@ 527b02f7:b0ed5fd2

Después de un tiempo sin escribir, he decidido retomar el blog con un enfoque más amplio. Seguiré compartiendo contenidos sobre póker, _mental game_ y pot-limit omaha, pero también quiero adentrarme en otros temas que me despiertan curiosidad y que he explorado a fondo últimamente: Bitcoin, inteligencia artificial, finanzas, productividad… Espero que las nuevas entradas que tengo previstas publicar te resulten interesantes y que puedan inspirarte, ayudarte a reflexionar o simplemente ofrecerte una lectura amena. Hoy quiero comenzar con un tema que me apasiona particularmente: **Bitcoin**. Cuando alguien afirma que "Bitcoin no sirve para nada" o que no tiene valor intrínseco, está sugiriendo que todos los casos de uso documentados de Bitcoin carecen de valor. Pero ¿es realmente así? Este artículo se inspira en una brillante contestación de X (Twitter) de _[Daniel Batten](https://x.com/DSBatten)_, donde refuta esta afirmación enumerando **19 casos concretos** donde Bitcoin ya está marcando una diferencia tangible. Desde proyectos de sostenibilidad energética en África hasta la inclusión financiera para millones de personas, los ejemplos abundan. [](https://x.com/DSBatten/status/1857845062991769918) Antes de abordar estos casos, es importante explorar una pregunta clave: ¿Qué entendemos por "valor"? ## El valor: una perspectiva subjetiva El concepto de valor, lejos de ser una cualidad objetiva e intrínseca de los objetos, es una construcción subjetiva que depende del contexto, la percepción individual y las circunstancias específicas de cada persona. Esta afirmación, que puede parecer intuitiva en lo cotidiano, tiene profundas implicaciones filosóficas y prácticas que han sido objeto de debate desde la antigüedad hasta nuestros días. **En términos filosóficos**, podemos remontarnos a la escuela estoica, que sostenía que no son los eventos ni los objetos los que tienen valor en sí mismos, sino las opiniones que formamos sobre ellos. _Epicteto_, por ejemplo, afirmaba: > “No son las cosas las que nos perturban, sino las opiniones que tenemos sobre ellas.” Este principio encapsula la idea de que el valor no reside en los objetos, sino en la forma en que interactuamos emocional y racionalmente con ellos. Desde una **perspectiva económica,** esta noción de subjetividad se formaliza en la teoría del valor subjetivo, desarrollada por economistas como _Carl Menger_ durante la revolución marginalista. Según esta teoría, el valor de un bien no depende de sus características intrínsecas, sino de la utilidad percibida que ofrece al individuo en un momento dado.  El valor que asociamos de un activo viene determinado por varias características. La utilidad es una de ellas, pero no es la única, ya que si esa fuera la única, el aire que respiramos sería el activo más valioso. El problema es que, al no ser escaso, su valor percibido no es alto. Por ejemplo, un vaso de agua puede ser trivial en una ciudad con acceso a agua potable, pero se convierte en un objeto de valor incalculable para alguien que atraviesa un desierto. Por tanto, **un bien debe ser no solo útil, sino también escaso para tener un alto valor.** > Esto subraya que el valor es dinámico y depende tanto del contexto como de las necesidades y deseos del individuo. En el caso de tecnologías como Bitcoin, este principio es aún más evidente. Para un habitante de una economía estable, con acceso a servicios financieros modernos, Bitcoin puede parecer un experimento especulativo o una moda pasajera. Sin embargo, para alguien en una región afectada por la hiperinflación o excluida del sistema bancario, puede representar una herramienta crucial para preservar sus ahorros y participar en la economía global. Esto nos lleva a la conclusión de que **el valor no puede ser medido universalmente ni reducido a una fórmula fija**. Depende de quién lo perciba, bajo qué circunstancias y con qué expectativas. > Así, el valor es un reflejo de nuestra humanidad: una mezcla de subjetividad, contexto y significado que le conferimos a las cosas. Entender esto no solo nos ayuda a apreciar la diversidad de perspectivas, sino también a cuestionar nuestras propias suposiciones sobre lo que consideramos valioso. **El oro**, por ejemplo, es el activo con mayor valor en términos de capitalización de mercado, estimado en aproximadamente **16.3 trillones de dólares**. Aunque su utilidad práctica es limitada —principalmente en adornos ornamentales, como la joyería, y en algunas aplicaciones tecnológicas por su alta conductividad y resistencia a la corrosión—, no alimenta a nadie, ni genera energía. Sin embargo, sus **propiedades y aceptación universal** a lo largo de los siglos, le han otorgado un estatus especial. El oro es fácilmente reconocible, divisible y difícil de producir, lo que lo convierte en un bien apreciado y valioso. No obstante, presenta ciertos inconvenientes, como la dificultad para transportarlo, verificar su autenticidad y su vulnerabilidad a la confiscación. Además, aunque su tasa de inflación es baja, cada año se extrae nuevo oro y su producción puede aumentar si la demanda así lo requiere.  De manera similar, **el arte** puede ser invaluable para algunos y un objeto sin sentido para otros. ¿Cómo explicamos que una pintura contemporánea o una escultura de un artista moderno pueda valer millones para algunos y carecer de valor para otros? **Es la percepción subjetiva de las personas, y su escasez, lo que determina el valor, no una cualidad objetiva inherente a la obra.**  El valor de **los bienes inmuebles** no está determinado únicamente por sus propiedades (metros, calidades) si no que está profundamente ligado a la escasez. Un apartamento en primera línea de playa tiene un valor elevado porque existe una cantidad limitada de espacio en estas zonas, lo que lo convierte en un bien escaso y no replicable. De manera similar, los inmuebles más preciados en las ciudades suelen encontrarse donde hay mayor infraestructura, oportunidades de negocio y servicios. En cambio, un inmueble en mitad de la nada, aunque tenga las mismas dimensiones, calidades y número de habitaciones que otro inmueble en una ubicación privilegiada, no es escaso ni está rodeado de servicios o infraestructura, lo que reduce significativamente su valor percibido. A mayor demanda del inmueble y menor oferta del mismo, mayor será su valor en el mercado.  Por otro lado, el valor de **las acciones de una empresa** está relacionado con su capacidad de aportar soluciones a problemas reales y generar beneficios. Una empresa crea valor porque satisface una demanda en el mercado, mejora la vida de las personas y, en consecuencia, genera ingresos y flujos de caja positivos. Este valor intrínseco se refleja en el precio de las acciones, que no solo capturan el rendimiento financiero actual de la empresa, sino también las expectativas de su crecimiento futuro y su capacidad de seguir generando beneficios.  **Las monedas fiduciarias**, como el dólar o el euro, son efectivas para realizar transacciones gracias a su red de aceptación global y su estabilidad de precio en el corto plazo. Sin embargo, estas monedas **pierden valor de forma predecible y gradual**, (debido a la continua creación de nuevas unidades por parte de los bancos centrales), lo cual las hace adecuadas como medio de intercambio, pero no como reserva de riqueza a largo plazo. **Una inflación anual del 2% implica que en 50 años habrás perdido el 100% del poder adquisitivo de tu capital.** Y esto aplica a las monedas más estables del mundo; si hablamos de monedas con tasas de inflación más altas, la pérdida es aún mayor. Además, la inflación real, en términos de la pérdida de capacidad de compra, suele ser significativamente superior al 2% anual, ya que el incremento de la masa monetaria es mayor al 2%.  **Esto hace que el capital fluya hacia otros tipos de activos**, mencionados anteriormente, con el objetivo de preservar su valor a lo largo del tiempo. Acciones, bonos del tesoro, bienes inmuebles, arte y oro son algunos de los activos que absorben gran parte del capital global, actualmente estimado en unos **450 trillones de dólares** (trillones con T).   Bitcoin no puede encuadrarse en el marco de los activos tradicionales, ya que **se trata de un tipo de activo nuevo, el primer activo real digital.** Esta nueva clase de activo permite transferir y almacenar valor en el tiempo, sin necesidad de confianza en terceros ni de intermediarios, de manera segura. > A diferencia de los activos tradicionales, Bitcoin no está sujeto a la inflación monetaria, la intervención de gobiernos o el riesgo de contraparte que afectan a divisas y otros activos. Su **naturaleza descentralizada** y **deflacionaria** lo convierte en una forma de preservación de valor que supera los desafíos de los activos convencionales, ofreciendo seguridad y autonomía sin precedentes. El verdadero cambio de paradigma que plantea Bitcoin es que, como tecnología, **permite preservar el capital a lo largo del tiempo** de una manera sin precedentes. Con **mínimos costes de mantenimiento y absoluta seguridad**, Bitcoin ofrece una alternativa que supera las limitaciones históricas de preservar riqueza. Hasta ahora, preservar el capital o la riqueza a lo largo del tiempo no era posible debido a la naturaleza inflacionaria de los métodos de preservación de capital utilizados hasta el siglo XX. Los métodos tradicionales del mundo analógico, como los activos financieros, el arte, los bienes inmuebles, las acciones, los bonos del tesoro o los metales preciosos, padecen de distintos defectos que los hacen susceptibles a la inflación y presentan riesgos significativos, como el riesgo de contraparte. Como activo de reserva de valor, Bitcoin proporciona una serie de beneficios y ofrece una serie de características novedosas y muy interesantes, si lo comparamos con otros activos que se han usado históricamente para tal uso: **Beneficios** - Sin impuestos - Sin tráfico - Sin inquilinos - Sin disputas legales - Sin problemas - Sin alcalde o gobierno local - Sin dependencia del clima - Sin corrosión - Sin regulador **Características** - Invisible - Indestructible - Inmortal - Teletransportable - Programable - Divisible - Fungible - Configurable Bitcoin representa una nueva forma de preservar valor que no depende de la confianza en intermediarios, ya que está protegida de la devaluación por su naturaleza deflacionaria (nadie puede crear más unidades arbitrariamente) y está respaldada por la energía utilizada en su proceso de minería.  Esta energía asegura la red y garantiza la seguridad de las transacciones, haciendo que el valor de Bitcoin esté protegido por un recurso tangible y difícil de replicar. **Se trata de una solución específicamente diseñada para resolver el problema de la pérdida de capital a lo largo del tiempo.** Estas características hacen que Bitcoin sea una opción única y potente en el ámbito de la preservación de riqueza, una solución que no ha existido hasta ahora. > Al ser un **avance tecnológico** y un **activo intangible**, muchas personas no logran entender la trascendencia del significado de Bitcoin. No se debe a una falta de capacidad intelectual, sino a que lo están analizando desde una perspectiva equivocada o con un enfoque anticuado. **Intentar agruparlo con otros activos tradicionales impide apreciar su verdadero significado** y las implicaciones de primer, segundo y tercer orden que conlleva este descubrimiento.  ## Bitcoin como revolución tecnológica Bitcoin no es una moneda digital; es una tecnología disruptiva. Para comprender su impacto, podríamos usar la analogía de la pólvora, popularizada por _Álvaro D. María_: > "Bitcoin viene a redefinir el derecho de propiedad, es a las finanzas lo que la pólvora fue a las batallas." En sus inicios, la pólvora fue vista como un experimento curioso, sin aplicaciones reales para quienes no comprendían su potencial. Pero una vez que su poder transformador se hizo evidente, cambió las reglas del juego para siempre. Lo mismo está sucediendo con Bitcoin. _Álvaro D. María_ utiliza la analogía de la pólvora para ilustrar cómo Bitcoin está revolucionando el sistema financiero. Al igual que la pólvora transformó la guerra, alterando para siempre el equilibrio de poder y permitiendo nuevas tácticas y estrategias, Bitcoin está haciendo lo mismo con el dinero. **La pólvora eliminó las barreras tradicionales de poder basadas en la fuerza física,** mientras que Bitcoin está eliminando la necesidad de depender de intermediarios y de las estructuras centralizadas que han dominado el sistema financiero durante siglos.  Bitcoin democratiza el acceso a una reserva de valor, permite transferencias de capital sin restricciones y redefine el concepto de confianza en las transacciones financieras. Por ejemplo, al eliminar la necesidad de intermediarios como los bancos, **Bitcoin permite que personas de cualquier parte del mundo transfieran valor directamente entre sí, sin depender de una institución centralizada que garantice la transacción.** De la misma forma que la pólvora permitió a pequeños ejércitos vencer a grandes potencias, Bitcoin permite a individuos tomar el control de su propia riqueza, sin necesidad de confiar en bancos o gobiernos. Esta revolución tecnológica está apenas comenzando, y su potencial para reconfigurar el panorama económico mundial es tan profundo como lo fue la pólvora para la historia de la humanidad. Si quieres escuchar la opinión de _Álvaro D. María_ directamente de sus propias palabras, te recomiendo que veas esta entrevista que puedes ver en YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Yefg_g-iXg&t=945s ## Desmontando el argumento de la inutilidad A continuación, repasamos algunos ejemplos concretos que muestran por qué decir que Bitcoin "no sirve para nada" es ignorar su impacto en el mundo real. *_Al final del artículo tienes enlaces a las noticias reales de todos y cada uno de los casos que expongo a continuación_ ### **1. Energía y sostenibilidad** Bitcoin está ayudando a aprovechar recursos energéticos que, de otro modo, se desperdiciarían. Por ejemplo, en Bután, la minería de Bitcoin utiliza energía hidroeléctrica sobrante, acelerando la independencia energética de la región. En África, proyectos de minería impulsan la construcción de infraestructuras energéticas en aldeas aisladas, proporcionando electricidad a comunidades que antes no tenían acceso. ### **2. Inclusión financiera** Más de 2 mil millones de personas en el mundo no tienen acceso a servicios bancarios. Bitcoin está cambiando eso al ofrecer una alternativa que no requiere permisos ni documentación. En Afganistán, miles de mujeres utilizan Bitcoin para esquivar la discriminación financiera y acceder a sus propios ahorros. En países como Venezuela o Argentina, donde la hiperinflación erosiona los ahorros, Bitcoin actúa como una salvaguarda. ### **3. Soberanía económica y justicia global** Catorce países africanos aún sufren los efectos de una colonización financiera ejercida a través del franco CFA. Bitcoin ofrece una vía para lograr la independencia económica, permitiendo a estas naciones gestionar su riqueza sin interferencias externas. Además, los refugiados de guerra encuentran en Bitcoin un medio seguro para recibir ayuda económica directamente, sin depender de sistemas que podrían bloquear los fondos. ### **4. Innovación ambiental** Bitcoin no solo reduce la dependencia de energías fósiles, sino que también mitiga las emisiones de metano al reutilizar gas quemado o ventilado para generar energía. Esto ha llevado a proyectos que, en conjunto, reducen más emisiones que el mayor proyecto de captura de carbono del mundo. ### **5. Bitcoin como Capital Digital** > Bitcoin es más que una moneda digital; **es una revolución en cómo entendemos y preservamos el valor.** _Satoshi Nakamoto_ descubrió un método para transferir y almacenar valor sin la necesidad de un intermediario de confianza, lo cual es un logro monumental en la historia del dinero. Bitcoin representa la transformación de nuestro capital, pasando de activos financieros y físicos a activos digitales. Este nuevo tipo de activo digital no está sujeto a los riesgos financieros de las divisas, acciones o bonos, ni a los riesgos físicos que afectan a los bienes inmuebles o propiedades. Bitcoin es, esencialmente, **capital digital**: un activo seguro y descentralizado que proporciona una alternativa sin precedentes para almacenar valor de manera efectiva, sin la intervención de terceros y sin las restricciones propias de los sistemas financieros tradicionales. Esto es algo que el mercado está descubriendo y que ha estado mostrando al mundo durante sus primeros años de vida.  ## Bitcoin no es un test de inteligencia, es un test de ego Negar la utilidad de Bitcoin a pesar de la evidencia puede reflejar una falta de comprensión o una resistencia natural al cambio más que una evaluación crítica. A menudo, la adopción de nuevas tecnologías no depende de su perfección, sino de nuestra disposición a comprender y aceptar su impacto. A Bitcoin le es indiferente que creas o no en él; no tiene en cuenta si lo valoras o no. La red seguirá creciendo y generando bloques a un ritmo constante de aproximadamente 10 minutos por bloque, independientemente de su valor en términos de moneda fiduciaria. Mientras tanto, el mundo y el mercado irán descubriendo, poco a poco, su propuesta de valor. La verdadera cuestión no es si Bitcoin tiene valor hoy, sino si estamos preparados para adaptarnos al cambio monumental que representa. Aquellos que comprendan esta transformación a tiempo podrán beneficiarse de la misma, mientras que los que la ignoren se enfrentarán a una realidad en la que Bitcoin ya es parte fundamental del sistema económico global. A continuación tienes todos los casos de uso citados en el tweet y los enlaces a los artículos correspondientes: > 1. Ayudar a traer abundancia energética a 1800 aldeanos africanos no tiene valor. > [https://t.co/bgOaasQeUG](https://t.co/bgOaasQeUG) > 2. Enviar ayuda a miles de refugiados de guerra es inútil. > [https://t.co/WKD4FNPGlq](https://t.co/WKD4FNPGlq) > 3. Desarrollar independencia energética en Bután es inútil. > [https://t.co/fKBkfEKDea](https://t.co/fKBkfEKDea) > 4. Proteger Parques Nacionales en África es inútil. > [https://t.co/455ChX6f9P](https://t.co/455ChX6f9P) > 5. Ayudar a 19,4 millones de mujeres afganas a evitar la discriminación financiera estatal es inútil. > [https://t.co/GsClHWJn7H](https://t.co/GsClHWJn7H) > 6. Establecer la soberanía económica de 14 naciones africanas que aún sufren colonización financiera francesa es inútil. > [https://t.co/s18NsVHKKT](https://t.co/s18NsVHKKT) > 7. Crear una alternativa a un sistema monetario que prolonga guerras, aumenta brechas de riqueza, rescata banqueros pero no protege a empleados ni pequeñas empresas es inútil. > [https://t.co/T6D7yoGZdz](https://t.co/T6D7yoGZdz) > 8. Ofrecer servicios bancarios a 2 mil millones de personas no bancarizadas es inútil. [https://t.co/T4mjBZ8oRo](https://t.co/T4mjBZ8oRo) > 9. Proveer un sistema financiero más difícil de usar para el lavado de dinero que las monedas fiat es inútil. > [https://t.co/CLghbaZfU5](https://t.co/CLghbaZfU5) > 10. Evitar represalias financieras por liderar campañas humanitarias en naciones autocráticas donde viven 5,7 mil millones de personas es inútil. > [https://t.co/2KM9kuAUQp](https://t.co/2KM9kuAUQp) > 11. Ofrecer a 250 millones de personas en países con hiperinflación una forma de evitar la erosión del 50% o más de sus ahorros anuales es inútil. > [https://t.co/7Yu7IpSSpd](https://t.co/7Yu7IpSSpd) > 12. Permitir a las personas en naciones en desarrollo recibir remesas sin retrasos ni altas comisiones es inútil. > [https://t.co/NWTeMOLUny](https://t.co/NWTeMOLUny) > 13. Tener un depósito de valor seguro, sin permisos, descentralizado, disponible 24/7 y con suministro monetario fijo es inútil. > [https://t.co/J75wOAXWzS](https://t.co/J75wOAXWzS) > 14. Lograr ser la industria más sustentablemente alimentada del mundo es inútil. > [https://twitter.com/DSBatten/status/1670320573480833025](https://twitter.com/DSBatten/status/1670320573480833025) > 15. Acelerar la transición a energías renovables haciéndolas más rentables es inútil. > [https://t.co/4SCHxTMRBu](https://t.co/4SCHxTMRBu) > 16. Reducir más emisiones de vertederos que el mayor proyecto de captura de carbono del mundo es inútil. > [https://t.co/5IysyKbWrg](https://t.co/5IysyKbWrg) > 17. Desarrollar un sistema financiero con significativamente menos emisiones que el sistema bancario es inútil. > [https://t.co/RIiW2jx63R](https://t.co/RIiW2jx63R) > [https://twitter.com/DSBatten/status/1671336675497349121](https://twitter.com/DSBatten/status/1671336675497349121) > 18. Conservar gas natural perdido, ventilado o quemado a través de la minería de Bitcoin, evitando contaminación por metano. > [https://t.co/EZ1kjBz4Pt](https://t.co/EZ1kjBz4Pt) > 19. Mejorar la estabilidad de la red eléctrica. > [https://t.co/c5rny2m66V](https://t.co/c5rny2m66V)

@ e83b66a8:b0526c2b

I am seeing a groundswell of interest in adopting Bitcoin in small businesses replacing or augmenting existing merchant services. This has many advantages for these businesses including: Attracting Bitcoiners as customers over your competitors. Allowing a self custody payment system which does not require purchasing equipment, monthly service fees and high transaction fees. Self custody your money, removing banks and merchant service companies from taking a cut or interfering in the transaction process. i.e. Bitcoin behaves much more like cash in face to face transactions. Building a Bitcoin Strategic Reserve allowing your profits to accumulate in value over time, just as Bitcoin increases in value due to scarceness and increased adoption. If any or all of these are interesting to you, then here are a scale of merchant options available to you depending on your needs and interests. SOLE TRADER The easiest way for a sole trader to accept Bitcoin is to download the app “Wallet of Satoshi” https://www.walletofsatoshi.com/ or for regions this is not available, use a web equivalent called COINOS https://coinos.io/ This gives everything you’ll need, Bitcoin and Lightning receiving addresses, publishable as text or scannable as a QR code. The ability to generate a specific value invoice using Lightning which can be paid face to face or remotely over the Internet and a wallet to hold your Bitcoin balance. This is a perfect start point, but moving forward it has some drawbacks. It is custodial, meaning that a company actually holds your Bitcoin. Unlike a bank, if that company fails, you loose your Bitcoin. There is also no direct ability to move that Bitcoin to fiat currencies like USD or GBP, so if you need some of those earnings to pay suppliers in fiat currencies, you will struggle to convert. If you are an online only retailer, then the industry standard is BTCPay https://btcpayserver.org/ which can be integrated into most e-commerce systems TRADITIONAL MERCHANT SERVICES So the next option is to use a Bitcoin merchant service company. They look very similar to traditional fiat merchant service companies, they can supply infrastructure like PoS terminals and also handle the payments for you, optionally settling balances to your bank in USD or GBP etc… They charge for the physical devices and their services and they charge a fee on each transaction in the same way traditional merchant service companies do, but usually these fees are significantly smaller. Companies like MUSQET can help setup your business in this way if you wish. https://musqet.tech/ CONSULTANCY The third option is to use a consultancy service like Bridge2Bitcoin https://bridge2bitcoin.com/ this is a company that will come in, explain the concepts and options and build a service around your needs. The company will build the solution you are looking for and make their money by providing the equipment and optionally running the payment solution for you. SELF BUILD If you have experience with Bitcoin and have optionally run your own Lightning node for a while, the tools exist to be able to develop your own solution in-house. And just as Bitcoin allows you to be your own bank, so Lightning allows you to be your own merchant services company. Solutions like Umbrel https://umbrel.com/ running Albyhub https://albyhub.com/ with their POS solution https://pos.albylabs.com/ are a low cost option you can build yourself. If you require devices like PoS terminals, these can be purchased from companies like Swiss Bitcoin Pay: https://swiss-bitcoin-pay.ch/store#!/Bitcoin-Merchant-Kit/p/709060174 as a package or Bitcoinize directly or in volume: https://bitcoinize.com/ There is also the lower cost option of use software loaded onto your staffs iPhone or Android phone to use as a PoS terminal for your business: https://swiss-bitcoin-pay.ch/ Swiss Bitcoin Pay can also take the Bitcoin payment and settle a final amount daily or even convert to fiat and deposit in your bank the next day. HYBRID MUSQET also offer a PoS system for both Bitcoin and Fiat. They onboard merchants with traditional card services for Visa, Mastercard and Amex with Apple Pay and Google Pay all within the same device where they deploy Bitcoin Lightning as standard: https://musqet.tech/

