@ 9e69e420:d12360c2

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky called for an "army of Europe" to defend against Russian threats, emphasizing that the US may not continue its traditional support for Europe. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, he warned against peace deals made without Ukraine's involvement. US Vice President JD Vance echoed this sentiment, urging Europe to enhance its defense efforts. Zelensky stated, "I really believe the time has come - the armed forces of Europe must be created." He highlighted changing dynamics in US-Europe relations and noted that "the old days are over" regarding American support. Despite discussions around NATO, Zelensky stated he wouldn't rule out NATO membership for Ukraine.

@ 6e0ea5d6:0327f353

*"You are a slave to whoever controls you emotionally."* > *"We get angry when someone tries to tell us what to do. 'Don’t tell me how to dress, how to think, how to do my job, how to live.' We feel this way because we see ourselves as independent, self-sufficient individuals.* > *Or at least, that’s what we tell ourselves.* > *Yet, if someone says something we disagree with, something inside us tells us we must argue with them. If a plate of treats is placed in front of us, we must eat them. If someone does something we don’t like, we must be furious. If a setback arises, we must be sad, depressed, or worried. But if something good happens a few minutes later, suddenly, we’re happy, excited, and wanting more.* > *We should never let another person shake us back and forth the way our impulses do. It’s time we start seeing things differently: we are not puppets, dancing to whichever tune suits us at the moment. We should be the ones in control—not our emotions—because we are independent, self-sufficient individuals."* > — **Ryan Holiday** > *"Frame your thoughts like this: you are a mature man, and you will no longer allow yourself to be enslaved or manipulated like a puppet by every impulse. You will stop complaining about your current lot or fearing the future."* > — **Marcus Aurelius** 📌 **Emotions can give us information, but they should not give us orders.** It’s not enough to learn to say "no" to others; you must also learn **not to give in** to the demands of your weaker self. --- **Thank you for reading, my friend!** If this message resonated with you, consider leaving your **"🥃"** as a token of appreciation. **A toast to our family!**

@ c582af78:698069cc

# **The Face of God: How Art Became a Gateway to the Divine** If you live in the **West**, you’re surrounded by depictions of **God, Jesus, and the saints**—from paintings and statues to illustrated Bibles and stained glass windows. But this is far from universal. In the **Islamic world**, religious art takes a very different form: vibrant colors, **intricate geometry, and architectural symmetry**. **Depictions of God or Muhammad aren’t just discouraged—they are outright forbidden.** But why? To answer that, we must go back to the **origins of the Abrahamic religions**—when **early Christians, Jews, and Muslims** were surprisingly **unified in their views on religious art**. https://image.nostr.build/1515c5fd00d798cd283583618bbbc0d5eb91bc481a84c21d53644d42fa30173a.jpg --- ## **The Early Christian Hesitation** The **first generation of Christians** were deeply aware of **Judaism’s strict prohibition** against idol worship. **Depicting God in any form was considered dangerous**—a potential gateway to paganism. For centuries, Christianity could have followed this path, rejecting religious imagery altogether. But one fundamental theological idea **changed everything**: **The Incarnation.** As the early Church wrestled with the **nature of Christ**, heated debates emerged: - Was he part human and part divine? - Was he **fully** human and **fully** divine? - And what did the Gospel of John mean by *“the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”*? The result of these debates was the **doctrine of the Incarnation**—the belief that **God took on human form in real flesh and blood**. And if **God himself** had chosen to be seen in **finite form**, then depicting Him in art could no longer be considered blasphemous. This single theological shift laid the foundation for **Christianity’s embrace of religious art**—a decision that would not only shape Christian worship but **redefine how we engage with art itself**. https://image.nostr.build/1cf9ea5d1385c46bd720de9c7de65123428a9f76356e39e37c5d7b9663993930.jpg --- ## **Let There Be Art…** How did this change Christian art? https://image.nostr.build/b945e4ea06b281bb4618f08b2543108beecf7f510aaa795bed1c833614e32fb7.jpg The **early objections** to religious imagery went something like this: > *“God is infinite and mysterious. Reducing Him to a finite, limited form is blasphemy.”* But with the Incarnation, the argument flipped: > *“If God took on real shape, color, and form without diminishing His divine nature, then we can depict Him in art without compromising His grandeur.”* Thus, images of **Jesus, Mary, and saints** not only became **permissible**—they were **encouraged**. Christian leaders actively **commissioned religious art** to communicate the **Gospel visually** to a largely **illiterate population**. **Paintings, statues, and stained glass** became tools of evangelization, helping people grasp biblical stories **without needing to read**. Take the **Duomo of Milan** with its **4,000 statues**. They aren’t just decorative. They **inspire faith** by highlighting the lives of the saints. Christianity had embraced art as a **spiritual bridge**, a way to **connect the finite with the infinite**. https://image.nostr.build/4f6b79a9179d818a951bf461ee5ff785cbe618ed376b4a56d92e77dcb34005bc.jpg --- ## **The Criticism: Were They Worshiping the Art?** Not everyone agreed. Some critics argued that **Christians were focusing too much on the art itself**, rather than the God it was meant to represent. https://image.nostr.build/29afb401ef99d2b6c59b71d8534a5160c25d2ca468d81251ba0f55d033679490.jpg But the Church’s response was clear: > **"You are not meant to look *at* art, but *through* it.** Art is not the **end goal**—it is a **gateway to something greater**. A painting of Christ isn’t meant to be **worshiped**—it’s meant to draw the viewer into **His story, His sacrifice, and His message**. This perspective didn’t just shape religious art. It **fundamentally changed** how we experience **all forms of art, even secular ones.** --- ## **To Infinity and Beyond: The Lasting Impact of Religious Art** Christianity’s view of art—that it **should point beyond itself**—has so deeply influenced Western culture that we often **don’t even realize it**. Think about how we experience **books, music, and movies**: - **A great novel** inspires courage. - **A powerful song** moves you to tears. - **A gripping film** motivates you to keep going in life. The best art **doesn’t just exist for its own sake**—it **transports you beyond the canvas, the page, or the screen**. This idea mirrors the Incarnation itself: **an infinite God becoming finite to guide us back to the infinite**. --- ## **Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, and the Incarnation of Art** A perfect example? **J.R.R. Tolkien’s *The Lord of the Rings***. Tolkien infused his story with **themes of brotherhood, heroism, and sacrifice**—all timeless, transcendental ideas. But instead of leaving them as abstract concepts, he **"incarnated" them into words on a page**—finite, tangible, and deeply relatable. https://image.nostr.build/b120c4d7c7232cf226af65c33cb7fc494f495d50b8ad4593a58f3528fd0b71dc.jpg His goal? To **turn the reader’s heart back to the infinite** by making them experience **these ideals in a concrete way**. The same can be said for **any truly great art**. It **doesn’t exist for itself**—it exists to move you, to inspire you, to challenge you. And next time you step into a **cathedral**, gaze at a **masterpiece**, or listen to a **symphony**, remember: You’re not supposed to simply **look at the art around you**— You’re supposed to **look beyond it, into eternity**.

@ a95c6243:d345522c

**Auf der diesjährigen Münchner** **[Sicherheitskonferenz](https://transition-news.org/in-munchen-der-realitat-ins-auge-sehen)** **geht es vor allem um die Ukraine.** Protagonisten sind dabei zunächst die US-Amerikaner. Präsident Trump schockierte die Europäer kurz vorher durch ein Telefonat mit seinem Amtskollegen Wladimir Putin, während Vizepräsident Vance mit seiner Rede über Demokratie und Meinungsfreiheit für versteinerte Mienen und Empörung sorgte. **Die Bemühungen der Europäer um einen Frieden in der Ukraine** halten sich, gelinde gesagt, in Grenzen. Größeres Augenmerk wird auf militärische Unterstützung, die Pflege von Feindbildern sowie Eskalation gelegt. Der deutsche Bundeskanzler Scholz [reagierte](https://transition-news.org/gesucht-friedenskanzler) auf die angekündigten Verhandlungen über einen möglichen Frieden für die Ukraine mit der Forderung nach noch höheren «Verteidigungsausgaben». Auch die amtierende Außenministerin Baerbock hatte vor der Münchner Konferenz [klargestellt](https://archive.is/nUpYa): > «Frieden wird es nur durch Stärke geben. (...) Bei Corona haben wir gesehen, zu was Europa fähig ist. Es braucht erneut Investitionen, die der historischen Wegmarke, vor der wir stehen, angemessen sind.» **Die Rüstungsindustrie freut sich in jedem Fall über weltweit steigende Militärausgaben.** Die Kriege in der Ukraine und in Gaza tragen zu [Rekordeinnahmen](https://transition-news.org/kriege-sind-fur-waffenproduzenten-und-hedgefonds-f-king-good) bei. Jetzt «winkt die Aussicht auf eine jahrelange große Nachrüstung in Europa», auch wenn der Ukraine-Krieg enden sollte, so hört man aus Finanzkreisen. In der Konsequenz kennt «die Aktie des deutschen Vorzeige-Rüstungskonzerns Rheinmetall in ihrem Anstieg [offenbar gar keine Grenzen](https://finanzmarktwelt.de/rheinmetall-aktie-mit-mega-rally-nachruestung-und-1-000-euro-kursziel-339271/) mehr». «Solche Friedensversprechen» wie das jetzige hätten in der Vergangenheit zu starken Kursverlusten geführt. **Für manche Leute sind Kriegswaffen und sonstige Rüstungsgüter Waren wie alle anderen,** jedenfalls aus der Perspektive von Investoren oder Managern. Auch in diesem Bereich gibt es Startups und man spricht von Dingen wie innovativen Herangehensweisen, hocheffizienten Produktionsanlagen, skalierbaren Produktionstechniken und geringeren Stückkosten. **Wir lesen aktuell von Massenproduktion und gesteigerten Fertigungskapazitäten** für Kriegsgerät. Der Motor solcher Dynamik und solchen Wachstums ist die Aufrüstung, die inzwischen permanent gefordert wird. Parallel wird die Bevölkerung verbal eingestimmt und auf Kriegstüchtigkeit getrimmt. **Das Rüstungs- und KI-Startup Helsing verkündete kürzlich** eine «dezentrale [Massenproduktion](https://www.trendingtopics.eu/helsing-kampfdrohnen-unicorn-startet-dezentrale-massenproduktion-fuer-ukrainekrieg/) für den Ukrainekrieg». Mit dieser Expansion positioniere sich das Münchner Unternehmen als einer der weltweit führenden Hersteller von Kampfdrohnen. Der nächste [«Meilenstein»](https://archive.is/eZsWP) steht auch bereits an: Man will eine Satellitenflotte im Weltraum aufbauen, zur Überwachung von Gefechtsfeldern und Truppenbewegungen. **Ebenfalls aus München stammt das als** **[DefenseTech-Startup](https://www.trendingtopics.eu/arx-robotics-produktion/)** **bezeichnete Unternehmen** ARX Robotics. Kürzlich habe man in der Region die größte europäische Produktionsstätte für autonome Verteidigungssysteme eröffnet. Damit fahre man die Produktion von Militär-Robotern hoch. Diese Expansion diene auch der Lieferung der «größten Flotte unbemannter Bodensysteme westlicher Bauart» in die Ukraine. **Rüstung boomt und scheint ein Zukunftsmarkt zu sein.** Die Hersteller und Vermarkter betonen, mit ihren Aktivitäten und Produkten solle die europäische Verteidigungsfähigkeit erhöht werden. Ihre Strategien sollten sogar «zum Schutz demokratischer Strukturen beitragen». *** Dieser Beitrag ist zuerst auf ***[Transition News](https://transition-news.org/so-klingt-das-aufrustungs-business-startups-und-alte-hasen)*** erschienen.

@ d57360cb:4fe7d935

Don’t focus on the end goal solely. If you do you’ll always find yourself empty handed. You wouldn’t want a fast forward button on your favorite song or your favorite movie. You don’t want to rush through your meals or the time you spend with important people in your life. Notice this tendency to do things in order to get to the end. It’s sapping the depth of your existence from you. Slow down. Life is lived in the in between. If you learn how to savor that, you’ll have a rich meaningful life.

@ f3873798:24b3f2f3

 Olá meus caros leitores, estou fazendo um guia voltados aos Brasileiros aqui do Nostr. Vejo que há muito conteúdo em inglês que infelizmente não é traduzido para o português. Por este motivo tomei a iniciativa de começa com este artigo. Espero que gostem deste artigo, que tenham uma ótima leitura. # Bem-vindos ao Mundo Nostr !! Acredito que todos que estão aqui sabem um pouco sobre o Nostr e que é uma rede social descentralizada, local onde você pode postar sem medo de represarias governamentais [ditatoriais]. Mas, vocês conheçem como o Nostr funciona e todas as ferramentas que vocês têm disponível neste ecossistema? Poisé, acho que não. O Nostr é um protocolo de comunição descentralizada muito versátil, isso quer dizer que não está limitado a um tipo de "rede social", nele é possível fazer Blogs, streaming, podcast e até mesmo e-mails com autonomia total do usuário. Meus caros, isso é liberdade total, sem ficar na mão de bigtech como Microsoft, Apple, Google. Para ficar mais claro darei um exemplo para vocês: Imagine você criando uma conta no Youtube, você deve aceitar as Diretrizes impostas pela google no uso do **SEU CANAL**, por mais que você tenha autonomia na produção do **SEU CONTEÚDO**, determinadas palavras e termos não podem ser usadas, ou seja, **O GOOGLE DETERMINA O QUE VOCÊ PODE OU NÃO FAZER NO SEU CANAL**. Veja que é uma liberdade parcial no processo de criação de conteúdo. Já no Nostr, o seu canal é completamente seu. Não há nenhuma entidade, empresa responsável pelo seu conteúdo a não ser você.  ## O Mundo Nostr e sua funcionalidades No nostr você terá acesso a uma diversidade de aplicativos para cada objetivo de uso. Mas, antes de abordar sobre os diversos layouts e funcionalidades do Nostr é necessário aprender o básico deste universo. > ***Em primeiro lugar:*** É necessário que vocês saibam que a partir do momento que vocês criaram um conta aqui, independente do "cliente" ou "distro como o pessoal que gosta de fazer analogia com o Linux", vocês recebem duas importantes chaves ! A **chave privada** e a **chave pública**.  A **Chave privada**, também chamada de chave secreta é o acesso ilimitado a sua conta, ou seja, é a partir dela que poderá produzir conteúdos em geral neste mundo. Ela te dará acesso a todos os rercusos do Nostr, portanto é importante que esteja muito segura. A **Chave pública**, você ver como os outros usuários ver o seu perfil e o seu conteúdo. Ela é uma importante chave para que as pessoas possam ter acesso aos conteúdo que vocês públicam, ou seja, é atráves dela que você poderá compartilhar o seu perfil para que seu público tenha acesso ao seu mundo. Dito isso vamos conhecer os apps e os chamados clientes Nostr. ### O que são clientes Nostr? Clientes são as várias maneiras de interagir com o protocolo Nostr [fonte: Nostr.com] É semelhante ao Sistema Operacional Linux que tem várias distro com diferentes layout para o mesmo Sistema. Vejamos as principais para que vocês tenham uma noção da amplitude do protocolo. - **Damus:** é um app para celulares IOS terem acesso ao NOSTR, tem formato de rede social, como Primal e o Amethyst. - **Primal** é um app versátil serve tanto para celulares IOS, Android e PCs, também tem formato de rede social, porém você pode abrir uma carteira lightning bitcoin exclusiva deste app, facilitando muito os micropagamentos em satoshis pela rede. - **Amethyst**, assim como o Damus é para o IOS o Amethsy é para o Android, sou suspeita para falar sobre este clientes, pois é o meu favorito. Além de várias possibilidades de edição de texto, ele tem diversas funcionalidade incluídas, como *****Guia Mercado***** onde você pode comercializar produtos pela rede, tem como intergrar com outros apps de streaming, formar grupos temáticos etc. - **OXchat** não é exatamente uma rede social tem um layout que lembra um pouco o Whatsapp ou Telegram, serve como uma rede de interação instantânea, tem diversos recursos que achei mais interessante é a lousa, onde é possível interagir no grupo com desenhos etc. - **Yakihonne** que é justamente o cliente que estou usando para construir este artigo. Como usuário posso dizer que ele tem um foco para criação de Blogs no protocolo Nostr, lembrando que cada cliente tem um layout diferente, ou seja, uso de templates para definir a estrutura do seu blog é meio limitado [ressalva assim como vocês sou iniciante do Nostr, pode ser que tenha como determinar um layout próprio, mas eu mesma não sei como] Há muitos outros clientes disponíveis para acessar e experimentar e conhecer todos eu recomendo o site: [Nostrapps]( https://nostrapps.com/##all) Agora que você leu este pequeno guia, se divirta aqui no nostr e não se esqueça de apoia a gente. Até Mais !!

@ c230edd3:8ad4a712

## Chef's notes I prefer to use skinless, boneless chicken thighs. Any part, bone in or out, will work fine. I do recommend removing skin, so that the sauce can saturate the meat. I like to simmer fresh green beans in the sauce as the chicken cooks through. Any fresh vegetable would work fine. Simply add them early in the cooking time and stir occasionally. ## Details - ⏲️ Prep time: 10-15 min - 🍳 Cook time: 30 min - 1 hour - 🍽️ Servings: 1 - 8, or more ## Ingredients - Skinless, boneless chicken thighs, or other cut - Garlic Powder - Garlic Cloves, 1 per piece of chicken, minced & salted - Butter, 1 Tbsp per piece - Chicken Broth or White Wine, approx 1/4 c. per piece - oil for searing ## Directions 1. Heat oil over med-high heat in appropriate sized pan 2. Season chicken with garlic powder on both sides 3. Brown chicken, smooth side first. Flip and repeat 4. While chicken is browning, mince and salt garlic 5. Add butter to the pan, scrape loose any caramelized bits from the pan, as the butter melts 6. Add minced garlic, and saute until soft and fragrant 7. Add chicken broth or wine and stir, add vegetables if desired 8. Increase heat to bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer 9. During simmer, scoop sauce over chicken occasionally, more frequently as sauce reduces 10. If cooking vegetables, flip or stir when coating the chicken to ensure they spend time fully submerged 11. Cook until chicken is done, vegetables are soft, and sauce is reduced to a thick paste 12. Serve :)

@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

"Admit it. Sometimes you just need a big strong man." -Xander Harris Buffy fans should appreciate that reference. It's one of my favorite lines to quote around the house, whenever my wife needs help opening jars. Today, I said it to my daughter when she tried to open the orange juice herself, which earned a side-eye from the wife. It also led me to think about a possible research hypothesis. ## Idea I've heard that grip strength has been declining in men, to the point where there's barely a difference anymore between men and women. Is it possible that something as seemingly trivial as not being any more able to open jars, is reducing the rate of relationship formation? This was one area where men have historically been able to clearly demonstrate some value. ## Empirical difficulties I have no idea what the data looks like on either side of this question (grip strength or relationship formation), so I can't say much about specific data problems. However, there is definitely going to be an issue with "the dreaded third thing". In particular, I'm concerned with how to isolate the impact of grip strength decline from other effects of testosterone decline. Ideally, we'd be able to do a longitudinal study of men, where their grip strengths and testosterone levels are recorded, as well as their relationship status over time. Since there's no chance of doing that study, the best hope would be to put together some population level numbers over time and see if relationship formation rates still have a correlation with grip strength, after controlling for average testosterone levels. ----- I hope you enjoyed this half-baked idea. I mentioned to @denlillaapan that it might be fun to share ideas like this on SN. In all likelihood, no one will ever take these ideas any further, but they still might prompt fun discussions. originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/886699

@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

Much to @realBitcoinDog's chagrin, we did eat out for Valentine's Day. Well, actually, we got some take out, but it definitely wasn't very healthy. However, we did eat fairly early, so it didn't mess up my fasting. ## Reflections Even though I had been regularly fasting before February, this Fast February exercise has improved the habit and led to some noticeable outcomes. The first couple of days, I was kind of snacky. Because of the fiscal fast element of Fast February, I had to snack on whatever was around the house already. That turned out to be the "wrong" type of applesauce that our daughter refuses to eat. After those first few days, though, I really haven't been very snacky. In fact, my general appetite is noticeably lower. The most pronounced non-appetite related effect has been more vivid dreams (or at least more memorable dreams). On the con side, I have felt a little stiffer and have been stretching more often to alleviate muscle tension. ## Score Card Day 1: 14 hour fast (13 dry) Day 2: 15 hour fast (14 dry) Day 3: 17 hours (16 dry) Day 4: 18 hours (17 dry) Day 5: 18 hours (16 dry) Day 6: 19 hours (16 dry) Day 7: 16 hours (15 dry) Day 8: 18 hours (17 dry) Day 9: 17 hours (17 dry) Day 10: 15 hours (13 dry) Day 11: 20 hours (19 dry) Day 12: 20 hours (17 dry) Day 13: 16 hours (13 dry) Day 14: 17 hours (15 dry) Day 15: TBD (16 dry) originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/886640

