Playboy going public: Porn, Gambling, and Cannabis
NEW INFO 5 Results from share redemption are posted. Less than .2% redeemed. Very bullish as investors are showing extreme confidence in the future of PLBY. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/playboy-mountain-crest-acquisition-corp-120000721.html NEW INFO 4 Definitive Agreement to purchase 100% of Lovers brand stores announced 2/1. https://www.streetinsider.com/Corporate+News/Playboy+%28MCAC%29+Confirms+Deal+to+Acquire+Lovers/17892359.html NEW INFO 3 I bought more on the dip today. 5081 total. Price rose AH to $12.38 (2.15%) NEW INFO 2 Here is the full webinar. https://icrinc.zoom.us/rec/play/9GWKdmOYumjWfZuufW3QXpe_FW_g--qeNbg6PnTjTMbnNTgLmCbWjeRFpQga1iPc-elpGap8dnDv8Zww.yD7DjUwuPmapeEdP?continueMode=true&tk=lEYc4F_FkKlgsmCIs6w0gtGHT2kbgVGbUju3cIRBSjk.DQIAAAAV8NK49xZWdldRM2xNSFNQcTBmcE00UzM3bXh3AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA&uuid=WN_GKWqbHkeSyuWetJmLFkj4g&_x_zm_rtaid=kR45-uuqRE-L65AxLjpbQw.1611967079119.2c054e3d3f8d8e63339273d9175939ed&_x_zm_rhtaid=866 NEW INFO 1 Live merger webinar with PLBY and MCAC on Friday January 29, 2021 at 12:00 NOON EST link below https://mcacquisition.com/investor-relations/press-release-details/2021/Playboy-Enterprises-Inc.-and-Mountain-Crest-Acquisition-Corp-Participate-in-SPACInsider-ICR-Webinar-on-January-29th-at-12pm-ET/default.aspx Playboy going public: Porn, Gambling, and Cannabis !!!WARNING READING AHEAD!!! TL;DR at the end. It will take some time to sort through all the links and read/watch everything, but you should. In the next couple weeks, Mountain Crest Acquisition Corp is taking Playboy public. The existing ticker MCAC will become PLBY. Special purpose acquisition companies have taken private companies public in recent months with great success. I believe this will be no exception. Notably, Playboy is profitable and has skyrocketing revenue going into a transformational growth phase. Porn - First and foremost, let's talk about porn. I know what you guys are thinking. “Porno mags are dead. Why would I want to invest in something like that? I can get porn for free online.” Guess what? You are absolutely right. And that’s exactly why Playboy doesn’t do that anymore. That’s right, they eliminated their print division. And yet they somehow STILL make money from porn that people (see: boomers) pay for on their website through PlayboyTV, Playboy Plus, and iPlayboy. Here’s the thing: Playboy has international, multi-generational name recognition from porn. They have content available in 180 countries. It will be the only publicly traded adult entertainment (porn) company. But that is not where this company is going. It will help support them along the way. You can see every Playboy magazine through iPlayboy if you’re interested. NSFW links below: https://www.playboy.com/ https://www.playboytv.com/ https://www.playboyplus.com/ https://www.iplayboy.com/ Gambling - Some of you might recognize the Playboy brand from gambling trips to places like Las Vegas, Atlantic City, Cancun, London or Macau. They’ve been in the gambling biz for decades through their casinos, clubs, and licensed gaming products. They see the writing on the wall. COVID is accelerating the transition to digital, application based GAMBLING. That’s right. What we are doing on Robinhood with risky options is gambling, and the only reason regulators might give a shit anymore is because we are making too much money. There may be some restrictions put in place, but gambling from your phone on your couch is not going anywhere. More and more states are allowing things like Draftkings, poker, state ‘lottery” apps, hell - even political betting. Michigan and Virginia just ok’d gambling apps. They won’t be the last. This is all from your couch and any 18 year old with a cracked iphone can access it. Wouldn’t it be cool if Playboy was going to do something like that? They’re already working on it. As per CEO Ben Kohn who we will get to later, “...the company’s casino-style digital gaming products with Scientific Games and Microgaming continue to see significant global growth.” Honestly, I stopped researching Scientific Games' sports betting segment when I saw the word ‘omni-channel’. That told me all I needed to know about it’s success. “Our SG Sports™ platform is an enhanced, omni-channel solution for online, self-service and retail fixed odds sports betting – from soccer to tennis, basketball, football, baseball, hockey, motor sports, racing and more.” https://www.scientificgames.com/ https://www.microgaming.co.uk/ “This latter segment has become increasingly enticing for Playboy, and it said last week that it is considering new tie-ups that could include gaming operators like PointsBet and 888Holdings.” https://calvinayre.com/2020/10/05/business/playboys-gaming-ops-could-get-a-boost-from-spac-purchase/ As per their SEC filing: “Significant consumer engagement and spend with Playboy-branded gaming properties around the world, including with leading partners such as Microgaming, Scientific Games, and Caesar’s Entertainment, steers our investment in digital gaming, sports betting and other digital offerings to further support our commercial strategy to expand consumer spend with minimal marginal cost, and gain consumer data to inform go-to-market plans across categories.” https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1803914/000110465921005986/tm2034213-12_defm14a.htm#tMDAA1 They are expanding into more areas of gaming/gambling, working with international players in the digital gaming/gambling arena, and a Playboy sportsbook is on the horizon. https://www.playboy.com/read/the-pleasure-of-playing-with-yourself-mobile-gaming-in-the-covid-era Cannabis - If you’ve ever read through a Playboy magazine, you know they’ve had a positive relationship with cannabis for many years. As of September 2020, Playboy has made a major shift into the cannabis space. Too good to be true you say? Check their website. Playboy currently sells a range of CBD products. This is a good sign. Federal hemp products, which these most likely are, can be mailed across state lines and most importantly for a company like Playboy, can operate through a traditional banking institution. CBD products are usually the first step towards the cannabis space for large companies. Playboy didn’t make these products themselves meaning they are working with a processor in the cannabis industry. Another good sign for future expansion. What else do they have for sale? Pipes, grinders, ashtrays, rolling trays, joint holders. Hmm. Ok. So it looks like they want to sell some shit. They probably don’t have an active interest in cannabis right? Think again: https://www.forbes.com/sites/javierhasse/2020/09/24/playboy-gets-serious-about-cannabis-law-reform-advocacy-with-new-partnership-grants/?sh=62f044a65cea “Taking yet another step into the cannabis space, Playboy will be announcing later on Thursday (September, 2020) that it is launching a cannabis law reform and advocacy campaign in partnership with National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), Last Prisoner Project, Marijuana Policy Project, the Veterans Cannabis Project, and the Eaze Momentum Program.” “According to information procured exclusively, the three-pronged campaign will focus on calling for federal legalization. The program also includes the creation of a mentorship plan, through which the Playboy Foundation will support entrepreneurs from groups that are underrepresented in the industry.” Remember that CEO Kohn from earlier? He wrote this recently: https://medium.com/naked-open-letters-from-playboy/congress-must-pass-the-more-act-c867c35239ae Seems like he really wants weed to be legal? Hmm wonder why? The writing's on the wall my friends. Playboy wants into the cannabis industry, they are making steps towards this end, and we have favorable conditions for legislative progress. Don’t think branding your own cannabis line is profitable or worthwhile? Tell me why these 41 celebrity millionaires and billionaires are dummies. I’ll wait. https://www.celebstoner.com/news/celebstoner-news/2019/07/12/top-celebrity-cannabis-brands/ Confirmation: I hear you. “This all seems pretty speculative. It would be wildly profitable if they pull this shift off. But how do we really know?” Watch this whole video: https://finance.yahoo.com/video/playboy-ceo-telling-story-female-154907068.html Man - this interview just gets my juices flowing. And highlights one of my favorite reasons for this play. They have so many different business avenues from which a catalyst could appear. I think paying attention, holding shares, and options on these staggered announcements over the next year is the way I am going to go about it. "There's definitely been a shift to direct-to-consumer," he (Kohn) said. "About 50 percent of our revenue today is direct-to-consumer, and that will continue to grow going forward.” “Kohn touted Playboy's portfolio of both digital and consumer products, with casino-style gaming, in particular, serving a crucial role under the company's new business model. Playboy also has its sights on the emerging cannabis market, from CBD products to marijuana products geared toward sexual health and pleasure.” "If THC does become legal in the United States, we have developed certain strains to enhance your sex life that we will launch," Kohn said. https://cheddar.com/media/playboy-goes-public-health-gaming-lifestyle-focus Oh? The CEO actually said it? Ok then. “We have developed certain strains…” They’re already working with growers on strains and genetics? Ok. There are several legal cannabis markets for those products right now, international and stateside. I expect Playboy licensed hemp and THC pre-rolls by EOY. Something like this: https://www.etsy.com/listing/842996758/10-playboy-pre-roll-tubes-limited?