@ c43d6de3:a6583169

## A Brief History of Ownership ### The Forgotten Struggle for Ownership History reveals that our ancestors labored—both intellectually and physically—to secure the freedoms we are subconsciously giving away. We stand at the threshold of a new era. Across the globe, long-established institutions are showing signs of strain. Trust in governments, banks, and major corporations is eroding, leaving many individuals feeling as though their rights are being infringed upon—even if they struggle to articulate exactly how. Social media and traditional news outlets amplify this sense of unease, painting a picture of impending upheaval, as if we are on the brink of a revolution whose name will only become clear in hindsight, once the first sparks ignite into a full-blown blaze. Yet, when we examine the state of the global economy, this narrative begins to unravel. Economic inequality has reached levels unseen in nearly a century, and while many point fingers at politicians, policies, or the so-called greed of the 1% hoarding all the wealth, the true culprit may be much closer than most realize. At a time when legal structures worldwide strongly protect ownership and economic mobility, it is individuals themselves who are willingly surrendering their financial power to the very elites they criticize. I know—“willingly” might seem like a stretch. After all, no one consciously chooses to give up their economic freedom. But take a closer look at the way people spend, borrow, and consume, and it becomes painfully clear: most are actively forfeiting their ability to build and own wealth. How did we get here? Much of this self-inflicted harm comes from a fundamental ignorance of the history of ownership and the struggles fought to secure it. This article serves as a short exploration of the past. I'll examine what might be considered the natural state of humanity, how the majority has historically struggled to achieve ownership rights, and the deadly conflicts that had to occur for the modern individual to enjoy the very rights they are now squandering.  ### I. The Era of Communal Ownership No one is born into this world alone. We do not simply materialize into existence; we arrive as part of the first unit of human society—the family. Before the rise of civilization, the primary focus of the family was survival. Ownership was a foreign concept, as early human tribes lived in a state of communal resource-sharing. Material possessions were fleeting, and with that, so was the notion of personal property. In the state of nature, no individual had an exclusive claim to anything. Instead, ownership existed in a tribal sense: “This land belongs to us.” The idea of “mine” extended only by association—what belonged to the tribe also, by extension, belonged to each of its members. This was a fragile system. Resources required constant upkeep, and as populations grew, leadership emerged to manage the complexity of distribution. This shift laid the foundation for the rise of kings and centralized authority. The concept of ownership, once a communal right, gradually became something dictated by those in power. The people no longer owned anything outright; they merely had the privilege of stewarding what belonged to their ruler.  ### II. The Rise of Peasants and Kings The first codified legal system, the Code of Hammurabi, laid out extensive laws on ownership. Interestingly, this ancient civilization granted more property rights to commoners than many societies did even a few centuries ago. A few millennia later, Greece laid the philosophical foundations for ownership, but true legal protections for private property did not emerge until much later. In medieval Europe, ownership rights almost disintegrated—not even nobles truly owned land. Everything belonged to the king, and monarchs waged war over control of vast territories, including the people within them. Meanwhile, in the Islamic Golden Age, the Middle East saw an unprecedented period of economic freedom. Under Sharia law, property rights were protected for the average citizen, something unheard of in much of medieval Europe. The extent of these rights depended largely on religious affiliation, but compared to their European counterparts, many commoners in the Islamic Empire enjoyed greater economic autonomy.  ### III. The Birth of Property Rights: The Rights of Man As the Islamic Golden Age waned and the Mongol Horde thundered toward Baghdad, another seismic shift was occurring in England. In 1215, rebellious nobles captured London and forced King John to sign the Magna Carta, the first written document to impose limits on absolute monarchical power and introduce property protections—though these rights were initially reserved for the nobility. This moment planted the seeds of change. Over the next several centuries, the fight for ownership rights expanded beyond the aristocracy. The Black Death (1347–1351) wiped out over 30% of England’s population, increasing labor shortages and bargaining power for peasants. By the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt, the common man demanded a greater share of land and wealth. Yet, it wasn’t until the 1700s with the Enclosure Acts that private property became legally protected for the broader population. What began as a noble rebellion in 1215 ultimately transformed ownership from royal privilege to individual liberty.  ### IV. The Age of Renting: The Illusion of Ownership Today Despite centuries of struggle, we now find ourselves at a paradoxical moment in history: ownership is more legally protected than ever, yet fewer people actually own anything of value. **Homeownership in Decline:** The U.S. homeownership rate peaked in 2005, only to decline for a decade, hitting a low of 63% in 2015. Despite slight rebounds, high housing costs have pushed many into perpetual rentership. **Vehicles as Subscriptions:** In 2024, one-fifth of new vehicles were leased, and long-term auto loans have become the norm. A financed car is not truly owned—it’s rented from a bank until the debt is cleared. **The Subscription Economy:** Ownership of media, software, and even personal data has been replaced with monthly fees. Cloud storage, SaaS, and streaming services have ensured that we no longer possess even our own information. ### V. The Consequences of Financial Illiteracy We now live in a society built on renting, where economic stability depends on a continuous stream of payments. The more we lease, subscribe, and finance, the more control shifts from individuals to corporations and financial institutions. **This shift has profound implications:** - A person who owns little has little power. - A society that rents everything can be controlled by those who own everything. - Wealth is no longer built through accumulation, but through debt and dependency. For millennia, people fought for the right to own. Today, through financial illiteracy and consumer habits, we are giving it away. How much do we truly own, and how much have we already forfeited? ----------- 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! More articles you might like from Beneath The Ink: nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp3padh3au336rew4pzfx78s050p3dw7pmhurgr2ktdcwwxn9svtfqq2kjjzzfpjxvutjg33hjvpcw5cyjezyv9y5k0umm6k nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp3padh3au336rew4pzfx78s050p3dw7pmhurgr2ktdcwwxn9svtfqqa9wefdwfjj6stvdsk57cnnv4ehxety94mkjarg94g8ymm8wfjhxuedg9hxgt2fw3ej6sm0wd6xjmn8946hxtfjvsuhsdnju045ml nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp3padh3au336rew4pzfx78s050p3dw7pmhurgr2ktdcwwxn9svtfqq2ns3jnfa985c29xp2rs3pexpykz6mjxetxu2g25x6

@ d57360cb:4fe7d935

# **Disbelief in oneself** Theres a scene near the opening of the movie where Terence Fletcher (JK Simmons) is yelling at one of his trombone players about being out of tune. He’s asks him ‘Do you think you’re out of tune?’ The player nervous and shook by Fletcher puts his head down and says yes. Fletcher proceeds to yelling in his face and kicking him out. The funny thing about this scene is that the trombone player wasn’t actually out of tune, it was someone else. What Fletcher is looking for in his world class band are individuals who believe in themselves. The scene had nothing to do with being out of tune with the instrument but more so being out of tune with yourself. The trombone players every action is motivated by the energy of fear. I believe Fletcher’s character represents the world and critics they are harsh, they don’t care about your feelings, they will attack you and if you lack belief you’ll give up and stop short or worse won’t even begin the journey at all. The harshest critic can sometimes be oneself as displayed by the trombone player. His belief is so low Fletchers words act as reinforcement to his already low view of himself. In this way Fletcher acts a mirror to his students. # **Belief in oneself** Another scene i’d like to highlight is the exact opposite of the trombone scene. Near the end of the film Andrew Nieman (Miles Teller) is late for the bands show and he barges into the room a few minutes before the start. Irate, Fletcher attacks him for being late and tells him he’s losing his spot to another drummer. This is a test on Andrew to see how he reacts, will he crumble and fall like the trombone player? Andrews response displays an individual with unwavering belief in his abilities he tells fletcher in essence ‘fuck off its my part’. No matter how much Fletcher attacks his skill and character, Andrew doesn’t care he’s willing to stand on his ability and not let the noise bother him. This scene to me symbolizes the epitome of confidence. Throughout the movie Fletcher is downplaying Andrew and his skill. He tells him he’s not good enough, his skills aren’t sharp. What he was doing wasn’t pushing Andrew to practice more and get better, he was pushing him to believe in his own power and greatness. “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure”. # **Links to the clips** Trombone clip: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0yL-avlEsg> Andrew loses spot clip: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OxTIpMSkpw>

@ c69b71dc:426ba763

# The Power of Words... ## ...Shaping a Compassionate Future This morning I woke up with this thought: **> If we were more mindful of our choice of words, we would immediately need to change the following: Schools would no longer have classes and classifications, but only Communities!** This would make a huge difference in terms of togetherness, well-being, and caring for one another. 🙌🏼 ### Language shapes reality
 Words influence how we see the world and ourselves. When we replace terms like "classes" or "grades" with "community" and "development," it changes our entire way of thinking about education and coexistence.
For example, in companies, we often talk about "teams" instead of "departments." This unconsciously fosters unity, cooperation, and a sense of belonging on equal terms. ### Community instead of competition
 In school, work, and everyday life, we often evaluate, compare, and classify. But what if we focused on cooperation and synergies instead of competition?
In some schools, there are no grades anymore, just individual feedback – this takes away the performance pressure and strengthens intrinsic motivation. ### Appreciation instead of categorization
 Putting people in "boxes" – whether through grading systems, social classes, or job titles – often creates separation rather than connection.
Instead of labeling people as "successful" or "failed," we could ask: "What are their strengths? How can we support each other?" 
Mindful language in everyday life
We could also reflect on our word choices in daily life:
Instead of "problem" → "challenge"
Instead of "failure" → "learning opportunity"
Instead of "mistake" → "experience" ### School as a mirror of society
 How we learn to interact with each other in school shapes our behavior in society. When children grow up in communities instead of class systems, they learn that cooperation and empathy are more important than competition.
There are so-called democratic schools where there are no grade levels – children learn from each other across ages. Students support each other by sharing knowledge and helping each other. Teachers are seen as coaches, not as "all-knowing" authority figures. They too are human and can learn from the children.
 Many teachers want to give children something that will help them in life. However, the rigid old school system dictates what must be taught and when, often disregarding the individual interests of the children. This stifles passions – in both the children and the teachers. Instead, teachers could act as inspiring sparks, igniting curiosity and enthusiasm for learning.
 ----------- > **A history teacher once said to me on the phone, when discussing my son who didn’t want to read printed Wikipedia sheets: "If there is no spark in the child, the teacher can’t ignite anything."
** This sentence frustrated me, because it shows that this teacher had long since lost his own spark!
 **Children always have a spark. Always!** ----------- ### A day without evaluations
 What if we consciously refrained from evaluating others for one day – whether through grades, criticism, or labels?
Instead of saying to a friend, "You made a mistake," we could say, "That was an interesting experience – what did you learn from it?"
Instead of saying, "That wasn’t good," we could ask, "How could it be done differently or better?"
Instead of grading children in school, we could tell them what they did well and where they can still grow.
Instead of getting upset about a difficult customer, we could feel empathy for their situation. ### Mindful language as the key to change
 **If we are more mindful with our language – also with how we speak to ourselves – we can shape a society where people meet each other with compassion. ** `Words are vibrations that shape reality. Chosen consciously, they can create a world based on connection, growth, and love.
It is up to us to start this change within ourselves – and carry it into the world.` Thank you for reading 🕊️ 

@ 2e8970de:63345c7a

  > Single dose creatine improves cognitive performance and induces changes in cerebral high energy phosphates during sleep deprivation https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-54249-9 originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/882540

@ 54286b98:3debc100

We correct because we care.\ And when others correct us, it’s a reminder: We’re cared for. “No calm ocean makes a skilled sailor,” they say. Yet we often prize safety more than the process that actually makes us skillful—able to navigate life’s oceans securely. We want the result: expertise, confidence, calm at the helm. But we’re often reluctant to embrace the very process that shapes us. Trials and life’s tests aren’t pleasant, but maybe we should see them through our Father’s eyes. How else can we possibly grow? If not by trials, then how? Any parent knows we don’t just learn by hearing; we are stubborn beings who truly learn after experiencing. It’s in those small, fear-fueled moments—realizing you could have fallen off a cliff, been hit by a car, or lost your career over a careless comment—that your senses awaken to very real consequences. Hopefully, that flash of adrenaline is enough to teach a lesson. But often, more often than we’d like to admit, it isn’t. God’s parenting style is fascinating; He’s patient beyond measure. He can handle our insecurities and weaknesses for a very long time. Even when our earthly parents may have given up on us, He won't. Either we walk away from His lessons, or we keep facing the same challenges meant to shape us—making us whole, maturing us in our faith—until we finally learn and pass the test. Paraphrasing the message of James chapter 1: “Count it all joy, pure joy, when you face trials. If you don’t understand why you’re going through what you’re going through, ask God for wisdom—He will give it to you.” During your high, victorious moments, remember: you’ll be tested again. Take heart—because the end goal is a more resilient and confident version of you, anchored in God rather than in yourself. During your low moments—when everything feels painfully hard—remember that you have a Father’s hand guiding you, never leaving you alone. You’ve got this…in God.\ Until the next one,\ **J** Legacy website article and email subscription [here](https://www.javierfeliu.com/blog/no-calm-ocean-why-safe-waters-never-grow-us/).\ Photo by [Torsten Dederichs](https://unsplash.com/@tdederichs?ref=javierfeliu.com) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm_source=ghost&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=api-credit)

@ 044da344:073a8a0e

Die Sehnsucht gar nicht so weniger Westdeutscher ist groß – besonders dann, wenn sie schon etwas älter sind und sich zu fragen beginnen, was bisher gefehlt hat in ihrem Leben. Die Antwort kann man zum Beispiel im *Kontrafunk* hören: „Plötzlich bewegt sich was“ stand dort über der letzten [Sonntagsrunde](https://kontrafunk.radio/de/sendung-nachhoeren/politik-und-zeitgeschehen/die-sonntagsrunde/die-sonntagsrunde-mit-burkhard-mueller-ullrich-ploetzlich-bewegt-sich-was#id-article). Eine Revolution, vielleicht doch noch. 1848, 1919, WIR. Und 1989, okay. Man muss nur ein wenig Markus Vahlefeld lauschen, Prototyp des konservativen Intellektuellen, knapp 60 inzwischen, um zu verstehen, wie tief dieser Stachel sitzt. Die im Osten – die haben uns etwas voraus. Die waren mittendrin, als sich die Welt zu drehen begann. Lasst uns also alles dafür tun, damit das nicht so bleibt bis in alle Ewigkeit. Wer zu den Wurzeln dieser Sehnsucht will, sollte die beiden Bücher lesen, die ich in dieser Kolumne schon einmal [empfohlen](https://www.freie-medienakademie.de/medien-plus/die-afd-spricht-englisch) habe und die unterschiedlicher nicht sein könnten. Klein, eher dünn und sehr persönlich das eine, wuchtig, sachlich-kühl und mit dem Zeug zum großen Wurf das andere. Autobiografie hier, Wissenschaft dort – jeweils nicht zu verstehen ohne das, was Markus Vahlefeld und seine Leidensgenossen so schmerzlich vermissen. Die Erfahrung, dass morgen alles anders sein kann, lässt den Menschen gelassen und den Gedanken an mögliche Verluste beim Schreiben kleiner werden.  [Ingrid Schreyer](https://ingrid-schreyer.de/) hat angefangen, ihre Erinnerungen festzuhalten. Auf dem Cover geht es vordergründig um „den Aufbruch 1989“ und um Ahrenshoop, einen feinen Badeort an der Ostsee, in dem Büchlein steckt aber viel mehr – und das nicht nur, weil die Autorin mit Wolfgang Schreyer verheiratet war, einem Schriftsteller mit Millionenpublikum, deutlich älter als sie und auf der Höhe seines Schaffens auch attraktiv für eine Frau wie Brigitte Reimann, wie man in einem wunderbaren [Briefwechsel](http://okapi-verlag.de/2018/06/08/60-121/) nachlesen kann. Wolfgang, dieser Erfolgsmensch, ist natürlich noch präsent im Gedächtnis von Ingrid Schreyer. Die gemeinsamen Bücher in den 1980ern und eine Lesung in Leipzig, die Gespräche mit Stefan Heym in Strandnähe und der 9. November 1989, als Ingrid, gerade 45, unbedingt nach Berlin will, aber weder ihren Mann noch Sohn Paul, damals erst 12 und inzwischen Mitherausgeber von *Multipolar*, überzeugen kann. Das Ende der Mauer vor dem Fernsehapparat und nicht dort, wo gerade ein Weltreich zusammenbricht. So viel Rotwein steht in keinem Keller. „Wie wir auf die Straße gingen“: Dieser Titel spielt zunächst auf das an, was da hoch im Norden des Landes passiert ist, fernab der Metropolen, über die heute jeder Geschichtslehrer spricht. Der 9. Oktober in Leipzig, der 4. November in Berlin. Wie war das in Ribnitz-Damgarten und in Ahrenshoop? Wie ist Ingrid Schreyer dazu gekommen, in einem Dorf hunderte Unterschriften für das Neue Forum zu sammeln, dann eine Ortsgruppe zu gründen und die Gästehäuser der Stasi zu enttarnen? Die Antworten führen in ein christliches Elternhaus in Magdeburg, zu einem Urgroßvater, der in der Stadt als Uhrmacher und Optiker genauso eine Nummer wurde wie 1848 in der Opposition, und in ein Milieu, für das die DDR so selbstverständlich war, dass man sich nicht viel dabei dachte, kurz nach Ulbrichts Kahlschlag von 1965 einen Klub mit dem Namen „Die Andersdenkenden“ zu gründen und dort mit Beat und Joints über Gott und die Welt zu streiten, ganz ohne Angst vor Spitzeln. Auch diese Autobiografie lebt ein wenig von den Namen, die Ingrid Schreyer immer wieder einstreut, sie erzählt aber zugleich eine ganz eigene DDR-Geschichte, die, so verspricht es der Buchrücken, fortgesetzt werden soll. Den ersten Band der „Ahrenshooper Erinnerungen“ gibt es genau wie Ingrid Schreyers Bücher über die Kunst in Ahrenshoop nur bei ihr selbst, zu ordern über die [Webseite](https://ingrid-schreyer.de/bucher/).  Das Buch von [Michael Beleites](http://www.michael-beleites.de/) hat schon einen Verlagswechsel hinter sich und ist trotzdem noch nicht wirklich angekommen in der Öffentlichkeit. Man könnte sagen: ein dicker Brocken, okay. Wer liest schon knapp 700 Seiten, wenn Titel und Untertitel eher schwere Kost versprechen? Das ist hier aber nicht der Punkt. Dieses Buch hat das Zeug, erst Klarheit in den Köpfen zu schaffen und dann die Welt zu verändern. Eine Revolution – aber ganz anders, als sich das die Sonntagsrunde im *Kontrafunk* gerade ausgemalt hat. Michael Beleites rüttelt an den Grundfesten unseres Denkens. Charles Darwin. Kleiner wird es nicht. Die Selektionshypothese, sagt Michael Beleites, ist widerlegt und damit alles, was mit dem Motto „Survival of the Fittest“ über uns gekommen ist. Der ewige Kampf ums Dasein. Das Wettrennen der Egoisten und damit Kapitalismus. Eine „Machbarkeits-Ideologie“, die glaubt, die Natur „zum Wohle des Menschen“ manipulieren zu können, und so Pate stand bei den Völkermorden der Nationalsozialisten. Neben Darwin räumt dieser Michael Beleites auch die Lehre von der „Vererbung erworbener Eigenschaften“ ab, einen Gegenspieler der Selektionstheorie, und damit den „biologistischen Unterbau“ der „sowjet-kommunistischen Stalin-Diktatur“, die auf „Züchtung durch Erziehung“ gesetzt habe (S. 583). Der lange Atem des Darwinismus reicht dabei weit über die Politik hinaus – von einem Artenschutz, der nicht verstehen will, dass der Lebensraum zur Art gehört, über die „Illusion“ Permakultur (S. 518) bis zum Ausblenden der „geographischen Rassenvielfalt“ als „biologische Tatsache“ und „unschätzbares Naturerbe der Menschheit“ (S. 530). Ich gebe zu: Das ist viel auf einmal. So viel und so grundlegend, dass es fast schon verwunderlich wäre, wenn der Autor keine Angriffe erlebt hätte. Ich bin auf Michael Beleites in einem Buch von [Claus M. Wolfschlag](https://antaios.de/gesamtverzeichnis-antaios/einzeltitel/202997/meinung-pranger-konsequenzen?number=9783949041143) gestoßen. Eine Sammlung von zwei Dutzend Prangergeschichten, die ich im Sommer 2024 eigentlich rezensieren wollte, weil sie das auf sehr persönliche Weise ergänzen, was ich gerade selbst eher abstrakt als [Cancel Culture](https://www.freie-medienakademie.de/medien-plus/cancel-culture-zum-horen) beschrieben hatte. Im Garten schien die Sonne, aber mir war trotzdem zum Heulen. Keine Spur von Schreiblust. Das Beleites-Interview setzte allem die Krone auf. Da sprach ein Mann, dessen Namen ich aus der Geschichte des Umbruchs kannte, als Stasi-Opfer und als sächsischen Beauftragten für das Erbe des DDR-Geheimdienstes, über die ungeheuerlichen Dinge, die ihm in der Bundesrepublik der 2010er Jahre widerfahren waren, weil er mit den falschen Leuten gesprochen hat. Weil er prinzipiell mit allen redet. Weil die falschen Leute seine Ideen spannend fanden. Weil diese Ideen an der falschen Stelle erschienen waren. Pegida, Höcke, Schnellroda. Ich kann diese Rufmordgeschichte hier nur andeuten, weiß aber noch, wie ich in meinem Lesestuhl förmlich erdrückt worden bin von der Lawine, die da über Michael Beleites hereingebrochen ist. Ausladungen. Die üblichen Schlagworte: Rassismus, Antisemitismus, Nazi. Eine [Attacke](https://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/warum-ddr-buergerrechtler-sich-bei-der-afd-engagieren-a-1186288.html) im *Spiegel*. Boykott der Blumen und Kräuter, die Beleites und seine Frau in ihrem Gartenbetrieb wachsen lassen. Antifa-Attacken auf den Wochenmarktstand in der Dresdner Neustadt. Keine Chance mehr für ihre Kräutertees in den Bioläden der Stadt. In einem Wort: Existenzvernichtung wegen eines Gesinnungsverdachts, ohne dass jemand hören wollte, was dieser Autor eigentlich zu sagen hat und wie er darauf kommt. Michael Beleites ist ein Kind vom Land. Er hat schon als kleiner Junge Vögel fotografiert – an der Abbruchkante eines stillgelegten Braunkohletagebaus. Er schwärmt am Ende seines Buches von den Menschen, die ihm geholfen haben, Vogelstimmen zu unterscheiden und zu spüren, wie sich Landschaft und Tierwelt bedingen. Wie Ingrid Schreyer wächst Michael Beleites in einem christlichen Umfeld auf. Der Sohn eines evangelischen Pfarrers darf zwar kein Abitur machen und damit auch nicht Biologie studieren, wird aber Präparator, arbeitet erst in einem Naturkundemuseum und dann freiberuflich. Wir sind immer noch in der DDR, wo Beleites 1988 eine Dokumentation über den Uranbergbau veröffentlicht – seine Eintrittskarte in die Politik der dann plötzlich vergrößerten Bundesrepublik, die ihn zwar ebenfalls nicht Biologie studieren lässt, aber seinen Göttern näherbringt – Otto Kleinschmidt vor allem, einem Ornithologen, der im ersten Drittel des 20. Jahrhunderts ein „revolutionäres Konzept zur biologischen Variation“ entwickelt, aber weitgehend vergessen wird, weil er „der allgemein anerkannten Lehrmeinung“ widerspricht (S. 15). Darwin und sonst nichts, damals schon. Wer bis hierher durchgehalten hat, versteht hoffentlich meine Bewunderung für ein Werk, das jenseits der üblichen akademischen Pfade und ohne die Sicherheit gewachsen ist, die eine Position in Universitäten oder Forschungsinstituten bietet, und trotzdem ganz genau weiß, mit was und mit wem es sich da anlegt. Michael Beleites kennt Literatur und Gegenargumente. Auch deshalb kann er es nicht unter 700 Seiten machen. Vor allem aber kennt dieser Autor seinen Gegenstand. Michael Beleites hat tausendfach gesehen, dass es in der Natur nicht um Konkurrenz geht, sondern um Zusammenhalt und Harmonie. Er sagt: Die Natur züchtet nicht. Wenn sich Arten verändern, dann im Ganzen. Anders formuliert: Die Merkmale verschieben sich zeitgleich, weil die Dinge zusammenhängen und Kräften unterliegen, die wir zwar benennen, aber schlecht messen oder gar im Experiment nachweisen können. Umweltresonanz (der Begriff, der auf dem Cover steht und zugleich Programm ist für eine nachmaterialistische Naturwissenschaft) steht bei ihm auch für den Zugriff auf die Art-„Programme“, die Gestalt und Verhalten steuern (S. 437), sowie auf die „jeweils verfügbaren natürlichen Umweltinformationen“ (S. 438). Magnetfelder, Himmelslicht und Sterne – sicht- und spürbar in der „freien Natur“, aber nicht oder allenfalls eingeschränkt im „urbanen Raum“. Michael Beleites unterfüttert das immer wieder mit Beobachtungen und Bildern – Lesegenuss und Augenschmaus in einem. Vor allem aber belässt er es nicht bei der Kritik, sondern bietet Lösungen, die weit über das hinausgehen, was im Moment in der Gegenöffentlichkeit diskutiert wird, weil sich seine Vorschläge schlüssig aus einem großen Theoriegebäude ableiten lassen. Ich kann das hier nur mit Schlagworten andeuten. Raus aus der Stadt. Wenn das nicht auf Dauer geht, dann wenigstens so oft wie möglich. Zurück zur bäuerlichen Landwirtschaft, zurück zu dem, was den Menschen ausmacht. Körperlich arbeiten in der Natur. Heimat statt Bodenlosigkeit und damit eher Dorf als Flugzeug. Der Mensch, sagt Michael Beleites, ist gar nicht so viel anders als Tiere oder Pflanzen. Jedes Individuum spürt eine „Neigung“, im Einklang mit dem zu sein, was für die Spezies bereits da ist (S. 592). Sein Buch kündet davon, dass Michael Beleites so lebt, wie es zu ihm passt. Dann können einem irgendwelche Krakeeler auch nicht viel anhaben. *Titelbild*: Leipzig, 23. Oktober 1989. Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-1989-1023-022, Friedrich Gahlbeck (ADN) [Freie Akademie für Medien & Journalismus](https://www.freie-medienakademie.de/) [Unterstützen](https://www.freie-medienakademie.de/unterstuetzen)