@ c43d6de3:a6583169

You’re sitting in the 5am darkness of your living room. The baby in your arms shifts and you’re afraid she might wake. It's hot, but you wouldn’t dare remove the blankets covering her body. It seems impossible you could admire anyone more, then you hear the gentle snore of your exhausted wife creep from the gently cracked bedroom door. You can only imagine what pain she went through to bring this precious girl to the world so you could be holding her now.  Your watch lights up. You dread the sight of that little alarm bell above the time 5:25 and a weight falls on you like a million tiny pieces of lead. If only you had more time. You wish you could take your baby girl with you. That way you would have all the time in the day with her and your wife could be left to rest. You need to work. You get up as gently as you can. Even so, baby girl shifts in your arms. Her eyes open slightly. The thought of returning a crying baby to your exhausted wife is distressing, it's just not fair. Baby girl shifts again, her eyes open long enough to spot you in the faint glow of morning twilight and she smiles. You hold your breath. The smile remains on baby girl’s face but her eyes close and her head collapses into your chest. You return your baby to her mother’s side and admire them in their slumber. You need to work. Nothing could ever go wrong with that house so long as you work to keep its walls strong. Some time, when you’re truly needed perhaps you’ll have the money saved up to take the desired time off. In the absence of the love you share for your family. In the absence of the love others have for you, money loses some value.  If we equate money for what it is, the residue of time, we cannot divorce Love from Money. It’s important to understand that Money won’t buy you Love and Love should never be exchanged for Money but Time cultivates Love. These are some key things to keep in mind: *Life without love is Suffocation* *Life without money is stress and despair* *Families are cultivated and grown with love and protected with money.* *Money is the residue of time.* Be it Bitcoin or a golden bullion, it exchanges days, hours, minutes, or seconds. What could you do instead if you had money?  ----------- Thank you for reading! If this article resonated with you, let me know with a zap and share it with friends who might find it insightful. Your help sends a strong signal to keep making content like this! Interested in fiction? Follow nostr:npub1j9cmpzhlzeex6y85c2pnt45r5zhxhtx73a2twt77fyjwequ4l4jsp5xd49 for great short stories and serialized fiction. More articles you might like from Beneath The Ink: nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp3padh3au336rew4pzfx78s050p3dw7pmhurgr2ktdcwwxn9svtfqq2kvnfd094y26zkt9dxgmnw0fqkvhmfd4tng8wp0uv nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp3padh3au336rew4pzfx78s050p3dw7pmhurgr2ktdcwwxn9svtfqq25yan2w39rsjj0dqk5ckn52ptxsc3nve8hw0aftmq nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp3padh3au336rew4pzfx78s050p3dw7pmhurgr2ktdcwwxn9svtfqq2kjjzzfpjxvutjg33hjvpcw5cyjezyv9y5k0umm6k nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp3padh3au336rew4pzfx78s050p3dw7pmhurgr2ktdcwwxn9svtfqqa9wefdwfjj6stvdsk57cnnv4ehxety94mkjarg94g8ymm8wfjhxuedg9hxgt2fw3ej6sm0wd6xjmn8946hxtfjvsuhsdnju045ml

@ 19220736:7578e0e9

- The UK’s Serious Fraud Office issued its first Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO) in January 2025. - UWOs force individuals to justify wealth or risk asset seizure, with expanded powers since 2023. - Critics warn of its potential for abuse. This January, the UK's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) [obtained](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/sfo-secures-first-unexplained-wealth-order-in-100m-fraud-case) its first Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO) to recover a Lake District property valued at approximately £1.5 million. The property is owned by Claire Schools, ex-wife of solicitor Timothy Schools, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2022 for fraud. The UWO requires Ms. Schools to explain within 28 days how the property was acquired; failure to do so may lead to its seizure. This marks the Serious Fraud Office's first use of a UWO. [UWOs](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/29/contents) are legal tools first introduced under the Proceeds of Crime Act in 2002, specifically in sections 362A to 362T, as amended by the Criminal Finances Act of 2017. UWOs empower the High Court (or the Court of Session in Scotland) to require individuals to explain the origin of assets over 50,000 GBP that appear disproportionate to their known income. If the individual cannot provide a satisfactory explanation, the assets may be subject to seizure by the government. UWOs are civil orders and do not require a criminal conviction. Failure to comply with a UWO can make the property presumed recoverable in civil recovery proceedings. Additionally, the court may issue an interim freezing order to prevent the property from being dissipated while under investigation. In 2023 this law was [updated](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/economic-crime-transparency-and-enforcement-bill-2022-overarching-documents/factsheet-unexplained-wealth-order-reforms-web-accessible) to expand the scope of UWOs to apply to more individuals, lowering the burden of proof required to apply for UWOs, and allowing faster property seizure if an individual fails to respond or provide a satisfactory explanation. The process echoes witch trials that once accused, you must prove your innocence or forfeit. The use of a UWO in this case highlights a growing effort by the UK to tackle illicit wealth, but it also raises concerns about the potential for abuse of power. As explained by Kingsly Napley in [Lexology](https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=287a5b60-5612-4093-ba8f-272252c44cb5) *“The wide range of parties that can be targeted by UWOs, the reverse burden of proof that applies and the pressure on UK authorities to be seen to do more to stamp out suspected dirty money, means that many people may find themselves fighting to retain their assets.”* With the use of more UWOs to come in the future, the real impact will continue to unfold in the coming years.

@ 7d33ba57:1b82db35

“Phoneography” is photography using a smartphone instead of a traditional camera. Here are some solid phoneography tips to enhance your shots:
 1. **Master the Basics** * Clean the lens – Phones are handled all day, and a smudged lens can ruin a shot. * Tap to focus – Always tap on your subject to ensure it's sharp. * Use gridlines – Turn on the rule of thirds grid for better composition.
 2. **Lighting is Everything** * Natural light > Flash – Soft morning or golden hour light creates the best results. * Use reflections & shadows – They add depth and creativity to your shots. * Adjust exposure manually – Tap and slide up/down to brighten or darken.
 3. **Composition Tricks** * Leading lines – Roads, walls, and fences guide the viewer's eye. * Framing – Use windows, doors, or natural elements to frame your subject. * Symmetry & patterns – Create balance and visual interest. 
 4. **Get Creative with Angles** * Low angles – Make subjects look larger and dramatic. * Overhead (flat lay) – Great for food, art, or storytelling shots. * Close-ups & textures – Capture details for a unique perspective.
 5. **Edit Like a Pro** * Use editing apps – Lightroom Mobile, Snapseed, VSCO for better control. * Don’t overdo filters – Subtle adjustments in contrast, color, and sharpness are best. * Shoot in RAW (if your phone allows) – More flexibility in post-processing.
 6. **Capture Motion & Time** * Use burst mode – Great for action shots and selecting the best frame. * Long exposure apps – Create light trails or smooth water effects. * Slow-motion & time-lapse – Add dynamic storytelling elements.
 7. **Know Your Phone’s Camera Features** * Ultra-wide & telephoto lenses – Experiment with different focal lengths. * Night mode – Helps capture better low-light shots without excessive noise. * Portrait mode – Blurs the background for a professional look.

@ 044da344:073a8a0e

Vielleicht hätte Matthias Gehler noch ein drittes Mal ansetzen sollen. Versuch Nummer eins, schreibt er ganz zum Schluss, sei in der Tonne gelandet, nachdem ein Freund gesagt habe, dass niemand ein weiteres Sachbuch über die deutsche Wiedervereinigung brauche – vor allem nicht von einem Autor, der live dabei war. Deshalb sei dann „viel Subjektives“ in den Text eingeflossen. Nun: So viel ist das gar nicht. Freundschaften, steht ebenfalls im „Nachtrag“, seien ihm wichtiger. Und wenn es wirklich Interesse an „allen möglichen erlebten Geschichten aus jener Zeit“ geben sollte, dann schreibe er halt ein zweites Buch (S. 252). Ich melde hiermit Bedarf an. Matthias Gehler, Jahrgang 1954, war Redakteur beim CDU-Blatt *Neue Zeit*, als die Dinge ins Rutschen kamen. Er wurde Referent von Martin Kirchner, dem neuen Generalsekretär der Partei, und nach der Wahl vom 18. März 1990 Sprecher der Regierung von Lothar de Maizière. Gehler hat mit Kohl gesprochen, mit Gorbatschow, mit dem ersten Bush. Er war Vorgesetzter von Angela Merkel, später dann Chefredakteur beim MDR und immer wieder im Dunstkreis der Macht, mindestens bei irgendwelchen Jubiläen. Es gibt Fotos davon im Buch. Es gibt auch Geschichten, so ist es nicht. Dass der kleine Dünne und der große Dicke nicht miteinander konnten, wusste man schon, auch von Lothar de Maizière persönlich. Da man seine eigenen Qualitäten schlecht selbst würdigen kann, ist es gut, dass Matthias Gehler noch einmal klarmacht, was die DDR an ihrem letzten Regierungschef hatte. Eine Arbeitsbiene, mit allen juristischen Wassern gewaschen, in jeder Hinsicht gebildet und schon deshalb einem Machtmenschen wie Helmut Kohl überlegen und suspekt zugleich. Gehler erzählt ein paar köstliche Anekdoten über die beiden, die ich hier nicht verraten will, und hat auch einen Seitenhieb für Regine Hildebrandt, die bis heute ein Nimbus umgibt, der offenbar nicht ganz zur historischen Wirklichkeit passt. Die SPD-Frau mit dem losen Mundwerk, so erzählt es jedenfalls Gehler, sei oft blank gewesen, wenn es um das Klein-Klein der Regierungsarbeit ging. Eine Vorlage aus ihrem Ministerium? „Die gibt es nicht.“ (S. 154) Überhaupt: Es sind die Miniaturen, die dieses Buch wertvoll machen. Die Arroganz von Gorbatschow, sicher, und die Mentalität der Berater aus dem Westen, die sich im Einzelfall auch als „Blockwart“ aufgeführt haben (S. 94), mehr aber noch das Porträt von Franz Jahsnowski, DDR-Diplomat, schon Protokollchef von Ulbricht und nun wegen seiner Erfahrung und seiner Kontakte auch für die Neuen nicht zu ersetzen. Gehler nutzt einen Abend in Brüssel, um aus diesem Leben zu berichten und damit in gewisser Weise auch über die DDR und den Umgang mit ihrem Erbe. > Als Regierung haben wir Honeckers Protokollchef und seinen Stab übernommen – offiziell aus Wertschätzung, inoffiziell, weil der Laden einfach weiterlaufen musste. Die Geschichte kennt keine Stunde Null. Das geht nur mit fähigem Personal. Mancher Altbundesbeamte hätte es lieber anders gehabt. Wir mussten den Beratern von drüben immer wieder erklären, warum wir Menschen des alten Apparates übernommen haben. Jahsnowski steht für viele Meister ihres Fachs, die plötzlich systementwurzelt zwischen den Welten schwebten und ihren Glauben an den Sozialismus überprüften. (S. 124) Ich schreibe diese Passage ab, weil ich vermute: Hier ist mein Bedarf nach mehr entstanden. Mag Matthias Gehler seine Merkel-Geschichten für sich behalten. Geschenkt. Ich gönne ihm auch die Euphorie der ersten Amerika-Reise und all das, was jetzt über die Politprominenz jener Tage allenfalls zwischen den Zeilen steht, vielleicht auch aus Angst vor der eigenen Courage. Aber die Ambivalenz, die im Jahsnowski-Porträt aufscheint und dann wieder in der Asbest-Affäre um den Palast der Republik: Da geht noch was. Anders formuliert: Wenn immer wieder die große Freiheit beschworen wird, bei den Märzwahlen 1990 genauso wie bei der letzten Volkskammer, dann ist das für meinen Geschmack zu viel Regierungssprecher und zu wenig Zeitzeuge. Matthias Gehler weiß, wie es gelaufen ist (eine „Materialschlacht“, bei der die CDU sogar mit „Nahe-Weinflaschen“ punktete), und könnte sich Schützenhilfe holen, bei [Daniela Dahn](https://medienblog.hypotheses.org/9726) zum Beispiel. Also ein zweites Buch, bitte.  *Matthias Gehler: „Wollen Sie die Einheit – oder nicht?“ Erinnerungen des Regierungssprechers. Berlin: edition ost 2024, 256 Seiten, 18 Euro.* [Freie Akademie für Medien & Journalismus](https://www.freie-medienakademie.de/) [Unterstützen](https://www.freie-medienakademie.de/unterstuetzen) *Titelbild*: 1990 am Brandeburger Tor. Foto: Merit Schambach (https\://www\.wir-waren-so-frei.de/index.php/Detail/Object/Show/object\_id/392)

@ 0463223a:3b14d673

*disclaimer - image has no relation to article. I spend most the time moderately brain dead, how do I know this? By regularly recording my voice. I guess everyone likes to believe they’re pretty smart somehow but listening back to my voice, it is clear I am not. There’s more erms, ums, silences and failure to complete sentences than any fully formed thoughts, the closest to thoughts mostly trail away into silence. I’m not saying this to beat myself up, it’s an observation that I find quite amusing to be honest, It can be quite funny but it’s not exactly what peak performance looks like. This isn’t ideal so I’m writing these longer form notes to help. Even trying this, I spend way more time blank than typing, I’m gently nudging my brain to try something… a complete thought, I’m not promising anything and it’s unlikely you’re going to read anything illuminating here. Sucks to be you right now right? A lot of stuff happens doesn’t it? I’ve noticed that it sort of like, happens all the time, like woooaaahhh a thing just happened... and another... and another and they keep happening. I’m resisting to urge the write them out as they happen. I think that service is called The News right? It appears to be linear but I don’t think time is linear? At least not anything beyond a local scale… I’m sitting in my shed and it's cold, I’ve turned the little heater on but with only 5W of power, it takes a while to heat the space, although once warm, this place holds the heat well, that’s the advantage of using some acoustic treatment for building materials. I’m trying to evolve around a Value 4 Value economy. I’m struggling tbh. I’m trying things to create value. Over the course of 6 months I’ve generated £100 outside of my usual work. Using money as a metric I’m doing pretty badly. There are people who spend that on a single bottle of wine, and that’s a cheap bottle. But what is value anyway? I don’t know! Maybe someone could do a 16 hour long podcast called What Is Value? A bit like the What Is Money podcast but even longer. 16 hours seems like a sensible length. Were I to host it, 15 hours and 30 minutes would be silence. Maybe that’s a gig for you? I’m just trying out ideas here… I do get value in other ways though. Playing records for an hour each day and sharing the experience does wonders for my mental health, It keeps my mind open to noises, which no doubt help me in the day job. I also get value from the people who share the time with me, that fact people return each morning suggests they do to. It’s very cool actually. Even if I can’t take credit for Miles Davis and Nightmares On Wax records. It’s still cool. I dig it a lot. I think I’ll keep doing it. However, I’m still scratching my head how to earn more actual cash. Not that I’m obsessed or anything but it’s the best thing to exchange for food. I tried shoplifting as a kid and I was terrible at it. I didn’t invest the time in getting good at it, I just didn’t want to. More fool me right? I’ve been doing the sums for setting up a space in town. Including rent, business rates, utilities and paying myself, I’m looking at finding £5,000 per month. Currently I earn between £1,500-£1,800 a month. Not a lot I know. I saw a post someone make looking for work online the other day, they were looking for 10x what I earn. They seem to be pretty good with computers… I bet they’re shit with Phil Collins’ emojis though. So I need to at least 3x the value I can provide in order to make the space work. There’s probably people reading this thinking ‘get a job’. OK… how about no? I enjoy what I do, that doesn’t mean it’s always fun or not tough but I have a fair amount of autonomy. I don’t think I’m cut out for a ‘job’ but I definitely want to find things I can do which people are happy to swap for cash. This is a different thing all together. A job is targets and performance reviews etc. As I understand it, a person in a suit who earns slightly more than you, tells you if you’re any good on behalf of someone else. If you’re not, instead of telling you to fuck off, they tell you to do more or do better or they’ll tell you to fuck off, trapping you in some weird mind game. And it’s not even their own mind game, it’s a mind game someone else has trapped them into. These chains of mind games can be extremely long and can go through many, many people, literally billions of people find themselves trapped in this weird mind game. It doesn’t sound like my bag at all. I liked the bag James Brown had. That bag was cool. So I’ll keep thinking… I’m certainly not giving up.

@ f916334d:7d1c88d5

In recent years, I have thought a lot about how we can free ourselves from centralized systems and build a parallel world where we have greater control over our own lives. I became interested in crypto in 2019 due to ideas about decentralization and separating money from the state. Last year, I realized Bitcoin's superiority as both a store of value and a medium of exchange, leading me to sell all other assets and dedicate my focus entirely to it. This is not my first Nostr account, but I created this new identity with the purpose of sharing my thoughts and ideas in a more in-depth and long-form format. Bitcoin provides us with the opportunity to exit the old system and build a new economy. It’s not just about money but about creating and using alternative systems on multiple levels: economy, social networks, education, health, privacy, and self-sufficiency. By gradually shifting parts of our lives to more decentralized and reliable systems, we can reduce our exposure to centralized institutions and build a future where individuals have greater freedom and autonomy. ### Why This Matters The world we live in is characterized by increased surveillance, censorship, and centralized control over both information and the economy. By actively choosing alternative systems, we can build an ecosystem where individual freedom is at the center. This post serves as an introduction to some of the most important areas where I´m trying make changes in my own life. ### Economic Systems The traditional financial system is built on central banks, government regulations, and inflationary monetary policy. Bitcoin offers a way out by being a decentralized, borderless, and censorship-resistant currency. Transitioning to a Bitcoin-based economy involves: - Trading directly with Bitcoin instead of fiat currency. - Use Bitcoin-only exchanges when investing in Bitcoin, such as **[Strike](https://strike.me/)**, **[Relai](https://relai.app/)**, **[Bull Bitcoin](https://bullbitcoin.com/)** and **[River](https://river.com/)** (US only). I prefer **Relai** as it is non-custodial, includes a built-in Lightning wallet, and is a European company. I have had good experiences with **Strike** due to its simplicity, though I have not yet tried the other platforms but have heard positive feedback about them. For peer-to-peer trading, [**Bisq**](https://bisq.network/) and **[RoboSats](https://robosats.com/)** are excellent alternatives that allow users to trade Bitcoin in a decentralized and private manner.  - Using alternative marketplaces based on peer-to-peer trade (e.g., [Shopstr](https://shopstr.store/), [LightningNetwork+ Market](https://lightningnetwork.plus/market)). Supporting and creating circular economies where services and products are bought and sold directly for Bitcoin. I want to explore peer-to-peer trading more and would appreciate any tips or recommendations.  - Utilizing the **Lightning Network** for fast and low-cost Bitcoin transactions. I use **[Alby Hub](https://getalby.com/)** to host my own Lightning wallet, which I then connect to **[Zeus](https://zeusln.app/)** on my mobile for full Lightning control. - I use **[Umbrel](https://umbrel.com/)** to run my own **Bitcoin and Lightning node**, which allows me to achieve full sovereignty over my funds and transactions. Another alternative for self-hosting a node is **[Start9](https://start9.com/)**, which offers a similar approach to decentralization and privacy. Using a self-hosted node enables seamless Lightning payments, improved privacy, and full control over transactions. It also allows me to verify my own transactions and contribute to the decentralization of the network. - **Being your own bank** by securely storing your Bitcoin in **hardware wallets** such as **[Jade](https://blockstream.com/jade/)** (my choice), **[Coldcard](https://coldcard.com/)**, or **[BitBox](https://shiftcrypto.ch/bitbox02/)**.  These devices allow you to safely store your private keys offline, protecting your funds from hacks and centralized failures.  This concept fascinated me the most when I first became interested in crypto—the idea of not having to rely on a third party to safeguard my assets. Ironically, this also led me into the DeFi rabbit hole for a while. 😅 ### Social Systems and Digital Freedom Big Tech dominates digital communication and collects vast amounts of user data. A parallel social ecosystem can be built through: - Using decentralized networks like **[Nostr](https://nostr.com/)** (I prefer [Yakihonne](https://yakihonne.com/), [Primal](https://primal.net/), and [Freerse](https://freerse.com/) as clients). - Participating in physical communities and local initiatives to reduce dependence on online platforms. However, I have found challenges in this area, as many local organizations and community groups rely heavily on mainstream apps for communication. - Using and supporting open-source software to strengthen this ecosystem. Closed systems often lack transparency, increase the risk of surveillance and censorship. By choosing open-source, we gain more transparency, control, and security. I am a complete beginner in this area and am focusing on finding better alternatives, so I am always open to advice and recommendations.  These are some of the alternatives I am currently exploring and using: - **Communication:** [Signal](https://signal.org/), [Matrix](https://matrix.org/). - **Browsers:** [Firefox](https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/), [Brave](https://brave.com/). - **Productivity:** [LibreOffice](https://www.libreoffice.org/), [Joplin](https://joplinapp.org/), [Nextcloud](https://nextcloud.com/) and [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md/). - **Privacy-focused services:** [Proton](https://proton.me/) and [SimpleX Chat](https://simplex.chat/)  ### Health, Nutrition, and Embracing a Low Time Preference Freedom is not only about financial independence and digital sovereignty; it also includes physical and mental well-being. A strong body and mind enable long-term resilience. I try to follow these principles by prioritizing **nutrient-dense whole foods**, avoiding processed "fiat food," and embracing an **active lifestyle**, but I also stay mindful not to take it to extremes like carnivore or veganism. I do my best to choose regenerative farming and local food sources to support sustainable communities outside of centralized supply chains. Additionally, embracing a **low time preference mindset** enhances decision-making in finance, education, health, and personal development. This approach promotes patience, discipline, and a focus on sustainable, long-term success rather than immediate rewards. Since becoming a father, I have thought about this even more, wanting to build a strong foundation and leave a meaningful legacy for the future. By prioritizing long-term stability over short-term convenience, we gain greater autonomy and resilience in all areas of life. This principle is deeply embedded in Bitcoin culture and extends to all aspects of life. ### Education State-run school systems have long been the norm, but they suffer from standardization, political control, and a lack of individual adaptation. I make a conscious effort to focus on self-directed learning and critical thinking as a way to develop a deeper understanding and independence in both my personal and professional life. We have chosen to enroll our son in a private school that aligns with our values and that we actively help manage. Alternative educational paths can include: - **Self-directed learning** through platforms like [Khan Academy](https://www.khanacademy.org/), [Coursera](https://www.coursera.org/), and [Saylor Academy](https://www.saylor.org/). - **Strengthening critical thinking** by actively questioning information, exploring different perspectives, and applying source critique methods. - **Learning through experience and mentorship**, where practical skills and real-world application take precedence over purely theoretical knowledge and traditional grading systems. - **Homeschooling** as an alternative for families who want more control over their children's education. While I am not fully convinced if it is the right path for everyone, it does offer a way to tailor learning experiences to individual needs and values. ### Strategies for Transitioning to Parallel Systems Transitioning to greater freedom requires a step-by-step approach. The goal is to gradually detach from centralized systems and build self-sovereignty across finance, communication, health, and learning. Lately, this journey has really gotten me excited and made me more optimistic about the future. 1. **Economy:** Start accepting Bitcoin for small services, use the Lightning Network for micropayments. 2. **Social:** Use Nostr as your social media solution and experiment with Matrix and other decentralized apps to enhance your digital autonomy. 3. **Technology:** Prioritize the use of open-source software (OSS) whenever possible. 4. **Education:** Identify an area you want to learn more about and test an alternative learning method outside the state system. 5. **Privacy:** Begin using privacy-focused services for email, messaging, and browsing. 6. **Running a Node:** Set up your own Bitcoin and Lightning node using Umbrel or Start9 to gain full control over your transactions and privacy. 7. **Self-Custody:** Secure your Bitcoin with a hardware wallet to ensure full ownership and protection. 8. **Health:** Focus on whole foods, movement, and personal well-being as key aspects of independence. 9. **Embrace a low time preference:** To delay gratification and achieve greater long-term rewards. 10. **Spreading Knowledge:** Share your experiences and lessons with others to encourage more people to understand and engage in parallel systems. By educating and inspiring those around us, we can collectively build a stronger decentralized future. ### The Future of Parallel Systems Although many of the technological solutions are still in their infancy, many of the underlying principles – such as circular economies, physical communities, and local initiatives – are based on old and proven methods that have sometimes been forgotten. The more people choose to participate, the stronger they become. By choosing decentralized and self-governed alternatives, we can create a future where we have greater control over our own lives and reduce dependence on institutions that do not have our best interests at heart. One of my biggest challenges is spreading this perspective within my local community. I often find myself in conversations where people don't even see centralization as a problem, which makes it difficult to spark interest in alternatives. I sometimes struggle with finding alternatives that are both private and easy to use. While I see the value of OSS, I also understand why many stick to mainstream solutions. I plan to delve deeper into the various topics covered in this text in future posts, exploring their practical applications and challenges in greater detail. --- If you are reading this, you have already taken the first step by joining Nostr – which is a strong start! What does your journey look like? What tools do you use to become more independent? Share your experiences and tips! \#Bitcoin #SelfSovereignty #Decentralization #Freedom #Technology #OpenSource #Privacy #LightningNetwork #Nostr #LowTimePreference #Health #Nutrition #CircularEconomy