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=pre+roll+playboy&ref=sr_gallery-1-2&organic_search_click=1 Maintaining cannabis operations can be costly and a regulatory headache. Playboy’s licensing strategy allows them to pick successful, established partners and sidestep traditional barriers to entry. You know what I like about these new markets? They’re expanding. Worldwide. And they are going to be a bigger deal than they already are with or without Playboy. Who thinks weed and gambling are going away? Too many people like that stuff. These are easy markets. And Playboy is early enough to carve out their spot in each. Fuck it, read this too: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimosman/2020/10/20/playboy-could-be-the-king-of-spacs-here-are-three-picks/?sh=2e13dcaa3e05 Numbers: You want numbers? I got numbers. As per the company’s most recent SEC filing: “For the year ended December 31, 2019, and the nine months ended September 30, 2020, Playboy’s historical consolidated revenue was $78.1 million and $101.3 million, respectively, historical consolidated net income (loss) was $(23.6) million and $(4.8) million, respectively, and Adjusted EBITDA was $13.1 million and $21.8 million, respectively.” “In the nine months ended September 30, 2020, Playboy’s Licensing segment contributed $44.2 million in revenue and $31.1 million in net income.” “In the ninth months ended September 30, 2020, Playboy’s Direct-to-Consumer segment contributed $40.2 million in revenue and net income of $0.1 million.” “In the nine months ended September 30, 2020, Playboy’s Digital Subscriptions and Content segment contributed $15.4 million in revenue and net income of $7.4 million.” They are profitable across all three of their current business segments. “Playboy’s return to the public markets presents a transformed, streamlined and high-growth business. The Company has over $400 million in cash flows contracted through 2029, sexual wellness products available for sale online and in over 10,000 major retail stores in the US, and a growing variety of clothing and branded lifestyle and digital gaming products.” https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1803914/000110465921005986/tm2034213-12_defm14a.htm#tSHCF Growth: Playboy has massive growth in China and massive growth potential in India. “In China, where Playboy has spent more than 25 years building its business, our licensees have an enormous footprint of nearly 2,500 brick and mortar stores and 1,000 ecommerce stores selling high quality, Playboy-branded men’s casual wear, shoes/footwear, sleepwear, swimwear, formal suits, leather & non-leather goods, sweaters, active wear, and accessories. We have achieved significant growth in China licensing revenues over the past several years in partnership with strong licensees and high-quality manufacturers, and we are planning for increased growth through updates to our men’s fashion lines and expansion into adjacent categories in men’s skincare and grooming, sexual wellness, and women’s fashion, a category where recent launches have been well received.” The men’s market in China is about the same size as the entire population of the United States and European Union combined. Playboy is a leading brand in this market. They are expanding into the women’s market too. Did you know CBD toothpaste is huge in China? China loves CBD products and has hemp fields that dwarf those in the US. If Playboy expands their CBD line China it will be huge. Did you know the gambling money in Macau absolutely puts Las Vegas to shame? Technically, it's illegal on the mainland, but in reality, there is a lot of gambling going on in China. https://www.forbes.com/sites/javierhasse/2020/10/19/magic-johnson-and-uncle-buds-cbd-brand-enter-china-via-tmall-partnership/?sh=271776ca411e “In India, Playboy today has a presence through select apparel licensees and hospitality establishments. Consumer research suggests significant growth opportunities in the territory with Playboy’s brand and categories of focus.” “Playboy Enterprises has announced the expansion of its global consumer products business into India as part of a partnership with Jay Jay Iconic Brands, a leading fashion and lifestyle Company in India.” “The Indian market today is dominated by consumers under the age of 35, who represent more than 65 percent of the country’s total population and are driving India’s significant online shopping growth. The Playboy brand’s core values of playfulness and exploration resonate strongly with the expressed desires of today’s younger millennial consumers. For us, Playboy was the perfect fit.” “The Playboy international portfolio has been flourishing for more than 25 years in several South Asian markets such as China and Japan. In particular, it has strategically targeted the millennial and gen-Z audiences across categories such as apparel, footwear, home textiles, eyewear and watches.” https://www.licenseglobal.com/industry-news/playboy-expands-global-footprint-india It looks like they gave COVID the heisman in terms of net damage sustained: “Although Playboy has not suffered any material adverse consequences to date from the COVID-19 pandemic, the business has been impacted both negatively and positively. The remote working and stay-at-home orders resulted in the closure of the London Playboy Club and retail stores of Playboy’s licensees, decreasing licensing revenues in the second quarter, as well as causing supply chain disruption and less efficient product development thereby slowing the launch of new products. However, these negative impacts were offset by an increase in Yandy’s direct-to-consumer sales, which have benefited in part from overall increases in online retail sales so far during the pandemic.” Looks like the positives are long term (Yandy acquisition) and the negatives are temporary (stay-at-home orders). https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1803914/000110465921006093/tm213766-1_defa14a.htm This speaks to their ability to maintain a financially solvent company throughout the transition phase to the aforementioned areas. They’d say some fancy shit like “expanded business model to encompass four key revenue streams: Sexual Wellness, Style & Apparel, Gaming & Lifestyle, and Beauty & Grooming.” I hear “we’re just biding our time with these trinkets until those dollar dollar bill y’all markets are fully up and running.” But the truth is these existing revenue streams are profitable, scalable, and rapidly expanding Playboy’s e-commerce segment around the world. "Even in the face of COVID this year, we've been able to grow EBITDA over 100 percent and revenue over 68 percent, and I expect that to accelerate going into 2021," he said. “Playboy is accelerating its growth in company-owned and branded consumer products in attractive and expanding markets in which it has a proven history of brand affinity and consumer spend.” Also in the SEC filing, the Time Frame: “As we detailed in the definitive proxy statement, the SPAC stockholder meeting to vote on the transaction has been set for February 9th, and, subject to stockholder approval and satisfaction of the other closing conditions, we expect to complete the merger and begin trading on NASDAQ under ticker PLBY shortly thereafter,” concluded Kohn. The Players: Suhail “The Whale” Rizvi (HMFIC), Ben “The Bridge” Kohn (CEO), “lil” Suying Liu & “Big” Dong Liu (Young-gun China gang). I encourage you to look these folks up. The real OG here is Suhail Rizvi. He’s from India originally and Chairman of the Board for the new PLBY company. He was an early investor in Twitter, Square, Facebook and others. His firm, Rizvi Traverse, currently invests in Instacart, Pinterest, Snapchat, Playboy, and SpaceX. Maybe you’ve heard of them. “Rizvi, who owns a sprawling three-home compound in Greenwich, Connecticut, and a 1.65-acre estate in Palm Beach, Florida, near Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg, moved to Iowa Falls when he was five. His father was a professor of psychology at Iowa. Along with his older brother Ashraf, a hedge fund manager, Rizvi graduated from Wharton business school.” “Suhail Rizvi: the 47-year-old 'unsocial' social media baron: When Twitter goes public in the coming weeks (2013), one of the biggest winners will be a 47-year-old financier who guards his secrecy so zealously that he employs a person to take down his Wikipedia entry and scrub his photos from the internet. In IPO, Twitter seeks to be 'anti-FB'” “Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia looks like a big Twitter winner. So do the moneyed clients of Jamie Dimon. But as you’ve-got-to-be-joking wealth washed over Twitter on Thursday — a company that didn’t exist eight years ago was worth $31.7 billion after its first day on the stock market — the non-boldface name of the moment is Suhail R. Rizvi. Mr. Rizvi, 47, runs a private investment company that is the largest outside investor in Twitter with a 15.6 percent stake worth $3.8 billion at the end of trading on Thursday (November, 2013). Using a web of connections in the tech industry and in finance, as well as a hearty dose of good timing, he brought many prominent names in at the ground floor, including the Saudi prince and some of JPMorgan’s wealthiest clients.” https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/08/technology/at-twitter-working-behind-the-scenes-toward-a-billion-dollar-payday.html Y’all like that Arab money? How about a dude that can call up Saudi Princes and convince them to spend? Funniest shit about I read about him: “Rizvi was able to buy only $100 million in Facebook shortly before its IPO, thus limiting his returns, according to people with knowledge of the matter.” Poor guy :( He should be fine with the 16 million PLBY shares he's going to have though :) Shuhail also has experience in the entertainment industry. He’s invested in companies like SESAC, ICM, and Summit Entertainment. He’s got Hollywood connections to blast this stuff post-merger. And he’s at least partially responsible for that whole Twilight thing. I’m team Edward btw. I really like what Suhail has done so far. He’s lurked in the shadows while Kohn is consolidating the company, trimming the fat, making Playboy profitable, and aiming the ship at modern growing markets. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-twitter-ipo-rizvi-insight/insight-little-known-hollywood-investor-poised-to-score-with-twitter-ipo-idUSBRE9920VW20131003 Ben “The Bridge” Kohn is an interesting guy. He’s the connection between Rizvi Traverse and Playboy. He’s both CEO of Playboy and was previously Managing Partner at Rizvi Traverse. Ben seems to be the voice of the Playboy-Rizvi partnership, which makes sense with Suhail’s privacy concerns. Kohn said this: “Today is a very big day for all of us at Playboy and for all our partners globally. I stepped into the CEO role at Playboy in 2017 because I saw the biggest opportunity of my career. Playboy is a brand and platform that could not be replicated today. It has massive global reach, with more than $3B of global consumer spend and products sold in over 180 countries. Our mission – to create a culture where all people can pursue pleasure – is rooted in our 67-year history and creates a clear focus for our business and role we play in people’s lives, providing them with the products, services and experiences that create a lifestyle of pleasure. We are taking this step into the public markets because the committed capital will enable us to accelerate our product development and go-to-market strategies and to more rapidly build our direct to consumer capabilities,” said Ben Kohn, CEO of Playboy. “Playboy today is a highly profitable commerce business with a total addressable market projected in the trillions of dollars,” Mr. Kohn continued, “We are actively selling into the Sexual Wellness consumer category, projected to be approximately $400 billion in size by 2024, where our recently launched intimacy products have rolled out to more than 10,000 stores at major US retailers in the United States. Combined with our owned & operated ecommerce Sexual Wellness initiatives, the category will contribute more than 40% of our revenue this year. In our Apparel and Beauty categories, our collaborations with high-end fashion brands including Missguided and PacSun are projected to achieve over $50M in retail sales across the US and UK this year, our leading men’s apparel lines in China expanded to nearly 2500 brick and mortar stores and almost 1000 digital stores, and our new men’s and women’s fragrance line recently launched in Europe. In Gaming, our casino-style digital gaming products with Scientific Games and Microgaming continue to see significant global growth. Our product strategy is informed by years of consumer data as we actively expand from a purely licensing model into owning and operating key high-growth product lines focused on driving profitability and consumer lifetime value. We are thrilled about the future of Playboy. Our foundation has been set to drive further growth and margin, and with the committed capital from this transaction and our more than $180M in NOLs, we will take advantage of the opportunity in front of us, building to our goal of $100M of adjusted EBITDA in 2025.” https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201001005404/en/Playboy-to-Become-a-Public-Company Also, according to their Form 4s, “Big” Dong Liu and “lil” Suying Liu just loaded up with shares last week. These guys are brothers and seem like the Chinese market connection. They are only 32 & 35 years old. I don’t even know what that means, but it's provocative. https://www.secform4.com/insider-trading/1832415.htm https://finance.yahoo.com/news/mountain-crest-acquisition-corp-ii-002600994.html Y’all like that China money? “Mr. Liu has been the Chief Financial Officer of Dongguan Zhishang Photoelectric Technology Co., Ltd., a regional designer, manufacturer and distributor of LED lights serving commercial customers throughout Southern China since November 2016, at which time he led a syndicate of investments into the firm. Mr. Liu has since overseen the financials of Dongguan Zhishang as well as provided strategic guidance to its board of directors, advising on operational efficiency and cash flow performance. From March 2010 to October 2016, Mr. Liu was the Head of Finance at Feidiao Electrical Group Co., Ltd., a leading Chinese manufacturer of electrical outlets headquartered in Shanghai and with businesses in the greater China region as well as Europe.” Dr. Suying Liu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Mountain Crest Acquisition Corp., commented, “Playboy is a unique and compelling investment opportunity, with one of the world’s largest and most recognized brands, its proven consumer affinity and spend, and its enormous future growth potential in its four product segments and new and existing geographic regions. I am thrilled to be partnering with Ben and his exceptional team to bring his vision to fruition.” https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201001005404/en/Playboy-to-Become-a-Public-Company These guys are good. They have a proven track record of success across multiple industries. Connections and money run deep with all of these guys. I don’t think they’re in the game to lose. I was going to write a couple more paragraphs about why you should have a look at this but really the best thing you can do is read this SEC filing from a couple days ago. It explains the situation in far better detail. Specifically, look to page 137 and read through their strategy. Also, look at their ownership percentages and compensation plans including the stock options and their prices. The financials look great, revenue is up 90% Q3, and it looks like a bright future. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1803914/000110465921005986/tm2034213-12_defm14a.htm#tSHCF I’m hesitant to attach this because his position seems short term, but I’m going to with a warning because he does hit on some good points (two are below his link) and he’s got a sizable position in this thing (500k+ on margin, I think). I don’t know this guy but he did look at the same publicly available info and make roughly the same prediction, albeit without the in depth gambling or cannabis mention. You can also search reddit for ‘MCAC’ and very few relevant results come up and none of them even come close to really looking at this thing. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gOvAd6lebs452hFlWWbxVjQ3VMsjGBkbJeXRwDwIJfM/edit?usp=sharing “Also, before you people start making claims that Playboy is a “boomer” company, STOP RIGHT THERE. This is not a good argument. Simply put. The only thing that matters is Playboy’s name recognition, not their archaic business model which doesn’t even exist anymore as they have completely repurposed their business.” “Imagine not buying $MCAC at a 400M valuation lol. Streetwear department is worth 1B alone imo.” Considering the ridiculous Chinese growth as a lifestyle brand, he’s not wrong. Current Cultural Significance and Meme Value: A year ago I wouldn’t have included this section but the events from the last several weeks (even going back to tsla) have proven that a company’s ability to meme and/or gain social network popularity can have an effect. Tik-tok, Snapchat, Twitch, Reddit, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter. They all have Playboy stuff on them. Kids in middle and highschool know what Playboy is but will likely never see or touch one of the magazines in person. They’ll have a Playboy hoodie though. Crazy huh? A lot like GME, PLBY would hugely benefit from meme-value stock interest to drive engagement towards their new business model while also building strategic coffers. This interest may not directly and/or significantly move the stock price but can generate significant interest from larger players who will. Bull Case: The year is 2025. Playboy is now the world leader pleasure brand. They began by offering Playboy licensed gaming products, including gambling products, direct to consumers through existing names. By 2022, demand has skyrocketed and Playboy has designed and released their own gambling platforms. In 2025, they are also a leading cannabis brand in the United States and Canada with proprietary strains and products geared towards sexual wellness. Cannabis was legalized in the US in 2023 when President Biden got glaucoma but had success with cannabis treatment. He personally pushes for cannabis legalization as he steps out of office after his first term. Playboy has also grown their brand in China and India to multi-billion per year markets. The stock goes up from 11ish to 100ish and everyone makes big gains buying somewhere along the way. Bear Case: The United States does a complete 180 on marijuana and gambling. President Biden overdoses on marijuana in the Lincoln bedroom when his FDs go tits up and he loses a ton of money in his sports book app after the Fighting Blue Hens narrowly lose the National Championship to Bama. Playboy is unable to expand their cannabis and gambling brands but still does well with their worldwide lifestyle brand. They gain and lose some interest in China and India but the markets are too large to ignore them completely. The stock goes up from 11ish to 13ish and everyone makes 15-20% gains. TL;DR: Successful technology/e-commerce investment firm took over Playboy to turn it into a porn, online gambling/gaming, sports book, cannabis company, worldwide lifestyle brand that promotes sexual wellness, vetern access, women-ownership, minority-ownership, and “pleasure for all”. Does a successful online team reinventing an antiquated physical copy giant sound familiar? No options yet, shares only for now. $11.38 per share at time of writing. My guess? $20 by the end of February. $50 by EOY. This is not financial advice. I am not qualified to give financial advice. I’m just sayin’ I would personally use a Playboy sports book app while smoking a Playboy strain specific joint and it would be cool if they did that. Do your own research. You’d probably want to start here: WARNING - POTENTIALLY NSFW - SEXY MODELS AHEAD - no actual nudity though https://s26.q4cdn.com/895475556/files/doc_presentations/Playboy-Craig-Hallum-Conference-Investor-Presentation-11_17_20-compressed.pdf Or here: https://www.mcacquisition.com/investor-relations/default.aspx Jimmy Chill: “Get into any SPAC at $10 or $11 and you are going to make money.” STL;DR: Buy MCAC. MCAC > PLBY couple weeks. Rocketship. Moon. Position: 5000 shares. I will buy short, medium, and long-dated calls once available.