@ aade47fd:281e8e4f

На этот раз для того, чтобы сделать ежедневную запись потребовалась всего одна неделя, а не две, как в прошлый раз. Я не собираюсь останавливаться! --- ### Личность На этой неделе в коротких заметках я упомянал свою новую концепцию личности. Это структура, которая лежит на границе между мной и внешним миром. Эта тема волнует меня в эти дни, так что я хотел бы поговорить об этом подробнее. Есть экзистенциальный, неизменный, самотождественный Я, есть трансцендентный внешний мир, а есть структура, по которой между этими частями происходит взаимодействие — личность. На внешний мир я имею опосредованное влияние, не подразумевающее прямые изменения и контроль, а вот личность лежит в поле моей ответственности. Можно даже сказать, что больше никакой ответственности и не существует. В любой момент времени я могу принять решение о том, чем будет наполнена моя жизнь. Что я буду впускать в нее, а что отсеивать. И наоборот: я несу ответственность за то, что транслирую в окружающий мир, какое влияние имею. Формирование личности это комплекс из аксеологических ( ценностных) и праксиологических настроек. Задача состоит в том, чтобы сделать добродетель своей привычкой. Как стать хорошим человеком? Что это значит конкретно? Что мешает стать хорошим человеком? Не простые вопросы. Предлагаю пойти от обратного: может ли хороший человек "распуститься"? Полагаю, да. Это значит, что поддержание личности в форме требует постоянного усилия. А еще можно было предствить себя безупречного и попытаться почувствовать, какие актуальные привычки и настроения помешали бы тебе удержаться в этом состоянии долго. Я считаю эту работу наиболее важной. Чем более конкретно человек способен описать собственные амбиции, тем больше в жизни энергии и меньше мусора. --- ### Философия А кто я, собственно, такой, чтобы придумывать словам новые значения? Вот есть же определение для личности из словаря. Зачем людей с толку сбивать? А дело все в том,, что словарное определение никаким образом мою жизнь не обогащает, оно для меня бесполезно. Бесполезное слово (бессмысленное) слово — тупой нож. Кто принял решение жить своей жизнью (то есть, просто жить), тот называет вещи своими именами, а не руководствкется букварем с картинками. Работу над собственным языком я называю философией, а человека, нашедшего в себе смелость жить своей жизнью — философом. --- ### Воспитание Никогда не замечали, что все специалисты (люди, посвятившие себя только одному виду деятельности) одинаковы между собой? В то же время не найдете двух одинаковых людей в междисциплинарном пространстве. Я смотрю по сторонам и нахожу все больше подтверждений тому, что чем в большем числе направлений развивается человек, тем больше шанс, что в любой из них он окажется выдающимся. Специалисты нужны экономике, государству, обществу, но только не самим себе. Полноценное воспитание подразумевает развитие в максимальном количестве направлений. Похоже, это не просто античный идеал или идеал эпохи возраждения, а природа человека. Самая тяжелая детская травма, о которой все молчат, это вопрос "Кем ты хочешь стать, когда вырастешь?". Безупречным я хочу стать, ограниченный ты идиот. --- На сегодня все! До завтра!

@ 89ccea93:df4e00b7

# What is it? Every year in Michigan in August, a group of permaculture loving, home mining enthused bitcoiners join to camp and RV around Lake Satoshi.. Entry cost is roughly $20, paid in bitcoin of course. ```This year they'll gather August 2nd-4th 2025.``` >"Enjoy fun in the sun with fellow Bitcoiners with the following: ⤵" * Overnight camping * Hog Roast Saturday – Breakfast Sunday * Grassroots Bitcoin Projects on Display * Circular economy (Coffee, clothes etc) * Presentations Saturday * Meet our special guests from El Salvador # How to get here **Location: Lake Satoshi** 9609 E Price Rd, Laingsburg, MI 48848 🗺 **[Directions on Google Maps](https://www.google.com/search?q=bitcoin+beach+north&oq=bitcoin+beach+north&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i60.3714j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8)** **[CLICK to RSVP👆🏻](https://www.lakesatoshi.com/)** **Email _info@bitcoin101.io_ if you have questions.** **[Here](https://www.ungovernablemisfits.com/the-lake-satoshi-report/) is an article recapping last year's meetup.** **Or listen here 👉🏻🎙[episodes.fm](https://episodes.fm/1491067458/episode/M2VkNWNkMTAtZDg2My00NDFiLTg3NjEtYjJmYjZkMmYwZmNi)🎙 instead.** Pictures: [source](https://bitcoin101.io/lake-satoshi-retreat/)     **Go [here](https://bitcoin101.io/lake-satoshi-retreat/) to learn more.** originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/882417

@ c11cf5f8:4928464d

 Here we are again with our monthly [Magnificent Seven](https://stacker.news/AGORA#the-magnificent-seven---of-all-times), the summary giving you a hit of what you missed in the ~AGORA territory. - - - ### Top-Performing Ads This month, the most engaging ones are: * `01` [[MAYBE BUY] The Times 03/Jan/2009](https://stacker.news/items/878224/r/AG) by @ek * `02` [[⚖️ SELL] Strike is selling Silk Road merch and all profit goes to Ross](https://stacker.news/items/860739/r/AG) by @k00b * `03` [[SELL] Ross Is Free framed poster](https://stacker.news/items/862691/r/AG) by @thebullishbitcoiner * `04` [[SELL] pair of lots, ~25M sats (AZ USA)](https://stacker.news/items/859998/r/AG) by @deserter * `05` [[⭐ REVIEW] Rubik's Cube](https://stacker.news/items/861572/r/AG) by @0xbitcoiner * `06` [Negotiable SATS on Anything!!!](https://stacker.news/items/873334/r/AG) by @watchmancbiz * `07` [Get virtual card backed by Bitcoin-collateralized loan for 12% APR!](https://stacker.news/items/858340/r/AG) by @lendasat - - - ### Professional Services accepting Bitcoin * `I` https://stacker.news/items/813013/r/AG @gpvansat's [OFFER][Graphic Design] From the paste editions (It's important to keep these offers available) * `II` https://stacker.news/items/775383/r/AG @TinstrMedia - Color Grading (Styling) Your Pictures as a Service * `III` https://stacker.news/items/773557/r/AG @MamaHodl, MATHS TUTOR 50K SATS/hour English global * `IV` https://stacker.news/items/684163/r/AG @BTCLNAT's OFFER HEALTH COUNSELING [21 SAT/ consultation * `V` https://stacker.news/items/689268/r/AG @mathswithtess [SELL] MATHS TUTOR ONLINE, 90k sats per hour. Global but English only. ###### In case you missed Here some interesting post, opening conversations and free speech about markets and business on the bitcoin circular economy: - Sales Corner (11 reasons to teach your children to sell) https://stacker.news/items/876040/r/AG by @Akg10s3 - BTCPay Server: 2024 in review & 2025 ambitions https://stacker.news/items/860718/r/AG by @k00b - Francis Orange-Pilling Costa Rican merchants https://stacker.news/items/848508/r/AG by @supratic - Can someone produce a cheap linux based 4g phone for me to use in New Zealand? https://stacker.news/items/881075/r/AG by @Solomonsatoshi - Como funciona isso !! https://stacker.news/items/873374/r/AG by @03f15ea8c9 ###### 🏷️ Spending Sunday Share your most recent Bitcoin purchases of just check what other stackers are buying with their sats! Read more https://stacker.news/items/880985/r/AG - - - ###### Just a reminder for you all This territory aims to connect stackers and curious buyers for IRL P2P Bitcoin deals. Have fun checking what else stackers are shilling globally in the ~AGORA. This is a great time for you to make some space un-dusting some stuff that has been sitting there for too long and get some sats for it! - - - ### Create your Ads now!  Looking to start something new? Hit one of the links below to free your mind: * [💬 TOPIC](https://stacker.news/~AGORA/post?type=discussion) for conversation, * [\[⚖️ SELL\]](https://w3.do/b_v2wutP) anything! or, * if you're looking for something, hit the [\[🛒 BUY\]](https://w3.do/zvixtuSh)! * [\[🧑‍💻 HIRE\]](https://w3.do/_j0kpVsi) any bitcoiner skill or stuff from bitcoiners * [\[🖇 OFFER\]](https://w3.do/EfWF8yDL) any product or service and stack more sats * [\[🧑‍⚖️ AUCTION\]](https://w3.do/sbbCjZ0e) to let stackers decide a fair price for your item * [\[🤝 SWAP\]](https://w3.do/V_iP4lY5) if you're looking to exchange anything with anything else * [\[🆓 FREE\]](https://w3.do/DdVEE1ME) your space, make a gift! * [\[⭐ REVIEW\]](https://w3.do/CAZ5JxCk) any bitcoin product or LN service you recently bought or subscribed to - - - Or contact @AGORA team on [nostr DM](https://iris.to/agora_sn), and we can help you publish a personalized post. . `#nostr` `#bitcoin` `#stuff4sats` `#sell` `#buy` `#plebchain` `#grownostr` `#asknostr` `#market` `#business` originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/882452

@ 43baaf0c:d193e34c

I attended Sats ‘n’ Facts to share my art, joining other Nostr artists in exhibiting our work at the event’s very first venue. It was a great opportunity to connect with fellow creatives, including Siritravelsketch, whose work I’ve admired on Nostr for some time. Meeting other artists in real life is always inspiring—there’s an undeniable creative bond that comes from sharing our passion in person.  Sats ‘n’ Facts is an Unconference, meaning there’s no strict schedule—everything is open for participants. It’s all about the connections made, the synergy shared, and, for the developers attending, the excitement of a hackathon. (A hackathon is an event where people collaborate intensively on engineering projects, often within 24 to 48 hours.)  My goal as an artist is to become a bridge between the Bitcoin tech world and the Bitcoin art and design space. Bitcoin empowers us by providing greater (financial) freedom, and with that freedom comes more time to pursue what we truly love—so in a way, you never have to “work” again. 😊  Nostr is a great example of how bubbles 🫧 POP, leading to new collaborations. Without tech, artists wouldn’t have a way to share their work, and without artists, creatives, and plebs, developers would have no one to build for. Both sides are essential for organic growth. This kind of synergy can only thrive in a decentralized system—otherwise, it risks being captured by big corporations. And that single point of failure is one of the biggest challenges we face in the world today.  Decentralization is freedom. Events like Sats ‘n’ Facts give us the opportunity to collaborate, create, and contribute to a more decentralized world—one where more people can truly become free.  Can’t wait to join the next Sats’n’facts. Maybe Barcelona!?

@ c3b2802b:4850599c

Akteure der [Gemeinwohllobby](https://gemeinwohl-lobby.de/), einer deutschen Bürgerinitiative für Mitbestimmung und Stärkung bzw. Reanimierung der Demokratie und Gewaltenteilung im Land, haben sich die Mühe gemacht, die Wahlprogramme der sieben Bundestagsparteien nach den oben genannten Kriterien zu untersuchen. Zitiert sind in der Tabelle (unten) originale Sätze mit Seitenangabe aus den Parteiprogrammen. Die Links zu den Parteiprogrammen sind dort ebenfalls eingefügt. Zunächst ein kleiner Überblick. **Frieden:** Hier finden sich einerseits Positionen, welche auf friedliche Konfliktlösung abzielen, andererseits Positionen, die Beteiligung an aktuellen Kriegshandlungen durch Waffenlieferungen anstreben. Hier drängt sich die Frage auf, wie es um die Geschichtskenntnis von Menschen steht, welche eine Beteiligung unseres Landes an Konflikten in Europa fordern. Sind die Weltkriege, ist Stalingrad vergessen? Die Millionen Toten, darunter viele unserer wie auch ausländischer Großeltern? Und kennen diese Personen unser Grundgesetz, nach dem das deutsche Volk dem Frieden der Welt dienen möge (Art.1)? **Bargeld:** Dessen Abschaffung fordert keine der Parteien, aber einige fordern mit unterschiedlichem Nachdruck dessen Erhalt. Andere geben keine Stellungnahme ab. Ein naiver Beobachter könnte sich hier fragen, welche Kräfte die Abschaffung des Bargeldes ins Spiel gebracht haben. Eine geplante Abschaffung ist ja Voraussetzung, dessen Erhalt zu fordern. Der Wille des Volkes oder der Völker steht offenkundig nicht hinter dem Plan der Abschaffung, sonst wäre diese ja ein vorzüglicher Punkt, Wählerstimmen aus dem Volk einzuheimsen. Was sagt uns diese Konstellation über den Zustand unserer „Demokratie“? Wer führt die Zügel im Weltgeschehen? **Meinungsfreiheit** und „Desinformation“: Hier reicht das Spektrum von bedingungslosem Erhalt der Meinungsfreiheit hin zu mehr oder weniger verklausulierten Forderungen der Einschränkung von Meinungsfreiheit, welche gipfeln in der Androhung, nicht genehme Informationen oder Meinungen als „Desinformation“ zu benennen und strafbar zu machen. Fassungslos mögen sich hier einige fragen: Was unterscheidet Desinformation von adäquaten Beschreibungen der Wirklichkeit? Lässt sich das nicht nur in einem Klima der Meinungsfreiheit herausfinden? Und wenn man die einschränken will – wer darf dann bestimmen, welche Meinung zugelassen wird und welche nicht? Hat die Geschichte nicht genügend Beispiele geliefert für Katastrophen infolge der Unterdrückung von Meinungen, welche von der jeweiligen Regierungslinie abweichen (deutsche Geschichte im 20.Jahrhundert, Stalin-Ära, Kulturrevolution)? **Volksabstimmungen** auf Bundesebene werden von vier Parteien nicht thematisiert. Das lässt darauf schließen, dass in den Reihen dieser Fraktionen die Funktionstüchtigkeit unserer Demokratie für ausreichend befunden wird. Drei Parteien fordern hingegen Volksentscheide, wie sie in Nachbarländern (z.B. in der Schweiz) üblich sind. In der Schweiz kann die Bevölkerung direkt über Verfassungs- und Gesetzesfragen entscheiden. Es gibt kein Verfassungsgericht. Was anderswo Verfassungsgerichte tun, obliegt in der Schweiz den 5,5 Millionen Bürgern, die alle drei, vier Monate bei einer Referendumsabstimmung über eine Sachvorlage oder ein Gesetz direkt abstimmen. Details zu diesem seit langer Zeit hervorragend funktionierenden Garant für eine saubere Demokratie finden Sie [hier](https://transition-news.org/schweiz-neue-genossenschaft-will-direkte-demokratie-starken). **WHO:** Zwei Parteien fordern Reformen und/oder Austritt aus der WHO (wegen privater Finanzierung / unrühmlicher Rolle in der Corona Zeit), drei Parteien äußern sich nicht zu diesem Punkt. Zwei Parteien planen, sich der WHO unterzuordnen. Auch hier dürfte sich Fassungslosigkeit gegenüber der letztgenannten Position bei Menschen breitmachen, die den von der WHO diktierten Maßnahmen kritisch gegenüberstehen und deren Argumente mittlerweile breite Bestätigung finden, z.B. in aktuellen Publikationen von Medizinern wie Sucharit Bhakti. Die komplette Tabelle der hier angedeuteten Positionen mit den ausformulierten Zitaten aus den verglichenen sieben Parteiprogrammen finden Sie [hier](https://gemeinwohl-lobby.de/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/vergleich-parteien.pdf). Danke, liebe Marianne und Team für Eure Arbeit. *Zuerst veröffentlicht bei* *[Menschlich Wirtschaften](https://menschlichwirtschaften.de/kategorie/peter-schmuck/)*

@ 2e8970de:63345c7a

 https://www.nature.com/articles/38148 [study from 1997] Theories on why this is: - The hormone progesterone might slow aging in women. It's produced much more during and after pregnancy. Which makes sense biologically: mothers need to stay fit as long as possible to care for their offspring - Having kids in their 40s just skews the data to healthier individuals. Those that can still have kids in their 40s are healthier. And healthier people live longer - It's just money. Successfully having kids in their 40s is a thing for higher socioeconomic class. And richer people can better afford the healthcare to live longer at the end of their lives No matter the cause: Fertility is a remarkable longevity biomarker. originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/882432