@ da0b9bc3:4e30a4a9

Hello Stackers! Welcome on into the ~Music Corner of the Saloon! A place where we Talk Music. Share Tracks. Zap Sats. So stay a while and listen. 🚨Don't forget to check out the pinned items in the territory homepage! You can always find the latest weeklies there!🚨 🚨Subscribe to the territory to ensure you never miss a post! 🚨 originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/886437

@ fd208ee8:0fd927c1

E-cash are coupons or tokens for Bitcoin, or Bitcoin debt notes that the mint issues. The e-cash states, essentially, "IoU 2900 sats". They're redeemable for Bitcoin on Lightning (hard money), and therefore can be used as cash (softer money), so long as the mint has a good reputation. That means that they're less fungible than Lightning because the e-cash from one mint can be more or less valuable than the e-cash from another. If a mint is buggy, offline, or disappears, then the e-cash is unreedemable. It also means that e-cash is more anonymous than Lightning, and that the sender and receiver's wallets don't need to be online, to transact. Nutzaps now add the possibility of parking transactions one level farther out, on a relay. The same relays that cannot keep npub profiles and follow lists consistent will now do monetary transactions. What we then have is * a **transaction on a relay** that triggers * a **transaction on a mint** that triggers * a **transaction on Lightning** that triggers * a **transaction on Bitcoin**. Which means that every relay that stores the nuts is part of a wildcat banking system. Which is fine, but relay operators should consider whether they wish to carry the associated risks and liabilities. They should also be aware that they should implement the appropriate features in their relay, such as expiration tags (nuts rot after 2 weeks), and to make sure that only expired nuts are deleted. There will be plenty of specialized relays for this, so don't feel pressured to join in, and research the topic carefully, for yourself. https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/60.md https://github.com/nostr-protocol/nips/blob/master/61.md

@ d360efec:14907b5f

**ภาพรวม BTCUSDT (OKX):** Bitcoin (BTCUSDT) แสดงความผันผวนอย่างต่อเนื่อง แนวโน้มหลักในระยะยาว (TF Day) ยังคงเป็นขาขึ้น แต่ระยะกลาง (TF 4H) เริ่มอ่อนแรง และระยะสั้น (TF 15m) กลับตัวเป็นขาลง ทำให้เกิดความขัดแย้งระหว่าง Timeframes **วิเคราะห์ทีละ Timeframe:** **(1) TF Day (รายวัน):**  * **แนวโน้ม:** ขาขึ้น (Uptrend) * **SMC:** * Higher Highs (HH) และ Higher Lows (HL) * Break of Structure (BOS) ด้านบน * **EMA:** * ราคาอยู่เหนือ EMA 50 (สีเหลือง) และ EMA 200 (สีขาว) * EMA 50 และ EMA 200 ยังคงเรียงตัวแบบ Golden Cross * **Money Flow (LuxAlgo):** * สีเขียวเป็นส่วนใหญ่ แสดงถึงแรงซื้อที่ยังคงมีอยู่ * มีแท่งสีแดงแทรกบ้าง แสดงถึงการขายทำกำไร * **Volume Profile:** * Volume หนาแน่นที่บริเวณต่ำกว่าราคาปัจจุบัน (92,000 - 94,000) * **แท่งเทียน:** * แท่งเทียนล่าสุดเป็นสีแดง แสดงถึงแรงขาย * **แนวรับ:** EMA 50, EMA 200, บริเวณ 92,000-94,000 * **แนวต้าน:** 109,998.9 (High เดิม) * **สรุป:** แนวโน้มหลักยังเป็นขาขึ้น แต่เริ่มมีแรงขายเข้ามา **(2) TF4H (4 ชั่วโมง):**  * **แนวโน้ม:** ขาขึ้น (Uptrend) เริ่มอ่อนแรงลง, มีการพักตัว * **SMC:** * Higher Highs (HH) และ Higher Lows (HL) เริ่มไม่ชัดเจน * Break of Structure (BOS) ด้านบน * Equal Highs (EQH) ที่บริเวณ High เดิม * **EMA:** * ราคาหลุด EMA 50 ลงมาแล้ว * EMA 200 เป็นแนวรับถัดไป * **Money Flow (LuxAlgo):** * สีเขียวและแดงผสมกัน, แท่งสีแดงเริ่มยาวขึ้น แสดงถึงแรงขายที่เข้ามา * **Volume Profile:** * Volume สูง * **แท่งเทียน:** * แท่งเทียนล่าสุดเป็นสีแดง แสดงถึงแรงขาย * **แนวรับ:** EMA 200, บริเวณ 92,000-94,000 * **แนวต้าน:** EMA 50, บริเวณ High เดิม * **สรุป:** แนวโน้มขาขึ้นเริ่มอ่อนแรง, แรงขายเริ่มเข้ามา, EMA 50 หลุด **(3) TF15 (15 นาที):**  * **แนวโน้ม:** ขาลง (Downtrend) * **SMC:** * Lower Highs (LH) และ Lower Lows (LL) * Break of Structure (BOS) ด้านล่าง * **EMA:** * EMA 50 และ EMA 200 เป็นแนวต้าน * **Money Flow (LuxAlgo):** * สีแดงเป็นส่วนใหญ่ แสดงถึงแรงขาย * **Volume Profile:** * Volume ค่อนข้างเบาบาง * **แนวรับ:** บริเวณ Low ล่าสุด * **แนวต้าน:** EMA 50, EMA 200, บริเวณ High ก่อนหน้า * **สรุป:** แนวโน้มขาลง, แรงขายมีอิทธิพล **สรุปภาพรวมและกลยุทธ์ (BTCUSDT):** * **แนวโน้มหลัก (Day):** ขาขึ้น * **แนวโน้มรอง (4H):** ขาขึ้น (อ่อนแรง) * **แนวโน้มระยะสั้น (15m):** ขาลง * **Money Flow:** * Day: แรงซื้อยังคงมี * 4H: แรงขายเริ่มเข้ามา * 15m: แรงขายมีอิทธิพล * **กลยุทธ์:** 1. **Wait & See (ดีที่สุด):** รอความชัดเจน 2. **Buy on Dip (Day, 4H) - *เสี่ยงสูงมาก*:** ต้องรอสัญญาณกลับตัวใน TF15 3. **Short (15m, เสี่ยงสูง):** ถ้าไม่สามารถ Breakout EMA/แนวต้านได้ **คำแนะนำ:** * **ความขัดแย้งของ Timeframes:** ยังคงมีอยู่ * **Money Flow:** Day เป็นบวก, 4H เริ่มเป็นลบ, 15m เป็นลบ * **EMA 50 (TF4H):** หลุดลงมาแล้ว * **ถ้าไม่แน่ใจ อย่าเพิ่งเข้าเทรด** **Disclaimer:** การวิเคราะห์นี้เป็นเพียงความคิดเห็นส่วนตัว ไม่ถือเป็นคำแนะนำในการลงทุน ผู้ลงทุนควรศึกษาข้อมูลเพิ่มเติมและตัดสินใจด้วยความรอบคอบ

@ ed5774ac:45611c5c

**Bitcoin as Collateral for U.S. Debt: A Deep Dive into the Financial Mechanics** The U.S. government’s proposal to declare Bitcoin as a 'strategic reserve' is a calculated move to address its unsustainable debt obligations, but it threatens to undermine Bitcoin’s original purpose as a tool for financial freedom. To fully grasp the implications of this plan, we must first understand the financial mechanics of debt creation, the role of collateral in sustaining debt, and the historical context of the petro-dollar system. Additionally, we must examine how the U.S. and its allies have historically sought new collateral to back their debt, including recent attempts to weaken Russia through the Ukraine conflict. **The Vietnam War and the Collapse of the Gold Standard** The roots of the U.S. debt crisis can be traced back to the Vietnam War. The war created an unsustainable budget deficit, forcing the U.S. to borrow heavily to finance its military operations. By the late 1960s, the U.S. was spending billions of dollars annually on the war, leading to a significant increase in public debt. Foreign creditors, particularly France, began to lose confidence in the U.S. dollar’s ability to maintain its value. In a dramatic move, French President Charles de Gaulle sent warships to New York to demand the conversion of France’s dollar reserves into gold, as per the Bretton Woods Agreement. This demand exposed the fragility of the U.S. gold reserves. By 1971, President Richard Nixon was forced to suspend the dollar’s convertibility to gold, effectively ending the Bretton Woods system. This move, often referred to as the "Nixon Shock," declared the U.S. bankrupt and transformed the dollar into a fiat currency backed by nothing but trust in the U.S. government. The collapse of the gold standard marked the beginning of the U.S.’s reliance on artificial systems to sustain its debt. With the gold standard gone, the U.S. needed a new way to back its currency and debt—a need that would lead to the creation of the petro-dollar system. **The Petro-Dollar System: A New Collateral for Debt** In the wake of the gold standard’s collapse, the U.S. faced a critical challenge: how to maintain global confidence in the dollar and sustain its ability to issue debt. The suspension of gold convertibility in 1971 left the dollar as a fiat currency—backed by nothing but trust in the U.S. government. To prevent a collapse of the dollar’s dominance and ensure its continued role as the world’s reserve currency, the U.S. needed a new system to artificially create demand for dollars and provide a form of indirect backing for its debt. The solution came in the form of the petro-dollar system. In the 1970s, the U.S. struck a deal with Saudi Arabia and other OPEC nations to price oil exclusively in U.S. dollars. In exchange, the U.S. offered military protection and economic support. This arrangement created an artificial demand for dollars, as countries needed to hold USD reserves to purchase oil. Additionally, oil-exporting nations reinvested their dollar revenues in U.S. Treasuries, effectively recycling petro-dollars back into the U.S. economy. This recycling of petrodollars provided the U.S. with a steady inflow of capital, allowing it to finance its deficits and maintain low interest rates. To further bolster the system, the U.S., under the guidance of Henry Kissinger, encouraged OPEC to dramatically increase oil prices in the 1970s. The 1973 oil embargo and subsequent price hikes, masterminded by Kissinger, quadrupled the cost of oil, creating a windfall for oil-exporting nations. These nations, whose wealth surged significantly due to the rising oil prices, reinvested even more heavily in U.S. Treasuries and other dollar-denominated assets. This influx of petrodollars increased demand for U.S. debt, enabling the U.S. to issue more debt at lower interest rates. Additionally, the appreciation in the value of oil—a critical global commodity—provided the U.S. banking sector with the necessary collateral to expand credit generation. Just as a house serves as collateral for a mortgage, enabling banks to create new debt, the rising value of oil boosted the asset values of Western corporations that owned oil reserves or invested in oil infrastructure projects. This increase in asset values allowed these corporations to secure larger loans, providing banks with the collateral needed to expand credit creation and inject more dollars into the economy. However, these price hikes also caused global economic turmoil, disproportionately affecting developing nations. As the cost of energy imports skyrocketed, these nations faced mounting debt burdens, exacerbating their economic struggles and deepening global inequality. **The Unsustainable Debt Crisis and the Search for New Collateral** Fast forward to the present day, and the U.S. finds itself in a familiar yet increasingly precarious position. The 2008 financial crisis and the 2020 pandemic have driven the U.S. government’s debt to unprecedented levels, now exceeding $34 trillion, with a debt-to-GDP ratio surpassing 120%. At the same time, the petro-dollar system—the cornerstone of the dollar’s global dominance—is under significant strain. The rise of alternative currencies and the shifting power dynamics of a multipolar world have led to a decline in the dollar’s role in global trade, particularly in oil transactions. For instance, China now pays Saudi Arabia in yuan for oil imports, while Russia sells its oil and gas in rubles and other non-dollar currencies. This growing defiance of the dollar-dominated system reflects a broader trend toward economic independence, as nations like China and Russia seek to reduce their reliance on the U.S. dollar. As more countries bypass the dollar in trade, the artificial demand for dollars created by the petro-dollar system is eroding, undermining the ability of US to sustain its debt and maintain global financial hegemony. In search of new collateral to carry on its unsustainable debt levels amid declining demand for the U.S. dollar, the U.S., together with its Western allies—many of whom face similar sovereign debt crises—first attempted to weaken Russia and exploit its vast natural resources as collateral. The U.S. and its NATO allies used Ukraine as a proxy to destabilize Russia, aiming to fragment its economy, colonize its territory, and seize control of its natural resources, estimated to be worth around $75 trillion. By gaining access to these resources, the West could have used them as collateral for the banking sector, enabling massive credit expansion. This, in turn, would have alleviated the sovereign debt crisis threatening both the EU and the U.S. This plan was not unprecedented; it mirrored France’s long-standing exploitation of its former African colonies through the CFA franc system. For decades, France has maintained economic control over 14 African nations through the CFA franc, a currency pegged to the euro and backed by the French Treasury. Under this system, these African countries are required to deposit 50% of their foreign exchange reserves into the French Treasury, effectively giving France control over their monetary policy and economic sovereignty. This arrangement allows France to use African resources and reserves as implicit collateral to issue debt, keeping its borrowing costs low and ensuring demand for its bonds. In return, African nations are left with limited control over their own economies, forced to prioritize French interests over their own development. This neo-colonial system has enabled France to sustain its financial dominance while perpetuating poverty and dependency in its former colonies. Just as France’s CFA franc system relies on the economic subjugation of African nations to sustain its financial dominance, the U.S. had hoped to use Russia’s resources as a lifeline for its debt-ridden economy. However, the plan ultimately failed. Russia not only resisted the sweeping economic sanctions imposed by the West but also decisively defeated NATO’s proxy forces in Ukraine, thwarting efforts to fragment its economy and seize control of its $75 trillion in natural resources. This failure left the U.S. and its allies without a new source of collateral to back their unsustainable debt levels. With this plan in ruins, the U.S. has been forced to turn its attention to Bitcoin as a potential new collateral for its unsustainable debt. **Bitcoin as Collateral: The U.S. Government’s Plan** The U.S. government’s plan to declare Bitcoin as a strategic reserve is a modern-day equivalent of the gold standard or petro-dollar system. Here’s how it would work: 1. Declaring Bitcoin as a Strategic Reserve: By officially recognizing Bitcoin as a reserve asset, the U.S. would signal to the world that it views Bitcoin as a store of value akin to gold. This would legitimize Bitcoin in the eyes of institutional investors and central banks. 2. Driving Up Bitcoin’s Price: To make Bitcoin a viable collateral, its price must rise significantly. The U.S. would achieve this by encouraging regulatory clarity, promoting institutional adoption, and creating a state-driven FOMO (fear of missing out). This would mirror the 1970s oil price hikes that bolstered the petro-dollar system. 3. Using Bitcoin to Back Debt: Once Bitcoin’s price reaches a sufficient level, the U.S. could use its Bitcoin reserves as collateral for issuing new debt. This would restore confidence in U.S. Treasuries and allow the government to continue borrowing at low interest rates. The U.S. government’s goal is clear: to use Bitcoin as a tool to issue more debt and reinforce the dollar’s role as the global reserve currency. By forcing Bitcoin into a store-of-value role, the U.S. would replicate the gold standard’s exploitative dynamics, centralizing control in the hands of large financial institutions and central banks. This would strip Bitcoin of its revolutionary potential and undermine its promise of decentralization. Meanwhile, the dollar—in digital forms like USDT—would remain the primary medium of exchange, further entrenching the parasitic financial system. Tether plays a critical role in this strategy. As explored in my previous article (here: [https://ersan.substack.com/p/is-tether-a-bitcoin-company]), Tether helps sustaining the current financial system by purchasing U.S. Treasuries, effectively providing life support for the U.S. debt machine during a period of declining demand for dollar-denominated assets. Now, with its plans to issue stablecoins on the Bitcoin blockchain, Tether is positioning itself as a bridge between Bitcoin and the traditional financial system. By issuing USDT on the Lightning Network, Tether could lure the poor in developing nations—who need short-term price stability for their day to day payments and cannot afford Bitcoin’s volatility—into using USDT as their primary medium of exchange. This would not only create an artificial demand for the dollar and extend the life of the parasitic financial system that Bitcoin was designed to dismantle but would also achieve this by exploiting the very people who have been excluded and victimized by the same system—the poor and unbanked in developing nations, whose hard-earned money would be funneled into sustaining the very structures that perpetuate their oppression. Worse, USDT on Bitcoin could function as a de facto central bank digital currency (CBDC), where all transactions can be monitored and sanctioned by governments at will. For example, Tether’s centralized control over USDT issuance and its ties to traditional financial institutions make it susceptible to government pressure. Authorities could compel Tether to implement KYC (Know Your Customer) rules, freeze accounts, or restrict transactions, effectively turning USDT into a tool of financial surveillance and control. This would trap users in a system where every transaction is subject to government oversight, effectively stripping Bitcoin of its censorship-resistant and decentralized properties—the very features that make it a tool for financial freedom. In this way, the U.S. government’s push for Bitcoin as a store of value, combined with Tether’s role in promoting USDT as a medium of exchange, creates a two-tiered financial system: one for the wealthy, who can afford to hold Bitcoin as a hedge against inflation, and another for the poor, who are trapped in a tightly controlled, surveilled digital economy. This perpetuates the very inequalities Bitcoin was designed to dismantle, turning it into a tool of oppression rather than liberation. **Conclusion: Prolonging the Parasitic Financial System** The U.S. government’s plan to declare Bitcoin as a strategic reserve is not a step toward financial innovation or freedom—it is a desperate attempt to prolong the life of a parasitic financial system that Bitcoin was created to replace. By co-opting Bitcoin, the U.S. would gain a new tool to issue more debt, enabling it to continue its exploitative practices, including proxy wars, economic sanctions, and the enforcement of a unipolar world order. The petro-dollar system was built on the exploitation of oil-exporting nations and the global economy. A Bitcoin-backed system would likely follow a similar pattern, with the U.S. using its dominance to manipulate Bitcoin’s price and extract value from the rest of the world. This would allow the U.S. to sustain its current financial system, in which it prints money out of thin air to purchase real-world assets and goods, enriching itself at the expense of other nations. Bitcoin was designed to dismantle this parasitic system, offering an escape hatch for those excluded from or exploited by traditional financial systems. By declaring Bitcoin a strategic reserve, the U.S. government would destroy Bitcoin’s ultimate purpose, turning it into another instrument of control. This is not a victory for Bitcoin or bitcoiners—it is a tragedy for financial freedom and global equity. The Bitcoin strategic reserve plan is not progress—it is a regression into the very system Bitcoin was designed to dismantle. As bitcoiners, we must resist this co-option and fight to preserve Bitcoin’s original vision: a decentralized, sovereign, and equitable financial system for all. **This means actively working to ensure Bitcoin is used as a medium of exchange, not just a store of value, to fulfill its promise of financial freedom.**