US equities mostly lower: Dow (0.45%), S&P 500 (0.34%), Nasdaq +0.07%, Russell 2000 (0.45%)
US equities mostly lower in Thursday midday trading after putting in a mixed performance in prior session. Value underperforming growth for a second straight session following big pro-cyclical rotation early in the week. Financials, energy, materials among the worst performers. Comm services, tech, healthcare outperforming. Treasuries stronger with the curve bull flattening. Dollar weaker vs yen and euro but firmer vs sterling. Gold up 0.9%. WTI up 0.7%.
No big directional drives in play thus far today. Path of least resistance has recently been higher on vaccine optimism, removal of election overhang, continued monetary policy tailwind and earnings resilience. Key areas of concern revolve around worsening coronavirus trends and the potential for a scaled-down stimulus package. Much of the focus over the last few days has been on what is going on below the surface in terms of a rotation from growth and momentum to value and cyclicals. A number of strategists have said rotation has more room to run but some have questioned sustainability, highlighting lack of traction behind prior moves.
Resurgent coronavirus cases, an increase in hospitalizations and new restrictions continue to dominate the headlines. However, new wave may be cresting in European hot spots. Vaccine optimism still elevated with MRNA-US completing case accrual for interim analysis. Politics the other big storythough market implications limited for now. Trump campaign trying to block certification of Biden victory in key states but reports noted the futility of these legal challenges. Biden named longtime advisor Ron Klain as chief of staff, as widely expected. Also reassured allies on regional security in calls with leaders of Japan, South Korea and Australia. On the economic front, weekly initial and continuing jobless claims lower than consensus and October CPI lighter on both headline and core readings.
Not much corporate news though tonight brings first batch of higher-profile Oct Q reporters with CSCO-US and NTAP-US . DIS-US also reports after the close. Focus next week will be on the retailers, which should provide more insight into the consumer resilience theme. VRM-US , ENR-US , SBH-US , GOCO-US and GDRX-US the notable post-earnings decliners today. FOSL-US , IGT-US , HI-US , TTEK-US and SDGR-US the standouts. LUV-US said it has seen a deceleration in improving trends that could be partly related to resurgent coronavirus cases. UTZ-US to acquire On The Border tortilla chips for $480M.
Notable Gainers:
+27.7% FOSL-US (Fossil): Q3 EPS positive though revenue lower y/y; cash position better, debt lower than previously announced levels in July; management said while it expects COVID to impact Q4 sales, highlighted ecomm strength.
+7.5% SDGR-US (Schrödinger): Q3 earnings and revenue beat; highlighted strength in Software in both life sciences and materials segments (though some y/y weakness in drug discovery revenue); said do not expect a long-term impact from pandemic.
+4.4% MRNA-US (Moderna, Inc.): Completed case accrual for the first interim analysis of phase three trial of coronavirus vaccine candidate and with increased case identification over the past week it will include well more than the minimum case number; Dr Fauci, director of NIAID, has recently speculated the Moderna vaccine could be as effective as the candidate from PFE-US and BNTX-US .
+4.1% IGT-US (International Game Technology Plc): Q3 earnings and revenue beat; highlighted strongest Lottery comps in seven quarters (NA a bright spot); noted some positive sequential trends in Global Gaming as casinos reopen and installed base gradually reactivated.
+3.4% TTEK-US (Tetra Tech): FQ4 earnings beat with revenue and guidance mostly in line to stronger; analysts noted record order backlog, strong EBIT margins across segments on upmarket demand and strong execution, continued strength in government business.
+2.9% HI-US (Hillenbrand): FQ4 earnings and revenue missed; highlighted boost from Milacron acquisition and said Batesville remaining unseasonably strong; engineered plastics a bright spot, driving y/y backlog improvement; next-Q EPS guide above the Street.
+2.2% NOW-US (ServiceNow): Upgraded to overweight from equal weight at Morgan Stanley; sees Workflow Automation platform as a beneficiary of Covid-related work from home trends, expects strong growth and better margins; raised price target.
+1.7% SMG-US (Scotts Miracle-Gro): Upgraded to buy from hold at Berenberg; cited record growth across both segments on strong consumer and professional demand; also noted upside from recent election results that could lead to more cannabis legislation in the near-term.
Notable Decliners:
-17.4% GOCO-US (GoHealth, Inc.): Q3 earnings beat but revenue missed, guidance in line on revenue and ahead for earnings; analysts noted large mix shift away from commission revenue has created confusion, competitors have raised FY guidance on strong start to AEP while GoHealth did not; management said focus shift towards enterprise revenue is a sustainable driver of earnings.
-11.1% ENR-US (Energizer Holdings): FQ4 earnings and revenue beat though GM light; Covid costs higher than expected; midpoint of FY21 EPS guide a bit below the Street; withdrew pre-pandemic 2022 targets; announced COO LaVigne to replace retiring CEO Hoskins on 1-Jan.
-9.3% VRM-US (Vroom): Q3 revenue, EBITDA, EPS beat; ecomm unit sales missed, TDA units sold at low end of guidance range; guided Q4 EPS, EBITDA below Street; analysts cautions on Q4 ecomm and TDA unit guidance, flagged operational challenges and inventory constraints.
-6.9% RVLV-US (Revolve Group, Inc.): Q3 EBITDA beat but revenue missed; management said COVID has had negative impact on operations since end of Q3 with net sales down HSD in October; analysts also noted limited visibility until vaccine is distributed, flagged loss of market share in quarter.
-5.6% SBH-US (Sally Beauty Holdings): FQ4 earnings beat but revenue missed; comps light across both segments; flagged slower recovery from elements of full-service business and loss of professional sales amid CA salon shutdowns.
-5.3% FOXA-US (Fox Corporation): Axios reported Donald Trump looking to start a digital media offering to compete with Fox News; could be available on a monthly subscription basis; Trump tweeted today that Fox forgot in 2020 what made them successful in 2016.
-4.9% GDRX-US (GoodRx): Q3 EPS and revenue beat; noted higher cost of revenue driven by customer-support expenses and more online provider visits; Q4 and FY guidance a bit better than the Street; analysts flagged Covid impacts on core business.
-3.3% MTOR-US (Meritor): FQ4 earnings and revenue beat; noted lower y/y volumes and decreased demand in Commercial Truck; Aftermarket and Industrial sales weaker than consensus; FY guidance below the Street; approved plant closures as part of restructuring plan.
-1.1% LUV-US (Southwest Air): Company said revenue trends decelerated for November and December, though unclear whether softness directly due to rise in COVID-19 cases; currently estimates Jan-21 capacity to decrease by 35-40% y/y, little changed from Q4 levels.
Hard truths: Knight of Malta Frank Fahrenkopf and Roman Catholic priest John L. Jenkins control the Presidential Debates - American ideology is a failure and is literally Jesuitism
The Knights of Malta/Sovereign Military Order of Malta is a crusading Order dating back to the year 1099. They are considered a sovereign entity under international law and hold observer status at the United Nations. There is no other organization on earth which is considered sovereign while lacking actual territory and nationhood. The SMOM is an extremely powerful Vatican knighthood working to enforce the temporal/political power of the Holy See, now controlled by the Jesuit Order (also a military Order) since 1814. The Jesuits have used their university system in America to train the Catholic laity who enter into government and politics. The foremost of these universities is Georgetown University near Washington D.C. There, the Jesuits have created entire programs dedicated to pushing the democratic form of government modeled on America. This is because around the 1950s, the American democracy was determined to be the best vehicle by which the Jesuits can take and maintain control of nations. The most prominent Jesuit who was responsible for the adoption of this course of action was John Courtney Murray who worked with the CIA (also Catholic controlled) to spread Americanism. The technical details are as follows: Jesuit Robert Bellermine's indirect theory of papal power was revived under Pius XI in the 1930s for the purpose of infiltrating states using the Catholic Action movement comprised of the laity, especially in the intellectual sphere. The Catholic Action model of gaining political hegemony was promoted by powerful American Jesuit (CIA) John Courtney Murray who revised Bellermine's theory of indirect power; Bellermine having pushed the doctrines of equality taken up specifically by Thomas Jefferson. Murray was a leading advisor at the Vatican II conference which produced the document "Lumen gentium" calling on world action from the laity reflecting the earlier Catholic Action model. American democracy is the easiest politcal system for the church to control through this model, hence Murray's assistance to the CIA in spreading it. One may wish to view my recent video Commission on Presidential Debates: Catholic-Imposed Limitations in American Political Discourse which delves into this subject. Now, The Commission on Presidential debates, founded and chaired by Jesuit Georgetown professor and Knight of Malta Frank Fahrenkopf is strictly governed so as to bar candidates outside of the two major politcal parties which uphold the standard American ideology the Jesuits seek to maintain and enforce throughout the world. Given the previous background on the Jesuits and American democracy, it is no surprise that Fahrenkopf was also a founder of the National Endowment for Democracy which has the goal of promoting democracy abroad.