@ 2fb77d26:c47a6ee1

Intensiv! Das trifft es wohl am besten. Denn müsste ich das Jahr 2024 mit einem einzigen Wort charakterisieren, beschriebe kein anderes es besser. Atemlos, anstrengend, aufreibend, überraschend, lehrreich, unterhaltsam, erhebend und beglückend wären Adjektive, die in der Retrospektive ebenfalls Erwähnung finden könnten. Zum Glück. Gibt es doch kaum etwas Frustrierenderes als Eintönigkeit. Als stupide Routinen. So viel Sicherheit diese im wochentäglichen Trott versprechen, so viel Leere generieren sie, betrachtet man das Hamsterrad des Alltags über den Wochenhorizont hinaus. Dementsprechend heiter stimmt es mich, dass die vergangenen zwölf Monate das absolute Gegenteil von Routine waren und ich nun im Rückblick dartun darf, manch ein Husarenstück vollbracht zu haben. **»*Damit das Mögliche entsteht, muss immer wieder das Unmögliche versucht werden*«, hielt Hermann Hesse dereinst fest.** Diesem Gedanken folgend eröffnete ich das neue Jahr damit, ein ganzes Haus nahezu im Alleingang zu renovieren. Baustelle. Drei Monate lang. Oft bis zu 18 Stunden am Tag. Staub, Lärm, Farbe, Spachtel, Litzen, zerschundene Hände, schmerzende Glieder und verschlissene Kleidung. Von der Silikonfuge im hintersten Eck des Kellers bis zur Montagearbeit unter dem Dachbalken. Ob Steckdosen, Sockelleisten oder Fensterrahmen, Verkabelung, Inneneinrichtung oder Fassadenfarbe – ich hatte mir vorgenommen, dem viele hundert Jahre alten Gemäuer eine Generalüberholung angedeihen zu lassen. Als ich Anfang April unser farbenfroh-freiheitliches Hauswappen neben dem Eingang montierte und unserer neuen Unterkunft damit ihren Namen gab – »*Casa Libre*« –, war das ein großartiges Gefühl. Denn meinen mehr als ambitionierten Zeitplan hielt selbst ich im Januar noch für relativ utopisch. Parallel dazu habe ich im Januar meine »*Truman Show*« fertiggestellt, das Cover überarbeitet und kurzfristig den Vertrieb gewechselt, weil es beim bisherigen Anbieter scheinbar nicht gern gesehen war, dass ich mich in besagtem Buch mit den dunklen Machenschaften von Menschenhändlern und Kinderschändern befasse. Als die Anthologie im Februar erschien, musste diese natürlich auch medial beworben werden – während gleichzeitig die Vorarbeiten für die Printpublikation GEGENDRUCK Fahrt aufnahmen. Ab April sollten nach wochenlanger Abstinenz endlich auch wieder neue Texte auf meinem Blog erscheinen. Mich juckte es bereits in den Fingern. Unterdes wollte jedoch auch das Leben in der vorherigen Bleibe abgebaut, verpackt und transportiert werden, damit es ab April in den frisch gestrichenen vier Wänden des neuen Zuhauses wieder ausgepackt, aufgebaut und in Betrieb genommen werden konnte. Gut sortierte Bücher- und Plattensammlungen machen das ob ihres schieren Gewichts zu einer ganz besonderen Freude. Dass ich nach über zehn Jahren Apple-Nutzung die private IT umgestellt, die Cloud gelöscht und Unmengen an Daten migriert, ein neues, überwachungsfreies Smartphone eingerichtet, verschiedene juristische Scharmützel bewältigt, diverse Texte verfasst und eine Vielzahl an Gesprächen geführt habe, an mehreren Konferenzen beteiligt, für verschiedene Projekte Dritter tätig, familiär gut eingespannt, obendrein einem Konzentration fordernden Vollzeitjob mit zunehmenden Verantwortlichkeiten verpflichtet war und diese Aufzählung nur einen kleinen Teil meiner Aktivitäten umfasst, sei dabei nur am Rande erwähnt. Damit auch während des Sommerlochs keine Langeweile aufkommt, begann ich bereits im Frühjahr 2024 mit der Planung für eine Lese- und Vortragsreise. Gut zwanzig Termine wollten mit den Veranstaltern koordiniert werden. Es galt, Routenplanung, Hotelbuchungen, Reiselogistik, Buchbestand, Kommunikation und eine mit Quellen unterlegte Präsentation zu organisieren. Kaum war all das in trockenen Tüchern, saß ich bereits im Flugzeug nach Kolumbien, wo ich den Juli für Regeneration und Literaturrecherche nutzen wollte. Aber weil Leben nun mal ist, was passiert, während man plant, stellte Unvorhergesehenes die Improvisationsfähigkeit auch dort regelmäßig auf die Probe. Meer und Dschungel taten dennoch ihr Übriges und ließen die Irritationen des zivilisatorischen Alltags in ihrer relativen Belanglosigkeit verblassen. Drei Wochen nach meiner Rückkehr ins Tessin waren sie allerdings zurück. Die Arbeit holte mich ein, diverse Projekte und ehrenamtliche Engagements warteten auf Input, die nackten Wände der neue Bleibe wollten dekoriert und das neue Tonstudio arrangiert werden – und ehe ich mich versah, ging es auch schon auf Tour. Gut 500 Kilogramm an Büchern und Gepäck waren verladen und mussten circa 6.000 Kilometer durch die Schweiz, Deutschland und Österreich chauffiert werden. Volle Säle und mehrere tausend offenherzige Menschen machten diese Reise zu einem ganz besonderen Erlebnis. Selbst das bis zum Sommer mehrheitlich miserable Wetter meinte es gut mit mir. Denn in den drei Wochen auf Tour regnete es nur ein einziges Mal. Am letzten Tag. Ansonsten waren mir strahlende Sonne, hochsommerliche Temperaturen und das ein oder andere Mittagsschläfchen im Schatten alter Bäume vergönnt. Als ich der letzten Station meiner Rundreise den Rücken kehrte, verabschiedete sich auch die warme Jahreszeit. Auf der Heimfahrt über die Alpen begegneten mir die Vorboten eines goldenen Oktobers: eine tieferstehende Sonne über den Bergrücken, die goldene Stunde kürzer werdender Tage und der auffrischende Wind am Abend, der die an Farbenpracht zulegenden Wälder der Tessiner Topografie ins Wogen brachte. Wenige Wochen später fiel in den Alpen der erste Schnee. Jetzt schimmern die weißen Gipfel am Horizont in der wärmenden Wintersonne. Und ich sitze wieder an meinem Fenster, lasse den Blick über die geheimnisvoll anmutende Vegetationsdichte des Umlands schweifen und schreibe ein Vorwort. Für Buch Nummer fünf. Es fällt etwas dünner aus, enthält nicht so viele philosophische Betrachtungen, Zitate und rhetorische Extravaganzen wie seine beiden Vorgänger. Leider. Denn das Sortieren der Gedanken, Quellen und Paragrafen im Rahmen der Textarbeit schält seltene Stunden innerer Ruhe aus den von Pflichten und Routinen dominierten Strukturen des Tages. Gerne hätte ich inmitten der organisatorischen Turbulenzen des vergangenen Jahres häufiger die Zeit gefunden, Beiträge zu verfassen – es gäbe so viel zu sagen, so viel zu dokumentieren, um den volatilen Konturen der Zeitenwende Schärfe zu verleihen. Und das erscheint dieser Tage nötiger denn je.  Denn da draußen tobt der Wahnsinn. Die Polykrise. Das Chaos – als Steigbügelhalter für das finale Kapitel eines transgenerationalen Klassenkampfes von oben. Für Technokratie und Plattformfaschismus. Doch »*auch aus Steinen, die Dir in den Weg gelegt werden, kannst Du etwas Schönes bauen*«, bemerkte Erich Kästner. Ohne Kontext und Hintergrundinformationen, die das Individuum in die Lage versetzen, die Schlachtfelder des wilder werdenden Informationskriegs mit einer gewissen Gelassenheit zu überblicken, gerät es jedoch leicht zum Opfer der unerbittlich keifenden Propagandamaschine wertewestlicher Demokratiedarstellung. Ja, die Truman Show läuft wohl auch im fünften Jahr n. C. (nach Corona) auf allen Kanälen. Auf allen Frequenzen. Und der Homo demens spielt mit suizidaler Leichtfertigkeit seine ihm zugedachte Rolle als irrlichternder Kamikaze-Pilot, der sich in Rage auf das eigene Schiff zu stürzen gedenkt. Die zeitgeistig flexiblen Herrschaftseliten, die sich nun zusehends konservativ gerieren, anstatt Wokeness zu predigen, nesteln derweil hektisch an den letzten Zierpalisaden des digitalen Gulag. Der Rohbau steht ja auch schon eine ganze Weile. Bunt soll es sein – und spätestens 2030 bezugsfertig übergeben werden. Ob eID, elektronische Patientenakte, digitales Geld, lückenlose Massenüberwachung, algorithmisierte Zensur, Dekarbonisierungsagenda, [Enteignungslegislatur](http://www.thegreattaking.com/), kognitive [Kriegsführung](https://innovationhub-act.org/cognitive-warfare-2/) im Hosentaschenformat, Geofencing-Gewahrsam, Nanobots oder Frequenzfelder zu deren [Kalibrierung](https://www.newsweek.com/remote-mind-control-technology-world-first-1927728): alles einsatzbereit. Schon 1999 veröffentlichte das US-Militär ein [Dokument](https://web.archive.org/web/19970429021915fw_/http:/www.au.af.mil/au/2025/volume3/chap15/v3c15-4.htm#v3c15--4) namens »*Owning the Weather 2025*«, das beschreibt, wie artifizieller Nebel verwendet werden kann, um Nanopartikel in Ballungszentren einzusetzen. Zwei Jahre später schlugen interne [Präsentationen](https://archive.org/details/future-strategic-issues-and-warfare_202011) der NASA in die gleiche Kerbe. Jetzt ist 2025. Und [Berichte](https://trendingamerican.com/mysterious-fog-covers-usa-and-uk-fogvid-24-making-residents-sick/) über chemikalienhaltigen Nebel, der Krankheitssymptome verursacht, machen die Runde. Wir sind angekommen. Der »*[Pakt für die Zukunft](https://press.un.org/en/2024/ga12641.doc.htm)*« ist geschlossen. Das Blau des Himmels einem persistent milchigen Grau gewichen. Noch am Heiligabend hat die UN-Generalversammlung Kernelemente des entsprechendes Vertragswerkes [ratifiziert](https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/press/releases/2024/December/un-general-assembly-adopts-landmark-convention-on-cybercrime.html). Ohne nennenswerten Widerstand. [Cloward-Piven-Strategie](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloward%E2%80%93Piven_strategy) und [Kulturmarxismus](https://www.wiwo.de/politik/deutschland/kulturmarxismus-marx-haette-seine-helle-freude-an-den-heutigen-verhaeltnissen/25205796.html) sei Dank. Die Revolution von oben war bis dato also ziemlich erfolgreich. Nur Max Mustermann weiß noch nichts vom seinem Glück. Illuminiert wird die Installation des biometrischen Kontroll-Grids von einem Flammenmeer im Nahen Osten. Von brennenden Krankenhäusern, Kirchen und Kindern. Menschenrechte sind passé. Der beispiellose [Genozid](https://original.antiwar.com/ramzy-baroud/2024/12/11/the-tectonic-shift-the-gaza-genocide-and-the-limits-of-israeli-hasbara/) in Gaza wird von den NATO-Medien in verachtenswerter Manier schöngeschrieben, während von den [USA](https://consortiumnews.com/2024/12/17/how-the-west-rebranded-al-qaedas-jolani/) trainierte, ausstaffierte, radikalislamische Fanatiker [Syrien](https://corbettreport.com/a-brief-history-of-the-war-on-syria/) nahezu widerstandslos kapern. Ein Land, das seit Langem auf der To-do-Liste des militärisch-industriellen Komplexes stand. Die fortschreitende Destabilisierung der Region bereitet zionistischen Hardlinern in Tel Aviv und Washington die Bühne für den heiß ersehnten Krieg gegen den Iran. Europäische Metropolen erodieren, die Bevölkerung verarmt, Reproduktionsraten sinken auf Rekordtiefstände, bei der NATO drängt man auf Eskalation mit Russland, und China intensiviert seine [Drohgebärden](https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/china-orders-largest-military-build-1930s-germany-report) im Indopazifik. Der militärische Fleischwolf dreht sich immer schneller. Es herrscht dicke Luft. Überall. Man riecht das Schießpulver. Denn das angloamerikanische Imperium ruft zum letzten Gefecht. Es ist – wie ich bereits im Vorspann der Truman Show schrieb – das letzte Aufbäumen eines moribunden Machtapparats. Charakterisiert von zunehmender Gewalt. Auf Kosten aller. Es lässt sich kaum seriös prognostizieren, wann es knallt, oder wie laut – dass es massiver Disruption bedarf, um diese Revolution von oben fristgerecht umzusetzen und speziell Kontinentaleuropa einen hohen Preis für seine willfährige Komplizenschaft bezahlen wird, allerdings schon. **Dabei erkannte schon Romain Rolland, dass »*das schlimmste Übel, an dem die Welt leidet, nicht die Stärke der Bösen, sondern die Schwäche der Guten ist*«.** Während sich also vor meinem Fenster die Sonne ein letztes Mal für dieses Jahr dem Ringen mit der Dunkelheit ergibt, Palmen, Koniferen und Zypressen vor einem goldgelb, dann violett glühenden Himmel zu schwarzen Scherenschnitten mutieren, erscheinen auch die Umrisse des vor uns liegenden Weges undeutlicher, die Zukunft ungewisser, unmenschlicher – ja unerreichbarer denn je. Als sei sie auf der Flucht. Und eine Vielzahl derjenigen, die vorgeben, sie zu hehren Zwecken einfangen zu wollen, die Kritiker, Oppositionellen und Widerständler, drehen sich nicht minder schnell im Kreis als ihre Widersacher im leitmedialen Konsenskomplex. Denn im Kern tun beide Lager das Gleiche: Sie debattieren Sinnfetzen und Argumentationsfragmente, die man ihnen aus Orifizen weit oben im Elfenbeinturm oder verspiegelten Panzerglasfenstern polierter Luxuslimousinen vor die Füße wirft. Für viele ist Systemkritik zum profanen Geschäftsmodell geworden. Zum Event. Da bleibt wenig Zeit für echten Widerstand. Oder Charakter. Wer den Medienzirkus zu seinem Broterwerb gemacht hat, ist davon abhängig, dass er sich auszahlt. Und das von alternativmedialen Generika angefixte Publikum will genauso unterhalten werden wie der Zuschauer des Morgenmagazins. Brot und Spiele eben – egal, in welcher Arena die Schaukämpfe veranstaltet werden. Das Publikum schaut stoisch in die Röhre. Oder auf das Display. Hauptsache, das Spektakel lässt sich bequem vom Sofa aus verfolgen. Hans-Joachim Kulenkampff gab schon vor Jahrzehnten zu verstehen, dass »*die Leute gar nicht so dumm sind, wie wir sie durchs Fernsehen noch machen werden*«. Er hatte recht. Die Revolution wird also wohl noch eine Weile auf sich warten lassen. Schade. Denn genau dafür engagiere ich mich – für eine friedliche Revolution des Geistes. Für eine zweite Aufklärung. Für eine Zukunft, in der es Liebe, Wahrheit und Selbstbestimmung sind, nach denen meine Mitmenschen streben. Bleibt zu hoffen, dass sich die Ascheschichten, aus welchen sich der Phoenix dieser zweiten Aufklärung irgendwann in den Himmel schwingen muss, vorher nicht allzu hoch auftürmen. Nun will ich den Leser nicht mit all diesen persönlich gefärbten Annotationen und Gefühlsduseleien belästigen, um mich zu profilieren, sondern weil ein Jahr wie 2024 beweist – zumindest mir selbst –, dass man auch ganz allein Berge versetzen kann. Dass es nicht von äußeren Umständen, Dritten und Kapital abhängt, ob man Ziele erreicht. Dass man selbst der Phoenix sein kann. Jeder von uns. Wo ein Wille, da ein Weg. Aber beschreiten muss man ihn. Auch dann, wenn der Kompass temporär seinen Dienst versagt. Denn Routen entstehen nur dort, wo man sie geht. Und der Kurs lässt sich auch dann noch justieren, wenn man unterwegs ist. »*Learning by doing*« – nur so kommt man voran. Nur so schafft man Unabhängigkeit und Vertrauen in die eigenen Fähigkeiten. Fehler passieren ja nicht, um uns von etwas abzuhalten, sondern um uns auf den nächsten Versuch vorzubereiten. Sie sind ein Angebot, zu lernen. Und nur, wenn man der Welt ein Angebot machen kann, darf man darauf hoffen, dass es angenommen wird. Womit wir beim Titel der vorliegenden Publikation angekommen wären: »*Hopium*« – ein Kompositum aus »*Hope*«, englisch für Hoffnung, und Opium, dem durch Anritzen seiner unreifen Samenkapseln gewonnenen, getrockneten Milchsaft des Schlafmohns. Ein Rauschmittel. Basis des 1898 von Bayer markenrechtlich geschützten Morphin-Derivates Heroin. »*Hopium*« ist ein Neologismus – geprägt oder zumindest populär gemacht von [James Corbett](https://corbettreport.com/hopium/) –, den ich in meinen Texten immer wieder gerne verwende, weil er wie kaum ein anderer auf den Punkt bringt, was Etatisten dazu bewegt, an das System Staat zu glauben: der Rausch der Hoffnung. Darauf, dass der nächste Kanzler, Präsident oder Premierminister es endlich richten wird. Oder diese eine neue Partei. Der in regelmäßigem Turnus enttäuschte Irrglaube an die Selbstheilungskräfte eines auf Despotie ausgelegten Herrschaftssystems gleicht einer Sucht. Einer sehr destruktiven Sucht. Denn obwohl sich die Bevölkerung zumindest unterbewusst darüber im Klaren sein dürfte, dass sich auch nach dem nächsten Urnengang nichts ändern wird, dass ihr diese in devoter Pose dargebrachte Verehrung von Götzen schadet, dass sie an einer Art Stockholm-Syndrom leidet, wenn sie unterstützt, was sie beraubt, unterdrückt und tötet, tut sie es wieder. Immer wieder. **Aldous Huxley wusste, wovon er sprach, als er notierte, dass »*der Glaube an eine größere und bessere Zukunft einer der mächtigsten Feinde gegenwärtiger Freiheit ist*«.** Nun ist Hoffnung aber nicht per se negativ – und Hopium somit als durchaus ambivalenter Begriff zu werten. Treibt die Hoffnung doch auch mich dazu, immer wieder Wege zu suchen, um Menschen zu erreichen, Konstruktives beizutragen und die Welt in meinem Einflussbereich ein wenig besser zu machen. Sie besser informiert zu hinterlassen. Sähe ich unsere Situation als chancenlos, hätte ich den Glauben an Liebe und Wahrheit, oder die Hoffnung auf bessere Zeiten aufgegeben, gäbe es dieses Buch nicht. Der Unterschied zwischen einem Etatisten und mir besteht darin, dass ich nicht darauf hoffe und warte, dass mir jemand diese Arbeit abnimmt. Ich delegiere nicht, gebe die Verantwortung für mein Leben nicht aus der Hand, sondern nehme sie wahr. Werde aktiv. Mein Glaube an »*Volksvertreter*«, Erlöser und Idole erlosch vor über drei Jahrzehnten. Seitdem verlasse ich mich nur noch auf eine einzige Person – mich selbst – und gebe mir redlich Mühe, mich dabei nicht zu enttäuschen, sondern zu beeindrucken. Ob andere Menschen gut finden, was ich mit meiner knapp bemessenen Lebenszeit anstelle, ist mir egal. Es ist mein Leben. Ich habe nur eines. Zumindest aller Wahrscheinlichkeit nach. Und der Einzige, dem es gefallen muss, bin ich. »*Die einen kennen mich, die anderen können mich*«, wie Le Cercle-[Gründungsmitglied](https://bilderbergmeetings.co.uk/kissinger/kissinger-bilderberg-and-le-cercle/) Konrad Adenauer treffend polterte. Das ist Freiheit. Und die steht nirgends zur Wahl. Wird nicht angeboten. Sie hängt nicht von äußeren Umständen ab, wird nicht gewährt oder erkämpft. Frei wird man nicht – frei ist man. Oder eben nicht. Ich hoffe – das ist meine tägliche Dosis »*Hopium*« –, dass meine Arbeit anderen Menschen hilft, das zu erkennen. Denn das Versäumnis von gestern ist das täglich Brot von morgen, die Gegenwart die Vergangenheit der Zukunft. Und es ist an uns, etwas daraus zu machen. »*Man muss die Zukunft abwarten und die Gegenwart genießen – oder ertragen*«, soll Wilhelm von Humboldt gesagt haben. Ich habe mich intuitiv immer für den Genuss entschieden und bin überzeugt, dass dieser Ansatz eine gute Ausgangsposition ist, um dem in absehbarer Zeit Orkanstärke erreichenden Sturm der Zeit die Stirn zu bieten. **Frei nach Edward Snowden: »*Sei nicht ängstlich – sondern vorbereitet*«.** *Weiter geht's im [Buch](https://shop.tredition.com/booktitle/HOPIUM/W-647-217-513) ...*

