand by that statement because, although EFAP clearly doesn’t want to do it regularly, when they do read comments on-stream it tends to result in some of the best content because it showcases a side to them that I like. Instead of being totally normal dudes talking to each other about a movie they saw or reacting to a video, they have to use text-to-speech or read the comment using a silly voice or, well, use just a little bit of creativity when reading those comments out-loud.
What I’m kinda saying is that, yes, I think we all like professionally-produced content, and we all accept that sponsors for videos are necessary. But, like, I don’t like how for most successful Youtubers only the monetizable content, often with sponsors, is presented on the main channel, while the other content doesn’t exist, is uploaded to a secondary channel, or is locked behind some kind of paywall.
It just feels strange that these normal, chill, relatable people have gotten themselves into a position where they can earn real money, in some cases a lot of money, to stand in front of a webcam for 10 minutes talking about their favorite movies, chat with a group of friends, or even just play their favorite video game, and in quite a few cases they won’t do any of those things unless there’s a way to monetize it. Imagine how it looks to say “Well, I can’t talk about this cool fanfiction story I read on my main channel to my audience that enjoys my content about that franchise because I can’t get a sponsor for it.”
I wonder if Rags, a regular host of EFAP, appreciates the irony of him criticizing Chris Stuckmann for advocating that filmmakers “Get as much time and money as possible to make their films in the ideal circumstances and for the process to be easy,” when he’s in the position that he’s in where, on EFAP, he has as much freedom as he wants in the ideal circumstances to make money with EFAP, and it’s easy, yet he still will complain if he’s asked to step out of his comfort zone, even a little bit, on stream.
Insecurity
A while ago I had a theory about Cancel Culture which was that usually Cancel Culture is incredibly exaggerated by the audience of the people being canceled, and that most of the people being canceled are perfectly fine. The go-to example is the poor lady who made a joke about AIDS before going to Africa that got off the flight and got fired from her job due to her joke going viral. What people often don’t mention is that she got fired because it’s a terrible look for the company’s PR person to be involved with such a massive PR disaster, and that she got hired at another company a very short time later. Plus, like, she made a racist joke and people were calling her a racist, it wasn’t like she was targeted for absolutely no reason.
My theory is that people think that Cancel Culture absolutely ruins the lives of celebrities and influencers online because of their intense reactions to being canceled. An early example being Seth Macfarlane, who was mocked for his poorly-received hosting of the Oscars and who seemed incredibly bitter about it, making Cancel Culture a plot point in multiple episodes of Family Guy, talking about how bitter he was about it in interviews for years, and even apparently getting emotional support from his friends and family after the ordeal, even going as far as to ask celebrities to say “I liked what he did and I thought he was hilarious, and very handsome.”
What I’m saying is that I think that in the early days of content creation on Youtube the people making videos were more willing to appear on camera and embarrass themselves, like with Spoony screaming at a big gaming event on camera, because even though they were aware of Cancel Culture being a thing they weren’t going to be reduced to tears by someone saying “You’re totally cringe and annoying,” and even went as far as to incorporate those kinds of comments into their video because it was extremely easy content to create. You probably know what I’m talking about, where a creator would read out “This content creator is SOOOOOOO CRINGE,” in a video in a silly voice which you can’t really do as easily with “OMG, I love your content,” and make it entertaining.
That’s changed a lot today with content creators seeming to project an extreme amount of insecurity in every video they’re a part of, which gets even worse in formats like podcasts. It feels like every commentary creator is a chill dude that isn’t offended by anything and only wants to have a good time talking about things they like because, well, that’s what they need to be to avoid being criticized too severely, but they constantly allude to being a very immature and thin-skinned person that is mainly concerned about earning money, to the point where they’ll say “I’m not even having fun producing content at all.”
In college I remember one of my professors saying: “When you were high school kids you were insecure and weren’t confident in your abilities enough to volunteer when you were asked. You’re adults now, and when you graduate you can’t do that at a real job. Part of growing up is being confident in yourself, and if you don’t want to do that, you can always work in fast food where you never need to grow up, while the other adults in your friend group are becoming doctors and construction workers.”
It’s something that I realized with Youtubers which is that a decent amount of them started their careers young and never had to ‘grow up’ the way that my professor said that we needed to. Even with millions of subscribers you still see a lot of Youtubers struggle to commit to any statement they make, and I hear “I’m just a dumb Youtuber who doesn’t know anything and is stupid and socially-awkward and is fat and smells bad,” too many times from rich and successful people.
The thing is, when you’re a teenager, or you’re in your 20s, that insecurity is charming and relatable because you're trying to find a place in the world and discovering the role that you will fill in society. But, when you’re 30 and your role is “I tell people about the latest internet drama and make references to Spongebob,” or “I talk about Star Wars for hours at a time,” even if you make $2 million every day there’s likely a part of you that says: “I don’t like who I am. I don’t like what I do for a living. Yes, I’m rich, but I don’t like why I’m rich, and I don’t like my audience.”