The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) is a nonprofit corporation established in 1987 under the joint sponsorship of the Democratic and Republican political parties in the United States.[1][3] The CPD sponsors and produces debates for U.S. presidential and vice-presidential candidates and undertakes research and educational activities relating to the debates. It has run all of the presidential debates held since 1988. The commission's debates are sponsored by private contributions from foundations and corporations[4] as well as fees from hosting institutions.[5] The commission's exclusion of third-party candidates from the debates has been the subject of controversy and legal challenges.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commission_on_Presidential_Debates Biographical information on CPD top brass: Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr. is a Knight of Malta and was the master of the casino gambling industry having been the President and CEO of the American Gaming Association since its inception until his retirement in 2013. Fahrenkopf was chairman of the Republican National Committee longer than any person in the 20th century and he co-founded the Commission on Presidential Debates together with another Roman Catholic, Paul G. Kirk who was Fahrenkopf's counterpart as head of the Democratic National Committee.Fahrenkopf has been a professor at Jesuit Georgetown University and he was a founder of the National Endowment for Democracy, where he served as vice chairman and a board member from 1983 to 1993. Additionally, Fahrenkopf serves as a board member of the International Republican Institute (IRI), which he founded in 1984. He served for many years as chairman of the Pacific Democrat Union and vice chairman of the International Democrat Union, a worldwide association of conservative political parties from the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Japan, Australia and 20 other nations. Fahrenkop also sits on the board of directors of six New York Stock Exchange public companies: First Republic Bank, Gabelli Equity Trust, Inc., Gabelli Utility Trust, Gabelli Global Multimedia Trust, Gabelli Dividend and Income Trust, and Gabelli Gold and Natural Resources. For many years, he was a member of the board of trustees of the National Judicial College, the ABA-sponsored judicial education center for federal and state judges; chairman of the Coalition for Justice, a group coordinating the ABA's initiatives to improve the American justice system; and chairman of the Legal Policy Advisory Board of The Washington Legal Foundation. He was a member of the Nevada State Board of Bar Examiners, president of the Washoe County Bar Association and vice president of the Nevada Trial Lawyers Association. His civic involvement includes service as chairman of the board of governors of the City Club of Washington, a member of the board of trustees of the E.L. Wiegand Foundation, and a member of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, The Economic Club of Washington and the Federal City Council. Fahrenkopf also served as a co-chairman of the Rivlin Commission, which investigated and reported on the government of the District of Columbia. He has been honored for his contributions, receiving the Junior Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Service Award in 1973, the Nevada Lung Association “Man of the Year” Award in 1983 and the National Humanitarian of the Year Award from the National Conference on Christians and Jews in 1985. https://www.rnla.org/bio/BioDetail.asp?MemberID=496http://iop.harvard.edu/fellows/frank-fahrenkopfhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_J._Fahrenkopf,_Jr. The Notable Names Database lists Fahrenkopf's dossier as follows:
Professor: Georgetown University
Trustee, National Judicial College
Trustee, Culinary Institute of America
Trustee, University of Nevada (1994-2000)
American Gaming Association (1995-)
Hogan & Hartson Partner
Member of the Board of First Republic Bancorp, Inc.
Republican National Committee Chairman (1983-89)
Republican National Lawyers Association Board of Governors
American Bar Association
American Judicature Society
Burning Tree Country Club
Bush-Cheney '04
Economic Club of Washington, DC
Friends for Harry Reid
Friends of George Allen
Fund for a Free Market America
International Republican Institute
John McCain 2008
Knights of Malta
National Endowment for Democracy
National Restaurant Association
Republicans Abroad Advisory Committee
Tobacco Institute Lobbyist (1975)
US-Panama Business Council
Washington Legal Foundation
Young Republicans
State Bar of Nevada 1965
District of Columbia Bar 1984
http://www.nndb.com/people/434/000125059/ John L. Jenkins is a Roman Catholic priest and is President of the University of Notre Dame. Jenkins was Jesuit-educated at Santa Clara University. Jenkins has served on the Board of Directors for The Commission on Presidential Debates since 2011. Kenneth Wallock is a co-chair of the Commission on Presidential Debates who, at the 10th Anniversary of Georgetown University's Masters Program in Democracy and Governance cited Jesuit Georgetown University as pioneering work in the field. Wallock is a Board member of Fahrenkopf's National Endowment for Democracy and is the Former president of the National Democratic Institute.
Kenneth Wollack has been actively involved in foreign affairs, journalism and politics over the past four decades. He served as the president of the National Democratic Institute (NDI), a nongovernmental organization dedicated to advancing democracy worldwide, and one of the NED’s four core institutes. Wollack retired from NDI in September 2018. Mr. Wollack joined NDI in 1986 as executive vice president. The Institute’s board of directors, then chaired by former Vice President Walter Mondale, elected him president in March 1993. Mr. Wollack traveled to more than 100 countries, many on multiple occasions, in every region of the world on behalf of the Institute’s democratic development programs. Chaired by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright since 2001, the Institute maintains offices in more than 50 countries and works to support democratic elections, political parties, parliaments, civic engagement and women’s political empowerment. NDI was established as the result of a 1983 Act by the US Congress. Before joining NDI, Mr. Wollack co-edited the Middle East Policy Survey, a Washington-based newsletter. He also wrote regularly on foreign affairs for the Los Angeles Times. From 1973 to 1980, he served as legislative director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Mr. Wollack has been active in American politics, serving on the national staff of the McGovern presidential campaign in 1972. He graduated from Earlham College in Richmond, Ind., and was a senior fellow at UCLA’s School for Public Affairs. He has testified on numerous occasions before congressional committees, appeared on national television and radio, and spoken before world affairs councils across the country. He has served on various task forces sponsored by the Brookings Institution, the United States Institute of Peace, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Center for U.S. Global Engagement, the Bipartisan Policy Center and the Atlantic Council. He was chairman of the U.S. Committee for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Mr. Wollack is currently serving on the Board of the Commission on Presidential Debates, which has sponsored the presidential and vice-presidential debates since 1988, and as a member of the advisory committee for the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the George W. Bush Institute’s Advisory Council on Human Freedom.
Hard truths: Knight of Malta Frank Fahrenkopf and Roman Catholic priest John L. Jenkins control the Presidential Debates - American ideology is a failure and is literally Jesuitism
The Knights of Malta/Sovereign Military Order of Malta is a crusading Order dating back to the year 1099. They are considered a sovereign entity under international law and hold observer status at the United Nations. There is no other organization on earth which is considered sovereign while lacking actual territory and nationhood. The SMOM is an extremely powerful Vatican knighthood working to enforce the temporal/political power of the Holy See, now controlled by the Jesuit Order (also a military Order) since 1814. The Jesuits have used their university system in America to train the Catholic laity who enter into government and politics. The foremost of these universities is Georgetown University near Washington D.C. There, the Jesuits have created entire programs dedicated to pushing the democratic form of government modeled on America. This is because around the 1950s, the American democracy was determined to be the best vehicle by which the Jesuits can take and maintain control of nations. The most prominent Jesuit who was responsible for the adoption of this course of action was John Courtney Murray who worked with the CIA (also Catholic controlled) to spread Americanism. The technical details are as follows: Jesuit Robert Bellermine's indirect theory of papal power was revived under Pius XI in the 1930s for the purpose of infiltrating states using the Catholic Action movement comprised of the laity, especially in the intellectual sphere. The Catholic Action model of gaining political hegemony was promoted by powerful American Jesuit (CIA) John Courtney Murray who revised Bellermine's theory of indirect power; Bellermine having pushed the doctrines of equality taken up specifically by Thomas Jefferson. Murray was a leading advisor at the Vatican II conference which produced the document "Lumen gentium" calling on world action from the laity reflecting the earlier Catholic Action model. American democracy is the easiest politcal system for the church to control through this model, hence Murray's assistance to the CIA in spreading it. One may wish to view my recent video Commission on Presidential Debates: Catholic-Imposed Limitations in American Political Discourse which delves into this subject. Now, The Commission on Presidential debates, founded and chaired by Jesuit Georgetown professor and Knight of Malta Frank Fahrenkopf is strictly governed so as to bar candidates outside of the two major politcal parties which uphold the standard American ideology the Jesuits seek to maintain and enforce throughout the world. Given the previous background on the Jesuits and American democracy, it is no surprise that Fahrenkopf was also a founder of the National Endowment for Democracy which has the goal of promoting democracy abroad.