@ 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/882402

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@ ef1744f8:96fbc3fe

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@ ef1744f8:96fbc3fe

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@ ef1744f8:96fbc3fe

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@ d360efec:14907b5f

(1) TF Day (รายวัน): - แนวโน้ม: ขาขึ้น (Uptrend) ชัดเจน - SMC: HH และ HL ต่อเนื่อง - แนวรับ: EMA 50 (ประมาณ 90,000), EMA 200 (ประมาณ 80,000) - แนวต้าน: 109,998.9 (High เดิม) - Money Flow (LuxAlgo): - ส่วนใหญ่เป็นสีเขียว: แสดงว่าโดยรวมแล้วแรงซื้อยังมีอิทธิพลเหนือกว่า - มีสีแดงแทรกบ้าง: บ่งบอกว่ามีการขายทำกำไรออกมาบ้าง แต่ไม่มากพอที่จะเปลี่ยนแนวโน้มหลัก - มีสีเขียวแท่งใหญ่ต่อเนื่อง: เกิดขึ้นในช่วงที่ราคามีการปรับตัวขึ้นอย่างมีนัยยะสำคัญ สรุป: ขาขึ้นแข็งแกร่ง Buy on Dip ที่ EMA 50/200  (2) TF4H (4 ชั่วโมง): - แนวโน้ม: ขาขึ้น (Uptrend) ชัดเจน - SMC: HH และ HL, มี Pullback แต่ไม่เสียโครงสร้าง - แนวรับ: EMA 50, EMA 200, Equilibrium (ประมาณ 98,000) - แนวต้าน: 109,998.9 - Money Flow (LuxAlgo): แรงซื้อยังคงมีมากกว่า, มีขายทำกำไรบ้าง สรุป: ขาขึ้น พักตัวเพื่อไปต่อ Buy on Dip  (3) TF15 (15 นาที): - แนวโน้ม: ขาขึ้น (Uptrend) แต่แกว่งตัวในกรอบ (Consolidation) - SMC: Accumulation, มี EQH/EQL, CHoCH ทั้งบนและล่าง - แนวรับ: 97,000-97,200, EMA, 96,800 - แนวต้าน: 98,000-98,378.4 - Money Flow (LuxAlgo): แรงซื้อยังคงมี แต่มีแรงขายทำกำไร สรุป: ขาขึ้นระยะสั้น แต่ผันผวน Range Trading หรือ Breakout Trading (เน้น Buy)  กลยุทธ์: 1.Buy on Dip (หลัก): - TF Day: รอใกล้ EMA 50/200 - TF4H: รอใกล้ EMA หรือ Equilibrium 2.Breakout (TF15): รอ Breakout 98,000-98,378.4 พร้อม Volume 3.Range (TF15, เสี่ยง): เล่นสั้นในกรอบ 97,000-98,000 (ระวัง False Breakout) 4.ไม่ Short: ขัดกับแนวโน้มหลัก ข้อควรระวัง: - ความผันผวน: ตลาดคริปโตฯ มีความผันผวนสูง - ข่าวสาร/ปัจจัยพื้นฐาน: ติดตามข่าวสารอย่างใกล้ชิด - Stop Loss: จำเป็นต้องตั้ง Stop Loss ทุกครั้งที่เข้าเทรด - TF15: ระวัง False Breakout และ Volume ที่ไม่สอดคล้อง Money Flow (LuxAlgo) สรุป: - TF Day: ยืนยันแนวโน้มขาขึ้นโดยรวม แรงซื้อยังมีอิทธิพล - TF4H: ยืนยันแนวโน้มขาขึ้น แรงซื้อยังคงมีมากกว่า - TF15: แรงซื้อยังมี แต่เริ่มมีแรงขายทำกำไร ทำให้ราคาแกว่งตัว คำแนะนำเพิ่มเติม: - Volume: ควรให้ความสำคัญกับ Volume ในการ Breakout หรือ Breakout - Risk Management: บริหารความเสี่ยงให้ดี อย่า Overtrade Disclaimer: การวิเคราะห์นี้เป็นเพียงความคิดเห็นส่วนตัว ไม่ถือเป็นคำแนะนำในการลงทุน ผู้ลงทุนควรศึกษาข้อมูลเพิ่มเติมและตัดสินใจด้วยความรอบคอบ

@ ef1744f8:96fbc3fe

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@ d360efec:14907b5f

(1) TF Day (รายวัน): - แนวโน้ม: เริ่มเป็นขาขึ้น (Early Uptrend) หลังจาก Breakout EMA 50 - SMC: BOS ด้านบน (Breakout EMA 50), เริ่มเห็น HH/HL (แต่ยังไม่ชัดเจนเท่า BTC) - แนวรับ: EMA 50 (1.5615), EMA 200 (1.0857), 0.7289-0.8479 - แนวต้าน: 2.4450 (High ล่าสุด), 3.00-3.20 (EQH), 3.4049 (High ก่อนหน้า) - Money Flow (LuxAlgo): แรงซื้อแข็งแกร่ง ชนะแรงขายชัดเจน - Volume Profile: หนาแน่นที่ EMA 50 - กลยุทธ์: Buy on Dip (ความเสี่ยงปานกลาง) หรือรอ Breakout 2.4450  (2) TF4H (4 ชั่วโมง): - แนวโน้ม: ขาขึ้น (ระยะกลาง), พักตัว (ระยะสั้น) - SMC: BOS ด้านบน, เริ่มเห็น HH/HL, มี EQH (3.00-3.20) และ EQL (2.10-2.20) - แนวรับ: EMA 50 (2.20), EMA 200 (1.80), 2.10-2.20 (EQL), 1.7820 - แนวต้าน: 2.4427, 3.00-3.20 (EQH), 3.4049 - Money Flow (LuxAlgo): แรงซื้อยังมี แต่เริ่มอ่อนแรงลง มีขายทำกำไร - Volume Profile: หนาแน่นที่ EMA 50 - กลยุทธ์: Buy on Dip ใกล้ EMA 50 หรือ EQL, รอ Breakout 2.4427  (3) TF15 (15 นาที): - แนวโน้ม: แกว่งตัวในกรอบ (Sideways) - SMC: Accumulation/Distribution, EQH (2.44-2.48), EQL (2.40-2.42), CHoCH ทั้งบนและล่าง - แนวรับ: 2.40-2.42 (EQL, EMA), Equilibrium (2.38) - แนวต้าน: 2.44-2.48 (EQH), 2.50 - Money Flow (LuxAlgo): แรงซื้อและแรงขายพอๆ กัน, Volume ไม่สูง - Volume Profile: หนาแน่นที่ 2.40-2.42 - กลยุทธ์: Range Trading (เสี่ยง) หรือ Breakout Trading (เน้น Buy)  สรุปกลยุทธ์สำหรับ XRPUSDT: 1.Buy on Dip (กลยุทธ์หลัก): - TF Day: รอราคาย่อตัวลงมาใกล้ EMA 50 (ประมาณ 1.56) หรือ EMA 200 (ประมาณ 1.08) - TF4H: รอราคาย่อตัวลงมาใกล้ EMA 50 (ประมาณ 2.20) หรือบริเวณ EQL (2.10-2.20) 2.Breakout Trading (TF15, เสี่ยงน้อยกว่า Range Trading): - รอราคา Breakout แนวต้าน 2.44-2.48 (EQH ใน TF15) อย่างแข็งแกร่ง พร้อม Volume ยืนยัน แล้วค่อยพิจารณา Buy Stop 3.Range Trading (TF15, ความเสี่ยงสูง): - เล่นสั้นๆ ในกรอบ 2.40-2.48 (ซื้อแนวรับ-ขายแนวต้าน) ต้องระวัง False Breakout อย่างมาก 4.ไม่แนะนำให้ Short: - ขัดกับแนวโน้มหลักใน TF Day และ TF4H รวมถึง Money Flow ที่แสดงแรงซื้อ ข้อควรระวัง: - ความผันผวน: XRP มีความผันผวนสูง - ข่าวสาร: ติดตามข่าวสารเกี่ยวกับ Ripple และคดีความกับ SEC - False Breakout (TF15): ระวังการ Breakout หลอก โดยเฉพาะในสภาวะที่ Volume ไม่สูง - Stop Loss: ต้องตั้ง Stop Loss ทุกครั้งที่เข้าเทรด เพื่อจำกัดความเสี่ยง คำแนะนำ: - XRP ยังตามหลัง BTC การเข้าซื้อควรรอสัญญาณที่ชัดเจน - TF Day และ TF4H เป็นตัวกำหนดแนวโน้มหลัก - TF15 ใช้สำหรับหาจังหวะเข้า-ออกระยะสั้น - บริหารความเสี่ยง (Risk Management) เป็นสิ่งสำคัญที่สุด Disclaimer: การวิเคราะห์นี้เป็นเพียงความคิดเห็นส่วนตัว ไม่ถือเป็นคำแนะนำในการลงทุน ผู้ลงทุนควรศึกษาข้อมูลเพิ่มเติมและตัดสินใจด้วยความรอบคอบ

@ d360efec:14907b5f

ภาพรวม LUNCUSDT: LUNCUSDT กำลังแสดงสัญญาณของการฟื้นตัว (Potential Reversal) จากแนวโน้มขาลงระยะยาว โดยมีปัจจัยสนับสนุนหลักคือการ Breakout EMA 50 ใน TF Day และการเกิด Golden Cross (EMA 50 ตัด EMA 200 ขึ้น) อย่างไรก็ตาม การฟื้นตัวนี้ยังอยู่ในช่วงเริ่มต้น และยังคงมีความผันผวนและแรงขายทำกำไรอยู่บ้าง แนวโน้ม: - TF Day: แนวโน้มขาขึ้น (Early Stage) – บ่งชี้ถึงโอกาสในการกลับตัวระยะยาว - TF4H: แนวโน้มขาขึ้น (ระยะกลาง) – ยืนยันแนวโน้มขาขึ้น แต่มีการพักตัวระยะสั้น - TF15: แนวโน้มแกว่งตัวขึ้น (Sideways Up) – แสดงถึงการต่อสู้ระหว่างแรงซื้อและแรงขายในระยะสั้น โครงสร้างราคา (SMC): - TF Day: มี Break of Structure (BOS) ด้านบน, เริ่มเห็น Higher Highs (HH) และ Higher Lows (HL) - TF4H: มี BOS ด้านบน, เริ่มเห็น HH/HL, มี Equal Highs (EQH) เป็นแนวต้าน - TF15: มี BOS ด้านบน, มี Change of Character (CHoCH) ด้านบน, มี EQH และ Equal Lows (EQL) Money Flow (LuxAlgo): - TF Day: แรงซื้อแข็งแกร่งอย่างชัดเจน - TF4H: แรงซื้อและแรงขายค่อนข้างสมดุล มีการขายทำกำไร - TF15: แรงซื้อและแรงขายพอๆ กัน แต่แรงซื้อเริ่มกลับเข้ามา แนวรับ-แนวต้านสำคัญ: - Timeframe Day - แนวรับ EMA 50 (0.00010000), EMA 200 (0.00008000), 0.00006000-0.00007000 - แนวต้าน 0.00017953 (High ล่าสุด), 0.00014000 (Volume Profile) - Timeframe 4H - แนวรับ EMA 50 (0.00007000), EMA 200 (0.00008000), Equilibrium (0.00008500), 0.00006000 - แนวต้าน 0.00008132 (High ล่าสุด), 0.00010000 (EQH), 0.00010755 (High ก่อนหน้า) - Timeframe 15m - แนวรับ EMA 50, EMA 200, 0.00007300-0.00007400, Equilibrium (0.00007100) - แนวต้าน 0.00007636 (High ล่าสุด), EQH (0.00007600) กลยุทธ์: 1.Buy on Dip (กลยุทธ์หลัก): - Day/4H: รอราคาย่อตัวลงมาใกล้แนวรับสำคัญ (EMA, Equilibrium) เป็นจุดที่น่าสนใจในการเข้าซื้อ โดยพิจารณาจากสัญญาณอื่นๆ ประกอบ (เช่น Volume, Candlestick Patterns) 2.Breakout Trading: - Day: รอ Breakout แนวต้าน 0.00014000 หรือ 0.00017953 พร้อม Volume ยืนยัน - 15: รอ Breakout แนวต้าน 0.00007636 พร้อม Volume ยืนยัน 3.Range Trading (TF15, ความเสี่ยงสูง): ไม่แนะนำสำหรับมือใหม่ เล่นสั้นๆ ในกรอบแนวรับ-แนวต้านของ TF15 (ต้องระวัง False Breakout อย่างมาก) 4.ไม่แนะนำให้ Short: ขัดกับสัญญาณการกลับตัวใน TF Day และ 4H ข้อควรระวัง: - LUNC เป็นเหรียญ High Risk: มีความผันผวนสูงมาก - ข่าวสาร: ติดตามข่าวสารเกี่ยวกับ Terra Luna Classic อย่างใกล้ชิด - Stop Loss: ต้องตั้ง Stop Loss ทุกครั้งที่เข้าเทรด เพื่อจำกัดความเสี่ยง คำแนะนำ: - LUNC มีความเสี่ยงสูงกว่า BTC และ XRP - ควรกระจายความเสี่ยง (Diversification) อย่าลงทุนใน LUNC เพียงอย่างเดียว - ลงทุนในสัดส่วนที่น้อย (เมื่อเทียบกับพอร์ตการลงทุนทั้งหมด) - ถ้าไม่แน่ใจ ให้รอสัญญาณที่ชัดเจนกว่านี้ก่อน (เช่น การ Breakout แนวต้านสำคัญพร้อม Volume) Disclaimer: การวิเคราะห์นี้เป็นเพียงความคิดเห็นส่วนตัว ไม่ถือเป็นคำแนะนำในการลงทุน ผู้ลงทุนควรศึกษาข้อมูลเพิ่มเติมและตัดสินใจด้วยความรอบคอบ   

@ bbb5dda0:f09e2747

**There's nothing like the ability of a Nostr/Bitcoin meetup to bring your bullish-ness back to a 120%. This weekend I had the honors to be part of the [Sats 'n Facts](https://satsnfacts.btc.pub/) conference so this update will be mostly about the conference.**  # Tollgate A while ago while still at SEC I got the invitation to go to Sats 'n Facts and tell something about TollGate, which I was working on at the time. This is the reason I made such a push on the TollGate Android app, because I wanted to show the world the potential implications of this technology when applied in practice. We get the ability to build our own (physical!) sovereign network infrastructure. Maybe it doesn't sound too sexy for rich western countries, but very valuable for regions with lacking digital infrastructure, or regular powercuts (something I learned at the conference, that TollGate could be applied to bridge those).  Above: Illustration how a TollGate network connects to the legacy internet. I did a presentation about the project and did a demo, which as the universe commands, suffered from the [demo-effect](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=demo%20effect). Despite that, it was very well-received and the feedback and ideas on how and where to apply this were amazing. From splitting your bill with your neighbour, to strapping 5g-enabled routers to a light-fixture in the city, everyone had their own ideas on how to use it, and the cool thing is that all of it can be done. ## Presenting GitHub Actions & Epoxy I held a seperate session on the GitHub actions project and Epoxy. The response was great and I have some more feedback coming in a 1-on-1 session, so I'm sure i'll be posting about that in the near future. ## A realization about Epoxy + TollGate The more I talk about Epoxy and TollGate, the more I realize how much they are related. Epoxy is a way of bridging connectivity between Nostr users that are on clearnet and want to connect to Relays that are on Tor. But rather than just bridging the captured clearnet and tor, it can be the bridge between clearnet and a community TollGate network, or between different TollGate networks. As I've thought more about the implications of sovereign TollGate based networks, I think the introduction of many TollGate networks might create a fracturing of the broader internet, which I'd argue is not even a bad thing as this fracturing can reduce centralized surveillance and control. If we'd do this within the conventional way of operating services - think API's & talking directly to servers- that would be a problem as we need to reach those servers at any moment in time. But given the decentralized Nature of Nostr messages + Blossom files, you might not even notice it if your geographical region gets cut off from the rest of the world, because the content likely already exists within your -now cut off- network. If we can get our content local, why wouldn't we embrace this fractured internet and use it in our advantage. nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzpwa4mkswz4t8j70s2s6q00wzqv7k7zamxrmj2y4fs88aktcfuf68qq3k2ur00puj6mt0dejhg6t6v93xcefdwajkyum0vd4k2apdwpex77rfv4esk0qk8g ## A final word I'm incredible grateful to be meeting all these talented developers, artists and community builders! I love to see art being integrated into the broader ecosystem and I think us dev's need to lean on the community builders to get our projects out into the world, they often have the insight on how our software shapes the lives of the communities they help to grow. Let's embrace that dynamic! special thanks to nostr:npub19m7m3rs66pfdn4ewhrm8slh60ukyxgrylaa03m73wa40j39lc03syq4gfu for his incredible drawings of the presentations: nostr:nevent1qvzqqqqqqypzpr2m4ykgej3at3ee9upe82c4h58uda35xfd5292purmuntrv8mx4qqsfr9f9kvta87yukqhedc00vckupu3erx3mk3nvxm28ptfak0acgrc6adj94 

@ ce75bae2:26c5d165

Bitcoin is reshaping entrepreneurship in Uganda and beyond. For many, it’s not just an alternative currency but a tool for financial empowerment, business innovation, and global connectivity. Herein, I reflect on my journey with Bitcoin, its impact on entrepreneurship, and how it has changed the way I operate business in Uganda. Discovering Bitcoin: A Fortunate Scam My Bitcoin journey started six years ago—not through traditional investment or financial curiosity, but rather by accident. Like many young people searching for ways to make money online, I stumbled upon a website that promised earnings through paid ad viewing. This turned out to be a scam, but it introduced me to Bitcoin. The site offered Bitcoin as a payment option, forcing me to learn how to set up a wallet and receive transactions. Though I lost money in the process, the experience was invaluable—I had unknowingly opened the door to an entirely new financial system. Years later, I checked my old wallet and saw that the small amount of Bitcoin I had left had doubled in value. That moment sparked a deeper curiosity, leading me to research Bitcoin’s mechanics and how it could be used beyond speculation. From Curiosity to Business Innovation As I dove deeper into the Bitcoin ecosystem, I saw its potential to transform business in ways that traditional finance could not. The first realization was that Bitcoin allows global transactions without intermediaries—a critical advantage for entrepreneurs in Uganda, where banking systems are often restrictive and expensive. Today, all the businesses I co-founded, including Gorilla Sats , Jungle B, and Juicy B, are deeply integrated with Bitcoin. My approach to entrepreneurship has shifted from merely running a business to leveraging Bitcoin as a tool for economic efficiency and expansion. Bitcoin’s Role in Business Growth 1. Unlocking Global Markets One of the biggest barriers for African entrepreneurs is the difficulty of conducting business beyond borders. International transactions often involve costly intermediaries, unfavorable exchange rates, and bureaucratic delays. Bitcoin eliminates these restrictions, allowing businesses to trade with anyone, anywhere, instantly. For example, at Gorilla Sats, our adventure tourism company, 70% of our customers come because we accept Bitcoin payments. Bitcoin not only opens a new customer base but also positions our business in a niche market—one of the very few in the world where travelers can book experiences entirely using Bitcoin. 2. Enhancing Financial Efficiency Traditional financial systems in Uganda rely heavily on mobile money, which, while innovative, is expensive. Transactions incur fees at every stage: deposit, transfer, and withdrawal. It’s not uncommon for users to lose 10-15% of their money in fees when sending funds. Bitcoin, on the other hand, allows for low-cost, borderless transactions. For businesses, this means higher profit margins and the ability to reinvest savings into growth. 3. Financial Resilience in an Inflationary Economy In just a few years, Uganda’s local currency has lost nearly 50% of its value against the US dollar. Businesses operating in shillings face constant depreciation, making long-term planning difficult. By storing value in Bitcoin, businesses can hedge against inflation and maintain purchasing power over time. At Jungle B, we keep part of our balance sheet in Bitcoin. This strategy protects us from the currency fluctuations that regularly impact Ugandan businesses operating solely in fiat currency. 4. Transforming Social Impact and Charity Beyond business, Bitcoin has become a tool for grassroots financial inclusion. At the Orphans of Uganda initiative, we integrate Bitcoin into daily transactions, ensuring donations reach the children directly without middlemen. Every day, children at the orphanage make symbolic Bitcoin payments for their food, learning firsthand how to use digital money responsibly. This isn’t just about feeding children—it’s about educating the next generation on financial autonomy. Challenges and Opportunities in Uganda 1. Skepticism and Misinformation Many Ugandans associate Bitcoin with scams, mainly due to past fraudulent projects. Educating people on the difference between Bitcoin (a decentralized asset) and scam coins (pyramid schemes) remains a challenge. 2. Regulatory Uncertainty Uganda’s regulatory environment for Bitcoin is still unclear. While Bitcoin remains in a legal vacuum, financial institutions are discouraged from facilitating Bitcoin transactions. However, this hasn’t stopped individuals and businesses from using it. In fact, the lack of regulation often makes adoption easier, as Bitcoin operates independently of government oversight. 3. Resistance from Traditional Financial Players Mobile money services like MTN and Airtel make enormous profits from transaction fees. If Bitcoin adoption grows, their revenue model could be threatened, leading to resistance from these financial institutions. However, they could integrate Bitcoin instead of fighting it, making transactions cheaper for their users. The Future of Bitcoin in Uganda Will there be mass Bitcoin adoption in Uganda? Not overnight. Many people resist change, and history shows that better financial tools don’t always lead to immediate adoption. However, Bitcoin’s advantages will continue to attract forward-thinking entrepreneurs and business owners. For those who embrace it, Bitcoin redefines entrepreneurship, offering financial independence, borderless trade, and a hedge against economic instability. Whether governments embrace it or not, businesses like mine and many others under Blockchain Association of Uganda (BAU) will continue pioneering its use in Uganda. Final Thoughts Bitcoin is more than just a digital currency—it’s a tool for freedom, efficiency, and global entrepreneurship. The more people learn about its benefits, the more they will integrate it into their businesses and daily lives. The journey begins with education and experimentation, just as mine did years ago. For those looking to explore Bitcoin-powered experiences, connect with us at gorilla-sats.com, or follow my work with bitcoinkampala.org. Whether you’re a business owner, traveler, or philanthropist, Bitcoin offers new possibilities—it’s time to embrace the future. originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/882366

@ f3774632:44a58526

Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is known for its rich cultural heritage and the vast diversity in its geography, which includes the Himalayan mountain range. Here are some key points about Nepal: Geography Location: Nepal is bordered by China (Tibet) to the north and India to the south, east, and west. Topography: The country is home to eight of the world's ten highest peaks, including Mount Everest, the highest peak in the world. The landscape varies from the fertile Terai plains in the south to the towering Himalayas in the north. Climate: Nepal experiences a wide range of climates, from the tropical heat of the Terai to the freezing temperatures of the Himalayas. Culture Ethnic Diversity: Nepal is a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual country with over 125 ethnic groups and 123 languages spoken. Religion: The majority of Nepalis are Hindu, but there is also a significant Buddhist population. The country is known for its religious tolerance and harmony. Festivals: Nepal celebrates numerous festivals throughout the year, including Dashain, Tihar, Holi, and Buddha Jayanti. History Ancient History: Nepal has a rich history dating back to the Neolithic period. The Kiratis are believed to be the first rulers of Nepal. Modern History: Nepal was ruled by the Shah dynasty from 1768 until 2008, when the monarchy was abolished, and the country became a federal democratic republic. Economy Agriculture: Agriculture is the mainstay of Nepal's economy, employing about 65% of the population. Tourism: Tourism is a significant contributor to the economy, with trekking, mountaineering, and cultural tours being major attractions. Challenges: Nepal faces economic challenges due to its landlocked status, political instability, and underdeveloped infrastructure. Tourism Trekking and Mountaineering: Nepal is a paradise for adventure seekers, offering numerous trekking routes and mountaineering expeditions. Cultural Sites: The country is home to several UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the Kathmandu Valley, Lumbini (the birthplace of Buddha), and Chitwan National Park. Politics Government: Nepal is a federal democratic republic with a multi-party system. Constitution: The current constitution was adopted in 2015, establishing Nepal as a secular and inclusive democratic republic. Challenges Natural Disasters: Nepal is prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes, landslides, and floods. Development: The country faces development challenges, including poverty, lack of infrastructure, and limited access to education and healthcare. Nepal is a country of immense beauty and cultural richness, offering a unique blend of ancient traditions and modern aspirations.