@ c582af78:698069cc

### **1. The Battle of Cannae (216 BC) – Rome’s Darkest Hour, and Its Defining Moment** During the **Second Punic War**, Hannibal of Carthage faced a Roman army that **outnumbered his forces 2-to-1**. Instead of retreating, he met them head-on with a brilliant tactical maneuver. His army **encircled and annihilated** the Romans, slaughtering over **50,000 soldiers in a single day**—one of the most devastating defeats in Roman history. https://image.nostr.build/a2ccbcc267d3bc30d24d80873612ba70d8f69a00bdd6a90fc3682f91d87eb956.jpg Any other nation would have surrendered. But Rome refused. Instead, it adapted, shifting to a **war of attrition**, avoiding direct confrontations, and gradually wearing down Hannibal’s forces. Cannae became a paradox—it was Rome’s **greatest defeat**, yet it forged the **Roman spirit** of perseverance and relentless determination. Rome ultimately turned the tide, **defeated Carthage**, and emerged as the dominant power in the Mediterranean. https://image.nostr.build/9c29ef6b6cebd916c105271927adaa5fe4e668a6078595390936cd7898464c31.jpg Hannibal’s tactics at Cannae **changed warfare forever**. His use of battlefield deception and encirclement is still studied in military academies today, and no commander worth his salt is unfamiliar with **Hannibal’s masterpiece at Cannae**. --- ### **2. The Battle of Marathon (490 BC) – The Birth of Western Civilization** When **King Darius I of Persia** invaded Greece, he sought to **crush Athens** and expand Persian control. The Athenians, vastly outnumbered, faced what seemed like certain defeat. But instead of waiting for the Persians to march inland, they **struck first**. Using superior tactics and their knowledge of the terrain, the Athenians **routed the Persian army**, sending them fleeing to their ships. https://image.nostr.build/63c4bdba98f7a2a4ccb3e2a8edcd43596b595284245f3a3395a3c53f51124558.jpg This **stunning victory** didn’t just preserve Greek independence—it safeguarded the **nascent idea of democracy**. Without it, the **Golden Age of Greece**—the era that produced **Socrates, the Parthenon, and the foundations of Western philosophy and governance**—might never have happened. Marathon remains a symbol of **strategy and courage overcoming overwhelming odds**. Without it, the world might never have known **Athenian democracy, Greek philosophy, or the cultural foundations of the West**. https://image.nostr.build/017a314c11238433545977e681801904b8b702e1b568ff6c9438e8577721a243.jpg --- ### **3. The Battle of Hastings (1066) – The Making of Modern England** In **1066**, William of Normandy led his army across the English Channel to claim the throne of England. At **the Battle of Hastings**, he faced **King Harold II’s Anglo-Saxon forces** in a brutal fight that would decide the future of the island. William’s forces employed **innovative strategies**, including a **feigned retreat**, which broke Harold’s defensive lines. Harold was killed, and with him, Anglo-Saxon rule in England. https://image.nostr.build/110045a76be0577defc5d9b884e5d811235f1992941847ca8a1b1a7b80c9bf79.jpg Hastings **completely transformed England**. The Normans introduced **a new ruling elite**, reshaped governance, and left an enduring mark on the English language. **Old English fused with Norman French**, laying the foundation for **modern English**. Beyond language, the Norman conquest brought England **closer to continental Europe**, influencing its **legal systems, architecture, and culture for centuries**. Hastings wasn’t just a military victory—it was a **cultural watershed** that forever changed England and, by extension, the world. https://image.nostr.build/2799f91505263370ffb3a899ea4c79a65894f56673b81a024b206e013f3e73a9.jpg --- ### **4. The Battle of Lepanto (1571) – Christendom Strikes Back** By the **late 16th century**, the **Ottoman Empire** had become a **dominant naval power**, threatening Christian trading colonies and the stability of **Europe’s maritime trade routes**. In **1570**, the Ottomans besieged the Venetian-held **island of Cyprus**. After an **11-month siege**, the starving Venetian garrison **surrendered under promises of safe passage**—but the Ottomans **betrayed them, imprisoned the soldiers, and flayed their commander alive**. In response, the **Papal States, Spain, Venice, Genoa, and other Christian powers** set aside their rivalries and **formed the Holy League**. In a climactic naval showdown, over **130,000 men** engaged in a **fierce battle** that ultimately ended in a **decisive Christian victory**. https://image.nostr.build/0f233ec50e817874e1e6711a1e035b436e206b032d8cac8b33a68230beb20e1b.jpg Lepanto **halted Ottoman expansion** into the western Mediterranean and reestablished European control over crucial sea routes. Among the soldiers that day was **Miguel de Cervantes**, who was wounded and lost the use of his left arm. His experience shaped his literary masterpiece, **Don Quixote**, further embedding Lepanto’s legacy in **European art and culture**. --- ### **5. The Battle of Trafalgar (1805) – Britain Secures Global Supremacy** In **1805**, Napoleon sought to **break British naval dominance** by uniting the French and Spanish fleets against Admiral **Horatio Nelson**. The **Battle of Trafalgar** would decide the fate of European power at sea. Outnumbered, Nelson devised an **unorthodox strategy**, splitting his fleet into two **perpendicular columns** to punch through enemy lines. The result? **A decisive British victory**—**22 enemy ships destroyed** without a single British vessel lost. Trafalgar didn’t just **shatter Napoleon’s naval ambitions**—it secured **Britain’s command of the seas for over a century**. This naval dominance paved the way for the **Pax Britannica**, allowing Britain to expand its **empire** and maintain global influence well into the 20th century. https://image.nostr.build/bf5e00f020a0755ea50c1bf1def870cfb226cb5ad18a91445eddac8389b2f05f.jpg But Trafalgar’s legacy is also bittersweet—**Nelson was fatally shot in battle**. As he lay dying, he was informed of the victory. His last words? > *“Now I am satisfied. Thank God, I have done my duty.”* Nelson’s death turned him into a **national hero**, and Trafalgar became a defining moment in British history. --- ## **More Than Just Battles** These five battles weren’t just **clashes of armies**—they were **turning points that shaped the world**. - **Cannae** forged Rome’s resilience. - **Marathon** preserved Greek democracy. - **Hastings** reshaped England’s culture and language. - **Lepanto** altered the balance of power in the Mediterranean. - **Trafalgar** secured British naval dominance for a century. Each of these battles **reshaped civilizations**—proving that history isn’t just written in words, but also in **blood, steel, and strategy**.

@ 8412613c:df65608a

> The spiritual foundations of humanity were laid simultaneously and independently... And these are the foundations upon which humanity still subsists today. - Karl Jaspers. The philosopher Karl Jaspers coined the term “**Axial Age**” to describe the period from the 8th to the 3rd century BCE. This era witnessed the emergence of major world philosophical and religious traditions, with key figures such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle in Greece; Buddha and various schools of Hindu philosophy in India; Confucius and Lao Tzu in China; Zoroaster in Persia; and the Hebrew prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. While the exact dates of some figures remain debated, their influence is clearly situated within the intellectual shifts of this era. What makes the Axial Age so compelling is that the ideas that came out of it are still applicable to our lives. As John Vervaeke observes: *"If I were to ask: Have you read anything from the Bronze Age? Have you read the Epic of Gilgamesh, or the Egyptian Book of the Dead? The Sumerian, Mesopotamian and Egyptian civilizations were colossal in their scale and influence, but most of us have not retained a direct relationship to their mythology. Alternatively, if I ask the same question of the Bible, or Plato, or the teachings of the Buddha, chances are you have read them, or at least assimilated a relationship to them. We somehow feel that these figures are relevant to us in a way that the Bronze Age figures are not. We don’t see ourselves in the Bronze Age; there is a discontinuity of identity between the kind of human beings we are now and the kind of human beings we observe in these earlier incarnations of our species.”* (p. 60) Many scholars view this era as almost mystical, questioning why such a remarkable concentration of great thinkers emerged within a relatively short time. However, in this lecture, Professor Wesley Cecil explains this historical window in a way that *makes sense*. Cecil explains that the shift from hunter-gatherer societies to agrarian societies, coupled with the development of cities and trade networks, led to complex social structures. These societies also struggled with questions surrounding money, foreign goods, and foreign ideas. Cecil's observation about the connection between leisure, met needs, education, and the contemplation of profound questions is insightful. He points out that you only ask questions about meaning when you have free time, choices, and some education. This wasn't a widespread concern before the Axial Age, simply because most people didn't have those luxuries. The reason these philosophers still resonate with us is that the problems they addressed are still with us. They were among the first to consider how to live in cities, money, foreign people and ideas. Like them, we're trying to figure out how to live in a world we don't rule, where we aren't in charge, but neither are we enslaved. Technology in our days is also bringing us back to these profound topics, as the introduction of technology did for them. For us, consider the nature of money with the arrival of Bitcoin, human nature with the idea of transhumanism, and human purpose with the prospect of job replacement by AI. Cecil argues that the Axial Age was a pivotal point in human history. Cecil concludes that we are currently living through another axial age, facing new problems and challenges that our existing systems and structures cannot address. I am excited to see how these challenges will bring forth the best of humanity and new profound thinkers who will influence future generations. ### References Vervaeke, John; Mastropietro, Christopher. Awakening From the Meaning Crisis: Part 1: Origins. Kindle Edition The Ancients: Axial Age. By Wes Cecil <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5QOzB_vlkZ8?si=f1jLW2IdU1LlOMR-" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

@ 57d1a264:69f1fee1

The lead dev @gandlaf21 from [brrr.gandlaf.com](https://brrr.gandlaf.com) (https://github.com/gandlafbtc/cashu-brrr) reached out to me with an idea: a design contest for ecash paper note templates. Brrr is a paper note ecash generator that lets you easily create and print ecash in the form of bank-style paper notes. We're thinking of putting up 150k sats as a prize pool to make it fun. I think this could be a fun opportunity for the Bitcoin Design Community. I’m happy to lead it, but I’d love to get your thoughts. Here are a couple of directions I think it could take: Could this fit into the next Designathon? Maybe we create a dedicated track for it with a side bounty or prize for the best note design. Or should we keep it separate and run it as a standalone contest, promoting it as a unique, one-off event? What do you guys think? originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/886379

@ 57d1a264:69f1fee1

 🧐 Who is the main character of 100,000 sats?! 📋 Checklist I hope BitcoinSocialLayer will be well recognized when conducting BSL activities at home and abroad. ✅ Photo 1 is a list of participating organizations for the Chiang Mai conference sats 'n' facts. When viewed by a third party, BSL is an abbreviation, so additional explanation is needed, but the spelling BSL does not come to mind. ✅ It may be helpful to refer to the sponsor lists on the pages of other Bitcoin conferences or meetups, such as the Tokyo Conference in Photo 2, to help you write your draft. * In addition to AI, Photoshop, and Illustrator, you can also use PPT or images in PNG format. - Please create a logo that fits the name Bitcoin Social Layer: - Key words: Bitcoin, expert, service, South Korea - Prize: 100,000 sat - Submission: bitcoinsociallayer@gmail.com - Logo high-resolution original file, logo description - Period: until midnight on February 28th. - All legal and commercial rights of the winning logo will be transferred to BSL (copyright transfer agreement will be signed and trademark registration will be processed) - Plagiarized and other copyright infringing logos may be disqualified. - Depending on the results, there may be no winner. In this case, we will continue to use the existing logo. Source: https://x.com/BTCSocialLayer/status/1888887772083335519  originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/886369

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

In the ever-evolving landscape of finance, two names have consistently dominated the conversation in recent years: Bitcoin and Ethereum. These cryptocurrencies have not only revolutionized the way we think about money but have also paved the way for a future where digital assets play a central role. As we stand at the cusp of a new era in finance, it's crucial to understand the significance of these two giants in the crypto world. This article takes a deep dive into Bitcoin and Ethereum, exploring their origins, their impact on the financial sector, and what the future might hold for these digital currencies. **Table of Contents** - Bitcoin: The Pioneer of Cryptocurrency - Ethereum: More Than Just a Cryptocurrency - The Impact on the Financial Sector - The Future Outlook - Conclusion - FAQs **Bitcoin: The Pioneer of Cryptocurrency** Bitcoin, created by the mysterious figure or group known as Satoshi Nakamoto, emerged in 2009 as the first decentralized digital currency. It introduced the world to the concept of a blockchain, a distributed ledger technology that ensures security and transparency in transactions. Over the years, Bitcoin has become synonymous with cryptocurrency, often being the first token that comes to mind when discussing digital assets. Its primary appeal lies in its decentralized nature, free from the control of any government or financial institution, offering a form of financial freedom and privacy that traditional currencies cannot. However, Bitcoin is not without its challenges. Its scalability issues, high transaction fees, and extensive energy consumption due to mining activities have been points of contention. Despite these challenges, Bitcoin has maintained its position as the leading cryptocurrency, often referred to as digital gold, and continues to attract significant investment from both retail and institutional investors. **Ethereum: More Than Just a Cryptocurrency** Ethereum, proposed in late 2013 by programmer Vitalik Buterin, is often considered the second most important cryptocurrency after Bitcoin. However, Ethereum offers much more than just a digital currency; it's a platform for decentralized applications (dApps). The introduction of smart contracts on Ethereum's blockchain has opened up possibilities far beyond simple monetary transactions. These self-executing contracts with the terms of the agreement directly written into code have enabled the development of a wide range of applications, from decentralized finance (DeFi) to non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Ethereum's flexibility and adaptability have made it a cornerstone of the blockchain development community. However, like Bitcoin, it faces its own set of challenges, including network congestion and high gas fees, especially during peak usage times. The much-anticipated upgrade to Ethereum 2.0 aims to address these issues by shifting from a proof-of-work to a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism, which is expected to significantly increase its scalability and reduce its environmental impact. **The Impact on the Financial Sector** The advent of Bitcoin and Ethereum has had a profound impact on the financial sector. They have challenged traditional financial models and institutions, introducing concepts like decentralized finance, which aims to create a more open and accessible financial system. Cryptocurrencies have also introduced new investment opportunities, with Bitcoin becoming a popular choice for investors looking for an asset that is not correlated with traditional financial markets. Moreover, the technologies behind these cryptocurrencies, especially blockchain, have found applications in various sectors, including banking, supply chain management, and voting systems. The transparency, security, and efficiency offered by blockchain technology have the potential to revolutionize these industries. **The Future Outlook** Looking ahead, the future of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and cryptocurrencies, in general, is both exciting and uncertain. Regulatory challenges, technological advancements, and market dynamics will play significant roles in shaping their paths. Bitcoin, with its limited supply and increasing adoption, might continue to be seen as a store of value, while Ethereum's transition to Ethereum 2.0 could solidify its position as the leading platform for decentralized applications. The increasing interest from institutional investors and the integration of cryptocurrency services by major financial players suggest a growing acceptance and maturation of these digital assets. However, the volatile nature of cryptocurrencies remains a significant factor, making them a risky, albeit potentially rewarding, investment. **Conclusion** Bitcoin and Ethereum have undeniably paved the way for a new era in finance, one that is digital, decentralized, and diverse. Their impact extends beyond just the financial sector, influencing technology, governance, and society as a whole. As we move forward, the continuous evolution of these cryptocurrencies and their underlying technologies will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in shaping the future of finance. Whether they will become mainstream elements of our financial system or remain as alternative assets, one thing is certain: Bitcoin and Ethereum have forever changed the landscape of finance, and their journey is far from over. **FAQs** **How does Ethereum differ from Bitcoin?** While Bitcoin was created primarily as a digital currency, Ethereum is a decentralized platform that enables smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps). Ethereum's native token, Ether, is used to facilitate these operations. **What are the main uses of Bitcoin and Ethereum?** Bitcoin is mainly used as a digital currency and a store of value, often referred to as 'digital gold.' Ethereum, on the other hand, is used to power smart contracts and dApps, playing a crucial role in the decentralized finance (DeFi) and non-fungible token (NFT) sectors. **What are the challenges facing Bitcoin and Ethereum?** Bitcoin faces challenges like scalability, high transaction fees, and environmental concerns due to its mining process. Ethereum struggles with network congestion and high gas fees, although its upcoming upgrade to Ethereum 2.0 aims to address these issues. **Are Bitcoin and Ethereum regulated?** The regulatory status of Bitcoin and Ethereum varies by country. While some countries have embraced them with specific regulations, others have imposed restrictions or outright bans. **That's all for today** **If you want more, be sure to follow us on:** **NOSTR: croxroad@getalby.com** **X: [@croxroadnews.co](https://x.com/croxroadnewsco)** **Instagram: [@croxroadnews.co](https://www.instagram.com/croxroadnews.co/)** **Youtube: [@croxroadnews](https://www.youtube.com/@croxroadnews)** **Store: https://croxroad.store** **Subscribe to CROX ROAD Bitcoin Only Daily Newsletter** **https://www.croxroad.co/subscribe** ***DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.***

@ 7d33ba57:1b82db35

**5 Photography Tips for Excursions** Excursions take you to incredible places, but they’re often designed for quick stops, catering to "click-and-go" tourists rather than photographers and videographers. Capturing great shots in such fast-paced environments can be challenging! However, if an excursion is your only way to visit a stunning location, don’t worry—I got some tips to help you make the most of it.   1) ****Plan Your Story in Advance**** Before you even set foot on the excursion, think about the story you want to capture. In your mind, you’ve probably already envisioned your photo or video album—this is exactly what you should do! Excursions move fast, leaving little time for on-the-spot decisions. Research your destination beforehand, look up photos online, and familiarize yourself with the key subjects you want to focus on. Being prepared will help you capture the shots that truly matter. 2) **Secure the Best Spot** If your excursion involves a bus or boat, positioning yourself strategically can make all the difference. Try to be one of the first to board so you can grab the best spot—usually at the front. This gives you a clear view. Quick reflexes will help you capture the scene without unwanted distractions! 3) **Sun position** Always pay attention to the direction of the sun while picking your seat. Position yourself to shoot with the sunlight rather than against it to avoid harsh backlighting and maximize the natural light in your photos. 4) **Connect with the Guide** The guide plays a big role in setting the pace of the excursion, so building a friendly connection can work in your favor. A smile and some casual conversation can make them more receptive to your needs, giving you extra time to capture the perfect shot. When you arrive at a location, don’t hesitate to ask if you’re allowed to take your own shots instead of strictly following the group. A little charm can go a long way in making your photography experience smoother and more enjoyable!   5) **Manage Your Time & Enjoy the Moment** As a photographer or videographer, it’s easy to get lost in your creative zone, but remember—you’re on a group excursion! Be mindful of the schedule and avoid spending too much time on a single shot. Others in the group paid the same price for the experience, so it’s important to be respectful of their time—no matter how big or fancy your camera is!
 If possible, consider booking a private excursion or joining fellow travel photographers who appreciate spending extra time at each location. This way, you can focus on capturing the best shots without feeling rushed.
 Most importantly: Once you’ve taken your amazing shot, take a moment to truly experience the place. Too many travelers stare at their camera screens while walking, missing the beauty right in front of them. Save the reviewing for when you're back at your hotel! After all, photography is about more than just the shot—it’s about the memories you make along the way. And don’t forget to save the special pictures onto your human hard drive—your memory! This is where we create the real movie.

@ 16d11430:61640947

In today’s world, a silent crisis is unfolding—not in the streets, not in the economy, but in our minds. We are losing the ability to think deeply, to reason, and to resist manipulation. This phenomenon, often called "brain rot," is not just a metaphor. It is a tangible decline in cognitive ability, a creeping erosion of focus, patience, and intellectual curiosity. And while many scramble for solutions in self-help books, meditation apps, or digital detoxes, the true cure lies in an unlikely place: Bitcoin. This is not just an argument about money. It is a plea for your mind, for the minds of your loved ones, and for a future where independent thought still exists. If you value your own ability to reason, to make sense of the world, and to protect those you love from deception and control, you owe it to yourself to study Bitcoin. --- What Is Brain Rot? Brain rot is not a medical diagnosis, but it is real. It is what happens when we are conditioned to react rather than think, when we consume more than we create, and when we surrender our agency to systems that manipulate us for profit. Symptoms include: Shortened attention span (struggling to read long articles or books) Loss of critical thinking (believing whatever is most loudly repeated) Dopamine addiction (chasing likes, notifications, and instant gratification) Mental fog and anxiety (feeling overwhelmed by noise, yet unable to focus) Most of us are not born this way. We become this way through a slow, systematic process: Schools train us to memorize, not to question. Social media rewards outrage, not wisdom. Fiat money devalues patience and rewards recklessness. The result? A society that is easier to manipulate, easier to distract, and easier to control. The antidote to this is not just deleting social media. It’s reclaiming our ability to think for ourselves. Bitcoin is a tool that forces us to do exactly that. --- Bitcoin as the Cure At first glance, Bitcoin might seem purely financial—just another asset in a volatile market. But it is so much more than that. It is a test of intellectual curiosity, discipline, and patience. To truly understand Bitcoin, you must engage with fields that are deliberately hidden from us in mainstream education: Monetary history (how money has been manipulated for control) Economics (why inflation steals from the poor) Cryptography & computer science (how decentralization protects truth) Philosophy & game theory (why trustless systems create fairness) Every step in understanding Bitcoin rewires your brain for independence. Unlike fiat currency, which asks nothing of you but blind trust, Bitcoin demands that you think critically. It restores long-term thinking, encourages personal responsibility, and rewards patience—all of which counteract brain rot. --- How Bitcoin Changes Your Mindset 1. It Forces Low Time Preference Bitcoiners often speak of "low time preference," a fancy way of saying patience over impulsivity. In a fiat world, money loses value over time, so we are incentivized to spend recklessly, live paycheck to paycheck, and chase fleeting pleasure. Bitcoin reverses this. When money appreciates over time, suddenly the future matters again. You start planning. You start investing in yourself, in your knowledge, in your health. Your brain begins to think long-term, and your clarity improves. 2. It Teaches You to Question Authority The fiat system is built on trust—trust that central banks will act in your best interest, trust that inflation is necessary, trust that bailouts are fair. Yet history shows that those in power rarely act for the people. Bitcoin is mathematical truth, not political promises. Studying it forces you to question everything you were taught about money, value, and power. This questioning is the antidote to mental stagnation. 3. It Reduces Cognitive Dissonance Many people feel anxious without knowing why. Part of this is living in a system that contradicts itself daily. Governments tell you inflation is necessary but also bad. They print money endlessly but tell you to save. They manipulate interest rates and then act surprised when markets collapse. Bitcoin simplifies everything: a fixed supply, transparent rules, no middlemen. This clarity removes the mental exhaustion of navigating contradictions, freeing your mind for higher-level thinking. 4. It Protects You from Manipulation Those who control money control perception. Whether through debt traps, engineered crises, or endless consumer distractions, fiat systems are designed to keep you too busy, too exhausted, and too distracted to think clearly. Bitcoin removes intermediaries. It allows you to store value without trusting banks, transact without permission, and exit systems that do not serve you. It restores agency, and with it, your ability to think critically. --- Why This Matters for You and Your Loved Ones If you’ve read this far, you probably feel it—something is deeply wrong with the modern world. Many of us feel trapped in jobs we hate, working for money that loses value, bombarded by distractions that make us forget what matters. If you do nothing, it will only get worse. You owe it to yourself and your loved ones to study Bitcoin because: Understanding it will sharpen your mind. Using it will make you resilient. Saving in it will protect your future. No one will do this for you. Schools won’t teach it. The media won’t promote it. Governments won’t encourage it. But the truth is out there, waiting for you to seek it. --- A Plea for Your Future You don’t need to become a Bitcoin expert overnight. You don’t need to "buy the top" or "trade for gains." Just start learning. Read The Bitcoin Standard, listen to podcasts, question what you’ve been told. Challenge yourself to understand why this matters. Brain rot is real. It is not just a meme. It is the slow erosion of your ability to think, to resist, to act in your own best interest. And while many solutions exist, none are as transformative, as empowering, and as liberating as Bitcoin. Take back your mind. Take back your future. Start today.