The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) is a nonprofit corporation established in 1987 under the joint sponsorship of the Democratic and Republican political parties in the United States.[1][3] The CPD sponsors and produces debates for U.S. presidential and vice-presidential candidates and undertakes research and educational activities relating to the debates. It has run all of the presidential debates held since 1988. The commission's debates are sponsored by private contributions from foundations and corporations[4] as well as fees from hosting institutions.[5] The commission's exclusion of third-party candidates from the debates has been the subject of controversy and legal challenges.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commission_on_Presidential_Debates Biographical information on CPD top brass: Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr. is a Knight of Malta and was the master of the casino gambling industry having been the President and CEO of the American Gaming Association since its inception until his retirement in 2013. Fahrenkopf was chairman of the Republican National Committee longer than any person in the 20th century and he co-founded the Commission on Presidential Debates together with another Roman Catholic, Paul G. Kirk who was Fahrenkopf's counterpart as head of the Democratic National Committee.Fahrenkopf has been a professor at Jesuit Georgetown University and he was a founder of the National Endowment for Democracy, where he served as vice chairman and a board member from 1983 to 1993. Additionally, Fahrenkopf serves as a board member of the International Republican Institute (IRI), which he founded in 1984. He served for many years as chairman of the Pacific Democrat Union and vice chairman of the International Democrat Union, a worldwide association of conservative political parties from the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Japan, Australia and 20 other nations. Fahrenkop also sits on the board of directors of six New York Stock Exchange public companies: First Republic Bank, Gabelli Equity Trust, Inc., Gabelli Utility Trust, Gabelli Global Multimedia Trust, Gabelli Dividend and Income Trust, and Gabelli Gold and Natural Resources. For many years, he was a member of the board of trustees of the National Judicial College, the ABA-sponsored judicial education center for federal and state judges; chairman of the Coalition for Justice, a group coordinating the ABA's initiatives to improve the American justice system; and chairman of the Legal Policy Advisory Board of The Washington Legal Foundation. He was a member of the Nevada State Board of Bar Examiners, president of the Washoe County Bar Association and vice president of the Nevada Trial Lawyers Association. His civic involvement includes service as chairman of the board of governors of the City Club of Washington, a member of the board of trustees of the E.L. Wiegand Foundation, and a member of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, The Economic Club of Washington and the Federal City Council. Fahrenkopf also served as a co-chairman of the Rivlin Commission, which investigated and reported on the government of the District of Columbia. He has been honored for his contributions, receiving the Junior Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Service Award in 1973, the Nevada Lung Association “Man of the Year” Award in 1983 and the National Humanitarian of the Year Award from the National Conference on Christians and Jews in 1985. https://www.rnla.org/bio/BioDetail.asp?MemberID=496http://iop.harvard.edu/fellows/frank-fahrenkopfhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_J._Fahrenkopf,_Jr. The Notable Names Database lists Fahrenkopf's dossier as follows:
Professor: Georgetown University
Trustee, National Judicial College
Trustee, Culinary Institute of America
Trustee, University of Nevada (1994-2000)
American Gaming Association (1995-)
Hogan & Hartson Partner
Member of the Board of First Republic Bancorp, Inc.
Republican National Committee Chairman (1983-89)
Republican National Lawyers Association Board of Governors
American Bar Association
American Judicature Society
Burning Tree Country Club
Bush-Cheney '04
Economic Club of Washington, DC
Friends for Harry Reid
Friends of George Allen
Fund for a Free Market America
International Republican Institute
John McCain 2008
Knights of Malta
National Endowment for Democracy
National Restaurant Association
Republicans Abroad Advisory Committee
Tobacco Institute Lobbyist (1975)
US-Panama Business Council
Washington Legal Foundation
Young Republicans
State Bar of Nevada 1965
District of Columbia Bar 1984
http://www.nndb.com/people/434/000125059/ John L. Jenkins is a Roman Catholic priest and is President of the University of Notre Dame. Jenkins was Jesuit-educated at Santa Clara University. Jenkins has served on the Board of Directors for The Commission on Presidential Debates since 2011. Kenneth Wallock is a co-chair of the Commission on Presidential Debates who, at the 10th Anniversary of Georgetown University's Masters Program in Democracy and Governance cited Jesuit Georgetown University as pioneering work in the field. Wallock is a Board member of Fahrenkopf's National Endowment for Democracy and is the Former president of the National Democratic Institute.
Kenneth Wollack has been actively involved in foreign affairs, journalism and politics over the past four decades. He served as the president of the National Democratic Institute (NDI), a nongovernmental organization dedicated to advancing democracy worldwide, and one of the NED’s four core institutes. Wollack retired from NDI in September 2018. Mr. Wollack joined NDI in 1986 as executive vice president. The Institute’s board of directors, then chaired by former Vice President Walter Mondale, elected him president in March 1993. Mr. Wollack traveled to more than 100 countries, many on multiple occasions, in every region of the world on behalf of the Institute’s democratic development programs. Chaired by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright since 2001, the Institute maintains offices in more than 50 countries and works to support democratic elections, political parties, parliaments, civic engagement and women’s political empowerment. NDI was established as the result of a 1983 Act by the US Congress. Before joining NDI, Mr. Wollack co-edited the Middle East Policy Survey, a Washington-based newsletter. He also wrote regularly on foreign affairs for the Los Angeles Times. From 1973 to 1980, he served as legislative director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Mr. Wollack has been active in American politics, serving on the national staff of the McGovern presidential campaign in 1972. He graduated from Earlham College in Richmond, Ind., and was a senior fellow at UCLA’s School for Public Affairs. He has testified on numerous occasions before congressional committees, appeared on national television and radio, and spoken before world affairs councils across the country. He has served on various task forces sponsored by the Brookings Institution, the United States Institute of Peace, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Center for U.S. Global Engagement, the Bipartisan Policy Center and the Atlantic Council. He was chairman of the U.S. Committee for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Mr. Wollack is currently serving on the Board of the Commission on Presidential Debates, which has sponsored the presidential and vice-presidential debates since 1988, and as a member of the advisory committee for the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the George W. Bush Institute’s Advisory Council on Human Freedom.
American ideology is a failure and is literally Jesuitism; Knight of Malta Frank Fahrenkopf and Roman Catholic priest John L. Jenkins control the Presidential Debates
The Knights of Malta/Sovereign Military Order of Malta is a crusading Order dating back to the year 1099. They are considered a sovereign entity under international law and hold observer status at the United Nations. There is no other organization on earth which is considered sovereign while lacking actual territory and nationhood. The SMOM is an extremely powerful Vatican knighthood working to enforce the temporal/political power of the Holy See, now controlled by the Jesuit Order (also a military Order) since 1814. The Jesuits have used their university system in America to train the Catholic laity who enter into government and politics. The foremost of these universities is Georgetown University near Washington D.C. There, the Jesuits have created entire programs dedicated to pushing the democratic form of government modeled on America. This is because around the 1950s, the American democracy was determined to be the best vehicle by which the Jesuits can take and maintain control of nations. The most prominent Jesuit who was responsible for the adoption of this course of action was John Courtney Murray who worked with the CIA (also Catholic controlled) to spread Americanism. The technical details are as follows: Jesuit Robert Bellermine's indirect theory of papal power was revived under Pius XI in the 1930s for the purpose of infiltrating states using the Catholic Action movement comprised of the laity, especially in the intellectual sphere. The Catholic Action model of gaining political hegemony was promoted by powerful American Jesuit (CIA) John Courtney Murray who revised Bellermine's theory of indirect power; Bellermine having pushed the doctrines of equality taken up specifically by Thomas Jefferson. Murray was a leading advisor at the Vatican II conference which produced the document "Lumen gentium" calling on world action from the laity reflecting the earlier Catholic Action model. American democracy is the easiest politcal system for the church to control through this model, hence Murray's assistance to the CIA in spreading it. One may wish to view my recent video Commission on Presidential Debates: Catholic-Imposed Limitations in American Political Discourse which delves into this subject. Now, The Commission on Presidential debates, founded and chaired by Jesuit Georgetown professor and Knight of Malta Frank Fahrenkopf is strictly governed so as to bar candidates outside of the two major politcal parties which uphold the standard American ideology the Jesuits seek to maintain and enforce throughout the world. Given the previous background on the Jesuits and American democracy, it is no surprise that Fahrenkopf was also a founder of the National Endowment for Democracy which has the goal of promoting democracy abroad.