@ d058ffb7:70ed2330

Je publie un ancien texte portant sur Nostr. Auparavant hébergé sur ghost, je teste maintetant la capacité de Nostr d'hébergé de long format. *** Un point tournant vient d'être franchi. Damus est officiellement disponible sur le App Store de Apple, fini le mode bêta. Mais en quoi c'est un point tournant ? Apple joue un rôle important de gatekeeper. Chaque application qui veut accéder à son énorme écosystème doit passer une révision diligente, parfois excessive, avant d'être accessible à tous. Après plusieurs tentatives, le principal développeur de Damus, une application dont le code source ouvert est disponible sur github, a finalement reçu son acceptation. Mais encore, pourquoi est-ce un point tournant ? Et bien, Damus est la principale application pour accéder aux échanges du protocole Nostr. Ce protocole change le paradigme des réseaux sociaux et réduit pratiquement à néant les capacités de censure par une autorité, que ce soit Apple, le gouvernement américain ou un régime autoritaire. Déjà, après quelques heures, on peut voir une affluence chinoise à la recherche de liberté de parole. Ainsi, en permettant l'accès à cette application, Apple permet à des millions de personnes d'échanger des idées comme jamais auparavant. Mais en quoi c'est différent ? Les 3 éléments suivants expliquent grandement la différence : #### Identification par pairs clé publique / clé privée Cette stratégie permet de partir avec un haut niveau d'anonymisation. Au besoin, certaines fonctionnalités ou applications pourront venir ajouter certains concepts tel que la vérification d'humanité - la proposition NIP-05 va dans ce sens - ou encore la réputation. Evidemment, ca implique d'autres avantages, surtout dans des pays déjà sous haute surveillance. #### Décentralisation via l'utilisation de relais intermédiaires Cette architecture assure une résilience du réseau. Chaque relai peut décider l'information qu'il diffuse. Si un relai décide de censurer, un autre peut prendre le relai. Il est possible qu'on voit des relais apparaitre par communauté / région afin d'assurer une diffusion optimale des messages. La mise en place de relais entraine cependant des coûts, principalement matériel et télécommunications / bande passante. Différentes stratégies sont en cours d'[expérimentation](https://andreneves.xyz/p/the-rise-of-paid-nostr-relays), notamment via l'utilisation du réseau lightning, qui pourrait charger un frais minime lors d'échange de bitcoin. #### Séparation entre le protocole et les applications Enfin, cette séparation permet d'éviter les points uniques d'échec. Par exemple, malgré l'espoir de liberté qu'a eu l'application Damus, cette dernière a rapidement été [banni par l'état chinois](https://twitter.com/damusapp/status/1621220422216998915). Mais l'espoir survie, car il existe plusieurs alternatives pour accéder au protocole, que ce soit via des applications web (i.g. https://astral.ninja), des applications Android (i.g. Amethyst) ou encore, directement les codes sources sur github. Cela permet également à des applications existantes d'intégrer ce protocole. Jumelée à l'utilisation des clés publiques/privées, qui permet une mobilité de son réseau de contact, une saine compétition devrait s'établir sur ces applications clientes afin d'offrir la meilleure expérience utilisateur, que ce soit par l'interface graphique, la modération / curation du fils de nouvelles ou simplement la performance. Il faut cependant être réaliste, il reste beaucoup de défis à affronter avant d'atteindre le grand public. Parmi les défis, ceux-ci me semblent les plus importants:##### Experience utilisateur Alors que l'utilisation d'une paires de clés publique / privée peut sembler naturel pour les utilisateurs de bitcoin (et de crypto), ca peut être intimidant pour un non-initié. Le concept de relais n'est également pas intuitif et aurait avantage à être vulgariser ou abstrait/transparent. La performance de rafraichissement peut aussi être grandement améliorée. #### Modération et curation Qu'on aime ou on n'aime pas, Twitter utilise un algorithme puissant qui permet d'avoir un minimum de pertinence dans les messages affichées. Ce n'est pas encore le cas pour la majorité des applications Nostr. Par conséquent, on peut se sentir *spammer* lorsqu'on regarde le *feed* global. L'arrivée de beaucoup d'utilisateur chinois, et l'incapacité de traduire nativement, a amplifié ce sentiment. Malgré cela, je suis confiant qu'on va continuer d'entendre parler de ce protocole dans les années et décennies à venir. Pour me suivre, n'hésitez pas à me suivre : npub16pv0ld77fx0l8mjxwqtnq0dd7md40zte5w60esstfsty6u8dyvcqre8d46 Et pour lire une perspective différente sur le sujet, j'ai beaucoup apprécié cette lecture : https://read.pourteaux.xyz/p/the-moral-imperative-of-a-distributed

@ 4c96d763:80c3ee30

# Changes ## Ken Sedgwick (4): - drive-by compiler warning fixes - improve debug logging, comments, and variable names for clarity - explicitly activate and deactivate account relay list subs - explicitly activate and deactivate account muted list subs ## William Casarin (2): - egui: replace with damus-io repo - profilesearch: add some padding ## kernelkind (10): - supply inner_rect for PostView - add SearchResultsView impl - use dev dep pretty assertions - mentions logic - add PostView mentions UI - add mention tags to post note - use updated TextEdit::layouter in egui - implement TextBuffer -> PostBuffer downcasting - color mentions in PostView - cache LayoutJob pushed to [notedeck:refs/heads/master](http://git.jb55.com/notedeck/commit/194fa6864143753403672f4c401d7bf8378ec4c6.html)

@ 17724a68:89af0638

«Nació Bastiat el año 1801 en la Bayona francesa, muy cerca, por tanto, de la frontera de España y del Bidasoa, que a menudo citaba como ejemplo de un río que, en vez de promover el comercio, lo destruía por el simple hecho de ser frontera entre dos naciones». Empezamos citando al honorable Francisco Cabrillo, el experto (y prologuista) por excelencia de la obra de Bastiat en nuestra casa editorial. Con estas palabras, resume fielmente las dos principales preocupaciones del francés: el libre desarrollo del comercio y las relaciones entre los pueblos.  En "Lo que se ve y no se ve" —que podemos encontrar en *Obras escogidas* (Unión Editorial)—, Bastiat nos advierte de que quizás no siempre resulta evidente el efecto colateral de las decisiones políticas. Existen consecuencias visibles e inmediatas, pero también sucesos posteriores y menos visibles que pueden ser incluso más perniciosos que el mal que se deseaba corregir.  Hoy percibimos con suma inquietud el riesgo de una guerra comercial que imponga aranceles/barreras al comercio entre los miembros de las naciones. A los políticos y burócratas les tienta el solo pensar en los impuestos que cobrarán por productos importados, sin razonar sobre el impacto en la cadena productiva y en el poder adquisitivo de sus ciudadanos. Ciertamente, el sancionado sufrirá el impacto, pero quien impone los aranceles, también.  Los nacionales no solo tendrán que pagar más por un mismo producto extranjero, sino que, al verse restringidos por un precio mayor o caída del comercio, dejarían de beneficiarse de la profesionalización del vecino en la producción de un bien en concreto.  Los liberales siempre hemos defendido el libre comercio y la paz. Bastiat es quizás quien mejor resume las razones que nos ha llevado a dichas conclusiones, por lo que os invitamos a profundizar en su obra y disfrutar de la muy enriquecedora lectura de nuestro vecino del *otro lado* del Bidasoa.  -- [OBRAS ESCOGIDAS](https://www.unioneditorial.net/libro/obras-escogidas-segunda-edicion/)  [FRÉDERIC BASTIAT: UN HOMBRE ÚNICO](https://www.unioneditorial.net/libro/un-hombre-unico/)  [EN DEFENSA DEL CAPITALISMO GLOBAL](https://www.unioneditorial.net/libro/en-defensa-del-capitalismo-global-3a-edicion/)  -- Como solemos acostumbrar, para compras en nuestra web ofrecemos una promoción válida para la península ibérica que incluye un 5% de descuento y envío gratis a partir de los 20€ de compra. El código de descuento actual es: **UE2025**

@ 3b7fc823:e194354f

A VPN is Not Magic A VPN is a virtual private network. A VPN service provides an encrypted tunnel between your device and a server they own or rent. You then connect to the internet from this server thus making your IP address appear to the wider internet as the server IP. That's it. That's all it does. Your Device -> VPN -> Website Your Device sees that you are connecting to a website through a VPN. Your ISP sees that you are connecting to a VPN server but nothing after. The website sees that someone from a VPN is connecting to them but doesn't know who. The VPN sees your device connected to their server and that you then connected to a website. VPN Anonymity and Privacy VPNs do a lot to protect your privacy, they keep your ISP from seeing and logging every single thing you do online and they spoof your location and IP to any website that you visit. Although this website protection isn't 100% anonymous because of cookies, trackers, and if you have to log into a site with your information. If you are using a VPN on a mobile phone then you are still broadcasting your location to the cell towers even if you are not telling the website you are browsing. Then there is the elephant in the room. The VPN knows all and sees all. How much do they log? How long do they save it? Can you trust them? This is going to vary VASTLY between VPN providers. I always prefer if they are setup where they cannot know the information in the first place and limit what I tell them in the first place by paying through the use of bitcoin or monero. Just because they have a no log "policy" in place it doesn't always fill me with confidence. VPN Security How much security does a VPN give you? Some in certain circumstances but not a lot. A VPN is not going to stop malware or viruses. A VPN can provide some protection from a man in the middle or evil twin attack as it provides a encrypted tunnel between your device and the VPN server, so always use a VPN when joining public WIFI spots. Just remember a VPN cannot protect you downstream on the connection between the VPN server and the website, always use secure encrypted connections and be aware that MITM attacks can still happen on the backside. A VPN can prevent DDoS attacks since the attacker doesn't know your real IP address and a fantastic use of VPNs is to protect IoT devices. Those smart devices around your home love to scream out all their data insecurely and a VPN can change their IP and encrypt their data in transit protecting them from hacking. VPN Legality In many countries VPNs are banned, blocked, or outright illegal: Bahrain Belarus China Cuba Egypt Iran Iraq Libya Myanmar North Korea Oman Russia Syria Turkey Turkmenistan UAE Uganda Venezuela Vietnam --- Advocating for privacy does not finance itself. If you enjoyed this article, please consider zapping or sending monero 82XCDNK1Js8TethhpGLFPbVyKe25DxMUePad1rUn9z7V6QdCzxHEE7varvVh1VUidUhHVSA4atNU2BTpSNJLC1BqSvDajw1

@ fad5c183:5cb8046b

**The Big Question: What Really Supports Bitcoin?** Let’s cut the fluff. Money has always needed something to back it. In the past, it was **gold**, something tangible, scarce, and universally recognized as valuable. Then came **fiat** (government-backed currency), which ditched gold in favor of trust in central banks. Now, Bitcoin is here. It’s digital, decentralized, and allegedly **free from manipulation**. But is it? If Bitcoin isn’t backed by **gold, oil, or government decree**, what gives it value? And if a small number of players hold most of it, are we just recreating the same problems as fiat? **Let’s dig in.** **Why Bitcoin Has Value (Even If You Can’t Touch It)** Bitcoin is backed by **math, code, and energy**—not physical resources. Its value comes from three major factors: * **Scarcity** – Only 21 million BTC will ever exist. No central bank can “print” more. * **Security** – It’s protected by cryptography and (proof-of-work). Hacking the Bitcoin network is practically impossible. * **Market Trust** – Bitcoin is valuable because people believe in its ability to store value, just like gold or fiat. Unlike government money, where supply is **controlled by a central authority**, Bitcoin’s supply is **fixed and transparent**. Sounds great, right? Well, there’s a catch. **Are We Just Repeating the Fiat Problem?** Fiat money is flawed because central banks can **print it endlessly,** manipulate interest rates, and control its flow. This causes inflation, bailouts, and financial crises. Bitcoin fixes that. **No one can create more Bitcoin out of thin air.** But here’s the issue: A **small number of people and institutions own a huge percentage of Bitcoin.** These “whales” can **manipulate price movements,** just like big banks do with fiat. Unlike fiat, where governments intervene (for better or worse), Bitcoin markets are **unregulated and volatile.** So, if whales can **dump** Bitcoin to crash prices and **buy back cheap**, is it really that different from fiat where the rich get richer? **Bitcoin’s Advantage: Transparency & Control** Here’s where Bitcoin still wins: ✅ **No Central Control** – Governments and banks can’t change its monetary policy. ✅ **Transparency** – Every transaction is on the blockchain. No hidden “money printing.” ✅ **Self-Custody** – You can hold your Bitcoin, unlike fiat, which sits in a bank that can freeze or seize it. But let’s not pretend it’s perfect. If the majority of Bitcoin remains concentrated in a few hands, **it still creates power imbalances.** The solution? **More decentralization**—and that’s where Nostr comes in. **How Nostr & Bitcoin Could Change the Game** Nostr is a decentralized communication protocol. No servers, no censorship, no single point of control. When paired with Bitcoin and the **Lightning Network,** it could: * **Enable truly peer-to-peer transactions** without banks or centralized exchanges. * **Reduce whale manipulation** by increasing adoption and distribution. * **Support a free, censorship-resistant financial system** without intermediaries. Imagine a world where **you don’t need banks or corporations to transact**—just an internet connection. That’s where we’re headed. **Final Thought: Are We at Square One?** Bitcoin **isn’t a perfect solution**, but it’s a **step forward**. It removes central banks from the equation but still struggles with **wealth concentration and market manipulation.** So, are we **just recreating fiat 2.0**? Maybe in some ways. But here’s the difference: The rules **can’t be changed by elites in a closed room.** Every transaction is **visible**—no shady money printing. Anyone can **self-custody their assets**—no middlemen needed. The key to breaking the cycle? **More decentralization, better distribution, and adoption** beyond whales and institutions. Bitcoin is a tool. It’s up to us to use it wisely. **What do you think? Are we just repeating history, or is Bitcoin truly different? Let’s debate.** 🔥

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Dealing with law enforcement can be a challenging and stressful experience. However, understanding your rights and knowing how to navigate such situations can empower you to protect yourself. Here’s a structured approach to handle these interactions effectively: 1. **Stay Calm and Compliant:** - When approached by law enforcement, remain calm and avoid sudden movements. Slowly raise your hands and identify yourself if possible. 2. **Ask for Identification:** - Request the officer's name, badge number, and station. This documentation can be crucial later on. 3. **Know Your Miranda Rights:** - Upon arrest, you have the right to remain silent. Do not answer questions without consulting a lawyer. If Mirandized, exercise your right to remain silent. 4. **Refuse Incriminating Statements:** - Avoid answering questions that could incriminate yourself. Politely state, "I will not answer any questions at this time." 5. **Document the Incident:** - Use your phone or notebook to record details such as dates, times, and descriptions of interactions. Note any injuries or mistreatment. 6. **Seek Legal Advice:** - After the encounter, contact a lawyer. They can review evidence and provide guidance on how to proceed. 7. **Understand Search and Seizure Laws:** - Officers generally need a warrant to search your property unless there's probable cause. If stopped without a warrant, calmly refuse entry. 8. **Use a Body Camera Policy:** - If applicable, ask for the officer's body camera footage and request it via formal complaint if refused. 9. **Know When to Comply:** - Comply with instructions that do not infringe on your rights, such as providing identification when legally required. 10. **Consider a Witness Statement:** - If you witness illegal actions, consider reporting them. Your role as a bystander may be crucial in documenting incidents. 11. **Seek Emotional Support:** - Interactions with law enforcement can be traumatic. Reach out to support groups or mental health resources for assistance. 12. **Understand Legal Recourse:** - If rights are violated, consult legal aid societies or civil rights organizations for guidance on filing complaints or seeking redress. **Conclusion:** Understanding your rights and documenting interactions is essential when dealing with law enforcement. This guide provides a framework to help you navigate such situations confidently and protect your rights effectively. Remember, knowledge is power, and being informed can lead to better outcomes in challenging circumstances. --- Advocating for privacy does not finance itself. If you enjoyed this article, please consider zapping or sending monero 82XCDNK1Js8TethhpGLFPbVyKe25DxMUePad1rUn9z7V6QdCzxHEE7varvVh1VUidUhHVSA4atNU2BTpSNJLC1BqSvDajw1