I think that this insecurity leads to people trying to make their content more ‘mature’, but the way they do it isn’t by presenting themselves as a more confident person, or by making a clear separation between the personality in their content and their actual personality so that they can have a good work/life balance, it’s by creating the same content with very superficially mature elements. So, you end up with the video essayists of the past that gained fame by describing the events of a movie and then giving their opinion on whether they liked or disliked it doing the same thing but with quotes from smart people, like Socrates, and making conclusions like “Some people are gonna like this movie, some people are going to hate it. The important thing is that everyone involved with this movie tried really hard and had fun.”
The thing is, teenagers and 20-year-olds get value from a relatable person that comes across as an insecure loser who is too afraid to take a proper stance on anything to commit to a statement. When someone is actually mature they find more value in someone who is willing to do a good job and defend the job that they did, even if they’re like Neil Breen who thinks they did a good job but clearly did a terrible job. A 20-year-old might declare that Twin Perfect’s debate with EFAP wasn’t embarrassing because he was just being himself or something, but a 40-year-old might not tell Twin Perfect that the debate was embarrassing, but they would no longer respect him, and I imagine a lot of 40-year-olds don’t respect a lot of Youtube video essayists because of how eager they seem to be to engage in self-deprecation.
Conclusion
Despite everything that I’ve said, I do think that the content landscape on Youtube is generally ‘better’ than it was in, say, 2010. We weren’t getting a 4+ hour video by The Little Platoon about Rebel Moon, for instance, in 2010.
What I would compare modern Youtube and classic Youtube to is the 1970s movie scene vs. the 1980s movie scene, which Quentin Tarantino has labeled as “The worst period in movie history,” which the EFAP crew have pushed back on.
The thing is, in the early 80s we got Blade Runner, in the same way that nowadays we got the 4+ hour Little Platoon video, but the theatrical release of that film was famously sabotaged by the company that wanted Harrison Ford to provide voiceovers for the film that ‘ruined’ it, or at least, ruined the ending of the movie.
Throughout the 80s films were made which satisfied audiences more than films from the 70s did because Spielberg was producing hugely successful films that are still highly regarded, but there was also a bunch of shady practices going on and a bunch of notoriously poor studio decisions made in order to appeal to a wide demographic, such as the fiasco with Supergirl and Masters Of The Universe, or changing the ending of Brazil.
In the 1970s we not only got more challenging films, but there was also a thriving independent cinema scene that gave us Death Race 2000, Eraserhead, THX-1138, and Duel. There was also Jaws, Star Wars, and A Clockwork Orange, which were big-budget movies that took serious creative risks that paid off immensely which just wouldn’t happen in the 1980s, or would happen very rarely.
I think that I do prefer Youtube back in, say, 2015-2017 when it seemed like we generally got the best of both worlds, challenging content about a diverse range of subjects with production values comparable to what we have now.
To close this, I would like to include a paraphrased interaction I saw on a podcast featuring a pretty big Youtuber that I think illustrates why Youtube has changed in the way that it has.
Youtuber: Look, I don’t need to work as hard on my videos now because not every video needs to be an event. I just want to take it easy now, pump out a video whenever I feel like it, get paid by the sponsors, and then spend time with my family, is that so wrong?
Host: It kind of is. I know your audience of teenagers will be like “He just wants to spend time with his family, dude, have a heart,” but a lot of Youtubers, especially younger Youtubers look up to you for inspiration. If you’re in that position and your attitude is “I’m going to half-ass every video that I make from now on and if anyone calls my content lazy I’ll use my 8-year-old daughter as a shield against criticism,” that’s the attitude that a lot of young Youtubers are going to have. They’re going to half-ass their content and when criticized, they’re going to find their own excuse, like “I have a kid now,” or “I have to eat,” or something.
Youtuber: That’s not my fault, though. I never asked to be a role model.
Host: That’s not how that works. You don’t get to decide whether or not people look up to you, have expectations of you, and emulate your approach to content creation. You only release 2-3 videos a year, and with your status every video should be a major event, but instead every video is half-assed, as you admitted, and then you use your daughter as an excuse for why you don’t put as much effort into your content as you used to. I think you need to have someone in your life, like a friend, that actually makes you feel some shame for your content and encourages you to do better, rather than your social circle being composed of supportive people like your family and the people who pay you through Patreon.
Host 2: He did have that. He fired him two years ago, remember?
Host: Oh, yeah, you fired your friend, or made him quit, whatever the story was. Did that not make you feel bad at all?
Youtuber: Friendships end, that’s just life.
Host: That’s the attitude that I hate that comes across in your content. You can’t just brush aside everything and bumble through life, except if you’re an internet personality, apparently.
Host 2: It worked for the MCU.
Host: It’s not working for the MCU anymore, though, and it isn’t working as well for this Youtuber. It’s probably going to get worse and when he decides to do more work and make better videos, like he used to do, it’s probably going to be too late, or he’ll need to make really good videos to get the views he once did.
Youtuber: My videos are really good, though.
Host: You admitted to half-assing them.