The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) is a nonprofit corporation established in 1987 under the joint sponsorship of the Democratic and Republican political parties in the United States.[1][3] The CPD sponsors and produces debates for U.S. presidential and vice-presidential candidates and undertakes research and educational activities relating to the debates. It has run all of the presidential debates held since 1988. The commission's debates are sponsored by private contributions from foundations and corporations[4] as well as fees from hosting institutions.[5] The commission's exclusion of third-party candidates from the debates has been the subject of controversy and legal challenges.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commission_on_Presidential_Debates Biographical information on CPD top brass: Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr. is a Knight of Malta and was the master of the casino gambling industry having been the President and CEO of the American Gaming Association since its inception until his retirement in 2013. Fahrenkopf was chairman of the Republican National Committee longer than any person in the 20th century and he co-founded the Commission on Presidential Debates together with another Roman Catholic, Paul G. Kirk who was Fahrenkopf's counterpart as head of the Democratic National Committee.Fahrenkopf has been a professor at Jesuit Georgetown University and he was a founder of the National Endowment for Democracy, where he served as vice chairman and a board member from 1983 to 1993. Additionally, Fahrenkopf serves as a board member of the International Republican Institute (IRI), which he founded in 1984. He served for many years as chairman of the Pacific Democrat Union and vice chairman of the International Democrat Union, a worldwide association of conservative political parties from the United States, Great Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Japan, Australia and 20 other nations. Fahrenkop also sits on the board of directors of six New York Stock Exchange public companies: First Republic Bank, Gabelli Equity Trust, Inc., Gabelli Utility Trust, Gabelli Global Multimedia Trust, Gabelli Dividend and Income Trust, and Gabelli Gold and Natural Resources. For many years, he was a member of the board of trustees of the National Judicial College, the ABA-sponsored judicial education center for federal and state judges; chairman of the Coalition for Justice, a group coordinating the ABA's initiatives to improve the American justice system; and chairman of the Legal Policy Advisory Board of The Washington Legal Foundation. He was a member of the Nevada State Board of Bar Examiners, president of the Washoe County Bar Association and vice president of the Nevada Trial Lawyers Association. His civic involvement includes service as chairman of the board of governors of the City Club of Washington, a member of the board of trustees of the E.L. Wiegand Foundation, and a member of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, The Economic Club of Washington and the Federal City Council. Fahrenkopf also served as a co-chairman of the Rivlin Commission, which investigated and reported on the government of the District of Columbia. He has been honored for his contributions, receiving the Junior Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Service Award in 1973, the Nevada Lung Association “Man of the Year” Award in 1983 and the National Humanitarian of the Year Award from the National Conference on Christians and Jews in 1985. https://www.rnla.org/bio/BioDetail.asp?MemberID=496http://iop.harvard.edu/fellows/frank-fahrenkopfhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_J._Fahrenkopf,_Jr. The Notable Names Database lists Fahrenkopf's dossier as follows:
Professor: Georgetown University
Trustee, National Judicial College
Trustee, Culinary Institute of America
Trustee, University of Nevada (1994-2000)
American Gaming Association (1995-)
Hogan & Hartson Partner
Member of the Board of First Republic Bancorp, Inc.
Republican National Committee Chairman (1983-89)
Republican National Lawyers Association Board of Governors
American Bar Association
American Judicature Society
Burning Tree Country Club
Bush-Cheney '04
Economic Club of Washington, DC
Friends for Harry Reid
Friends of George Allen
Fund for a Free Market America
International Republican Institute
John McCain 2008
Knights of Malta
National Endowment for Democracy
National Restaurant Association
Republicans Abroad Advisory Committee
Tobacco Institute Lobbyist (1975)
US-Panama Business Council
Washington Legal Foundation
Young Republicans
State Bar of Nevada 1965
District of Columbia Bar 1984
http://www.nndb.com/people/434/000125059/ John L. Jenkins is a Roman Catholic priest and is President of the University of Notre Dame. Jenkins was Jesuit-educated at Santa Clara University. Jenkins has served on the Board of Directors for The Commission on Presidential Debates since 2011. Kenneth Wallock is a co-chair of the Commission on Presidential Debates who, at the 10th Anniversary of Georgetown University's Masters Program in Democracy and Governance cited Jesuit Georgetown University as pioneering work in the field. Wallock is a Board member of Fahrenkopf's National Endowment for Democracy and is the Former president of the National Democratic Institute.
Kenneth Wollack has been actively involved in foreign affairs, journalism and politics over the past four decades. He served as the president of the National Democratic Institute (NDI), a nongovernmental organization dedicated to advancing democracy worldwide, and one of the NED’s four core institutes. Wollack retired from NDI in September 2018. Mr. Wollack joined NDI in 1986 as executive vice president. The Institute’s board of directors, then chaired by former Vice President Walter Mondale, elected him president in March 1993. Mr. Wollack traveled to more than 100 countries, many on multiple occasions, in every region of the world on behalf of the Institute’s democratic development programs. Chaired by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright since 2001, the Institute maintains offices in more than 50 countries and works to support democratic elections, political parties, parliaments, civic engagement and women’s political empowerment. NDI was established as the result of a 1983 Act by the US Congress. Before joining NDI, Mr. Wollack co-edited the Middle East Policy Survey, a Washington-based newsletter. He also wrote regularly on foreign affairs for the Los Angeles Times. From 1973 to 1980, he served as legislative director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Mr. Wollack has been active in American politics, serving on the national staff of the McGovern presidential campaign in 1972. He graduated from Earlham College in Richmond, Ind., and was a senior fellow at UCLA’s School for Public Affairs. He has testified on numerous occasions before congressional committees, appeared on national television and radio, and spoken before world affairs councils across the country. He has served on various task forces sponsored by the Brookings Institution, the United States Institute of Peace, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Center for U.S. Global Engagement, the Bipartisan Policy Center and the Atlantic Council. He was chairman of the U.S. Committee for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Mr. Wollack is currently serving on the Board of the Commission on Presidential Debates, which has sponsored the presidential and vice-presidential debates since 1988, and as a member of the advisory committee for the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the George W. Bush Institute’s Advisory Council on Human Freedom.
NBA 2K20 may violate PEGI rating guidelines because of the mechanics shown in the My Team trailer.
UPDATE 2: PEGI has kindly responded (at August the 30th, 12:34 CEST) to the very first email regarding the NBA 2K20 controversy. Being uncertain how legal it is to publish their email response, here is a TD;LR of the response:
They've seen the announcement trailer of NBA 2K20 and know of the controversy
They've clarified the gambling descriptor in more detail.
They say that even if the controversial imagery (of gambling) has a central role in the trailer, doesn't mean that the actual game will. AKA: They know the minigames got a central role in the trailer, but they look at whether it is so in the actual game. PEGI can only comment on the trailer that's publicly shown.
They are aware that the imagery is generally known to be in casinos (specifically mentioning the slot machines and wheel of fortune), but that using this sort of mechanic to select an item, character or action by chance is not the same as teaching how to gamble for money in a casino. These differences does not trigger the gambling descriptor.
They're looking at the situation themselves, to see how the rating system should be in general. They are very aware what the public thinks of the gambling mechanics in video games.