@ 0fa80bd3:ea7325de

#intro The Russian state made me a Bitcoiner. In 1991, it devalued my grandmother's hard-earned savings. She worked tirelessly in the kitchen of a dining car on the Moscow–Warsaw route. Everything she had saved for my sister and me to attend university vanished overnight. This story is similar to what many experienced, including Wences Casares. The pain and injustice of that time became my first lessons about the fragility of systems and the value of genuine, incorruptible assets, forever changing my perception of money and my trust in government promises. In 2014, I was living in Moscow, running a trading business, and frequently traveling to China. One day, I learned about the Cypriot banking crisis and the possibility of moving money through some strange thing called Bitcoin. At the time, I didn’t give it much thought. Returning to the idea six months later, as a business-oriented geek, I eagerly began studying the topic and soon dove into it seriously. I spent half a year reading articles on a local online journal, BitNovosti, actively participating in discussions, and eventually joined the editorial team as a translator. That’s how I learned about whitepapers, decentralization, mining, cryptographic keys, and colored coins. About Satoshi Nakamoto, Silk Road, Mt. Gox, and BitcoinTalk. Over time, I befriended the journal’s owner and, leveraging my management experience, later became an editor. I was drawn to the crypto-anarchist stance and commitment to decentralization principles. We wrote about the economic, historical, and social preconditions for Bitcoin’s emergence, and it was during this time that I fully embraced the idea. It got to the point where I sold my apartment and, during the market's downturn, bought 50 bitcoins, just after the peak price of $1,200 per coin. That marked the beginning of my first crypto winter. As an editor, I organized workflows, managed translators, developed a YouTube channel, and attended conferences in Russia and Ukraine. That’s how I learned about Wences Casares and even wrote a piece about him. I also met Mikhail Chobanyan (Ukrainian exchange Kuna), Alexander Ivanov (Waves project), Konstantin Lomashuk (Lido project), and, of course, Vitalik Buterin. It was a time of complete immersion, 24/7, and boundless hope. After moving to the United States, I expected the industry to grow rapidly, attended events, but the introduction of BitLicense froze the industry for eight years. By 2017, it became clear that the industry was shifting toward gambling and creating tokens for the sake of tokens. I dismissed this idea as unsustainable. Then came a new crypto spring with the hype around beautiful NFTs – CryptoPunks and apes. I made another attempt – we worked on a series called Digital Nomad Country Club, aimed at creating a global project. The proceeds from selling images were intended to fund the development of business tools for people worldwide. However, internal disagreements within the team prevented us from completing the project. With Trump’s arrival in 2025, hope was reignited. I decided that it was time to create a project that society desperately needed. As someone passionate about history, I understood that destroying what exists was not the solution, but leaving everything as it was also felt unacceptable. You can’t destroy the system, as the fiery crypto-anarchist voices claimed. With an analytical mindset (IQ 130) and a deep understanding of the freest societies, I realized what was missing—not only in Russia or the United States but globally—a Bitcoin-native system for tracking debts and financial interactions. This could return control of money to ordinary people and create horizontal connections parallel to state systems. My goal was to create, if not a Bitcoin killer app, then at least to lay its foundation. At the inauguration event in New York, I rediscovered the Nostr project. I realized it was not only technologically simple and already quite popular but also perfectly aligned with my vision. For the past month and a half, using insights and experience gained since 2014, I’ve been working full-time on this project.

@ 1c197b12:242e1642

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. **Article. I.** *Section. 1.* All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives. *Section. 2.* The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature. No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen. Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons. The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to chuse three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New-York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia three. When vacancies happen in the Representation from any State, the Executive Authority thereof shall issue Writs of Election to fill such Vacancies. The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment. *Section. 3.* The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote. Immediately after they shall be assembled in Consequence of the first Election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three Classes. The Seats of the Senators of the first Class shall be vacated at the Expiration of the second Year, of the second Class at the Expiration of the fourth Year, and of the third Class at the Expiration of the sixth Year, so that one third may be chosen every second Year; and if Vacancies happen by Resignation, or otherwise, during the Recess of the Legislature of any State, the Executive thereof may make temporary Appointments until the next Meeting of the Legislature, which shall then fill such Vacancies. No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen. The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided. The Senate shall chuse their other Officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the Absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the Office of President of the United States. The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present. Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law. *Section. 4.* The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators. The Congress shall assemble at least once in every Year, and such Meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, unless they shall by Law appoint a different Day. *Section. 5.* Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members, and a Majority of each shall constitute a Quorum to do Business; but a smaller Number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the Attendance of absent Members, in such Manner, and under such Penalties as each House may provide. Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member. Each House shall keep a Journal of its Proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such Parts as may in their Judgment require Secrecy; and the Yeas and Nays of the Members of either House on any question shall, at the Desire of one fifth of those Present, be entered on the Journal. Neither House, during the Session of Congress, shall, without the Consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other Place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting. *Section. 6.* The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States. They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place. No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the Emoluments whereof shall have been encreased during such time; and no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in Office. *Section. 7.* All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills. Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States; If he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the Objections at large on their Journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such Reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the Bill, it shall be sent, together with the Objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a Law. But in all such Cases the Votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and Nays, and the Names of the Persons voting for and against the Bill shall be entered on the Journal of each House respectively. If any Bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the Same shall be a Law, in like Manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their Adjournment prevent its Return, in which Case it shall not be a Law. Every Order, Resolution, or Vote to which the Concurrence of the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of Adjournment) shall be presented to the President of the United States; and before the Same shall take Effect, shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by two thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the Rules and Limitations prescribed in the Case of a Bill. *Section. 8.* The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States; To borrow Money on the credit of the United States; To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes; To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States; To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures; To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States; To establish Post Offices and post Roads; To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries; To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court; To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations; To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water; To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years; To provide and maintain a Navy; To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces; To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions; To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress; To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;—And To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof. *Section. 9.* The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a Tax or duty may be imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each Person. The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it. No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed. No Capitation, or other direct, Tax shall be laid, unless in Proportion to the Census or enumeration herein before directed to be taken. No Tax or Duty shall be laid on Articles exported from any State. No Preference shall be given by any Regulation of Commerce or Revenue to the Ports of one State over those of another: nor shall Vessels bound to, or from, one State, be obliged to enter, clear, or pay Duties in another. No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time. No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State. *Section. 10.* No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility. No State shall, without the Consent of the Congress, lay any Imposts or Duties on Imports or Exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing it's inspection Laws: and the net Produce of all Duties and Imposts, laid by any State on Imports or Exports, shall be for the Use of the Treasury of the United States; and all such Laws shall be subject to the Revision and Controul of the Congress. No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay. **Article. II.** *Section. 1.* The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four Years, and, together with the Vice President, chosen for the same Term, be elected, as follows Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector. The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by Ballot for two Persons, of whom one at least shall not be an Inhabitant of the same State with themselves. And they shall make a List of all the Persons voted for, and of the Number of Votes for each; which List they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the Seat of the Government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the Presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the Certificates, and the Votes shall then be counted. The Person having the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President, if such Number be a Majority of the whole Number of Electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such Majority, and have an equal Number of Votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately chuse by Ballot one of them for President; and if no Person have a Majority, then from the five highest on the List the said House shall in like Manner chuse the President. But in chusing the President, the Votes shall be taken by States, the Representation from each State having one Vote; A quorum for this Purpose shall consist of a Member or Members from two thirds of the States, and a Majority of all the States shall be necessary to a Choice. In every Case, after the Choice of the President, the Person having the greatest Number of Votes of the Electors shall be the Vice President. But if there should remain two or more who have equal Votes, the Senate shall chuse from them by Ballot the Vice President. The Congress may determine the Time of chusing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States. No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States. In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the Same shall devolve on the Vice President, and the Congress may by Law provide for the Case of Removal, Death, Resignation or Inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring what Officer shall then act as President, and such Officer shall act accordingly, until the Disability be removed, or a President shall be elected. The President shall, at stated Times, receive for his Services, a Compensation, which shall neither be encreased nor diminished during the Period for which he shall have been elected, and he shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument from the United States, or any of them. Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:—"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States." *Section. 2.* The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any Subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment. He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments. The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session. *Section. 3.* He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient; he may, on extraordinary Occasions, convene both Houses, or either of them, and in Case of Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment, he may adjourn them to such Time as he shall think proper; he shall receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers; he shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed, and shall Commission all the Officers of the United States. *Section. 4.* The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors. **Article. III.** *Section. 1.* The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish. The Judges, both of the supreme and inferior Courts, shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour, and shall, at stated Times, receive for their Services, a Compensation, which shall not be diminished during their Continuance in Office. *Section. 2.* The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States, and Treaties made, or which shall be made, under their Authority;—to all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls;—to all Cases of admiralty and maritime Jurisdiction;—to Controversies to which the United States shall be a Party;—to Controversies between two or more States;— between a State and Citizens of another State,—between Citizens of different States,—between Citizens of the same State claiming Lands under Grants of different States, and between a State, or the Citizens thereof, and foreign States, Citizens or Subjects. In all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, and those in which a State shall be Party, the supreme Court shall have original Jurisdiction. In all the other Cases before mentioned, the supreme Court shall have appellate Jurisdiction, both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions, and under such Regulations as the Congress shall make. The Trial of all Crimes, except in Cases of Impeachment, shall be by Jury; and such Trial shall be held in the State where the said Crimes shall have been committed; but when not committed within any State, the Trial shall be at such Place or Places as the Congress may by Law have directed. *Section. 3.* Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court. The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted. **Article. IV.** *Section. 1.* Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may by general Laws prescribe the Manner in which such Acts, Records and Proceedings shall be proved, and the Effect thereof. *Section. 2.* The Citizens of each State shall be entitled to all Privileges and Immunities of Citizens in the several States. A Person charged in any State with Treason, Felony, or other Crime, who shall flee from Justice, and be found in another State, shall on Demand of the executive Authority of the State from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the State having Jurisdiction of the Crime. No Person held to Service or Labour in one State, under the Laws thereof, escaping into another, shall, in Consequence of any Law or Regulation therein, be discharged from such Service or Labour, but shall be delivered up on Claim of the Party to whom such Service or Labour may be due. *Section. 3.* New States may be admitted by the Congress into this Union; but no new State shall be formed or erected within the Jurisdiction of any other State; nor any State be formed by the Junction of two or more States, or Parts of States, without the Consent of the Legislatures of the States concerned as well as of the Congress. The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to Prejudice any Claims of the United States, or of any particular State. *Section. 4.* The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government, and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence. **Article. V.** The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as Part of this Constitution, when ratified by the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States, or by Conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other Mode of Ratification may be proposed by the Congress; Provided that no Amendment which may be made prior to the Year One thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any Manner affect the first and fourth Clauses in the Ninth Section of the first Article; and that no State, without its Consent, shall be deprived of its equal Suffrage in the Senate. **Article. VI.** All Debts contracted and Engagements entered into, before the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution, as under the Confederation. This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding. The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States. **Article. VII.** The Ratification of the Conventions of nine States, shall be sufficient for the Establishment of this Constitution between the States so ratifying the Same. The Word, "the," being interlined between the seventh and eighth Lines of the first Page, The Word "Thirty" being partly written on an Erazure in the fifteenth Line of the first Page, The Words "is tried" being interlined between the thirty second and thirty third Lines of the first Page and the Word "the" being interlined between the forty third and forty fourth Lines of the second Page. Attest William Jackson Secretary done in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the States present the Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven and of the Independance of the United States of America the Twelfth In witness whereof We have hereunto subscribed our Names,

@ 1c197b12:242e1642

Today, I'm going to attempt to install Servus to my test server. I'll be using a raspberry Pi4 4GB version with a 16GB microSD card (because what I have laying around). And, as you know... if it'll run on a Pi, it'll run pretty much anywhere. **What is SERVUS?** From GitHub... "Servus is a CMS, personal Nostr relay and personal Blossom server fully self-contained within one executable file." **Here's what you'll need:** A spare server. It can be a VPS, old laptop, old computer, 3rd market server from a decommissioned datacenter that you got for cheap on Ebay, a NUC... something that can run Linux. - An understanding of the Linux terminal. - install git and cargo. - A web browser (don't you side-eye me!). **Let Us Begin...** I'm assuming you're using a Debian-based system. Open your terminal and enter the following: Go ahead and ssh into your server with something like: "ssh yourusername@ipaddress" or "ssh yourusername@domainname.tld" enter your password when prompted and hit enter.  If you plan to do other stuff with your server later on, you might even consider using "ssh-copy-id yourusername@ipaddress" in order to not have to enter you password, all-the-time.  (Without the quotes) "su", or "sudo su". Whatever means you use to get to superuser (root). Then, enter your password.  Once in root, type: *apt install git cargo -y* Then, hit enter. You'll see a wall text... yadda yadda.   Now, you'll type (without quotes): *"git clone https://github.com/servuscms/servus.git"* and hit enter. You'll see a progress bar.  If you type *"ls"* you should see a folder labeled, *"servus"*. We now change directories by typing, *"cd servus"*. Inside of the servus folder you'll see a few other folders and a few files by typing *"ls"* again.  According the the servus github, there are a few build options. I'm going to use the "release" version for this tutorial. We do this by typing, *"cargo build --release"*. You'll see a fetch progress bar and a wall of text.   **NOTE: **I'm using a raspberry pi 4, in this tutorial. At the end of trying "cargo build --release" I got a version error for a package called "anstream v0.6.14" because it requires "rustc 1.65.0", or higher. The error message gives you a fix by typing "cargo update -p anstream@0.6.14 --precise ver"  **BUT that won't work. Here's how to fix it:** Type the following (without quotations): *"apt purge rustc -y && apt install curl -y && curl https://sh.rustup.rs -sSf | sh"* This will remove the outdated rustc. Then, you're installing curl so that you can install the latest version of rustc and cargo because they aren't in the distro repo. Restart your machine with: "sudo reboot". Once you're back into your servus directory, just run the "cargo build" command, again. Now back to the show! Now that we have run the "cargo build" command, it's time to move on to setting up access and ssl. According to github, there are a few options. They are as follows: - *./target/debug/servus *- this starts Servus on port 4884, without SSL - *sudo ./target/debug/servus --ssl-acme[-production] --contact-email youremail@example.com* (this starts Servus on port 443 and obtains SSL certificates from Let's Encrypt using ACME by providing a contact email). - *sudo ./target/debug/servus --ssl-cert <SSL_CERT_FILE> --ssl-key <SSL_KEY>* (this starts Servus on port 443 using the provided <SSL_CERT> and <SSL_KEY>) I'll be using the command no calling for SSL. More information can be found here: [ https://github.com/servuscms/servus](https://github.com/servuscms/servus)  So from the terminal we input (without quotes): *"./target/release/servus"* because, as you may recall, I used the *"cargo build --release" *version earlier. It will ask a few questions. Here's what I put... **Domain: test.local** **Admin pubkey: nostr:npub1rsvhkyk2nnsyzkmsuaq9h9ms7rkxhn8mtxejkca2l4pvkfpwzepql3vmtf**  Then, you'll get a bit of output with your ip and port interface. In this case, it's http://localhost:4884 Now go to your browser and input that address, it's local, or the IP address of the server... something like, http://192.168.x.x:4884 and HUZZAH!!! Just like that, you should see your site. To get to the admin section of your site, just add "/.admin" (without quotes) to the IP address you just input into the browser.   **CONGRATS! I hope this was helpful :-)** While Servus is extremely experimental, and it is advised to not run it in production. There are a number of features worth taking a look at. More information about what Servus can do can be found here: [Servus Github]( https://github.com/servuscms/servus) **DONE.**

@ 1c197b12:242e1642

This article will be basic instructions for extreme normies (I say that lovingly), or anyone looking to get started with using zap.stream and sharing to nostr. **EQUIPMENT** Getting started is incredibly easy and your equipment needs are miniscule. An old desktop or laptop running Linux, MacOs, or Windows made in the passed 15yrs should do. Im currently using and old Dell Latitude E5430 with an Intel i5-3210M with 32Gigs of ram and 250GB hard drive. Technically, you go as low as using a Raspberry Pi 4B+ running Owncast, but Ill save that so a future tutorial. Let's get started. **ON YOUR COMPUTER** You'll need to install OBS (open broaster software). OBS is the go-to for streaming to social media. There are tons of YouTube videos on it's function. WE, however, will only be doing the basics to get us up and running. First, go to [ https://obsproject.com/]( https://obsproject.com/)  Once on the OBS site, choose the correct download for you system. Linux, MacOs or Windows. Download (remember where you downloaded the file to). Go there and install your download. You may have to enter your password to install on your particular operating system. This is normal. Once you've installed OBS, open the application. It should look something like this...  For our purposes, we will be in studio mode. Locate the 'Studio Mode' button on the right lower-hand side of the screen, and click it.  You'll see the screen split like in the image above. The left-side is from your desktop, and the right-side is what your broadcast will look like. Next, we go to settings. The 'Settings' button is located right below the 'Studio Mode" button.  Now we're in settings and you should see something like this...  Now locate stream in the right-hand menu. It should be the second in the list. Click it.  Once in the stream section, go to 'Service' and in the right-hand drop-down, find and select 'Custom...' from the drop-down menu.  Remeber where this is because we'll need to come back to it, shortly. **ZAPSTREAM** We need our streamkey credentials from Zapstream. Go to [ https://zap.stream]( https://zap.stream). Then, go to your dashboard.  Located on the lower right-hand side is the Server URL and Stream Key. You'll need to copy/paste this in OBS.  You may have to generate new keys, if they aren't already there. This is normal. If you're interested in multi-streaming (That's where you broadcast to multiple social media platforms all at once), youll need the server URL and streamkeys from each. You'll place them in their respective forms in Zapstream's 'Stream Forwarding" section.  Use the custom form, if the platform you want to stream to isn't listed. *Side-Note: remember that you can use your nostr identity across multiple nostr client applications. So when your login for Amethyst, as an example, could be used when you login to zapstream. Also, i would suggest using Alby's browser extension. It makes it much easier to fund your stream, as well as receive zaps. * **Now, BACK TO OBS...** With Stream URL and Key in hand, paste them in the 'Stream" section of OBS' settings. Service [Custom...] Server [Server URL] StreamKey [Your zapstream stream key]  After you've entered all your streaming credentials, click 'OK' at the bottom, on the right-hand side. **WHAT'S NEXT?** Let's setup your first stream from OBS. First we need to choose a source. Your source is your input device. It can be your webcam, your mic, your monitor, or any particular window on your screen. assuming you're an absolute beginner, we're going to use the source 'Window Capture (Xcomposite)'.  Now, open your source file. We'll use a video source called 'grannyhiphop.mp4'. In your case it can be whatever you want to stream; Just be sure to select the proper source.  Double-click on 'Window Capture' in your sources list. In the pop-up window, select your file from the 'Window' drop-down menu.   You should see something like this...  Working in the left display of OBS, we will adjust the video by left-click, hold and drag the bottom corner, so that it takes up the whole display.  In order to adjust the right-side display ( the broadcast side), we need to manipulate the video source by changing it's size.  This may take some time to adjust the size. This is normal. What I've found to help is, after every adjustment, I click the 'Fade (300ms)' button. I have no idea why it helps, but it does, lol.  Finally, after getting everything to look the way you want, you click the 'Start Stream' button.  **BACK TO ZAPSTREAM** Now, we go back to zapstream to check to see if our stream is up. It may take a few moments to update. You may even need to refresh the page. This is normal.  STREAMS UP!!! A few things, in closing. You'll notice that your dashbooard has changed. It'll show current stream time, how much time you have left (according to your funding source), who's zapped you with how much theyve zapped, the ability to post a note about your stream (to both nostr and twitter), and it shows your chatbox with your listeners. There are also a raid feature, stream settings (where you can title & tag your stream). You can 'topup' your funding for your stream. As well as, see your current balance. You did a great and If you ever need more help, just use the tag #asknostr in your note. There are alway nostriches willing to help. **STAY AWESOME!!!**

@ 00000001:b0c77eb9

مواقع التواصل الإجتماعي العامة هي التي تتحكم بك، تتحكم بك بفرض أجندتها وتجبرك على اتباعها وتحظر وتحذف كل ما يخالفها، وحرية التعبير تنحصر في أجندتها تلك! وخوارزمياتها الخبيثة التي لا حاجة لها، تعرض لك مايريدون منك أن تراه وتحجب ما لا يريدونك أن تراه. في نوستر انت المتحكم، انت الذي تحدد من تتابع و انت الذي تحدد المرحلات التي تنشر منشوراتك بها. نوستر لامركزي، بمعنى عدم وجود سلطة تتحكم ببياناتك، بياناتك موجودة في المرحلات، ولا احد يستطيع حذفها او تعديلها او حظر ظهورها. و هذا لا ينطبق فقط على مواقع التواصل الإجتماعي العامة، بل ينطبق أيضاً على الـfediverse، في الـfediverse انت لست حر، انت تتبع الخادم الذي تستخدمه ويستطيع هذا الخادم حظر ما لا يريد ظهوره لك، لأنك لا تتواصل مع بقية الخوادم بنفسك، بل خادمك من يقوم بذلك بالنيابة عنك. وحتى إذا كنت تمتلك خادم في شبكة الـfediverse، إذا خالفت اجندة بقية الخوادم ونظرتهم عن حرية الرأي و التعبير سوف يندرج خادمك في القائمة السوداء fediblock ولن يتمكن خادمك من التواصل مع بقية خوادم الشبكة، ستكون محصوراً بالخوادم الأخرى المحظورة كخادمك، بالتالي انت في الشبكة الأخرى من الـfediverse! نعم، يوجد شبكتان في الكون الفدرالي fediverse شبكة الصالحين التابعين للأجندة الغربية وشبكة الطالحين الذين لا يتبعون لها، إذا تم إدراج خادمك في قائمة fediblock سوف تذهب للشبكة الأخرى!