tldr; Scalpers act in the best interest of honest consumers looking to buy limited-supply goods and triage them in ways that are more profitable for companies who make them. Scalping is a corrective market force that gets a bad rep because it can only thrive in bad situations, but it ostensibly make bad situations less worse for everybody. To change my view, explain a situation that scalpers actively make worse. I am not interested in any moral argument against scalping and will be ignoring every reply that claims one.
A famous artist announces that the ticket price for her next show will be 10 dollars per. This comes as a shock to fans, many were expecting to pay upwards of a 100 dollars. The venue only has 500 seats. Scalpers buy every single ticket the minute they become available online and sell them at a marked up price.
How did they make the situation better for everyone?

• Even if this concert's experience is 'worth' ten dollars, the fact that there's such a small amount of supply (seating) and such a large amount of demand means the ticket has a real value that is now much more higher than its listed value. Had the ticket's price been elastic, the price would have skyrocketed. Since the ticket's price is set, everybody with a right mind will clamor at their chance to buy a hundred-dollar experience for a ten-dollar bill. Fans may feel cheated out of losing their chance at ten dollar ticket, but its important to note that the tickets were never actually worth ten dollars. It would have sold out instantly even if the scalpers didn't do it first. This is similar to a gold bar being sold for a quarter. Like any extremely underpriced good, it would sell out instantly.
• In the scenario without scalpers, only the luckiest fans, or maybe the ones constantly refreshing the website looking for availabilities, would be able to buy a ticket before they sold out.
• In the scenario with scalpers, everyone is happier
  • People who were on-the-fence about the concert now have to reconsider paying a more realistic price for the ticket. Their tickets will go to a group of people who, on average, are willing to pay more for the experience because they value it more - this increases the overall happiness of the concert, and as I said, makes a bad situation less worse.
  • Had scalpers not intervened, a superfan would literally have no way to get a ticket besides being lucky. Fans now have an avenue to procure a ticket by purchasing it from a scalper, and it would have literally been impossible to attend the concert had this option not been available. They could have bought it off a lucky person for a higher price, but this is in-effect scalping.
  • The artist hosting the concert now hopefully knows that setting the ticket price to ten dollars was a mistake and know what to do next time. This is a future benefit, but the artist can presently enjoy an increase of merchandice, food, and drink sales at their event. People who pay higher prices for a ticket are, on average, either bigger fans or richer people. Both groups will purchase supplementary items more.
  • You may be tempted to say that this situation is worse for the lucky few who managed to get a ticket for ten dollars. Its important to note that they only got this bargain by taking advantage of an underpriced good. These people are, economically speaking, identical to scalpers - they're just not selling the good, they're selling the experience to themselves.