@ 554ab6fe:c6cbc27e

René Descartes famously stated, "I think therefore I am." A concept centered around the idea that the existence of our meta-conscious thought proves our existence. Furthermore, it denotes a sense of self-derived from the presence of our thinking. What if this famous idea is wrongly reversed? What if our perceived sense of self derives from our thoughts, and these thoughts act as an illusion of the true nature of the self? A couple of my posts have focused on the idea that the calm mind, potentially derived from a practice of meditation, can achieve a heightened sense of awareness. Some neuroscientists now view the mind as a predictive modeling machine (Seth, 2013), constantly receiving signals from both internal and external sources, generating predictions and models to understand the current condition. This theory inspired me to create an analogy of a calm pond: Imagine the brain and mind as a pond, and instead of neuronal signals, raindrops are falling into the pond. When the pond is calm, and a single drop falls, the pond's ripples provide adequate information to deduce the location and size of the raindrop. By observing the single ripple, one can simply understand the raindrop. However, if there is a storm and many raindrops impact the pond simultaneously, then the ripples are indistinguishable. This makes the analysis of the incoming information near impossible. This may be how the brain works. This would be why calming the mind generates such benefits in health because the brain can analyze the information accurately and execute the proper response. This idea is supported by scientific evidence that interoception increases with mindfulness practice. I have alluded to this idea as a possible explanation of why meditation generates a higher form of consciousness. More on this later. To further explore this idea, a deeper exploration into the neuroscience of internal mental processes is required. The areas of the brain that are clinically recognized to perform internal mental operations are known as the default mode network (DMN) (Ekhtiari et al., 2016; van Buuren et al., 2010). The DMN is not a single area of the brain but a network and interaction between many areas. The brain areas involved within the DMN include the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), the anterior and posterior cingulate cortex (ACC and PCC), temporoparietal junction (TPJ), later temporal cortex (LTC), and the temporal pole (TempP)(Farb et al., 2007; Zhou et al., 2020). In general, the mental processes conducted by the DMN are self-referential processing, long-term memory retrieval, and mind-wandering (Ekhtiari et al., 2016; Marstaller et al., 2017; Spreng & Grady, 2010; van Buuren et al., 2010). However, the functions expand beyond just those. Different brain areas carry differing roles in these processes. For example, the PCC plays a unique role in the autobiographical retrieval process and plays a role in self-centered spatial navigation (Hamilton et al., 2015). However, sometimes these processes manifest in more complex interactions. For example, both the PCC and anterior portion of the mPFC (amPFC) facilitate self-referential processes and the interaction between other hubs of the DMN (Zhou et al., 2020). The role of the DMN is complicated, but its relationship to meditation is significant. The DMN's plays a significant role in mental ruminations and the activity of the mind. In our modern culture, mental ruminations are commonplace and widely accepted. With this cultural norm, there is no adequate training to properly handle these thoughts when they become repetitive, unconstructive, and potentially destructive. Repetitive unconstructive ruminations are associated with and can lead to depression (Watkins, 2008). Therefore, this mental habit attributes to a significant source of many mental health issues. It is a primary reason why meditation seems to be such an effective mental health benefiting practice. In Eastern traditions, this unhealthy mind is called the "monkey mind": a mind that swings from thought to thought, often time traveling to the past and future. Meditation, and similar practices, aim to quiet this monkey mind. From a clinical perspective, it is fascinating to consider that the DMN may be a neural network representing the monkey mind's activation. There is research to support this idea as well. Autobiographical memory retrieval processes activate the DMN (Spreng & Grady, 2010). Additionally, the DMN seems to maintain a cohesive perception of the self across time to interpret novel information (Marstaller et al., 2017). Clearly, not only is the DMN involved in processes that involve thoughts about the self, but it is also primarily responsible for our mental time traveling processes. If meditation aims to bring our experience to the present, then the DMN is the antithesis. As previously stated, mental ruminations and other unconstructive thought patterns drive the development of mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Given that the DMN has a strong relationship to these thought patterns, it is also interesting to note that DMN activity dominance is associated with the development of depression (Hamilton et al., 2011). The brain areas that seem to be activated more often during depression are the anterior and dorsal regions of the mPFC, PCC, temporal lobes, and the TPJ (Zhou et al., 2020)—further suggesting that the DMN is the brain region highly responsible for our inner self-referential thoughts, our time traveling thoughts, and the subsequent mental health outcomes. The DMN represents, in large part, the mental activity of the mind that removes us from a calm and present state of being. In other words, it adds more “raindrops” to the calm pond (my analogy from before) making it harder for the brain to analyze and adequately react to incoming information. Evidence for this idea lies in the observation that the DMN is responsible for monkey mind-like processes and in learning and conditioning. Again, the brain is constantly receiving neuronal signals from the body. Say it receives a signal from the toe: it must first predict that the signal came from the toe, then understand what the signal meant, and react accordingly. So, if the signal was a pain signal, the brain may command the toe to lift from the ground. If the signal stops, the brain knows the toe is no longer in pain, verifying the prediction. If the signal doesn't stop, further trial and error are required. This is a simple example, but the brain is likely processing and reacting to signals like this all the time, both from information coming from outside the body and within. Therefore, much learning and prediction model generation is taking place. Imagine the famous experiment of Pavlov's dogs. The dogs learned that a particular cue meant food, and their bodies learned to react accordingly. This learning and conditioning are a fundamental aspect of biological life. The DMN plays a significant role in this learning within our brain. For example, the PCC responds to error detection, and the signal is amplified when small rewards or novel stimuli are introduced to the experience (Heilbronner & Platt, 2013). Areas of the DMN (such as the mPFC and PCC) are also thought to be involved in contextualizing memories of safety and inhibit fear responses when appropriate (Marstaller et al., 2017). Finally, the mPFC is thought to play a role in goal-directed motivation (Hamilton et al., 2015). All this evidence suggests that the DMN plays a significant role in the learning process by contextualizing information. Keep in mind that the DMN can only accurately contextualize incoming stimuli if the full range of signals is adequately recognized. According to the calm pond idea, the noisy activation of a ruminating mind may hinder this ability. Here, greater clarification and definition on what a polluted mind means is needed. To define such mental patterns, functions of specific DMN regions will be explained. Commonly activated regions within the DMN that involve self-referential processes are (Farb et al., 2007; Knyazev, 2013): 1. The orbitomedial prefrontal cortex (omPFC) – which contextualizes experienced stimuli as experienced by the self 2. The ACC – which actively monitors the self-experienced stimuli 3. The mPFC – which evaluates the self-experienced stimuli 4. The PCC – which is involved in a generated a broader context of the personal experience given certain self-experienced stimuli. By now, it may be evident that the DMN is involved with what is commonly referred to as the "ego". Some researchers claim that the DMN develops the ego itself (R. L. Carhart-Harris & Friston, 2010). The term "ego" derives from Freudian psychoanalytic, and for this reason, the term "narrative-self" will be used instead. It is crucial to consider the word choice here. As previously explained, the DMN generates a time-oriented perception of the self to contextualize information. Furthermore, the four brain areas above all involved contextualizing an experience as experienced by the narrative self (rather than the self being the experience), monitoring these experiences across time, and evaluating these experiences as a broader implication of the experience of the self. The DMN is generating a narrative of the self through every experience. This is indeed where many unconstructive ruminations arise. Any reader can likely relate to ruminating over themselves and their circumstances and thinking about what this means in the larger context of their lives, worth, purpose, etc. This is the monkey mind. This is the DMN. So, the real question becomes: what effect does the strong presence of a narrative-self have on our broader experience and health? Does a strong presence of the narrative-self influence the body's interoceptive abilities and ability to properly analyze and predict incoming stimuli? This is a complex and challenging question, but evidence suggests that this is indeed the case. In a fantastic study by Farb and others in 2007, fMRIs were used to monitor brain activity in those who did and did not practice mindfulness meditation (Farb et al., 2007). In this study, a distinction was made between narrative focus and experiential focus. For eight weeks, those who underwent mindfulness meditation training were taught to practice experiential focus, which involves having present centered awareness of all thoughts, feelings, and experiences in a non-judgmental manner. Narrative focus was defined as judging experiences and trying to figure out what those stimuli meant. Brain scans were performed on both trained and untrained participants during both focus styles. For both groups, narrative focus increased activation of the mPFC and PCC as expected. During experiential focus, both groups reduced mPFC activity, but only the meditation trained group increased activation of the insula. This is incredible because the insula is highly involved in interoception and the sensations of internal physical states (Fox et al., 2014; Mehling et al., 2012). This study by Farb and others suggests a functional difference between the narrative-self and an experiential-self and shows how the quieting of the narrative-self increases interoceptive abilities and enhances the brains' ability to analyze incoming stimuli properly. Not to mention, this study shows how this skill can be trained. So far, we have seen how the DMN is involved in the generation of the narrative-self and how this influences our ability to analyze the signals coming from the body. The next reasonable question is to what extent can this be changed? And what are the implications of such change? As was previously shown in the mentioning of the study by Farb and others in 2007, mindfulness meditation appears to be capable of changing DMN activity. This is not the only study to suggest this. Another study showed that meditation decreased mPFC activity in DMN regions, such as the TPJ and PCC (Scheibner et al., 2017). It has also been shown that the neurotransmitter GABA reduces DMN activity, and both yoga and meditation have been implicated in the release of GABA (Guglietti et al., 2013; Hu et al., 2013; Streeter et al., 2018). The release of GABA release is also modulated by the vagus nerve, providing evidence of the possible mechanism at which meditation inhibits DMN activity (Hu et al., 2013; Keute et al., 2018; Streeter et al., 2018). Through these studies, it seems evident that meditation decreases DMN activity. In what ways is this significant? Firstly, it provides more explanation as to why meditation seems capable of alleviating depression. Similarly, it offers more evidence for how meditation increases interoceptive awareness (de Jong et al., 2016; Farb et al., 2010; Hanley et al., 2017). The increase in interoception suggests that the brain is more adequately processing not only the internal environment more adequately, but presumably the outside environment as well. Reality in general is being more accurately understood. It is possible that this also implicates a broader understanding of how meditation can alter consciousness and allowing monks, yogis, and the like to achieve nirvana/samadhi/enlightenment, or whatever you prefer to call such a state of altered consciousnesses. Perhaps this experience of altered consciousness is a more accurate interpretation of reality, produced by enhanced interoception and exteroception. The subject of altered consciousness is perhaps best explored through brain changes induced by another technique commonly used in a spiritual manner: psychedelics. The famous studies from Johns Hopkins University using psilocybin found that this drug causes a spiritual experience often described as a sense of unity of all things that transcend space and time (Griffiths et al., 2006, 2008). Many participants rate this experience as one of the most significant spiritual experiences of their life (Griffiths et al., 2006). These experiences were often described with an experienced loss sense of self and an altered form of consciousness (Griffiths et al., 2008). It is not hard to imagine that this experience seems very similar to that of a trained monk or yogi, who learn to let go of their narrative-self and gain a sense of oneness with all things. This connection is further verified by the observation that psilocybin decreases the activity of the ACC, PCC, and mPFC (Robin L. Carhart-Harris et al., 2012). Ayahuasca, another psychedelic drug used in spiritual rituals by the indigenous peoples of the Amazon, also has been shown to have similar effects (Palhano-Fontes et al., 2015). Additionally, LSD has been shown to do the same (Speth et al., 2016). Suppose both psychedelic drugs and meditative practice decrease the same DMN, which generates the narrative-self. In that case, both methods likely lead one to the same place: an experience beyond time and space, where one is present with a profound sense of unity with everything. This, to me, is a profound idea. It suggests that quieting the mind, or calming the “pond”, improves mental, physical, and spiritual health. It provides one with a perception full of compassion, peace, and love. It not only can make the individual healthier, but so too the community and planet. It is extraordinary evidence that improving the self is the greatest means of improving the world around us. Not to mention, it provides a simple means of liberating oneself from the struggle and hardship of life. Perhaps it is not life that is hard on us, but ourselves, by allowing the narrative-mind to take hold of our reality, rather than letting a purer form of consciousness dominate our perceptions. This is the pursuit, and meditation techniques are the practice. References Carhart-Harris, R. L., & Friston, K. J. (2010). The default-mode, ego-functions and free-energy: A neurobiological account of Freudian ideas. Brain, 133(4), 1265–1283. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awq010 Carhart-Harris, Robin L., Erritzoe, D., Williams, T., Stone, J. M., Reed, L. J., Colasanti, A., Tyacke, R. J., Leech, R., Malizia, A. L., Murphy, K., Hobden, P., Evans, J., Feilding, A., Wise, R. G., & Nutt, D. J. (2012). Neural correlates of the psychedelic state as determined by fMRI studies with psilocybin. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109(6), 2138–2143. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1119598109 de Jong, M., Lazar, S. W., Hug, K., Mehling, W. E., Hölzel, B. K., Sack, A. T., Peeters, F., Ashih, H., Mischoulon, D., & Gard, T. (2016). Effects of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on body awareness in patients with chronic pain and comorbid depression. 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Causal evidence of performance monitoring by neurons in posterior cingulate cortex during learning. Neuron, 80(6), 1384–1391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2013.09.028 Hu, Y., Chen, X., Gu, H., & Yang, Y. (2013). Resting-state glutamate and GABA concentrations predict task-induced deactivation in the default mode network. Journal of Neuroscience, 33(47), 18566–18573. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1973-13.2013 Keute, M., Ruhnau, P., Heinze, H. J., & Zaehle, T. (2018). Behavioral and electrophysiological evidence for GABAergic modulation through transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation. Clinical Neurophysiology, 129(9), 1789–1795. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinph.2018.05.026 Knyazev, G. G. (2013). EEG correlates of self-referential processing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7(MAY), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00264 Marstaller, L., Burianová, H., & Reutens, D. C. (2017). Adaptive contextualization: A new role for the default mode network in affective learning. 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Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 17(11), 565–573. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2013.09.007 Speth, J., Speth, C., Kaelen, M., Schloerscheidt, A. M., Feilding, A., Nutt, D. J., & Carhart-Harris, R. L. (2016). Decreased mental time travel to the past correlates with default-mode network disintegration under lysergic acid diethylamide. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 30(4), 344–353. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881116628430 Spreng, R. N., & Grady, C. L. (2010). Patterns of brain activity supporting autobiographical memory, prospection, and theory of mind, and their relationship to the default mode network. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, 22(6), 1112–1123. https://doi.org/10.1162/jocn.2009.21282 Streeter, C., Gerbarg, P. L., Nielsen, G. H., Brown, R. P., Jensen, J. E., Silveri, M., & Streeter, C. C. (2018). Effects of Yoga on Thalamic Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, Mood and Depression: Analysis of Two Randomized Controlled Trials. Neuropsychiatry, 8(6), 1923–1939. https://doi.org/10.4172/Neuropsychiatry.1000535 van Buuren, M., Gladwin, T. E., Zandbelt, B. B., Kahn, R. S., & Vink, M. (2010). Reduced functional coupling in the default-mode network during self-referential processing. Human Brain Mapping, 31(8), 1117–1127. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.20920 Watkins, E. R. (2008). Constructive and unconstructive repetitive thought. Psychological Bulletin, 134(2), 163–206. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.134.2.163 Zhou, H. X., Chen, X., Shen, Y. Q., Li, L., Chen, N. X., Zhu, Z. C., Castellanos, F. X., & Yan, C. G. (2020). Rumination and the default mode network: Meta-analysis of brain imaging studies and implications for depression. In NeuroImage (Vol. 206, p. 116287). Academic Press Inc. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116287

@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

The Super Bowl definitely threw me off a bit. My dad offered to bring some food over and the plan was to eat before the game/during the first half. I have no idea what he was doing, but for some reason, it took him two hours to get the food (that was already made) ready to eat. All things considered, I still did ok. The dry fast was about 13 hours and I might make it to 16 hours without eating (I'm at 15 now). ## 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: TBD (13 dry) originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/881691

@ ef1744f8:96fbc3fe

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@ 6bae33c8:607272e8

I didn’t realize how much I had missed a good old fashioned Super Bowl blowout. I wasn’t even gonna bet the game, but over the last couple days, I got an Eagles vibe. There was too much, “The refs won’t let the Chiefs lose”, and Patrick Mahomes and Taylor Swift, and other noise, and yet the line didn’t budge. It was obvious the Eagles were the sharper side, and they had the league’s best defense, which usually correlates to overperformance of the spread in Super Bowls, sometimes massive overperformance. But it wasn’t any one thing — just an overall dawning on me that the Eagles were probably the right side. I didn’t feel that strongly about it, even so, and decided I’d just bet Saquon Barkley for MVP, get 3:1 or so if the Eagles won. So I texted someone in the states to place the bet for me, and best he could offer was +175! That’s a terrible value for a RB to win MVP! A few minutes later Tim Schuler offered to bet me $50, give me the Eagles +1, and I obliged him. After that, I texted my friend back to put $500 on the Eagles +1 for me. Of course, I didn’t stay up all night to watch — after losing 1K on the Falcons (who were up 28-3 in the third quarter at 3 am) eight years ago, never again. So I caught the 40-minute version this morning. What a great game! The Eagles dominated from start to finish. The defensive line got after Mahomes on every play. And while the Chiefs sold out to stop Barkley, Jalen Hurts ran wild on them. I’m sure I would have enjoyed a Chiefs blowout less, but the beauty of a blowout is it settles things. There’s no looking back at a bad call, a dropped pass or a fumble and wondering what might have been. Close games have drama, but they are more or less arbitrary. I mean I get it, the guy made the throw at the time with the game on the line, but maybe also he just got the cheap roughing the passer call or the ticky tack PI. When the Giants won the Super Bowl on Scott Norwood’s miss, I didn’t have the same sense of satisfaction I did when they blew out John Elway’s Broncos five years earlier. Yes, they won, but it might as well have been on a coin flip. I grew up on blowouts in the ‘80s — Raiders-Redskins, 49ers-Dolphins, Pats-Bears, Giants-Broncos, Redskins-Broncos — only the Bengals managed to keep Super Bowl losses close (Congratulations Jeff Erickson!) This was before replay reviews and all the lawyering about what is and isn’t a completed catch. The last fucking thing you wanted was some controversy about who really outplayed whom. So it was nice to win some easy money and not to have to worry about refs or fumbles or untimely drops for a change. - I wanted Saquon to win MVP, but he drew the attention of the KC defense, is one of the best I’ve ever seen in blitz pickup and still had 97 yards from scrimmage. One of the all-time great years from an all-time great back. (He broke Terrell Davis’ record for the most yardage, regular season and playoffs, too, albeit in two extra games.) - Hurts threw the one bad pick under pressure, but it served as a good punt, and otherwise had a near perfect game. Only four other incomplete passes, 72 yards and a score on the ground. He was an easy MVP call. - I was a little worried about shaky Jake Elliott, but he drilled all four of his field goals, three of them twice!, due to penalties. - Patrick Mahomes padded his stats in garbage time, but he got crushed. An elite defense that gets home with four is the way you kill the GOATS. The Giants did it to Tom Brady twice. - Xavier Worthy had a nice garbage-time stat-padding game, but he was the only one. DeAndre Hopkins had a bad drop, though they got him a garbage-time feel-good TD, basically a participation trophy. - Congrats to Lane Johnson, Brandon Graham, Elliott and long-snapper Rick Lovato — the only four players in NFL history to defeat both Tom Brady and Mahomes in Super Bowls. - The only negative is I lost my $50 four-teams bet with Erickson. I had the Chiefs, Bills, Lions and Ravens, he had the field. But I directed Schuler to pay him, which is good, because I cancelled Paypal for their retarded foray into free-speech policing, and now I don’t have to figure out a workaround.

@ 3b7fc823:e194354f

Alright, let’s get one thing straight: you’re scrolling through your phone, shopping online, maybe even working from home. But here’s the thing – someone might be watching. Not in the creepy stalker way, but in the “is that company really needing my data?” kind of way. That’s where a Virtual Private Network (VPN) comes in, saving you from the prying eyes of marketers, governments, and even your own internet provider. **What Does a VPN Do?** A VPN creates a secure, encrypted connection between your device and a VPN server. This allows you to browse the internet anonymously, keeping your online activities private from your Internet Service Provider (ISP), network administrators, and even hackers. When you connect to a VPN, your internet traffic is routed through an intermediary server, making it difficult for anyone to track your online movements. **Why You Need a VPN: Privacy edition** - Hiding Your IP Address Every time you jump online, your device gets an IP address, like a digital ID. If you don’t use a VPN, everyone can see this ID, making it easy for advertisers and governments to track your every move. - [X ] *Myth:* A VPN hides my IP address from everyone. - [X] *Reality:* A VPN hides your IP address only from the websites you visit and your ISP. Your internet service provider still knows you're using a VPN, but they won't be able to see what sites you're visiting. Your VPN knows what sites you are visiting and *may* know who you are as well. - Bypassing Censorship Ever tried accessing something that’s blocked in your country? A VPN can help you bypass those restrictions, letting you watch the latest shows, access social media, or even download books without getting flagged as a troublemaker. - Protecting Your Data When you connect to public Wi-Fi – like at a café or airport – you’re basically handing over your data on a silver platter. A VPN encrypts this data, so even if someone intercepts it, they can’t decode it. Think of it as adding an extra layer of security. - Avoiding Surveillance Companies and governments love collecting data. From what you search to who you talk to, there’s a lot of stuff that’s none of their business. A VPN ensures that only you know where you’ve been online. - Safeguarding Your Personal and Professional Life Whether you’re working from home or just shopping for a present, a VPN keeps your activities private. It’s like having a secure safe for all your online stuff, so no one can snoop. - Stopping Targeted Ads Companies track your browsing habits to send you ads that follow you around the internet. A VPN breaks this cycle, making sure those creepy “you might like” ads stop following you around. - No Logs Policy Some VPNs keep records of your activity, which means they could be handed over if the government comes knocking. But with a no-logs policy, nothing is stored – *they promise ;)* - The Dark Side of Free VPNs Before you jump into using a free VPN, think twice. Free services often come with a catch: they might sell your data to advertisers or even track your activity themselves. It’s like getting a free hotdog at a gas station – it sounds great, but you’ll probably regret it later. **How to Use a VPN (Because You’re Not a Tech Wizard)** - Choose the Right Provider Go for a reputable service that offers strong encryption and a no-logs policy. Look for options with a kill switch, which stops any data from being leaked if the connection drops. I prefer ones you can pay annoymously but that may be overkill for most people. - Download and Install Once you pick a provider, download the app to your device. It’s not rocket science, but it does require a bit more than just opening an email. - Set It Up Most VPNs have user-friendly interfaces. Just click “Connect” and you’re good to go. You might need to enter your login details or use a password from your provider. **The Final Word** Using a VPN isn’t about being a hacker or someone with something to hide. It’s about respecting your privacy and having control over what you share online. In today’s world, where companies and governments are constantly getting more creative about how they collect data, it’s practically a requirement if you want to stay ahead of the curve. So there you have it – the secret life of your internet. With a VPN, you’re not just protecting yourself; you’re making sure that your digital footprint is as small as possible. Whether you’re at home or on the go, a VPN gives you the freedom to surf, shop, and work without anyone watching your every move. And hey, if you’re still not convinced, just think about it this way: imagine your internet connection as a crowded public space. Without a VPN, everyone’s staring at you. With one, you’re wearing a mask, and no one’s the wiser. --- Advocating for privacy does not finance itself. If you enjoyed this article, please consider zapping or sending monero 82XCDNK1Js8TethhpGLFPbVyKe25DxMUePad1rUn9z7V6QdCzxHEE7varvVh1VUidUhHVSA4atNU2BTpSNJLC1BqSvDajw1

@ da0b9bc3:4e30a4a9

Hello Stackers! It's Monday so we're back doing "Meta Music Mondays" 😉. From before the territory existed there was just one post a week in a ~meta take over. Now each month we have a different theme and bring music from that theme. Welcome to Femmes Fatales 3!!! I absolutely loved doing this last year so I'm bringing it back for round 3! It's Femmes Fatales, where we celebrate women in ~Music. So let's have those ladies of the lung, the sirens of sound, our Femmes Fatales! https://youtu.be/ya69LUa1E_w?si=cM6yCALsPpp9L3Sc I recently got introduced to these ladies. Their music is fantastic, they're really talented musicians. They are: Lilith: The vocalist. Lamia: The lead guitarist. Nixe: The bassist. Abrahel: The drummer. Their identity is meant to be a mystery, so let's keep it that way. These Nuns can make Noise!! Let's go! Talk Music. Share Tracks. Zap Sats. originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/881416