@ 6f7db55a:985d8b25

This article will be basic instructions for extreme normies (I say that lovingly), or anyone looking to get started with using zap.stream and sharing to nostr. **EQUIPMENT** Getting started is incredibly easy and your equipment needs are miniscule. An old desktop or laptop running Linux, MacOs, or Windows made in the passed 15yrs should do. Im currently using and old Dell Latitude E5430 with an Intel i5-3210M with 32Gigs of ram and 250GB hard drive. Technically, you go as low as using a Raspberry Pi 4B+ running Owncast, but Ill save that so a future tutorial. Let's get started. **ON YOUR COMPUTER** You'll need to install OBS (open broaster software). OBS is the go-to for streaming to social media. There are tons of YouTube videos on it's function. WE, however, will only be doing the basics to get us up and running. First, go to [https://obsproject.com/](https://obsproject.com/)  Once on the OBS site, choose the correct download for you system. Linux, MacOs or Windows. Download (remember where you downloaded the file to). Go there and install your download. You may have to enter your password to install on your particular operating system. This is normal. Once you've installed OBS, open the application. It should look something like this...  For our purposes, we will be in studio mode. Locate the 'Studio Mode' button on the right lower-hand side of the screen, and click it.  You'll see the screen split like in the image above. The left-side is from your desktop, and the right-side is what your broadcast will look like. Next, we go to settings. The 'Settings' button is located right below the 'Studio Mode" button.  Now we're in settings and you should see something like this...  Now locate stream in the right-hand menu. It should be the second in the list. Click it.  Once in the stream section, go to 'Service' and in the right-hand drop-down, find and select 'Custom...' from the drop-down menu.  Remeber where this is because we'll need to come back to it, shortly. **ZAPSTREAM** We need our streamkey credentials from Zapstream. Go to [https://zap.stream](https://zap.stream). Then, go to your dashboard.  Located on the lower right-hand side is the Server URL and Stream Key. You'll need to copy/paste this in OBS.  You may have to generate new keys, if they aren't already there. This is normal. If you're interested in multi-streaming (That's where you broadcast to multiple social media platforms all at once), youll need the server URL and streamkeys from each. You'll place them in their respective forms in Zapstream's 'Stream Forwarding" section.  Use the custom form, if the platform you want to stream to isn't listed. *Side-Note: remember that you can use your nostr identity across multiple nostr client applications. So when your login for Amethyst, as an example, could be used when you login to zapstream. Also, i would suggest using Alby's browser extension. It makes it much easier to fund your stream, as well as receive zaps. * **Now, BACK TO OBS...** With Stream URL and Key in hand, paste them in the 'Stream" section of OBS' settings. Service [Custom...] Server [Server URL] StreamKey [Your zapstream stream key]  After you've entered all your streaming credentials, click 'OK' at the bottom, on the right-hand side. **WHAT'S NEXT?** Let's setup your first stream from OBS. First we need to choose a source. Your source is your input device. It can be your webcam, your mic, your monitor, or any particular window on your screen. assuming you're an absolute beginner, we're going to use the source 'Window Capture (Xcomposite)'.  Now, open your source file. We'll use a video source called 'grannyhiphop.mp4'. In your case it can be whatever you want to stream; Just be sure to select the proper source.  Double-click on 'Window Capture' in your sources list. In the pop-up window, select your file from the 'Window' drop-down menu.   You should see something like this...  Working in the left display of OBS, we will adjust the video by left-click, hold and drag the bottom corner, so that it takes up the whole display.  In order to adjust the right-side display ( the broadcast side), we need to manipulate the video source by changing it's size.  This may take some time to adjust the size. This is normal. What I've found to help is, after every adjustment, I click the 'Fade (300ms)' button. I have no idea why it helps, but it does, lol.  Finally, after getting everything to look the way you want, you click the 'Start Stream' button.  **BACK TO ZAPSTREAM** Now, we go back to zapstream to check to see if our stream is up. It may take a few moments to update. You may even need to refresh the page. This is normal.  STREAMS UP!!! A few things, in closing. You'll notice that your dashbooard has changed. It'll show current stream time, how much time you have left (according to your funding source), who's zapped you with how much theyve zapped, the ability to post a note about your stream (to both nostr and twitter), and it shows your chatbox with your listeners. There are also a raid feature, stream settings (where you can title & tag your stream). You can 'topup' your funding for your stream. As well as, see your current balance. You did a great and If you ever need more help, just use the tag #asknostr in your note. There are alway nostriches willing to help. **STAY AWESOME!!!** npub: nostr:npub1rsvhkyk2nnsyzkmsuaq9h9ms7rkxhn8mtxejkca2l4pvkfpwzepql3vmtf

@ 0000065e:9b5b4c75

Se está armando un considerable revuelo con las medidas, impulsadas por La Liga y Telefónica, que afectan a servicios relacionados con Cloudflare y a muchos de sus usuarios que tienen que soportar la restricción en la operatividad de los mismos. Pero, ¿cómo puede ser que un tema de “piratería” acabe afectando, con aparente impunidad, a servicios legítimos? Aquí intentaremos explicarlo. Desde tiempos casi inmemoriales la industria relacionada con la explotación de los contenidos, y prestaciones, sujetos a derechos de propiedad intelectual han sido tremendamente imaginativos a la hora de buscar mecanismos que aseguren sus pingües beneficios. Como los jueces no solían hacerles caso, impulsaron modificaciones legislativas para quitarlos de la ecuación, *administrativizando* el conflicto, como sucedió con la conocida como Ley Sinde. Pero los mecanismos de esta Ley no eran lo suficientemente ágiles para lo que quería la industria, por lo que había que darle otra vuelta de tuerca al asunto, lo que se hizo con ocasión del art. 138 de la Ley de Propiedad Intelectual. En síntesis, el truco es el siguiente: - El titular de los derechos acude a un Juzgado honesto, imparcial y preocupado, como no podía ser de otra forma, por la defensa de los derechos fundamentales reconocidos constitucionalmente. - Ahí plantea una demanda, no contra quien considera infractor de esos derechos (Cloudflare o los usuarios que hacen uso ilícito de sus servicios), sino contra los operadores de telecomunicaciones que dan acceso a internet, en una aplicación torticera y kafkiana del art. 138 LPI (sobre el que volveremos más adelante) pidiendo una serie de medidas. - Las operadoras se "allanan" a la demanda, es decir, reconocen y aceptan las pretensiones del demandante, y el juez [concede las medidas](https://bandaancha.eu/articulos/2-nuevos-listados-obligan-operadoras-10322). Con este truco, todos se guardan las vergüenzas unos a otros: - Los demandantes: Nosotros solamente pedimos las medidas. Es el juez el que las acuerda. - El juez: A mi me viene uno pidiendo una cosa, la parte demandada se allana. Tengo que conceder lo pedido. - El operador: Tengo que hacer caso al juez. Para conseguir esto, los demandantes llevan a cabo una torticera interpretación de los artículos 138 y 139 de la LPI, que en la aplicación que se está haciendo de los mismos convierte dichos preceptos en inconstitucionales, pues, en la práctica, se condena a una pluralidad de personas al cierre de su página web o restricción de sus servicios en España sin darles la más mínima oportunidad defenderse, en una flagrante vulneración tanto de la libertad de expresión e información (art. 20 de la Constitución) como del derecho a la tutela judicial efectiva (art. 24 de la Constitución), pues causa una evidente indefensión la producción de una condena sin posibilidad alguna de defenderse, por no hablar de que puede afectar también a servicios críticos o esenciales, como por ejemplo hospitales y centros de emergencias. Los artículos 138 y 139, formalmente, permiten demandar directamente a los prestadores de servicios de intermediación (operadores que dan acceso a Internet), para instar la suspensión de los servicios que estos presenten a infractores de derechos de propiedad intelectual. En concreto estos son los preceptos a considerar: > > Artículo 138. Acciones y **medidas cautelares urgentes**. El titular de los derechos reconocidos en esta ley, sin perjuicio de otras acciones que le correspondan, podrá instar el cese de la actividad ilícita del infractor y exigir la indemnización de los daños materiales y morales causados, en los términos previstos en los artículos 139 y 140. También podrá instar la publicación o difusión, total o parcial, de la resolución judicial o arbitral en medios de comunicación a costa del infractor…. > > Tanto las medidas de cesación específicas contempladas en el artículo 139.1.h) como las medidas cautelares previstas en el artículo 141.6 podrán también solicitarse, cuando sean apropiadas, contra los intermediarios a cuyos servicios recurra un tercero para infringir derechos de propiedad intelectual…. > > Art. 139. h) La suspensión de los servicios prestados por intermediarios a terceros que se valgan de ellos para infringir derechos de propiedad intelectual, sin perjuicio de lo dispuesto en la Ley 34/2002, de 11 de julio, de servicios de la sociedad de la información y de comercio electrónico.” A nadie honesto, y con un mínimo de sentido común e intención de realizar una hermeneútica correcta, puede escapársele que dichos artículos no están pensados para el supuesto de hecho que nos ocupa, donde no consta la existencia de una válida declaración de infracción de propiedad intelectual, que se ha construido de forma artificial, sin respeto a los principios de dualidad y contradicción de partes, generando una evidente indefensión a las partes que se ven perjudicadas por la pretensión de los demandantes. La Audiencia Provincial de Barcelona tuvo oportunidad de analizar estas peculiares y exóticas previsiones normativas en su Sentencia nº 115/2018, de fecha 20 de febrero de 2018, que es citada por las sentencias que afectan a la polémica que analizamos, y donde sobre la génesis de estos preceptos nos indica: > “15. El redactado de los artículos 138 y 139 del TRLPI , en lo que afecta a **la extensión de las acciones de cesación a los intermediarios, no aparecía en el texto originario de la Ley**, es consecuencia de una de las múltiples reformas que se han llevado a efecto para adaptar la normativa española sobre propiedad intelectual a la normativa comunitaria. Concretamente, la reforma que afecta a estos preceptos es la llevada a efecto por la Ley 23/2006, de 7 de julio, por la que se modifica el texto refundido de la Ley de Propiedad Intelectual, aprobado por el Real Decreto Legislativo 1/1996, de 12 de abril. > La Exposición de Motivos de esta reforma indica las razones de la misma: > «La razón de esta reforma del texto refundido de la Ley de Propiedad Intelectual, aprobado por el Real Decreto Legislativo 1/1996, de 12 de abril, responde a la necesidad de incorporar al derecho español una de las últimas directivas aprobadas en materia de propiedad intelectual, la Directiva 2001/29/CE del Parlamento Europeo y del Consejo, de 22 de mayo de 2001, relativa a la armonización de determinados aspectos de los derechos de autor y derechos afines a los derechos de autor en la sociedad de la información, con la que la Unión Europea, a su vez, ha querido cumplir los Tratados de la Organización Mundial de la Propiedad Intelectual (OMPI) de 1996 sobre Derecho de Autor y sobre Interpretación o Ejecución y Fonogramas.» > Y, en el último punto de la Exposición de Motivos, se especifica el alcance de la reforma respecto de las acciones y procedimientos: > «Respecto a las acciones y procedimientos que los titulares de los derechos pueden instar, se establece, por primera vez, la **posibilidad de solicitar medidas cautelares contra los intermediarios** a cuyos servicios recurre un tercero para infringir derechos de propiedad intelectual, sin la exigencia de que el intermediario sea también infractor.» Es decir, la propia norma, en su exposición de motivos, limita la aplicación de los meritados preceptos, en cuanto a la posibilidad de dirigir la acción directamente contra los intermediarios, al **ámbito de las medidas cautelares.** Ello se deriva igualmente de lo dispuesto en las disposiciones europeas aplicables, como indica la sentencia al decir: > “Por lo tanto, la interpretación de estos preceptos debe hacerse en consonancia con la normativa de la Unión Europea y la jurisprudencia que la desarrolla. > 16.- La Directiva 2001/29/CE en su considerando 59 destaca uno de los objetivos de la misma: «Sobre todo en el entorno digital, es posible que terceras partes utilicen cada vez con mayor frecuencia los servicios de intermediarios para llevar a cabo actividades ilícitas. En muchos casos, estos intermediarios son quienes están en mejor situación de poner fin a dichas actividades ilícitas. Así pues, y sin perjuicio de otras sanciones o recursos contemplados, los titulares de los derechos deben tener la posibilidad de solicitar **medidas cautelares** contra el intermediario que transmita por la red la infracción contra la obra o prestación protegidas cometida por un tercero. Esta posibilidad debe estar abierta aun cuando los actos realizados por el intermediario estén exentos en virtud del artículo 5. Debe corresponder a la legislación nacional de los Estados miembros regular las condiciones y modalidades de dichas **medidas cautelares**.» > Y, para la consecución de este objetivo, el artículo 8.3 de la Directiva establece que: > «3. Los Estados miembros velarán porque los titulares de los derechos estén en condiciones de solicitar **medidas cautelares** contra los intermediarios a cuyos servicios recurra un tercero para infringir un derecho de autor o un derecho afín a los derechos de autor.» > 17.- La Directiva comunitaria en principio prevé únicamente la existencia de **medidas cautelares** frente a los intermediarios, así aparece también en el TRLPI ya que el artículo 138 en sus incisos finales hace referencia a medidas cautelares, es decir, medidas instrumentales, necesarias para asegurar la efectividad de la tutela judicial que pudiera otorgarse en la sentencia estimatoria que se dictare.” > No obstante lo anterior, **la Audiencia Provincial**, en un pronunciamiento que, entendemos, cuando menos de dudosa constitucionalidad, considera que la Ley permite el ejercicio de estas pretensiones más allá del ámbito de las “acciones y **medidas cautelares urgentes**” que menciona la Exposición de Motivos, la normativa europea y el propio título del art. 138, argumentando lo siguiente: > “Sin embargo, al desarrollarse el contenido de las acciones de cesación el artículo 139 incluye expresamente la suspensión de los servicios prestados por el intermediario (art. 139.1.h), lo que puede habilitar no sólo a la solicitud de medidas cautelares, sino también a la petición, como pretensión principal, de la suspensión de los servicios. Este régimen legal interno, sin duda más amplio que el derivado del artículo 8.3 de la Directiva, permite abrir una serie de escenarios procesales con trascendencia material por cuanto podría habilitar a dirigir demandas únicamente frente a los intermediarios y no frente al infractor, o podría también habilitar cauce procesal para iniciar acciones frente a los intermediarios sin que exista una previa declaración de infracción imputable, en todo caso, a quien se vale de esos proveedores de servicios para realizar una actividad infractora.” Parece de dudosa constitucionalidad que se extienda, más allá del estricto ámbito cautelar urgente, la posibilidad de acordar una medida como el cierre de una página web o restricción de servicios sin contar con la presencia en el litigio de las personas afectadas por las medidas. Pero **la Audiencia limita esta posibilidad y sí establece, al menos, la necesidad de que exista una constatación de la existencia de infracción**, como presupuesto para el ejercicio de la acción. En este sentido, la Audiencia considera que un pronunciamiento administrativo al respecto no es suficiente, pero, sorprendentemente, sí considera que un informe de parte no sometido a contradicción, como sucede en el caso de la Sentencia del Juzgado de lo Mercantil nº 9, en cambio, sí constata la existencia de infracción. En concreto, así se pronuncia la Audiencia: > “Estos problemas son los que se plantean en el supuesto de autos, dado que no ha sido llamado a juicio el titular de la página web supuestamente infractora (www.exvagos.com): no se ha producido un pronunciamiento civil en el que se declare la infracción por parte del titular de esta página web, aunque sí existe un pronunciamiento administrativo ante la Comisión de Propiedad Intelectual… > Por lo tanto, la **constatación de una infracción de derechos de propiedad intelectual** es un presupuesto ineludible para poder ejercitar las acciones previstas en los artículos 138 y 139 del TRLPI… > el procedimiento administrativo previo no puede servir, por sí solo, para dar por cumplido o satisfecho el presupuesto previo de infracción por parte del titular de la web, ni la retirada de contenidos puede tener el alcance de presunción de infracción…. > en los autos constan otros **documentos en los que se acredita de modo eficiente la realidad de la infracción**. Se trata, concretamente de la **prueba pericial** aportada como documento número 12 de la demanda… El examen de esa prueba pericial sí permite concluir que la página web exvagos facilita el acceso a contenidos y habilita un sistema de intercambio de archivos que infringe derechos de propiedad intelectual. Así lo hace ampliamente el juez de instancia en la Sentencia recurrida (fundamento de derecho cuarto). ” En este mismo sentido, sobre la necesidad de constatar la existencia de la infracción, se pronuncia la Sentencia nº 15/2018, del Juzgado de lo Mercantil nº 6 de Barcelona, al decir, en un caso similar, que: > “... el demandante **no quedará exento de probar**, con carácter prejudicial la infracción sobre los derechos de propiedad intelectual.” Pues bien, **en el caso de Cloudflare, al menos hasta donde es conocido, no existe ninguna constatación de esa supuesta infracción** (más allá de un “informe técnico” no sometido a contradicción), y los demandantes, acaso en connivencia con los demandados (lo cual es obvio en el caso de TELEFÓNICA, que actúa, con diferentes empresas, como demandante y demandado), o conscientes de que para estos era más fácil allanarse que oponerse a unas pretensiones que no representan perjuicio alguno para ellos, construyen esta farsa de proceso judicial, para conseguir la restricción de los servicios, sin ofrecer la más mínima posibilidad de intervención en el litigio. Debemos mencionar que algunas sentencias, como la anteriormente citada del Juzgado de lo Mercantil nº 6 de Barcelona, basan la procedencia de la medida acordada contra las páginas web en que sus “**titulares no han podido ser identificados ni localizados**”, en cuyo caso podría considerarse pertinente un procedimiento sin la participación del presunto infractor. Pero eso no es lo que parece que suceda en este caso, donde al menos Cloudflare se encuentra perfectamente identificada. Como vemos, la extensión de la posibilidad que tiene el titular de los derechos de accionar directamente contra los prestadores de servicios de intermediación fuera del ámbito cautelar urgente es algo que no da la impresión de estar previsto en la Ley y que, desde luego, es de una más que dudosa constitucionalidad. Si la LPI permite demandar al prestador de servicios, sin conocimiento siquiera del titular de los derechos que se ven afectados, y sin una declaración judicial dictada respetando los principios de igualdad entre las partes afectadas y de contradicción, con base únicamente en un documento de parte, que no ha sido sometido a contradicción, entonces dicha previsión ha de considerarse inconstitucional, al violar el art. 24 y la tutela judicial efectiva. Conforme a una interpretación razonable de la Ley, la parte actora podría haber solicitado medidas cautelares frente a los prestadores de servicios, pero de forma coetánea o inmediatamente posterior demandar a los presuntos infractores, a fin de que en un proceso contradictorio se determinara si realmente existe infracción y permitir, a los afectados por las medidas poder exponer su visión del asunto en sede judicial. Podría pensarse, así, que el Juzgado aceptó una interpretación inconstitucional de los artículos 138 y 139 LPI, y no tuvo en cuenta que el art. 21 LEC, establece que el allanamiento debe rechazarse cuando suponga, como es el caso, un perjuicio a tercero no demandado en el procedimiento, pues el art. 21 LEC indica que: > “Cuando el demandado se allane a todas las pretensiones del actor, el tribunal dictará sentencia condenatoria de acuerdo con lo solicitado por éste, pero si el allanamiento se hiciera en **fraude de ley** o supusiera renuncia **contra el interés general** o **perjuicio de tercero,** se dictará auto rechazándolo y seguirá el proceso adelante.” Las sentencias de los Juzgados de lo [Mercantil nº 6](https://www.poderjudicial.es/search/AN/openDocument/2d094260f53b5cdca0a8778d75e36f0d/20221006) y [9 de Barcelona](https://www.poderjudicial.es/search/AN/openDocument/3c85bed480cbb1daa0a8778d75e36f0d/20221004), que al parecer son las que sirven de base para las medidas que comentamos, exponen que no se perjudica a terceros, pero, como es notorio y ostensible, en este punto los juzgados de lo mercantil se equivocan del medio al medio, puesto que el allanamiento, sin duda alguna, supone un claro perjuicio de terceros, Cloudflare y sus usuarios legítimos, que ven cómo sus servicios son objeto de restricción, sin ofrecerles posibilidad de defenderse ni argumentar contra las pretensiones de las actoras, infringiendo así el art. 21 LEC, en cuya virtud, el allanamiento debe rechazarse cuando suponga, como es el caso, un perjuicio a terceros no demandados en el procedimiento. De esta forma, como hemos expuesto, se ha articulado una suerte de procedimiento formal, inexistente en la práctica, para evitar un proceso contradictorio sobre su pretensión, eludiendo así la eventual participación de los afectados en el debate litigioso, algo que, deberemos convenir, supone una clara infracción del art. 24 de la Constitución, tal y como lo interpreta nuestro Tribunal Constitucional en sentencias como la STC 43/2010: > “Este Tribunal ha declarado reiteradamente que el derecho a la tutela judicial efectiva sin indefensión (art. 24.1 CE) garantiza a **todos los que puedan resultar afectados por la decisión que se dicte en un proceso judicial el derecho a conocer su existencia, a fin de que tengan la posibilidad de intervenir en él, ser oídos, y ejercer la defensa de sus derechos e intereses legítimos**. Esta necesidad de promover la defensa, en la medida de lo posible, mediante la debida contradicción, **impone a los órganos judiciales un especial deber de diligencia** que, en palabras de la STC 56/2001, de 26 de febrero, FJ 2, “tiene especial importancia en el proceso de ejecución”. En concreto, y por lo que respecta a la posibilidad de intervenir en un proceso de ejecución, hemos afirmado que el derecho a la tutela judicial efectiva habilita a quienes ostenten algún derecho o interés legítimo que pueda verse afectado por los actos de ejecución a comparecer y actuar en el procedimiento, aunque no hubieran sido parte en el proceso principal, y a este fin los arts. 270 LOPJ y 260.2 LEC exigen que las resoluciones judiciales se notifiquen no sólo a las partes procesales, sino también a las personas a quienes se refieran o puedan parar perjuicio (SSTC 229/2000, de 2 de octubre, FJ 3; 56/2001, de 26 de febrero, FJ 2).” Por otro lado, siguiendo la anterior sentencia, el art. 270 LOPJ impone el **deber de notificar las resoluciones judiciales**, no solo a las partes, sino “también **a quienes se refieran o puedan parar perjuicios**”, lo que, como indica la Audiencia Provincial de Barcelona en su Auto de 29 de junio de 2002, “va más allá de una mera facultad discrecional del juzgador, notificación que tiene por objeto poner en conocimiento de tales personas la resolución y posibilitar la defensa de su derecho inquietado o perturbado.” Y en el mismo sentido, el art. 150 LEC establece que “**también se notificará la pendencia del proceso a las personas que, según los mismos autos, puedan verse afectadas** por la resolución que ponga fin al procedimiento.” Da la impresión de que ambos preceptos han sido infringidos por los Juzgados y deberían determinar la nulidad de lo actuado y, por tanto, de las sentencias que comentamos. Como se ha expuesto, podría apreciarse una **vulneración del art. 21 de LEC, que impide acceder al allanamiento cuando ello suponga un perjuicio de tercero, fraude de Ley o contrarien intereses generales**, pero más allá de eso, podría dar lugar también a una **violación de la tutela judicial efectiva** reconocida en el art. 24 de la Constitución, desde el momento en que se obliga a unos terceros a soportar una condena sin posibilidad alguna de un proceso con unas mínimas garantías. Como hemos dicho, la previsión del art. 138 LPI, que permite solicitar la suspensión de los servicios prestados por intermediarios a terceros directamente contra dichos intermediarios, queda circunscrita al ámbito establecido en el propio título del art. 138, “Acciones y medidas cautelares urgentes” y no constituyen una acción autónoma fuera del ámbito cautelar urgente. En segundo lugar, una interpretación de dicho precepto, en el sentido de que permita el ejercicio de una acción de condena (en la práctica el cierre páginas web y diversos servicios relacionados con estas), sin posibilidad alguna de defensa de los afectados (Cloudflare y sus usuarios), iría en contra del art. 24 de la Constitución y si dicha Ley debe interpretarse en este sentido, sería inconstitucional. Finalmente, si se admite la existencia de esa acción independiente y que la misma es constitucional, su procedencia debe conectarse con dos requisitos: una constatación efectiva de la existencia de infracción, que entendemos debe producirse en el marco de un proceso contradictorio donde se ofrezca al presunto infractor la posibilidad de defenderse, así como una imposibilidad de identificación y/o localización del mismo. El principio fundamental que rige el desarrollo del procedimiento en su conjunto es el derecho de las partes a no sufrir indefensión. Y la indefensión proscrita por el artículo 24.1 de la Constitución no es la meramente formal, sino la material, es decir, aquella que haya producido a la parte un real y efectivo menoscabo de sus posibilidades de defensa. Cabe citar en este sentido la [Sentencia del Tribunal Constitucional nº 161/2006](https://hj.tribunalconstitucional.es/HJ/es/Resolucion/Show/5763), de 22 de mayo de 2006: > “Según una consolidada doctrina constitucional el derecho a la tutela judicial efectiva sin indefensión que se reconoce en el artículo 24.1 de la Constitución Española **garantiza el derecho a acceder al proceso en condiciones de poder ser oído y ejercer la defensa de los derechos e intereses legítimos**… La finalidad material de esta exigencia es la de llevar al conocimiento de los afectados las resoluciones judiciales, para que puedan adoptar la postura que estimen pertinente en defensa de sus intereses (por todas, las sentencias del Tribunal Constitucional 77/1997, de 21 de abril, FJ 2; y 216/2002, de 25 de noviembre, FJ 2)." Esta trascendencia constitucional de la correcta configuración de los procesos, a fin de que los eventuales afectados puedan ser oídos y defenderse adecuadamente se extiende también a procedimientos en los que, formalmente, se configuran como terceros, como sucede en este caso. Sirva como muestra de ello, la STC 43/2010, de 26 de julio que contiene unos pronunciamientos perfectamente aplicables al caso, si sustituimos las referencias a “ejecución” por “medidas de cesación”: > “Este Tribunal ha declarado reiteradamente que el derecho a la tutela judicial efectiva sin indefensión (art. 24.1 CE) garantiza a **todos los que puedan resultar afectados por la decisión que se dicte en un proceso judicial el derecho a conocer su existencia, a fin de que tengan la posibilidad de intervenir en él, ser oídos, y ejercer la defensa de sus derechos e intereses legítimos**. > > Esta necesidad de promover la defensa, en la medida de lo posible, mediante la **debida contradicción**, impone a los órganos judiciales un especial deber de diligencia que, en palabras de la STC 56/2001, de 26 de febrero, FJ 2, “tiene especial importancia en el proceso de ejecución”. En concreto, y por lo que respecta a la posibilidad de intervenir en un proceso de ejecución, hemos afirmado que el **derecho a la tutela judicial efectiva habilita a quienes ostenten algún derecho o interés legítimo que pueda verse afectado** por los actos de ejecución a comparecer y actuar en el procedimiento, aunque no hubieran sido parte en el proceso principal, y a este fin los arts. 270 LOPJ y 260.2 LEC exigen que las resoluciones judiciales se notifiquen no sólo a las partes procesales, sino también a las personas a quienes se refieran o puedan parar perjuicio (SSTC 229/2000, de 2 de octubre, FJ 3; 56/2001, de 26 de febrero, FJ 2). > > ...Afirmamos en aquel caso que ello “provoca la indefensión de la demandante de amparo, pues contra el mandato contenido en el art. 24.1 CE de promover la defensión mediante la correspondiente contradicción, y sin perjuicio del pronunciamiento que pueda recaer, de lo que se resuelva sobre la posesión y sobre la posible reserva de las acciones que puedan corresponder a los implicados, conforme acertadamente mantiene el Ministerio Fiscal, el órgano judicial acordó el lanzamiento del propietario y poseedor legítimo de una vivienda sin tan siquiera permitirle comparecer a defender su derecho en un procedimiento contradictorio” (FJ 9). > > En definitiva, de nuestra doctrina se desprende con **absoluta claridad que la interdicción de la indefensión consagrada en el art. 24.1 CE impone a los órganos judiciales el deber de velar por que quienes ostenten algún derecho o interés legítimo en un proceso** de ejecución, aunque no hayan sido parte en el proceso principal, **puedan comparecer y ser oídos en el mismo para garantizar su defensa**, sin perjuicio del pronunciamiento que pueda recaer y de la posible existencia de otras acciones que puedan corresponder a los afectados. > > …En definitiva, y como afirma el Ministerio Fiscal, **el órgano judicial no actuó con la diligencia debida en orden a procurar que los demandantes de amparo pudieran tener conocimiento y comparecer en un proceso** ejecutivo **en el que resultaban afectados sus intereses**... Y dicho comportamiento del órgano judicial **causó indefensión constitucionalmente relevante**, pues **les privó de su derecho a ser oídos y les impidió el ejercicio del derecho de defensa de sus legítimos derechos e intereses** sobre el citado inmueble, sin que exista dato alguno en las actuaciones del que se desprenda que los recurrentes conocieran la existencia del procedimiento ejecutivo o que no hayan actuado con la diligencia debida en orden a facilitar su comparecencia en el citado proceso.” Es evidente que a los afectados por las medidas **se les privó del derecho a ser oídos** y **se les impidió el ejercicio del derecho de defensa** de sus legítimos intereses sobre las páginas y servicios que operaban, por lo que se ha producido una **violación del derecho a la tutela judicial efectiva** reconocida en el art. 24 de la Constitución. Además, las medidas de bloqueo de direcciones compartidas afectan también a la **libertad de expresión e información** de terceros que no guardan relación alguna con el conflicto y, lo que es peor, puede tener una **negativa incidencia en servicios que podrían ser críticos,** lo que es un comportamiento peligroso, irresponsable y negligente. Por todas estas razones, las sentencias deberían ser anuladas y las medidas derivadas de ellas dejadas sin efecto, ofreciendo en todo caso a los afectados la posibilidad de ser oídos en juicio y defender sus legítimos intereses.