Now, of course, my example is simple and unnuanced. I'm going to attempt to answer some common counterarguments that would only be present in a more complicated system.

• How about the fact that scalping can artificially curb a supply that would have been enough had they not bought up everything?
  • People who believe 'scalpers curbing supply' is a problem seem confused about the concept of demand. Demand isn't just comprised of present factors, it also takes into accounts factors in the future that may influence a product's supply. Demand can be influenced by people anticipating future disruptions to the availability of a good.
  • Scalpers are only able to artifically curb a supply in a scenario where a good's supply was vulerable in the first place. In an identical situation without scalpers, the price of this good would still inflate in the same way if people believed the good's supply was vulnerable and would become more expensive in the future. People do this similarly with stocks.
  • Scalping in this scenario makes the products price and supply more robust, or better able to follow supply and demand trends. If a good's availability is able to be disrupted by scalping, its an unstable good thats vulnerable to spikes in demand or lapses in production. This does not benefit consumers. In this scenario, scalping encourages producers to invest in capital to increase the goods supply, which prevents things like this happening in the future. Think of the disaster that happened with toilet paper during COVID.
• How about scalping an essential item, like medicine or bottled water during a hurricane?
  • This is not a failure of scalping but a failure of capitalism. Capitalism does not work with goods that have unlimited supply.

I don't know how the YouTube algorithm works for you guys, but whenever I view even one video from a channel for the first time, no matter how obscure or small the channel might be, my homepage quickly becomes flooded with videos from that channel. Yet, only two videos on my channel have gone viral, one with 124,701 views and the other with 453,701 views. Meanwhile, the view counts on my other videos and shorts range from 17 to 2,474. It seems that the success of my two videos hasn't trickled down to my other videos. This isn't unexpected for the video with 124,701 views since I didn't direct viewers to my other content. Yet, despite implementing all the recommended strategies for the other viral video, the increased views haven't extended to my other videos.
A video I posted in December 2023 titled "How Hitler Would Sound Speaking English" quickly went viral and, even several months later, its view count continues to rise each day. In the video, AI is used together with the "Hiter and Mannerheim Recording" - the only known recording of Hitler speaking regularly - to clone Hitler's voice for English text-to-speech to give viewers an idea of how he would sound speaking English. Upon the video going viral, I made sure to implement a variety of strategies. Consequently, I uploaded three more videos directly connected to the viral video: one where the AI-cloned version of Hitler's actual voice was used to reproduce the famous Hitler rant scene from the film "Downfall," one that shows how Stalin would sound in English, and one that shows how Mao would sound in English. I linked these videos at the end screen of my viral video. I made the thumbnails for all of them enticing. Additionally, I included an information card about my second most viral video in my most viral video.
Yet, my first video's success differs greatly from my subsequent three videos in this series. In total, the first video has garnered 453,701 views, while the other three have garnered 2,026, 650, and 331 views, respectively. And this is despite the fact that the other three videos use more advanced AI software that does a better job of replicating their voices and are shorter and more concise. To be fair, the end screen strategy is somewhat working, since end screen clicks accounted for roughly 75%, 75%, 30% of views in the last 48 hours for each of the other three videos. Yet, with the hundreds and hundreds of thousands of views my one video has garnered in total, and the thousands and thousands of views it continues to garner each day even several months later, and the overwhelmingly positive feedback the video has generated, you'd think the number of people who would view my other videos as a result of watching this video would be much higher than a few hundred. What am I doing wrong? Thank you for your time and consideration.