Update 1: As of August 30th 10:45AM CEST, 2K UK privated the video most likely because of its backlash. Disappointing to see the company trying to hide said infringing trailer from the public (unless they are suddenly rerating it to PEGI 12, of course). Here is a third party upload (starts a bit later in the rant video) which is a subjective video but it shows the trailer along with the PEGI 3 rating. Other uploads from Xbox and GameSpot for example got the ESRB logo on it. Later today I'll email PEGI with the third party upload link to verify my claim of guidelines violation (along with a more official ESRB-labeled source to verify it is from 2K themselves a bit more). https://youtu.be/flV5twgpdes The actual trailer starts from 1:08 in this subjective video. Take Two Interactive's NBA 2K20 may be violating the age rating guidelines set out by PEGI because of its gambling mechanics being shown. According to said guidelines, games which do have gambling mechanics usually being present in casinos require a PEGI 12+ classification at minimum. The recent My Team trailer shows several gambling mechanics, yet the game has been classified (according to Take Two Interactive) as a PEGI 3+ rating, which does violate the set guidelines. Ever since 2009, European versions of games which contain gambling mechanics have been given (re)classifications to at least PEGI 12+. Very recognisable examples are the Pokémon games from Platinum onwards. Considering the change in European legislation, the PAL versions of the Pokémon games have their Game Corners being removed. Actual rerating games with gambling mechanics before has happened with Virtual Console rereleases of Super Mario 64 DS and the original Pokémon Game Boy games (Red, Blue, Yellow). Because of this, either Take Two Interactive has been withholding information regarding the gambling mechanics to PEGI or PEGI has (mistakenly) misrated the game as PEGI 3+. Both possible scenarios are irresponsible. After doing my bit of research, I've contacted PEGI through their email form. The very email I sent is visible to read to all underneath, with the greeting redacted because of personal information. I will update everyone on the situation. I urge people not to massflood PEGI with emails regarding this issue as it would just make them dismiss it all together. Do not mind spreading the words to others to raise attention for this age rating issue, though. Some clarification though: I contacted them three times about this topic. The second time and third time were because of an automatic email I got after the 'Your message has been sent and will get responded to soon' email, which states that PEGI can't answer technical questions about games and are only able to respond to questions regarding the age rating. I mistook said automatic emails as auto-dismissals and responses to my question. I realised this misake after sending them an email categorised as 'other', complaining about said 'auto-dismissals' and asking for a response to my previous emails, to which I also got said automatic email. So I conclude that the emails were not dismissed, but rather get an auto-email stating they can't answer technical questions, no matter what is being sent. The second time I sent them the complaint is edited with the word 'mechanismen/mechanics' replaced by 'spellen/minigames'. [The email:] (English version below) Beste PEGI, Sinds vandaag heb ik het nieuws gehoord over Take Two Interactive's NBA 2K20 videospel, waarbij in een recente trailer verschillende gokspellen werd laten zien. Dit spel komt volgende week uit op 8 september, dus het zien dat het bedrijf Take Two Interactive claimt een PEGI 3+ leeftijdclassificatie te hebben gekregen voor dit spel is heel erg opmerkelijk. In het verleden heeft PEGI (sinds 2009) spellen met gokspellen zoals 'slot machines' een leeftijdclassificatie van minimaal 12+ gegeven. De trailer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oyBnjNaS2E) laat verschillende gokspellen zien, zoals (momenten in de trailer aangeduid):
Pachinko (een Japans gokspel wat in casino's worden gehouden), te zien op 0:43 tot 0:53
'Slot machines'/speelautomaten (in de stijl van de machines die in casino's beschikbaar zijn), te zien op 0:56 tot 0:59. (En mogelijk ook:
Het Rad van Fortuin, te zien op 1:04 tot 1:15) Om te zien dat NBA 2K20 volgens T2 Interactive een PEGI 3+ classificatie heeft gekregen, is schrikwekkend en onverantwoord van Take Two of PEGI. In het verleden zijn spellen met gokspellen (vanaf 2009) classificaties (opnieuw) gegeven met PEGI 12+ als een minimum (zoals Pokémon Red, Pokémon Blue en Pokémon Yellow voor de Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console en Super Mario 64 DS voor de Nintendo Wii U Virtual Console). In de voorheen genoemde Pokémon spellen zit ook een 'slot machine' casino er in, waarvoor de PEGI 12+ leeftijdclassificatie is gegeven.
Hierover heb ik dus een vraag: Waarom claimt Take Two Interactive dat NBA 2K20 een PEGI 3+ label heeft, terwijl volgens PEGI's regels omtrent spellen met gokspellen het spel PEGI 12+ geclassificeerd moeten zijn? Persoonlijk, is dit spel erger dan de voorheen genoemde 12+ spellen omdat die spellen geen optie hebben om met echt geld in-game valuta te kunnen kopen om te spenderen aan de gokspellen, terwijl bij NBA 2K20 wel het geval is. Graag zou ik willen zien dat de organisatie (PEGI) dit probleem zal aanpakken door het spel een PEGI 12+ label (inclusief het aangeven dat gokspellen in het spel zitten) te geven of door Take Two Interactive te melden dat de gokspellen verwijderd uit Europese versies moeten worden om aan de regels te voldoen. Met vriendelijke groet, Dear PEGI, Since today I have heard the news about Take Two Interactive’s NBA 2K20 video game, in which a recent trailer has shown several gambling minigames. This game is going to be released on September 8th. To see Take Two Interactive claim the game has received a PEGI 3+ age rating classification, is really noteworthy. In the past, PEGI has (ever since 2009) rated games with gambling minigames like slot machines with a PEGI 12+ rating at minimum. The trailer (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oyBnjNaS2E) shows several gambling minigames, such as (timestamps included):
Pachinko (a Japanese gambling/arcade game which is present in casinos), visible at 0:43 to 0:53
Slot machines (in the style of the machines available in casinos), visible at 0:56 to 0:59. (And possibly also:
The Wheel of Fortune, visible at 1:04 to 1:15)
To see that NBA 2K20 (according to T2 Interactive) received a PEGI 3+ classification, is shocking and irresponsible by Take Two or PEGI. In the past, games with gambling minigames (from 2009 onwards) have been (re)classified with PEGI 12+ at a minimum (such as: Pokémon Red, Pokémon Blue and Pokémon Yellow for the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console and Super Mario 64 DS for the Nintendo Wii U Virtual Console). In the previously mentioned Pokémon games, there is a slot machine filled casino present, for which it has been given the PEGI 12+ age rating classification. I do have a question about this: Why does Take Two Interactive claim that NBA 2K20 has a PEGI 3+ label, while according to PEGI’s guidelines regarding games with gambling minigames the game should be classified as PEGI 12+? Personally, this game is worse than the previously mentioned 12+ games because these games have no option to spend real life currency on in-game currency to use with the gambling minigames, while that is the case in NBA 2K20. I would like to see that the organisation (PEGI) take action by giving the game a PEGI 12+ label (with the disclosure of gambling minigames being included) or by stating that the gambling minigames need to be removed from the European versions to Take Two Interactive to comply with the guidelines. Best regards,
Once a casino has been established and in operation, the national government and the government of a prefecture or designated large city must jointly impose a casino-entrance fee of 3,000 yen (about US$27) for residents of Japan (id. arts. 176 & 177), as well as a 15%-tax on the casino’s profits (id. arts. 192 & 193). Over the last few years, the political leaders in Japan have been considering the pros and cons of legalizing the gambling industry in the country. An eventual pro-casino legislation is believed able to bring extra capital, but there are also concerns that it would be encouraging for excessive gambling. Japan is finally moving forward with a long-awaited casino industry. On Friday, the Japanese parliament passed a new piece of legislation that outlines how the country’s potentially lucrative Casino legislation on the fast Labor and Welfare Ministry in 2014 estimated that 5.36 million people in Japan — or about 5 percent of the adult population — are suspected gambling There may be pros and cons about legalizing casinos, but the way the legislation is being pushed through the Diet does little to assure it will be a safe bet. Tags: Casino legislation, Japan Japan casino legislation was passed last December, but before gambling comes to the Asian country, a second bill of rules and regulations must be drafted. The Act on the Promotion of Development of Specified Integrated Resort Districts is considered a milestone when it comes to gambling legislation in Japan. This piece of legislation was approved by the Japanese Diet toward the very end of December 2016. The law was officially enacted in the summer of the following year. Japan: Gambling Laws and Regulations 2021. ICLG - Gambling Laws and Regulations - Japan covers common issues in gambling laws and regulations – including relevant authorities and legislation, application for a licence, licence restrictions, digital media, enforcement and liability – in 37 jurisdictions. Japan legalized casino gambling and cleared the way for three casino resorts, giving companies such as Las Vegas Sands and MGM Resorts International their first chance to open in the country.
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope Pitch Meeting - YouTube
Life at a brothel in the small town of Hawera, New Zealand. Read more about the documentary 👉 https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/24-05-2018/life-with-the-hook... Freedom over censorship, truth over narrative. We broadcast on TV in over 100 countries & had more than 10 billion video views on all platforms last year. If you don’t want your news filtered ... News 6 and ClickOrlando.com have the latest local breaking news and headlines from Central Florida. Get news from Orlando and all of Central Florida, along with national news, videos and more from ... Our Community Guidelines and policies apply to all YouTube content and define what you can and cannot do on YouTube. Ahh good day everyone! My name is Joey Graceffa and welcome to my official daily vlog YouTube channel where I like to film my daily life with my puppies. You can find videos on my life with ... Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. Step inside the pitch meeting that led to Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope!Subscribe for more Pitch Meetings: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-ScreenrantStar War... For tutoring please call 856.777.0840 I am a recently retired registered nurse who helps nursing students pass their NCLEX. I have been a nurse since 1997. I have worked in a lot of nursing fields ... Haruki Satomi, president of Sega Sammy Holdings, says the company wants in on the casino resorts business if Japan's government finalizes legislation for integrated resorts. Subscribe to CNBC Life ... The following topic discusses gun control in a variety of countries around the world. This video will not be monetized, but please consider contributing to T...