@ 9e69e420:d12360c2

Vice President J.D. Vance addressed the Munich Security Conference, criticizing European leaders for undermining free speech and traditional values. He claimed that the biggest threat to Europe is not from external enemies but from internal challenges. Vance condemned the arrest of a British man for praying near an abortion clinic and accused European politicians of censorship. He urged leaders to combat illegal immigration and questioned their democratic practices. “There is a new sheriff in town,” he said, referring to President Trump. Vance's remarks were unexpected, as many anticipated discussions on security or Ukraine. His speech emphasized the need for Europe to share the defense burden to ensure stability and security.

@ c43d6de3:a6583169

“IN THIS SPRING of 1953 the free world weighs one question above all others: the chance for a just peace for all peoples,” Dwight D. Eisenhower’s throat went dry and he swallowed to alleviate the burn. Eight years had passed since the end of world war 2 but still the beaches of the Marshall Islands lay charred, Hiroshima and Nagasaki dosed in radiation and ruin, and countless ghost towns still littered Europe’s mangled face. Dwight peered through his glasses at his speech on the podium, then raised his gaze back at the small crowd gathered in front of him in the conference room at the American Society of Newspaper Editors in Washington, D.C. Everyone was on the edge of their seats. The President spoke of peace, but the United States faced a great enemy in the Soviet Union. How would he continue?  “To weigh this chance is to summon instantly to mind another recent moment of great decision. It came with that yet more hopeful spring of 1945, bright with the promise of victory and of freedom. The hope of all just men in that moment too was a just and lasting peace.” The heads among the spectators raised in hope, as if the enthusiasm in the President’s voice could be enough to wipe away any prospect of future war against the Soviet threat. “In that spring of victory the soldiers of the Western Allies met the soldiers of Russia in the center of Europe. They were triumphant comrades in arms. Their peoples shared the joyous prospect of building, in honor of their dead, the only fitting monument-an age of just peace. All these war-weary peoples shared too this concrete, decent purpose: to guard vigilantly against the domination ever again of any part of the world by a single, unbridled aggressive power.” “This common purpose lasted an instant and perished. The nations of the world divided to follow two distinct roads.” “The United States and our valued friends, the other free nations, chose one road.” “The leaders of the Soviet Union chose another.” “The way chosen by the United States was plainly marked by a few clear precepts, which govern its conduct in world affairs.” **What came next in Dwight D. Eisenhower’s speech “The Chance for Peace” is the answer to preventing wars between countries** “First: No people on earth can be held, as a people, to be an enemy, for all humanity shares the **common hunger for peace and fellowship and justice.** Second: No nation's security and well-being can be lastingly achieved in isolation but only in **effective cooperation** with fellow nations. Third: **Any nation's right to a form of government and an economic system** of its own choosing **is inalienable**. Fourth: Any nation's attempt to dictate to other nations their form of government **is indefensible**. And fifth: A nation's hope of lasting peace cannot be firmly based upon any race in armaments but rather upon **just relations and honest understanding** with all other nations.”  **I. First Point** When you minimize any nation or country to its most granular piece, the human family, you realize every nation or country is the same. It is a larger body of human families looking to establish peace out of chaos against nature, fellowship with their neighbor to make that peace possible, and justice against affronts to the foundations of the formerly stated peace and fellowship. Without this, what you have is not a nation but rather wilderness.  **II. Second Point** When we enter the world stage and look at the community of nations it is important we understand that no nation can truly expect to uphold Eisenhower’s first point without the ability to cooperate with other nations. There can be a natural disaster that strikes an entire nation and without exterior help, it may be impossible to overcome. Understand, Eisenhower’s second point only serves as an extension of the first point. Humankind's struggle with nature will always exist, but in cooperation with other communities we can overcome hardship against nature and live in better harmony.  **III. Third Point** It cannot be argued that humans, after millenia of having dispersed across the planet, have collected into pockets of communities of which grew and developed with experiences based on the place in the world where they’ve resided. This has birthed cultures, religions, and moral codes that serve as the foundation of different branches of philosophy that have borne the fruit of governance. Ultimately, no two communities shares the exact same moral code and thus do not share, and will never share, the exact same understanding of what governance should take place. In this respect, it is an inalienable right of the very people within a community to choose how they govern themselves.  **IV. Fourth Point** In trying to impeded on this third point, we come to Eisenhower’s fourth point which is that no other community has the right to dictate how other nations govern themselves. **V. Final Point** Lastly, war will never lead to peace. Only common understanding of the first four points will ever lead to true peace. A race in armaments, as the cold war proved, only leads to further distrust and the breakdown of all other points among the community of nations on the world stage. All that can be done to expect peace is to take your neighbor as they are. St. Augustine has a famous quote, “Seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand.” This is meant to drive home the point of faith in the unbelievable. It is how a religious person can believe in a god that they can not prove exists. Some might say there will never be a world without war. I say we already have the recipe for it. We’ve been given this recipe by many leaders throughout our history. Leader’s who’ve witnessed the darkest depths of human evil and wanted to steer humanity away from it.  ----------- Thank you for reading! If this article resonated with you, let me know with a zap and share it with friends who might find it insightful. Your help sends a strong signal to keep making content like this! Interested in fiction? Follow nostr:npub1j9cmpzhlzeex6y85c2pnt45r5zhxhtx73a2twt77fyjwequ4l4jsp5xd49 for great short stories and serialized fiction. More articles you might like from Beneath The Ink: https://primal.net/e/note1ws4es0gahm502k6qgx64dseqhjqgyzh0q7flzk6glcasqxxye6jqm20fj9 nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp3padh3au336rew4pzfx78s050p3dw7pmhurgr2ktdcwwxn9svtfqq25yan2w39rsjj0dqk5ckn52ptxsc3nve8hw0aftmq https://primal.net/e/note158ns7z27r2y664h9lsdqdhsjj2uehrejve2y02lkvz46d8xgxncs8pcj7w nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp3padh3au336rew4pzfx78s050p3dw7pmhurgr2ktdcwwxn9svtfqq2kjjzzfpjxvutjg33hjvpcw5cyjezyv9y5k0umm6k https://primal.net/e/note1htkygah99mz8p4png992n0clqa44spatw3uzzcpl94etwh2zr60stklxvw nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp3padh3au336rew4pzfx78s050p3dw7pmhurgr2ktdcwwxn9svtfqqa9wefdwfjj6stvdsk57cnnv4ehxety94mkjarg94g8ymm8wfjhxuedg9hxgt2fw3ej6sm0wd6xjmn8946hxtfjvsuhsdnju045ml https://primal.net/e/note1rdanqhdgc7d8sypm459zrt55m0zfaze7u34phkew9nptyr3ghwlqsvtsdx nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp3padh3au336rew4pzfx78s050p3dw7pmhurgr2ktdcwwxn9svtfqq2ns3jnfa985c29xp2rs3pexpykz6mjxetxu2g25x6

@ dd664d5e:5633d319

Most people only know customer-to-customer (C2C) and business-to-customer (B2C) software and websites. Those are the famous and popular ones, but business-to-business (B2B) is also pretty big. How big? Even something boring and local like [DATEV](https://www.datev.de/web/de/startseite/startseite-n/) has almost 3 million organizations as customers and €1,44 billion in annual revenue. FedEx has €90 billion in annual revenue and everyone who uses it comes into contact with its software. There's a whole chain of software between the sender and receiver of the package, and it all has to work seamlessly. Same with Walmart, Toyota, Dubai Airport, Glencore, Tesla, Edeka, Carrefour, Harvard and University of Texas, Continental, Allianz, Asklepios, etc. That's the sort of software I help build. You've probably never heard of it, but when it doesn't work properly, you'll hear about it on the news.

@ 554ab6fe:c6cbc27e

Bitcoin’s Price and the Power Law: A Reflection of Energy and the Early Stages of Monetary Adoption Introduction Bitcoin’s price trajectory has long puzzled analysts, with its seemingly chaotic booms and busts. However, when examined through the lens of power laws, a pattern emerges—one that is fundamentally tied to Bitcoin’s energy-based production cost. This article argues that Bitcoin’s price has historically followed a power law because its underlying cost structure is dictated by mining, an energy-intensive process. However, this relationship will not persist indefinitely. I propose that as Bitcoin matures into a widely adopted monetary system, its price will decouple from mining production costs and instead oscillate in accordance with natural business cycles, much like traditional forms of money. **Bitcoin’s Price and the Power Law** Source and Credit: Giovanni Santostasi’s “[The Bitcoin Power Law](https://giovannisantostasi.medium.com/the-bitcoin-power-law-theory-962dfaf99ee9)” When Bitcoin’s price is plotted on a logarithmic scale against time, a strikingly straight-line trajectory appears, punctuated by cycles of rapid price expansion (bull markets) followed by severe corrections (bear markets). These perturbations correspond to Bitcoin’s well-known halving cycles, which occur approximately every four years and reduce the block reward paid to miners, effectively doubling the cost of production per Bitcoin. Historically, Bitcoin’s price has always returned to a fundamental minimum—one that closely aligns with the average cost of mining. This observation suggests that Bitcoin’s power law price behavior is not arbitrary but rather a reflection of its fundamental energy constraints. As in many natural systems governed by power laws, energy dynamics play a central role. In Bitcoin’s case, the “base layer” of its valuation is determined by the energy and computational resources required for mining. This power law behavior is therefore a consequence of Bitcoin’s fundamental design: as block subsidies decrease and mining efficiency improves, the minimum sustainable price follows an upward trajectory dictated by production costs. **Bitcoin as an Energy-Based System** Power laws commonly emerge in natural systems involving energy constraints, from thermodynamics to biological ecosystems and planetary dynamics. Bitcoin, as an energy-based monetary system, exhibits similar characteristics. Mining requires significant electricity and computational power, and as the difficulty adjustment ensures a competitive equilibrium, the cost of mining a Bitcoin remains closely tied to its market value over the long run. Unlike traditional fiat currencies, which are controlled by central banks and subject to arbitrary monetary expansion, Bitcoin’s supply schedule is immutable. Its economic foundation is rooted in **proof of work**, where value is derived from energy expenditure. This fundamental linkage between energy and price explains why Bitcoin’s valuation has adhered to a power law trajectory. It is an entropy engine, and follows physical laws related to energy and entropy. However, this pattern is not a permanent feature of Bitcoin’s monetary future—it is, rather, an indication of Bitcoin’s **early-stage monetization process**. **The Transition from Mining-Based Pricing to a Business Cycle** A crucial implication of Bitcoin’s price following a power law dictated by mining costs is that it suggests Bitcoin has yet to fully mature as money. If Bitcoin were already a widely adopted monetary standard, its valuation would no longer be primarily influenced by the floor mining costs but instead by macroeconomic forces—specifically, the natural fluctuations of the business cycle. In a world where Bitcoin is the dominant global currency, the “price of money” (which correlates with the cost of capital and prevailing interest rates) would fluctuate according to the broader economic cycle. The dynamics would resemble those of natural interest rate cycles described by the Austrian School of Economics: - During periods of economic expansion, lower interest rates spur increased investment and consumption, prices slightly rise, and savings deplete. - As savings decline and prices rise, interest rates naturally rise as well, leading to reduced investment and spending, initiating a contractionary phase and lowered prices. - During the contraction, savings accumulate, more capital becomes available, and interest rates and prices decline. - With the availability of capital, lower interest rates and lowered prices, the economy is now ready to enter a phase of investment and expansion once again. - This oscillatory process continues indefinitely, driven by real economic growth rather than central bank intervention. If Bitcoin were fully monetized, its price would no longer oscillate based on mining halvings and energy costs but instead reflect **economic expansion and contraction cycles**—just as traditional currencies do when not artificially manipulated by central banks. **The Early Stage Indicator: Bitcoin’s Dependence on Mining Costs** Today, Bitcoin’s price still “bounces” off the power law baseline, indicating that its valuation remains primarily anchored to its minimum cost of production. This means that, while Bitcoin is widely recognized as an asset, it has not yet reached the level of adoption where its price is dictated by macroeconomic cycles. A future in which Bitcoin is used as a primary medium of exchange and unit of account would necessarily imply a **decoupling from mining-driven pricing**. Instead of periodic halvings triggering speculative bull runs followed by crashes, Bitcoin’s price would become far more stable, with fluctuations primarily driven by business cycle dynamics. The continued adherence to the power law model, therefore, is evidence that Bitcoin is still in an early phase of adoption—where mining remains a primary determinant of price. **Conclusion** Bitcoin’s price trajectory has long conformed to a power law, reflecting the underlying energy costs of mining. This characteristic, however, is likely not a permanent feature but rather a hallmark of Bitcoin’s early stage as an emerging monetary system. As adoption increases and Bitcoin becomes widely used as money, its price should transition away from being dictated by mining costs and should instead fluctuate according to the natural oscillations of the business cycle. The persistence of Bitcoin’s power law trend is a sign that it remains in its infancy. The real transformation will occur when Bitcoin is no longer bound to its production cost but is instead driven by the natural ebb and flow of savings, investment, and capital cycles—marking its full emergence as a global monetary system. Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as financial advice. Please consult with a financial advisor or conduct your own research before making any financial decisions.

@ da0b9bc3:4e30a4a9

It's Finally here Stackers! It's Friday! We're about to kick off our weekends with some feel good tracks. Let's get the party started. Bring me those Feel Good tracks. It is valentine's so let's get all gooey and soft, let's feel good and loved up. If the world was ending, I'd wanna be next to you. https://youtu.be/kPa7bsKwL-c?si=XbAaVfCHLZw6_0n6 Talk Music. Share Tracks. Zap Sats. Let's go! originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/885888

@ 9e69e420:d12360c2

A Russian drone attack has struck the radiation shelter at Chernobyl, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The strike caused a fire, but it has since been extinguished, and radiation levels remain stable. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that no casualties occurred and that monitoring continues. Rafael Mariano Grossi, IAEA's director general, emphasized the need for caution. Chernobyl, site of the 1986 nuclear disaster, contains a protective shield costing $1.6 billion. Disaster prevention remains a priority as the conflict unfolds. The incident occurred shortly before the meeting of world powers at the Munich Security Conference in Germany.