With the game being popular and leaving a few choice questions unanswered I think there’s one point that’s been bugging me since I finished the game that I think answers a lot of those unanswered questions
Of course spoilers from here out and sorry for weird formatting I’m on mobile also TLDR at the bottom
So I’ll go over the widely accepted points leading up to this. The pool was created by people from the future to prevent some kind of Mass Extinction event from destroying humanity as we know it and Edward Crow’s father disrupted the process of bringing people back while Edward himself continued the process of mining the roots and further disrupted the time travel device. Pretty much all of that is confirmed in game very explicitly. But there are a few questions that remain unanswered; why choose 1988 to come back? What was the disaster that cause the process to begin with? What are the numbers 2106 supposed to mean?
Now a lot of what I’ve seen for theory’s on the answers above are fairly in line, the disaster was some kind of global warming or climate crisis because it parallels with the Crows abuse of the roots as corroborated with some paintings in blood that appear later in the game. But I have one question that I haven’t seen anywhere else in discussions about the game (not that it isn’t there I just haven’t seen it) that I think provides a better argument for the disaster being a plague caused by a bootstrap paradox.
My question is……..Why in that location specifically? Maybe it’s just bc I’m from the ATL area I was super curious why the British devs chose that area for the setting of the game. Imagine your world is dying and you HAVE to find a way to prevent it from ever happening, (presumably after trying everything else bc I doubt time travel and potentially destroying all of reality is anyone’s first pick) why build your saving grace in Atlanta, Georgia? It isn’t a major metropolitan area, it’s not the capital of the U.S or some huge political force and it’s certainly NOT super open to change especially in the later 80’s. So why Atlanta? My theory is because it’s the home for the Center of Disease Control. That’s the only real reason to pick the ATL area for your last ditch effort to prevent a disaster. If they could get the disease in front of medical experts and have them analyze the infection and create a cure then the disaster would never really happen in the first place.
But then that begs the question of why 1988? Now here’s where I think the bootstrap paradox comes into play.
If you’re unfamiliar with the term it basically describes a thought experiment of time travel when an event is repeated due to itself causing a causal loop. Say a time traveler was a huge fan of Mozart, so he travels back in time to see him but when he gets to the time period where Mozart was popular he finds there is no Mozart. So he decides to write all of Mozart’s music and perform them himself under the name Mozart, thus “creating” the persona of the famous artist. The question becomes who originally wrote Mozarts music? It’s a surprisingly common trope in pop culture: Back to the Future with Chuck Berry’s song “Johnny B. Good” all of Skynet from the Terminator series, even my example above is stolen from Dr. Who.
So how is Crow Country a BSP? I think the time travelers from the future picked 1988 because it was the first time the disease was documented in official records, from Elaine’s trip to the hospital. I also think the disease was caused from the disruption of the pool which is why they never understood its origin enough to re-engineer a cure and why Edward Crow could. In my theory as well I don’t think the tougher and more diverse enemies later in the game were caused by the CC team further excavating the roots, I think it was caused by people who were already infected coming through the portal. It doesn’t really make sense for them to be from Edward digging up more of the roots, he had been doing that for years up until the start of the game. So something else had to change over the short period of time shown in the game itself and I think that’s infected people coming through hoping to be cured since it should have been long enough from when the first “Guest” arrived that the cure had been developed.
Finally for the two endings of the game. The bad ending obviously is the one where you don’t take the cure and decide to (presumably) let everyone die from the infection, thus burying the cure and dooming all of humanity. The good ending is you decide to trust Crow and take the cure, thus saving yourself and potentially others by the cure being able to be synthesized from your blood. I think that’s also why Crow isn’t able to describe the future yet when he comes back out of the pool, because by that point in the timeline you haven’t picked whether to save everyone or not.
TLDR; Crow Country is a bootstrap paradox cause by the bacterial disease that develops from coming out of the pool. That’s why the pool was built(?) in the ATL area, why the time travelers chose 1988 and why the two endings have greater meaning beyond just the fate of your characters that survived.
Feel free to tell me if I’m wrong or poke holes in this theory I just couldn’t stop thinking about it and wanted to put it out there!

Maybe it’s just the content that YouTube is trying to target me with… but it seems like Catholic apologists and Catholicism in general is getting more air time from venues that otherwise wouldn’t offer it the light of day. Here are my references:
1) Harrison Butker Speech (in the spotlight on both right and left circles)
2) Pope Francis 60 minutes interview
3) Candace Owens, Shia Labeouf, and other famous people becoming Catholic
4) Trent Horn was invited onto Allie Beth Stuckey’s youtube/podcast channel. Stuckey is a Calvinist. She previously met with George Farmer on Candace Owens’ show.
5) Jimmy Akin is now an associate on the Capturing Christianity show
6) I’ve seen Trent horn being invited on several Protestant or atheist shows for dialogues.
Anyways, just seems like it’s in an uptick. Let’s pray that people see the light of the faith!

Part 1 about voter constituencies read here: https://www.reddit.com/unitedstatesofindia/s/wYsPUkrwok
So Part 2 - Here are VIP seats: 1. Varanasi - Modi is winning. No point discussing this further. The whole Shyam Rangeela thing was sad. Modi wins anyway. 2. Mathura - Hema Malini as a politician is a clown. People will still vote for her. Because she is famous, she is 'dream girl'. Vote for her is BJP vote, it's a vote for Modi. 3. Gorakhpur - Ravi Kishan will win. Bhojpuri ka SRK. He seems like a decent person in public life. But also is apparently proper RW in personal life. BJP seat hai, jeetenge hi. 4. Meerut - Arun Govil. Kya aap Ram Rajya mai Shri Ram ko vote nahi denge. He is the actor who played Ram in the Doordarshan Ramayan. Recently played Modi-look-alike character in Article 370. Is an absolute clowns. Actually gave interviews saying that I don't know what the issues of Meerut are. Said - "I will work to find out issues after I win election." Most likely will still win, people will vote Ram ke Naam. 5. Ghaziabad - Atul Garg. Son of the first mayor of Ghaziabad. Currently a minister in Yogi sarkar. Will ride the Modi-Yogi wave and win. 6. Pilibhit - Nitin Prasada. Was a congress MP from Shahjahanpur way back in 2004 and Daurahara in 2009. Made MoS in UPA2. Joined BJP in 2021. Will win due to Modi wave mostly. But voter may have resentment coz BJP did not give ticket to Varun Gandhi. 7. Saharanpur - Imran Masood, son of 9-time MP Rashid Masood. Congress candidate. Hoping that father's base plus undercurrent will help. Muslims have decent share in constituency. Shayad jeet jayega. 8. Mainpuri - Dimple Yadav. Wife of Akhilesh Yadav. Bhabhi ji jeet jayegi. UP government tourism minister standing against her. Double engine sarkar influence. But she seems to be too big to lose in this seat bcoz Mainpuri is Mulayam Singh Yadav's bastion. 9. Firozabad - Akshaya Yadav, related to the SP yadav family. Seat is SP bastion won by them everytime since 1999 to 2014. Lost in 2019. SP looking to get it back. 10. Budaun - Aditya Yadav, related to the SP yadav family. Seat is SP bastion won by them everytime since 1996 to 2014. Lost in 2019. SP looking to get it back. 11. Agra - SP Baghel, Union Minister will fight this SC reserved seat. BJP has been winning this seat since 2009. Will win again this year. 12. Hathras - SC reserved seat. BJP union minister fighting here mainly against SP candidate. Toss up seat as Hathras rape case is very big issue among other issues affecting backward castes. 13. Etah - Rajveer Singh, son of former UP CM Kalyan Singh. Seat is family bastion plus he is BJP candidate. Will definitely win. 14. Kannauj - Akhilesh Yadav. Bhaiya toh jeetenge. He has won from here before. 15. Unnao - Sakshi Maharaj. Controversial person but will win Ram ke Naam. Important seat placed right between Lucknow and Kanpur. 16. Amethi - Smriti Irani vs KL Sharma is gonna be a fun toss up to watch. Irani has BJP + Modi/Yogi/Ram in her favour but people are annoyed by her lies about cylinder and 13Rs sugar. Local village Pradhans are annoyed at how she has allegedly micro-managed and also disrespected them in the last 5yrs. KL Sharma is not a big name but he has been there for 40+yrs as poll manager. Generations of people in Amethi know him personally. And Priyanka Gandhi has also done a great job campaigning for him. Toss up seat, fun to watch. 17. Raebareli - Rahul Gandhi. He is running from here coz it's going to be a safe seat. Family bastion hai. Priyanka has campaigned really well and after the "Mai aapko apna beta saup rahi hu" speech by Sonia Gandhi, it seems like a sealed deal. 18. Lucknow - Rajnath Singh. BJP stronghold since 1991. Atal Bihari Vajpayee's seat. Rajnath Singh running from here for the 3rd time. He'll win for sure. 19. Kaiserganj - Karan Bhushan Singh, son of Brij Bhushan Singh. Dab dabba toh hai. Betaji jeet hi jayenga. Father's sexual harassment scandal not a voter issue at all unfortunately. 20. Sultanpur - Maneka Gandhi. Will win. Loved by voters. Did a lot of work at village level outside of her MP duties as well. 21. Azamgarh - Nirahua (Bhojpuri superstar) vs Dharmendra Yadav (SP yadav family). SP bastion but Nirahua wrestled the seat in 2022 by-poll. Toss up seat worth watching. 22. Ambedkarnagar - No famous players but seat to look for. Strong fight between BSP and BJP. Mayawati won from here two times. Birthplace of social leader Ram Manohar Lohia. Large vote share of Dalits, Kurmis and Muslims. 23. Shravasti - Saket Mishra. Son of Modi's ex-principal secretary (the guy who is now chairman of ram mandir construction committee). He will win ofcourse. Modi/Yogi + Ram is enough. 24. Ghazipur - Afzal Ansari, elder brother of Mukhtar Ansari running on SP ticket. Let's see how much his death's sympathy factor works with largely Muslim voter base. 25. Mirzapur - Anupriya Patel, chief of Apna Dal and Union Minister in current central government. 2 time incumbent, trying luck third time, might win. 26. Ballia - Neeraj Shekhar, son of former PM Chandra Shekhar. Running on BJP ticket, will win.
Ho gaya ji. 26 out 80 seats. Baaki seats ka zyada knowledge nahi hai. Aur Maine find out karne ki mehnat nahi ki hai. Udti udti khabar Sunni hai that unexpected seats like Faizabad (ayodhya) and Lucknow might see a turn around. But mujhe abhi toh believe nahi ho raha.
What I think are confirm wins: 15 NDA alliance (14 BJP + 1 Apna Dal) 6 INDIA alliance (2 Congress + 4 SP)
Toss up seats with battles to watch for: Hathras Amethi Azamgarh Ambedkarnagar Ghazipur
Thanks friends. Byeeeee