@ b2caa9b3:9eab0fb5

After spending two weeks in Arusha, it was time to move on. My next stop was Dodoma. I walked to the bus station in the center of Arusha to check ticket prices, but I disliked the chaotic atmosphere — people approached me nonstop, trying to sell me tickets to destinations I had no interest in. Instead, I went to the Shabiby office, a reputed bus company, and secured a ticket for 29,000 TZS. The bus was scheduled to leave at 10 A.M. the next day, giving me time to prepare.  *Photo above: a stop between Arusha and Dodoma.* I returned to my hostel, packed my bag, and picked up snacks and water from Shoppers Supermarket, knowing that Tanzanian bus rides tend to take longer than expected. The 80-kilometer journey from Moshi to Arusha had taken me up to three hours, so I expected the longer trip to Dodoma to stretch beyond the promised eight hours. ## The Journey to Dodoma The bus ride was predictably long, making frequent stops along the way. Upon arrival in Dodoma, the bus meandered through the city, dropping off passengers. My booked accommodation was just under two kilometers from the final stop, so I decided to walk, relying on Google Maps to guide me.  *Photo above: in Dodoma.* When I arrived at what was supposed to be my lodging, I was skeptical. The house lacked a sign, and an elderly woman was doing laundry in the yard. When I asked if this was the right place, she called a younger woman who spoke English and welcomed me inside. The accommodation was a full apartment, complete with a kitchen, but not cheap. Later in the evening, I attempted to shower, only to discover there was no running water. I resorted to a bucket shower, but the cramped bathroom caused water to spill into the apartment.  *Photo above: the Baobab Café in Dodoma.* ## Exploring Dodoma The next day, I set out to explore Dodoma. I passed a cozy café and an old-looking church, which I later learned was not as ancient as it seemed. Strolling down a lively shopping district, I admired the small stores lining the streets. Eventually, I settled at the café I had spotted earlier, enjoying a simple dinner of bread and tomato salad.  *Photo above: the church in Dodoma.* Originally, I had planned to stay for just one night, but the city intrigued me, and I extended my stay. This meant I had to book my next bus ticket and gather supplies. Using the Bolt app, I ordered a TukTuk to take me to the Shabiby bus terminal. The ride cost 2,000 TZS — without Bolt, I would have been charged significantly more. I bought my ticket to Mbeya for 40,000 TZS, with a departure time of 5:30 A.M. That night, I packed my bags and went to bed early, knowing I had an early start ahead. ## The Departure to Mbeya Waking up at 3:30 A.M., I hurriedly took another bucket shower — still no running water. I initially planned to order a TukTuk, but the Bolt app showed no available drivers. With the bus station only a 13-minute walk away, I set out on foot. Along the way, I stepped into a water hole, soaking myself up to my knees. Street vendors persistently offered me motorcycle rides, but I ignored them and continued walking.  *Photo above: in Dodoma.* Arriving at the bus station, I saw the previous bus to Mbeya departing. My gut told me something was wrong. Sure enough, my bus was delayed by almost an hour. Finally, it arrived, and I boarded, relieved that I hadn’t missed it after all. ## A Long Ride to Mbeya The previous day, I had suffered from severe diarrhea. Fortunately, a local pharmacy in Dodoma provided me with pills that helped stabilize my system. I also continued taking my daily dose of Doxycycline as a malaria precaution.  *Photo above: shopping street in Dodoma.* This time, I had a window seat with no one beside me, allowing me to place my backpack on the empty seat. As we traveled, I watched the Tanzanian landscape unfold. At one point, the bus crossed a dam, likely a reservoir, before being stopped by police. A policeman entered, checked my passport, and inquired about my destination. When I mentioned Mbeya, he ask me where after, and I told him to Lusaka. Then he asked if it was in Zambia, returned my passport, and he let us continue.  *Photo above: the Baobab Café in Dodoma.* My host in Mbeya had instructed me to get off at Nane Nane Stand. Upon arrival, I searched for a TukTuk. Without internet access, I had to negotiate fares blindly. After rejecting overpriced offers, I managed to bargain a price of 5,000 TZS for the short ride to my accommodation, what was a bit high for a Tuktuk. ## Mbeya and the Journey to the Border Initially planning to stay two nights, exhaustion led me to extend for an extra night. The hostel was beautiful and clean but, yet again, had no running water. However, this time, the host kindly boiled water for me, allowing me to take a warm bucket shower.  *Photo above: on the way to the Supermarket in Dodoma.* On my final day in Mbeya, I explored the city, visiting a new children's hospital and an old church. Tuktuk drivers repeatedly tried to overcharge me, but I insisted on the standard 800 TZS fare for public transport.  *Photo above: on the way to the Supermarket in Dodoma.* The following morning, after a quick breakfast, I set off for the bus station with a fellow traveler I met at the hostel. Together, we took a bus to Tunduma for 5,000 TZS each. From there, a TukTuk ride to the border cost another 5,000 TZS. ## Crossing into Zambia The border crossing was straightforward for me — I received a free 30-day visa for Zambia. My Russian travel companion, however, needed a visa on arrival, payable in cash and only in USD. The immigration officer arranged a taxi to take us to an ATM, but the only available bank, Absa, charged exorbitant fees. Fortunately, we later found a Zanaco ATM in Nakonde that had no fees.  *Photo above: between Dodoma and Mbeya.* Once we had the necessary cash, we returned to the Border immigration, paid for the visa, and proceeded into Zambia. We walked to town, grabbed some food, and checked into Shalom Hotel. It was cheap, costing only 200 Kwacha per night (under 10 Euros), but lacked cleanliness and had no running water. ## A Frustrating Bus Experience We booked a 4 A.M. bus to Lusaka with Jkas, supposedly the best company. However, when we arrived at the station at 3:28 A.M., the bus was already gone. The staff had lied, telling us the bus left at 4 A.M. but actually departing at 3 A.M. They then offered an overpriced taxi to chase the bus, which we declined.  *Photo above: between Dodoma and Mbeya.* With no other options left, we searched for an alternative and eventually made our way to the PowerTools bus station — only to find that the bus also had already left. The next bus? **Overnight.** We were stuck. ### The Boda Chase That’s when a Boda driver approached us. He had been waiting at the Powertools station, watching the situation unfold. **“I know where your bus is,”** he said. **“At the checkpoint. I can take you.”** There was no time to think. We climbed on. The night was pitch black, the streets slick with rain and mud. As soon as he twisted the throttle, the bike lurched forward. The driver wasn’t smooth — he was riding like a madman, shaking left and right as he weaved through the darkness. The wet road made it worse, and the mud felt like a trap waiting to swallow us whole.  *Photo above: between Dodoma and Mbeya.* A gust of wind blew my hat into my face, blinding me for the most time. My gut twisted — I could almost see the crash before it happened. **“Slow down!”** I shouted. He eased off for a while, but soon enough, he hit the gas again. **“I said slow down!”** I had to remind him. It felt like an eternity. The only thought keeping me together was the hope that the checkpoint was close. Then — buses. Dozens of them. We told him which one was ours, but in the dim light, they all looked the same. He swerved between them, searching, until finally — **Jkas.**  *Photo above: the old church in Mbeya.* As we pulled up, the driver suddenly changed his price from 200 to 400 Kwacha. Of course. I handed him 300, not in the mood to argue, and walked straight into the bus, **relieved to be off that death ride**. The journey continued, but the morning’s chaos was a reminder that travel in Africa often requires patience and adaptability. --- ## Final Thoughts The journey from Arusha to Lusaka was long and filled with challenges — delayed buses, unreliable accommodations, and frustrating border experiences. Yet, the beauty of Tanzania and Zambia, the people I met, and the lessons I learned along the way made it all worthwhile. Traveling in Africa requires flexibility, but it rewards you with unforgettable experiences and stories to tell.  *Photo above: in Mbeya.*  *Photo above: somewhere in Zambia from the Bus.*  *Photo above: in Lusaka.*  *Photo above: in the East Park Mall in Lusaka.*  *Photo above: in the East Park Mall in Lusaka.*  *Photo above: East Park Mall in Lusaka.*  *Photo above: in the market in Lusaka.*

@ a012dc82:6458a70d

In the ever-evolving landscape of cryptocurrency, a significant development has emerged that is reshaping perceptions and strategies within the industry. Bitcoin, the original and most prominent digital currency, has seen its transaction fees hit a two-year high. This remarkable surge in fees is not merely a statistical blip but a phenomenon that could herald a transformative phase in Bitcoin mining. As we witness these fees reaching unprecedented levels, it prompts a crucial inquiry: Are we on the cusp of a new era in BTC mining, one that redefines its economic and technological paradigms? **Table Of Content** - The Surge in Transaction Fees - Impact on Bitcoin Miners - A Divided Community - The Ripple Effect on Mining Stocks - The Broader Market Influence - Conclusion - FAQs **The Surge in Transaction Fees** The Bitcoin network, known for its robustness and security, has recently been the center of a notable financial trend. Transaction fees have soared to over $37, a figure reminiscent of the peak levels observed in April 2021. This significant increase is not an isolated event but rather a symptom of a larger, more complex shift within the Bitcoin ecosystem. The primary driver behind this surge is the burgeoning interest in Bitcoin NFTs, particularly through a protocol known as Ordinals. This innovative protocol facilitates the storage of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) directly on the Bitcoin blockchain. As a result, there has been a marked increase in transaction volumes, leading to higher fees. This trend reflects a growing interest in utilizing Bitcoin not just as a currency but as a platform for broader digital asset interactions, potentially expanding its use cases and value proposition. **Impact on Bitcoin Miners** The escalation in transaction fees has had a profound and far-reaching impact on the community of Bitcoin miners. These individuals and companies, who form the backbone of the Bitcoin network by validating transactions and maintaining the blockchain, are now witnessing a dramatic shift in their revenue streams. With fees reaching such high levels, their daily income has surged to an estimated $63 million, translating to an extraordinary $23 billion annually. This figure is a significant leap from the average income over the past two years and represents a potential windfall for the mining sector. The increased profitability could lead to renewed investment in mining infrastructure, potentially spurring technological advancements and increased competition within the sector. It also raises questions about the decentralization of Bitcoin mining, as higher profits could lead to further consolidation in an industry already dominated by large players. **A Divided Community** The Bitcoin community, known for its diverse opinions and robust debates, finds itself at a crossroads with the rise of Ordinals and its impact on transaction fees. On one hand, some members of the community, including prominent figures like core developer Luke Dashjr, view the influx of Ordinals as a form of spam that clutters the blockchain and necessitates technical solutions. This perspective underscores concerns about blockchain bloat, transaction prioritization, and the fundamental principles of what Bitcoin should represent. On the other hand, for miners, these high fees have been a significant boon. They have provided a much-needed boost to profitability, especially in a period where the price of Bitcoin itself has been relatively stable. This divergence in views reflects the ongoing evolution of Bitcoin's identity and purpose, as it balances its role as a digital gold, a transactional currency, and now, a platform for digital art and collectibles. **The Ripple Effect on Mining Stocks** The impact of the surge in Bitcoin fees extends beyond the digital realm and into the traditional financial markets. Bitcoin mining stocks, representing companies that invest heavily in the infrastructure required to mine the digital currency, have shown remarkable resilience and growth. Companies like Marathon Digital, Riot Platform, and Cleanspark have seen their stock prices rally, significantly outperforming the actual price of Bitcoin. This trend indicates a growing investor confidence in the mining sector, buoyed by the increased revenue potential from transaction fees. It also suggests a decoupling of sorts, where the mining sector's performance is not solely dependent on the price of Bitcoin but also on other factors like transaction volume and fee structures. This decoupling could attract a new class of investors to the mining stocks, those looking for exposure to the crypto market but with a different risk profile than holding cryptocurrencies directly. **The Broader Market Influence** The performance of Bitcoin mining stocks is also intricately linked to the broader equity markets. As observed by Caleb Franzen, founder of Cubic Analytics, the strong performance of equity markets has provided additional momentum to these stocks. This correlation indicates that Bitcoin mining companies are increasingly being viewed through the lens of traditional financial analysis, where market trends and investor sentiment play a crucial role. The implication is significant: as Bitcoin mining firms become more integrated into the broader market, they may also become more susceptible to the same macroeconomic factors that influence traditional stocks. This integration could lead to greater stability in the mining sector but also exposes it to new types of risks, such as regulatory changes or shifts in investor sentiment unrelated to the crypto market. **Conclusion** The recent developments in Bitcoin transaction fees, driven by the popularity of Ordinals, have ushered in significant changes in the mining landscape. With increased revenues and a positive impact on mining stocks, it's tempting to proclaim the dawn of a new era in Bitcoin mining. However, the sustainability of this trend and its long-term impact on the Bitcoin ecosystem remain subjects of intense speculation and debate. As the community grapples with these changes, the future of Bitcoin mining continues to be a topic of keen interest. Whether this marks a permanent shift or a temporary phase in the cryptocurrency's evolution, one thing is certain: the world of Bitcoin remains as dynamic and unpredictable as ever. **FAQs** **What caused the recent spike in Bitcoin transaction fees?** The surge in Bitcoin transaction fees to over $37, a two-year high, is primarily attributed to the growing popularity of Bitcoin NFTs, especially through the Ordinals protocol, which allows for the storage of non-fungible tokens on the Bitcoin blockchain. **How does the increase in transaction fees affect Bitcoin miners?** Bitcoin miners, who earn BTC for processing transactions, have seen a significant increase in their income due to the higher fees. Their daily revenue has reached approximately $63 million, translating to an estimated $23 billion annually. **What is the Ordinals protocol, and why is it controversial?** Ordinals is a protocol that enables the storage of NFTs on the Bitcoin blockchain. It has been controversial within the Bitcoin community, with some viewing it as a beneficial innovation and others as a form of spam that clutters the blockchain. **Have Bitcoin mining stocks been affected by the increase in fees?** Yes, Bitcoin mining stocks, such as Marathon Digital, Riot Platform, and Cleanspark, have outperformed the actual price of Bitcoin, indicating growing investor confidence in the mining sector due to increased revenue from transaction fees. **Is the Bitcoin mining industry becoming more centralized?** The increase in profitability could lead to further investment in mining infrastructure, potentially leading to more competition but also raising concerns about the centralization of mining power in the hands of large companies. **That's all for today** **If you want more, be sure to follow us on:** **NOSTR: croxroad@getalby.com** **X: [@croxroadnews.co](https://x.com/croxroadnewsco)** **Instagram: [@croxroadnews.co](https://www.instagram.com/croxroadnews.co/)** **Youtube: [@croxroadnews](https://www.youtube.com/@croxroadnews)** **Store: https://croxroad.store** **Subscribe to CROX ROAD Bitcoin Only Daily Newsletter** **https://www.croxroad.co/subscribe** ***DISCLAIMER: None of this is financial advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. Please be careful and do your own research.***

@ 09fbf8f3:fa3d60f0

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@ c0a57a12:8b230f7a

Our generation has a cussing problem. Not the kind our grandfathers had. Their swearing was like their gunpowder—kept dry, used sparingly, and when used, meant to do something. A man swore when he had been wronged, when fate had dealt him a rotten hand, when he stood on the edge of some great loss or some great victory. He swore not because he was thoughtless, but because he was thoughtful—because there were things in this world that deserved cursing, just as there were things that deserved blessing. But today? Today, men swear too much, but their swearing is too little. Profanity has become a nervous tic, a filler word, a lazy man’s substitute for wit. We curse not with thunder but with static, not with the crack of a whip but with the feeble hum of a refrigerator. We lace our every sentence with obscenities, not because we are overcome with feeling, but because we have forgotten how to feel at all. And this is what makes our generation’s swearing so weak, so colorless, so infuriatingly dull. It is not that men curse—it is that they curse in the same tone with which they order a sandwich. Their profanity is not the language of men at war with the world’s wickedness; it is the language of men too bored to speak properly. They do not curse like sailors charging into battle; they curse like cashiers sighing through their shifts. And yet, in an irony too delicious to ignore, we live in an age obsessed with language. We do not believe in God, but we believe in speech codes. We do not fear hell, but we fear being reprimanded in the workplace. We have scrapped the Ten Commandments but will gladly enforce a list of forbidden words a mile long. Our rulers and bureaucrats will pore over a man’s every sentence, hunting for an offense, searching for some phrase to declare unacceptable. And yet—yet!—these same rulers, these same bureaucrats, these same petty, priggish priests of modern propriety will gladly flood the airwaves with an endless stream of empty, witless vulgarity. A schoolteacher may be fired for uttering a forbidden phrase, but a pop star may string together a song consisting of nothing but profanity, and no one blinks an eye. We are hypersensitive to language when it contains truth, yet utterly indifferent when it contains nothing at all. And this is the real problem: we do not curse too much, but too weakly. Our words are exhausted, worn thin, spoken to death. Men have forgotten how to speak with fire, how to command with words, how to invoke heaven or hell with their tongues. They do not pray, because they do not know how to form words for the divine. They do not make oaths, because they no longer believe words can bind them. They do not declare war on the evils of the world, because they have spent all their breath on pointless cursing and have none left for real battle. And where does this road lead? It leads to a world where men have lost the power of speech entirely. A world where every conversation sounds the same, where every man mutters the same tired handful of words over and over, like a machine running out of oil. It leads to a world where poetry is impossible, where language is shriveled and gray, where men do not swear terrible oaths because they no longer believe in terrible things. It leads to a world where men do not pray because they do not believe in miracles, and men do not curse because they do not believe in damnation. But this is not a lament. This is not the tired sigh of a defeated man. This is a call to arms. The solution is not to ban speech further. It is not to purge all rough language from the world and replace it with the sterile buzz of corporate-approved jargon. No, the solution is simpler, and far more radical. Men must learn to shut up. They must learn to close their mouths until they have something worth saying. They must stop filling the air with idle, useless, lazy profanity and speak only when speaking matters. If a man must swear, let him swear like a hammer striking an anvil—sharp, sudden, final. If a man must curse, let it be a curse that shakes the very bones of the world. Let his words be rare, but let them be terrible. Let his anger be real. Let his prayers be real. Let his oaths be real. But above all, let his words be true. Let his promises be binding. Let his speech be a sword, not a dull spoon. Let him recover the power of language, the discipline of speech, the ancient art of saying what he means and meaning what he says. For the world was not spoken into being with mumbling. Creation did not begin with filler words and placeholders. It began with a Word—a real Word, a mighty Word, a Word so vast and true that it shaped the heavens and the earth. And so it must be again. If men wish to remake their world, if they wish to shake the rotten foundations of this empty, word-weary age, then let them first learn to speak. Let them strip their language of all that is weak, all that is frivolous, all that is cheap. Let them cut out the cancer of casual vulgarity and replace it with something fierce, something worthy. Let them curse like warriors and pray like prophets. Let them make oaths that bind and promises that burn. Let them stand among men and speak with voices that shake the air—voices that carry weight, voices that mean what they say, voices that, when heard, demand silence in return. For a world that has lost the power of words will not be saved by noise. It will not be saved by muttering. It will not be saved by the droning nonsense of a people who have forgotten how to mean what they say. It will be saved by men who have learned once again to say what they mean—and to speak as if their words could move mountains. Because they can.

@ c3b2802b:4850599c

Die Plattform dient dem Zweck, interessierten Gemeinschaften unseres Landes aufzuzeigen, dass auch unter schwierigen globalen und bundespolitischen Rahmenbedingungen der Wandel hin zu zukunftsfähigen Lebensmustern auf kommunaler Ebene möglich ist. Und noch mehr: Dass dieser Umbau auch simultan in mehreren Lebensbereichen gestartet und vollzogen werden kann, wenn mutige und kluge Menschen aus verschiedenen Gruppen in Kommunen beherzt zusammenwirken.&#x20; **Psychologischer Hintergrund.** Viele Studien in 20 Jahren eigener psychologischer Analysen erfolgreicher Regionalisierungsprojekte haben aufgezeigt: Persönliche Begegnung und Austausch zwischen Interessierten an Regionalisierungsvorhaben und bereits erfolgreichen Pionieren sind ein entscheidender Erfolgsfaktor für gelingende Transformation. Dafür braucht es Informationen, wo sich Pionierprojekte befinden. Im ersten größeren Transformationsprojekt meiner Arbeitsgruppe, dem Energiewendedorf Jühnde, hat das Wissenschaftler-Team vorab andere innovative Kommunen besucht und deren Erfolgsfaktoren im eigenen Vorhaben umgesetzt. Die Mehrzahl der 200 [Energiewendedörfer](https://xn--energiewendedrfer-c0b.de/), die nach Fertigstellung Jühndes entstanden sind, hat sich wiederum vor Ort in der Modellkommune Jühnde informiert. Dies zeigt den Schneeballefekt des Lernens am Beispiel auf. Die hier beschriebene Plattform macht derartige „Funkenflüge“ für die Vielfalt der hier beschriebenen Innovationen über den Energiebereich hinaus möglich. Denn: Lernen am Modell setzt eine gute Übersicht über brauchbare Modelle voraus. **Inhalte der Plattform.** Die [Zukunftskommunen-Plattform](https://zukunftskommunen.de/) beschreibt 67 Kommunen mit jeweils mindestens drei kommunalen Erfolgen. Die im gesamten Bundesgebiet verteilten Kommunen sind auf einer Landkarte ersichtlich. Von jedem Ort unseres Landes aus kann eine der Zukunftskommunen in maximal 100 km Entfernung erreicht werden. Die Nutzer der Plattform können über die Eingabe ihres Standortes erfahren, welche der Zukunftskommunen sich in der eigenen Region befinden – mit Angabe der Distanz in Kilometern. Jede dieser Kommunen ist in Wort und Bild mit den wesentlichen Informationen zum Stand des Umbaus sowie zum Ansprechpartner charakterisiert.  Die derzeit auf der Plattform dargestellten über 200 kommunalen Erfolge sind jeweils durch harte Fakten, Angaben zur Entstehungsgeschichte sowie Erfolgsfaktoren kurz skizziert - und wiederum sind jeweils auskunftsbereite Ansprechpartner genannt. Die Erfolge sind unter den Kommunen angeführt und lassen sich so „durchblättern“. Interessieren sich Nutzer der Plattform jedoch für bestimmte Aspekte der Regionalgesellschaft, können sie auch gezielt nach einzelnen Transformationsbereichen suchen. In dem Fall bekommen Sie – wiederum mit Entfernungsangabe zum eigenen Standort – die interessierenden kommunalen Erfolge angezeigt.&#x20; So lassen sich jeweils dutzende Erfolge im Land auffinden, im Bereich Bildung z.B. Lehrpfade, Umweltbildungsprojekte und Umwelttrainerprojekte, bei denen eigens ausgebildete Ehrenamtler ökologische Zusammenhänge vermitteln. Im Bereich Kreislaufwirtschaft sind die Erfolge nach folgenden Aspekten auffindbar: Regionale Kreisläufe, verpackungsfreie Verteilung, Verwendung von Natur-Baustoffen, Recycling endlicher Ressourcen, Bio-Landwirtschaft, Anbau und Nutzung nachwachsender Rohstoffe, Solar-Mobilität, Produktion von Anlagen zur Erzeugung erneuerbarer Energie und Erzeugung erneuerbarer Energie.  Der Bereich natürliche Vielfalt ist folgendermaßen gegliedert: Naturschutz, Ressourcenschutz, Permakultur und Erhaltung von Biodiversität. Die Untergliederung der erfolgreichen Gemeinschaftsprojekte lautet: Miteinander aller Bevölkerungsgruppen, Integration und Inklusion, Generationennetzwerk, Genossenschaften, Rekommunalisierung von Infrastruktur, lokale Währung sowie Tauschen und Schenken.&#x20; Die Vielfalt der Innovationen ist noch weit größer als in dem Kategoriensystem abgebildet, da wegen der Handhabbarkeit der Plattform nicht alle denkbaren Kriterien ausformuliert worden sind. Doch auch besonders ungewöhnliche oder heute noch seltene kommunale Innovationen sind in der Beispielsammlung der Plattform auffindbar. Dazu kann die freie Suche der Plattform verwendet werden. Wer sich z.B. für Eisspeicher interessiert, kann ein Bildungszentrum mit Solareis-Erdspeicher in der Zukunftskommune Wiernsheim auffinden.&#x20; Ein Blog informiert über den politischen und geografischen Kontext, in dem die Transformation in unseren Kommunen stattfindet. Hier lassen sich Erfolgsgeschichten zwischen 2018 und 2024 aus dem In- und Ausland abrufen - wiederum beim Blättern oder durch die Suchfunktion nach Stichworten . Seit Herbst 2024 finden Sie meine Blogbeiträge zu dieser Thematik bei der [Genossenschaft Menschlich Wirtschaften](https://menschlichwirtschaften.de/kategorie/peter-schmuck/). Viel Freude beim Blättern und Stöbern! *Zuerst veröffentlicht in der Zeitschrift Ländlicher Raum (hier leicht gekürzt)*&#x20;