[TLDR at the end]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSGDSkeUB5E&ab_channel=JAMETIME
I highly recommend you watch the whole video if you haven't already (it has English subtitles). But, here's the relevant bits about CS2's current state, where he mainly talks about gunplay differences between CSGO and CS2, all in the backdrop of the current state of peeker's advantage in CS2.
The video was uploaded on Mar 11, 2024, ~1 month after the big Arms Race update that fixed the egregious peeker's advantage. I think most of his comments still fairly applies to how the game feels right now.

We all know that online the game is worse than on LAN. It's obvious. The game gets better each day, but I wouldn't say it's even 80% as good as CS:GO was. The [excellent] feature [of CS2] is not mechanics, it's the visuals and so on. And some fundamental things, which we are used to, stay as unpolished. Like peeks, strafes. It seems that all the people became kind of less skilled.
But when you've been playing the game for years, on a subconscious level you, for instance, come here, crouch in [mirage] Window, and you know you can make two shots and run away. But in reality you can't do that. Unfortunately, the game has changed. It became simpler. If you were pressing W non-stop, you now have an advantage, because you're used to it.
Right now you can't stand or do a frag. That's what I understood playing this game. You can't just stand right now.
In comparison with my previous video, you can see the difference between donk and s1mple in terms of movement. The majority of the players try to adapt and move like donk. All this constant movement.
There is no such thing as crosshair placement at the moment. In CS:GO, it was a basis of the game. You could have bad movement, but if you placed your crosshair right, you were good. Right now, you have to move good, and the crosshair placement will help you, but once your enemy gains speed, it won't help you. If a guy peeks you like this, in CS:GO this peek would look like hot garbage. Dude peeks you with a Shift and Ctrl! This is shocking. In CS:GO, you spray him the hell down. But in this game you've got advantage. Especially if your ping is 5 against ping 20 or something, you're a god in this game. And don't even get me started on FPS or good PCs, your financial status, how rich you are.
There's this thing in CS2—You feel invincible the first second or half a second when you peek someone. If you press the buttons precisely and have a good speed—I'm telling from my DM and games experience, I feel myself invincible. The peeker has an opportunity to strafe, think for a few milliseconds (maybe for the famous 7 milliseconds). And then aim precisely, all the while the enemy has to do an insane shot. Anyway, if you don't hit the head with the first shot, you no longer have the advantage.

TLDR summary (rephrased):

• He thinks the mechanics of peeking, holding, shooting still isn't satisfactory in CS2.
• I inferred from all this that he thinks the way peeker's advantage currently works in CS2 at different pings is much different compared to CSGO, which has changed the dynamics of fights in CS2, and likely nerfed some of the good gunplay skills from CSGO.
• He touches on the topic of how we need really good PCs to run the game properly.

Hi there!
My name is Sam, and I have been RPing on-and-off for about twelve years. I am twenty-one, and am only interested in playing against people 18+. I prefer to fandomless RP where the world building is done by my partner and I.
I am non-binary and will play M,F, or NB characters! I prefer writing in realistic fiction and historical contexts. My ideal partner will be able to do multiple 1-5 paragraph responses most days. I am not picky on length, but will also match my partner. My ideal partner is also someone who gets invested into our story and characters. I like a good mix of drama and fluff.
Face claims or description, no drawings please! It is hard for me to imagine anime character while writing and takes me out of the immersion.
Anyone x Anyone, 3rd person!
Here are some basic starter ideas— very malleable and can be tweaked. I am also open to your ideas as well! Anything fluffy or dramatic

• Character A & B both rose to fame from their respective talents. However, a few years in the limelight are beginning to take a toll on character A. They have turned to substances, and its beginning to get out of control. How will this affect character B? Is love and support enough to help A get clean? How does being famous affect A’s & B’s life and relationship overall?
  
• Characters A & B both were orphaned from a young age. Now turning 18, they both arrive to the same ‘half-way house’ bridging foster care teens to their adulthood. The two become very close, and eventually decide to move out and begin building their lives together and rewrite the hurt from their pasts.
  
• Character A & B broke up so A could pursue their passion. However, character B is resentful, and when character A gives up that dream and ends up back home, it is difficult to reconcile. They are in the same friend group and visit the same places. Will they be able to rekindle or is the past behind them?
  
• Early 1900s cowboy themed
  
• Great Depression or WWII era story
  

Please message me and we can exchange info and ideas!

Hi there!
My name is Sam, and I have been RPing on-and-off for about twelve years. I am twenty-one, and am only interested in playing against ist people 18+. I prefer to fandomless RP where the world building is done by my partner and I.
I am non-binary and will play M,F, or NB characters! I prefer writing in realistic fiction and historical contexts. My ideal partner will be able to do multiple 1-5 paragraph responses most days. I am not picky on length, but will also match my partner. My ideal partner is also someone who gets invested into our story and characters. I like a good mix of drama and fluff.
Face claims or description, no drawings please! It is hard for me to imagine anime character while writing and takes me out of the immersion.
3rd person please! I will roleplay anyone x anyone.
Here are some basic starter ideas— very malleable and can be tweaked. I am also open to your ideas as well! Anything fluffy or dramatic

• Character A & B both rose to fame from their respective talents. However, a few years in the limelight are beginning to take a toll on character A. They become depending substances and its beginning to get out of control. How will this affect character B? Is love and support enough to help A get clean? How does being famous affect A’s & B’s life and relationship overall?
  
• Characters A & B both were orphaned from a young age. Now turning 18, they both arrive to the same ‘half-way house’ bridging foster care teens to their adulthood. The two become very close, and eventually decide to move out and begin building their lives together and rewrite the hurt from their pasts.
  
• Character A & B broke up so A could pursue their passion. However, character B is resentful, and when character A gives up that dream and ends up back home, it is difficult to reconcile. They are in the same friend group and visit the same places. Will they be able to rekindle or is the past behind them?
  
• Early 1900s cowboy themed
  
• Great Depression or WWII era story
  

Message me and we can discuss details and exchange information.