@ 78c90fc4:4bff983c

&#x20; “Die Welt wird von ganz anderen Personen regiert als diejenigen es sich vorstellen, die nicht hinter den Kulissen stehen.”  Benjamin Disraeli, zweimaliger britischer Premierminister und Romanautor. Quelle: <https://www.unz.com/article/the-disraeli-enigma/>\ \ Als 1853 der Krimkrieg zwischen Russland und dem Osmanischen Reich ausbrach, wurde das Osmanische Reich vom Vereinigten Königreich und Frankreich gerettet. Zwanzig Jahre später zog Zar Alexander II. als Beschützer der unterdrückten serbischen und bulgarischen Christen erneut gegen die Osmanen in den Krieg. Als die Russen vor den Toren Konstantinopels/Istanbuls standen, waren die Osmanen gezwungen, die Schaffung der autonomen Fürstentümer Bulgarien, Serbien und Rumänien durch den Vertrag von San Stefano zu akzeptieren. Die Briten waren mit diesem Vertrag unzufrieden und beriefen zusammen mit Österreich-Ungarn den Berliner Kongress (1878) ein, der ihn aufhob. Russische Eroberungen wurden zurückgenommen, Armenien und Bulgarien wurden größtenteils an das Osmanische Reich zurückgegeben und der Balkan wurde in heterogene und konfliktreiche Staaten aufgeteilt. Diese „Balkanisierung“ löste nationalistische Ressentiments aus, die den Ersten Weltkrieg auslösen sollten. \ Das Hauptziel des Berliner Vertrags bestand darin, das zu retten, was von einem schwächelnden Osmanischen Reich zu retten war, um der panslawistischen Expansion Russlands entgegenzuwirken. England, das stets eifersüchtig auf seine Vormachtstellung zur See bedacht war, wollte verhindern, dass Russland näher an den Bosporus heranrückte. Die Briten erhielten das Recht, Zypern als Marinestützpunkt zu nutzen und gleichzeitig den Suezkanal zu überwachen. Dies war der Beginn des „Great Game“ Großbritanniens um die Kolonialherrschaft in Asien und die Eindämmung Russlands, was insbesondere zur Schaffung Afghanistans als Pufferstaat führte. \ Es gibt verschiedene Möglichkeiten, diesen Abschnitt der Geschichte zu interpretieren, der den Keim für alle Tragödien des 20. Jahrhunderts („das jüdische Jahrhundert“ laut Yuri Slezkine) in sich trägt.**\[1]**\ Yuri Slezkine, *The Jewish Century,* Princeton University Press, 2004. \ Es gibt unterschiedliche Ansichten darüber, welche Kräfte die Geschichte in dieser entscheidenden Zeit geprägt haben. Aber letztendlich wird Geschichte von Menschen gemacht, und sie kann nur verstanden werden, wenn man die Hauptakteure und ihre Motive identifiziert: Man kann den Vietnamkrieg einfach nicht verstehen, ohne sich mit der Denkweise von Johnson oder Kissinger auseinanderzusetzen. Unter den Anstiftern des Berliner Vertrags sticht ein Name besonders hervor: Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881), Premierminister unter Königin Victoria von 1868 bis 1869 und erneut von 1874 bis 1880. Disraeli war auch der Mann, der 1875 die Übernahme des Suezkanals durch England ermöglichte, und zwar durch die Finanzierung seines Freundes Lionel de Rothschild, dem Sohn von Nathan Mayer – eine Operation, die die Kontrolle der Rothschilds über die Bank of England festigte. \ Disraeli ist ein sehr interessanter Fall, da er sowohl ein bedeutender britischer Staatsmann während der globalen Hegemonie Großbritanniens als auch ein Romanautor war, der seine fiktiven Figuren dazu benutzte, seine ehrlichen Gedanken zu äußern, während er eine Art „glaubhafte Abstreitbarkeit“ (Sidonia spricht, nicht ich!) aufrechterhielt. Wir haben daher die einzigartige Gelegenheit, die wahren Motive des Mannes in der Politik zwischen den Zeilen zu lesen. Stellen Sie sich vor, Kissinger hätte Romane geschrieben, in denen ein Jude die Hauptfigur ist, der die Außen- und Militärpolitik des Imperiums vorantrieb und gleichzeitig ein enger Freund des reichsten jüdischen Bankiers war.\ \  Disraeli wird als der wahre Erfinder des Britischen Empires bezeichnet, da er es war, der Königin Victoria durch das Parlament mit dem Royal Titles Act von 1876 zur Kaiserin von Indien ernennen ließ (das obere Bild ist eine Karikatur, die Disraeli als Hausierer zeigt, der der Königin die Kaiserkrone überreicht).  Disraeli war, wie bereits erwähnt, die Hauptinspiration für den Berliner Kongress. Darüber hinaus war Disraeli ein Vorläufer des Zionismus, der versuchte, die „Wiederherstellung Israels“ auf die Tagesordnung des Berliner Kongresses zu setzen, in der Hoffnung, den Sultan Abdul Hamid davon zu überzeugen, Palästina als autonome Provinz zu gewähren. Der Sultan lehnte das Angebot ab, das wahrscheinlich das Versprechen finanzieller Unterstützung für seine zusammenbrechende Wirtschaft beinhaltete – wie auch Herzls Angebot im Jahr 1902, das ebenfalls abgelehnt wurde.\ \ Der Zionismus war Disraelis uralter Traum: Nach einer Reise in den Nahen Osten im Alter von sechsundzwanzig Jahren veröffentlichte er seinen ersten Roman, *Die wundersame Geschichte des Alroy*, und ließ seinen Helden, einen einflussreichen Juden des Mittelalters, sagen: „Mein Wunsch ist eine nationale Existenz, die wir nicht haben. Mein Wunsch ist das Land der Verheißung und Jerusalem und der Tempel, alles, was wir eingebüßt haben, wonach wir uns gesehnt haben, wofür wir gekämpft haben, unser schönes Land, unser heiliges Glaubensbekenntnis, unsere einfachen Sitten und unsere alten Bräuche.“\ Disraeli schrieb diese Zeilen noch vor den Anfängen der biblischen Archäologie; erst 1841 veröffentlichte Edward Robinson seine *Biblical Researches in Palestine*. Die ersten Ausgrabungen des von Königin Victoria geförderten Palestine Exploration Fund begannen 1867. Wohlhabende britische Juden hatten sich jedoch schon lange zuvor für Palästina interessiert. Disraelis Interesse wurde durch seinen Nachbarn und vierzigjährigen Freund Moses Montefiore beeinflusst, der Judith Cohen, die Schwägerin von Nathan Rothschild, heiratete. Nach einer Reise nach Palästina im Jahr 1827 widmete Montefiore seine immensen Ressourcen der Unterstützung seiner Glaubensgenossen im Heiligen Land, indem er Land kaufte und Häuser baute. \ Sowohl Montefiore als auch Disraeli waren sephardischer Herkunft. Disraeli stammte aus einer Familie portugiesischer Marranen, die in Venedig zum Judentum konvertierten. Sein Großvater war 1748 nach London gezogen. Benjamin wurde im Alter von dreizehn Jahren getauft, als sein Vater Isaac D'Israeli zusammen mit seiner ganzen Familie zum anglikanischen Christentum konvertierte. Isaac D'Israeli ist der Autor eines Buches mit dem Titel *The Genius of Judaism*(in Anlehnung an Chateaubriands *Le Génie du Christianisme*), in dem er die einzigartigen Eigenschaften des jüdischen Volkes verherrlicht, aber die talmudischen Rabbiner dafür verantwortlich macht, dass sie „den nationalen Geist ihres Volkes versiegeln“ und „die Einfachheit ihres antiken Glaubens korrumpieren“. Wie für viele andere Juden dieser Zeit war die Konversion für D'Israeli rein opportunistisch: Bis zum Beginn des 19. Jahrhunderts blieben Verwaltungskarrieren für Juden verschlossen. Ein Gesetz von 1740 hatte ihre Einbürgerung erlaubt, aber es hatte Volksaufstände provoziert und wurde 1753 aufgehoben. Viele einflussreiche Juden, wie der Stadtbankier Sampson Gideon, entschieden sich dann für eine nominelle Konversion ihrer Kinder.**\[2]**\ Cecil Roth, *A History of the Marranos* (1932)*,* Meridian Books, 1959*,* S. 148.\ \ Etwa zur gleichen Zeit wie Disraeli konvertierte Heinrich Heine (1797–1856) zum Luthertum (während einer seiner Brüder zum Katholizismus konvertierte, um Offizier in Österreich zu werden, und ein anderer zur Orthodoxie, um als Arzt in Russland zu dienen). Heine betrachtete die Taufe als „Eintrittskarte in die europäische Zivilisation“. Er beklagte sich jedoch darüber, dass er von den Deutschen immer noch als Jude angesehen wurde, und zog es daher vor, in Frankreich zu leben, wo er als Deutscher angesehen wurde. Nur wenige Jahre nach seiner Konversion zeigten seine Schriften eine sehr negative Einstellung gegenüber dem Christentum, das er als „düstere, blutrünstige Religion für Kriminelle“ bezeichnete, die die Sinnlichkeit unterdrücke. Am Ende seines Lebens bereute er seine Taufe, die ihm nichts gebracht hatte, und erklärte in seinem letzten Buch *Romanzero*: „Ich mache kein Geheimnis aus meinem Judentum, zu dem ich nicht zurückgekehrt bin, weil ich es nicht verlassen habe.“**\[3]**\ Zitiert in Kevin MacDonald, *Separation and Its Discontents:* *Toward an Evolutionary Theory of Anti-Semitism,* Praeger, 1998, kindle 2013, l. 4732–4877. \ Genau wie bei den portugiesischen Marranen im 15. Jahrhundert verstärkte die Taufe bei den europäischen Juden des 19. Jahrhunderts ein nicht-religiöses, rassisches Verständnis des Judentums. Disraeli bezeichnete sich selbst als „Anglikaner jüdischer Abstammung“. \ Für Hannah Arendt ist Disraeli ein „Rassenfanatiker“, der in seinem ersten Roman *Alroy* (1833) „einen Plan für ein jüdisches Reich entwickelte, in dem Juden als streng getrennte Klasse herrschen würden“. In seinem anderen Roman *Coningsby* „entfaltete er einen fantastischen Plan, nach dem jüdisches Geld den Aufstieg und Fall von Höfen und Reichen beherrscht und in der Diplomatie die Oberhand hat“. Diese Idee „wurde zum Dreh- und Angelpunkt seiner politischen Philosophie“.**\[4]**\ Hannah Arendt, *The Origins of Totalitarianism,* Band 1: *Antisemitism,* Meridian Books, 1958, S. 309–310.\ Dies ist eine ziemlich fantastische Anschuldigung, die die meisten Biografen Disraelis nicht bestätigen würden. Sie ist jedoch wahrscheinlich richtig. Aber wir müssen genau auf Disraelis eigene Stimme hören, die durch Sidonia zum Ausdruck kommt, die Figur, die in drei seiner Romane vorkommt: *Coningsby* (1844), *Sybil* (1845) und *Tancred* (1847). In Sidonias Worten spürt man den Groll gegen die Nation, in die er sich zu integrieren versuchte:\ Kann es etwas Absurderes geben, als dass eine Nation sich an eine Einzelperson wendet, um ihren Kredit, ihre Existenz als Imperium und ihren Komfort als Volk zu erhalten; und diese Einzelperson, der ihre Gesetze die stolzesten Rechte der Staatsbürgerschaft, das Privileg, in ihrem Senat zu sitzen und Land zu besitzen, verweigern; denn obwohl ich unbesonnen genug war, mehrere Ländereien zu kaufen, bin ich der Meinung, dass ein Engländer hebräischen Glaubens nach dem geltenden Recht Englands keinen Boden besitzen kann. \ Da es einem Juden nicht möglich ist, sich durch Landbesitz in die britische Aristokratie zu integrieren, selbst wenn er zum örtlichen Glauben konvertiert, was sollte ein Jude tun, außer durch die Macht des Geldes aufzusteigen? Wie Heine spürte auch Disraeli die Heuchelei der Christen, die es den Juden übel nahmen, dass sie keine Christen waren, sie aber weiterhin als Juden behandelten, wenn sie konvertierten, und es insgeheim sogar vorzogen, dass sie Juden blieben. \ Laut Disraelis Biografen Robert Blake ist Sidonia „eine Kreuzung zwischen Lionel de Rothschild und Disraeli selbst“. Er stammt von einer Adelsfamilie aus Aragon ab, zu deren herausragenden Mitgliedern ein Erzbischof und ein Großinquisitor gehörten, die beide heimlich dem Judentum ihrer Väter anhingen. Sidonias Vater, wie auch Lionel de Rothschilds Vater, „machte während der Napoleonischen Kriege ein großes Vermögen mit Militärverträgen und der Versorgung der verschiedenen Armeen“. Nachdem er sich in London niedergelassen hatte, „setzte er alles, was er besaß, auf die Waterloo-Anleihe; und das Ereignis machte ihn zu einem der größten Kapitalisten Europas.“ Seit seinem siebzehnten Lebensjahr besuchte Sidonia die Fürstenhöfe der Schuldner seines Vaters und lernte die Geheimnisse der Macht kennen. „Die geheime Geschichte der Welt war sein Zeitvertreib. Es bereitete ihm großes Vergnügen, die verborgenen Motive mit den öffentlichen Vorwänden der Transaktionen zu kontrastieren.“ Disraeli selbst war laut Robert Blake „von Verschwörungen besessen“.**\[5]**\ Robert Blake, *Disraeli* (1966), Faber Finds, 2010, S. 202. \ Sidonia ist von seiner Rasse begeistert: „Alles ist Rasse – es gibt keine andere Wahrheit.“ Er weigert sich, eine Nichtjüdin zu heiraten, weil, so der Erzähler, „keine irdische Überlegung ihn jemals dazu veranlassen würde, die Reinheit der Rasse zu beeinträchtigen, auf die er stolz ist.“ Mit „Rasse“ meinte Disraeli Blutsverwandtschaft. In seinem letzten Roman *Endymion* (1880) schrieb er:\ Kein Mensch wird das Prinzip der Rasse gleichgültig behandeln. Es ist der Schlüssel zur Geschichte, und der Grund, warum die Geschichte oft so verwirrend ist, liegt darin, dass sie von Männern geschrieben wurde, die dieses Prinzip und all das damit verbundene Wissen nicht kennen ... Sprache und Religion machen keine Rasse aus – es gibt nur eine Sache, die eine Rasse ausmacht, und das ist Blut.\ **[Sidonia erzählt seinem Schützling Coningsby](https://www.victorianlondon.org/etexts/disraeli/coningsby-0038.shtml)** in *Coningsby oder die neue Generation*, dass die Verfolgung durch christliche Nationen die jüdische Nation niemals zerschlagen könnte. \ Tatsache ist, dass man eine reine Rasse der kaukasischen Organisation nicht vernichten kann. Es ist eine physiologische Tatsache; ein einfaches Naturgesetz, das ägyptische und assyrische Könige, römische Kaiser und christliche Inquisitoren verblüfft hat. Keine Strafgesetze, keine körperlichen Folterungen können bewirken, dass eine überlegene Rasse in einer unterlegenen aufgehen oder von ihr vernichtet werden sollte. Die gemischten verfolgenden Rassen verschwinden, die reine verfolgte Rasse bleibt bestehen. Und im Moment, trotz Jahrhunderten oder gar Jahrzehnten der Erniedrigung, übt der jüdische Geist einen enormen Einfluss auf die Angelegenheiten Europas aus. Ich spreche nicht von ihren Gesetzen, denen Sie immer noch gehorchen; von ihrer Literatur, mit der Ihr Geist gesättigt ist, sondern vom lebendigen hebräischen Intellekt. Sie beobachten nie eine große intellektuelle Bewegung in Europa, an der die Juden nicht in hohem Maße beteiligt sind.\ Wo auch immer er reiste, fügte Sidonia hinzu, sah er jüdische Berater hinter Monarchen und Staatsoberhäuptern.  „Sie sehen also, mein lieber Coningsby, dass die Welt von ganz anderen Persönlichkeiten regiert wird, als diejenigen, die nicht hinter den Kulissen stehen, sich vorstellen können.“  In einem Sachbuch (*Lord George Bentinck: A Political Biography*, 1852) schrieb Disraeli:\ \[Juden] sind ein lebendiger und der eindrucksvollste Beweis für die Falschheit dieser verderblichen Doktrin der Neuzeit, der natürlichen Gleichheit der Menschen. ... die natürliche Gleichheit der Menschen, die heute in Mode ist und die Form einer kosmopolitischen Bruderschaft annimmt, ist ein Prinzip, das, wenn man danach handeln könnte, die großen Rassen zersetzen und den ganzen Genius der Welt zerstören würde. ... Die angeborene Tendenz der jüdischen Rasse, die zu Recht stolz auf ihr Blut ist, ist gegen die Doktrin der Gleichheit der Menschen.**\[6]**\ Benjamin Disraeli, *Lord George Bentinck*, Archibald, 1852 (archive.org), S. 496. \ Disraeli ist eindeutig auf derselben Wellenlänge wie Moses Hess, Herzls geistiger Vater, der, nachdem er Marx (einen weiteren nominellen Konvertiten) beeinflusst hatte, zu dem Schluss kam, dass „der Rassenkrieg wichtiger ist als der Klassenkampf“ (*Rom und Jerusalem,* 1862). Ein gutes Beispiel für dialektische politische Manipulation ist, dass Hess Marx weiterhin heimlich unterstützte und auf dessen Bitte hin nach dem Generalkongress der Internationale in Basel (5.–12. September 1869) Verleumdungen gegen Bakunin veröffentlichte, in denen er Bakunin beschuldigte, ein *Agent provocateur* der russischen Regierung zu sein und „im Interesse des Panslawismus“ zu arbeiten.**\[7]**\ Bakunins Antwort auf Französisch, „Aux citoyens rédacteurs du *Réveil*“, finden Sie auf Wikisource.org.\ Es ist interessant zu sehen, dass ein anderer Proto-Zionist wie Disraeli den russischen Interessen zutiefst feindlich gesinnt war.\ \ Was war Disraelis Motivation hinter der Außenpolitik, die er dem britischen Empire vermittelte? Glaubte er, dass es die offensichtliche Bestimmung der Briten sei, die Welt zu erobern? Oder sah er das britische Empire als Instrument für die überlegene Bestimmung der jüdischen Nation, wenn er sich daran erinnerte, wie Esra und Nehemia in biblischen Zeiten die Außenpolitik der Perser ausgenutzt hatten? Indem er den Suezkanal (der zwischen 1859 und 1869 von den Franzosen gegraben wurde) mit den britischen Interessen in Verbindung brachte, wollte er einfach nur die Franzosen übertrumpfen, oder legte er damit den Grundstein für das zukünftige Bündnis zwischen Israel und dem angloamerikanischen Empire? Da die Briten nun einmal den Suezkanal besaßen, mussten sie ihn verteidigen, und wie ginge das besser als mit einer befreundeten jüdischen autonomen Regierung in der Nähe in Palästina? Genau das war es, was Chaim Weizmann dreißig Jahre später den Briten schmackhaft machen wollte: „Das jüdische Palästina wäre ein Schutz für England, insbesondere in Bezug auf den Suezkanal.“**\[8]**\ Chaim Weizmann, *Trial and Error,* Harper & Brothers, 1949, S. 192. \ Und als die Israelis 1956 mit britischer und französischer Unterstützung in den Sinai einmarschierten, taten sie dies, indem sie Großbritannien erneut versprachen, die Kontrolle über den von Nasser verstaatlichten Kanal an Großbritannien zurückzugeben. \ Disraelis Russophobie, zu der er Königin Victoria bekehrte, und seine Verteidigung der Türken, deren Massaker an den Serben und Bulgaren allgemein bekannt waren, führten zu Theorien über eine jüdische Verschwörung. William Ewart Gladstone, ein langjähriger Gegner Disraelis und selbst mehrmals Premierminister (1868–1874, 1880–1885, 1886 und 1892–1894), erklärte, dass Disraeli „die britische Außenpolitik als Geisel seiner jüdischen Sympathien nahm und mehr daran interessiert war, die Leiden der Juden in Russland und der Türkei zu lindern, als an britischen Interessen“. Die Zeitung *„The Truth“* vom 22. November 1877 spielte auf die Vertrautheit Disraelis mit den Rothschilds an und vermutete „eine stillschweigende Verschwörung ... seitens einer beträchtlichen Anzahl von Anglo-Hebräern, um uns im Namen der Türken in einen Krieg zu ziehen“. Es wurde außerdem daran erinnert, dass Disraeli in einer Rede vor dem britischen Unterhaus im Jahr 1847 die Zulassung von Juden zu wählbaren Ämtern gefordert hatte, mit der Begründung, dass „der jüdische Geist einen enormen Einfluss auf die Angelegenheiten Europas ausübt“.**\[9]**\ Stanley Weintraub, *Disraeli: A Biography,* Hamish Hamilton, 1993, S. 579, 547. \ Die Königin stand, wie ein Großteil der britischen Aristokratie, bereits unter dem Bann einer modischen Theorie, die den Angelsachsen einen israelitischen Ursprung zuschrieb. Diese Theorie war erstmals zur Zeit Oliver Cromwells aufgetaucht und wurde 1840 von Pastor John Wilson in seinen *Vorlesungen über das alte Israel und den israelitischen Ursprung der modernen Nationen Europas* sowie 1870 von Edward Hine in *The English Nation Identified with the Lost Israel* neu aufgelegt. In diesem Werk erfahren wir, dass das Wort „Saxon“ von „Isaac's sons“ (Söhne Isaaks) abgeleitet ist. Diese lächerliche Theorie lieferte eine billige biblische Rechtfertigung für den britischen Kolonialismus und sogar für den Völkermord an den kolonisierten Völkern (neue Kanaaniter) durch das britische Empire (neues Israel).**\[10]**\ André Pichot, *Aux origines des théories raciales, de la Bible à Darwin,* Flammarion, 2008, S. 124–143, 319. \ Königin Victoria war glücklich, glauben zu können, dass ihre edle Abstammung auf König David zurückging, und ließ ihre Söhne beschneiden, ein Brauch, der bis heute fortbesteht. Es mag etwas Wahres an dem Gefühl der britischen Elite für ihr Judentum liegen, denn im 16. und 17. Jahrhundert hatten viele Ehen reiche jüdische Familien mit der alten, verarmten Landaristokratie vereint, so dass nach Hilaire Bellocs Schätzung „mit Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts diejenigen der großen territorialen englischen Familien, in denen es kein jüdisches Blut gab, die Ausnahme waren“.**\[11]**\ Hilaire Belloc, *The Jews,* Constable & Co., 1922 (archive.org), S. 223. \ Die Begeisterung der Königin für das Judentum hatte aber auch viel mit dem Einfluss Disraelis zu tun, der einmal gegenüber einem Freund damit prahlte: „Jeder mag Schmeichelei, und wenn es um das Königshaus geht, sollte man sie mit einer Kelle auftragen.“**\[12]**\ Stanley Weintraub, *Disraeli: A Biography,* Hamish Hamilton, 1993, S. 579, 547. \ Der Fall Disraeli ist aufschlussreich, weil die Frage, die er aufwirft, dieselbe ist wie die Frage, die heute geopolitische Analysten in Bezug auf die Beziehung zwischen den Vereinigten Staaten und Israel spaltet: Wer führt wen an der Nase herum? Ist Israel der Brückenkopf der Vereinigten Staaten im Nahen Osten oder sind die Vereinigten Staaten, wie Zbigniew Brzezinski einmal sagte, der **[„dumme Esel“](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfjE5_1xOs8)** Israels? Die Beantwortung dieser Frage für das Jahrhundert vor dem Zweiten Weltkrieg (als **[„Israel“ das internationale Judentum](https://twitter.com/Laurent_Guyenot/status/1883831745046560928)** bedeutete) hilft bei der Beantwortung derselben Frage heute, da die symbiotische Beziehung zwischen Israel und dem Imperium erheblich gewachsen ist. \ Die Antwort hängt vom Standpunkt des Betrachters ab. Die Zionisten haben natürlich ein Interesse daran, die Ansicht zu fördern, dass Israel den angloamerikanischen Interessen dient und nicht umgekehrt. Disraeli argumentierte vor dem britischen Parlament, dass ein jüdisches Palästina im Interesse des britischen Kolonialismus sei. Aber jüdische Zionisten haben die Dinge schon immer aus der anderen Perspektive betrachtet, und man kann kaum glauben, dass Disraeli ihre Ansicht nicht insgeheim teilte. Wenn der Held seines Romans *Tancred* (1847), ein Jude, der wie Disraeli zum Lord ernannt wurde, das britische Empire mit folgenden Worten verherrlicht: „Wir wollen die Welt erobern, angeführt von Engeln, um die Menschheit unter göttlicher Herrschaft glücklich zu machen“, wer verbirgt sich hinter diesem zweideutigen „wir“? Ist es dasselbe doppeldeutige „wir“, das die PNAC-Neokonservativen benutzten, um Amerika in Kriege zum Wohle Israels zu verwickeln? \ Wenn ein britischer Jude wie Disraeli zu den Briten „wir“ sagte, war dies eine strategische Zweideutigkeit. Er traf damit den patriotischen Nerv der angelsächsischen Elite, die den gemeinsamen Glauben an die Mission des britischen Empires teilte, die Welt zu zivilisieren – Menschen wie Lord Salisbury, Mitglied von Cecil Rhodes' Round Table, der sich für eine Weltregierung durch die „britische Rasse“ einsetzte.**\[13]**\ Carroll Quigley, *The Anglo-American Establishment, From Rhodes to Cliveden* (1949), Books In Focus, 1981. \ Der britische Imperialismus und der zionistische Nationalismus wurden etwa zur gleichen Zeit geboren wie die Zwillinge Esau und Jakob und sind seit ihrer Geburt eng miteinander verflochten. Zwei Überlegungen helfen jedoch, ihre wahre Beziehung zu verstehen. Erstens reichen die ideologischen Wurzeln des Britischen Empires nicht weiter zurück als bis ins 17. Jahrhundert, während die des Zionismus mehr als zwei Jahrtausende zurückreichen. Zweitens starb das Britische Empire nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg, während der Zionismus aufblühte. Aus diesen beiden Gründen ist die Theorie, dass der Zionismus ein Nebenprodukt des britischen Imperialismus ist (nennen wir sie die Chomsky-Theorie), nicht haltbar. \ Um die wahre Beziehung zwischen Zion und Albion zu Disraelis Zeiten zu verstehen, muss man die Macht der Rothschild-Dynastie über die britische Politik richtig einschätzen. Ohne die Rothschilds hätte Großbritannien nie die Kontrolle über den Suezkanal erlangt, der den Grundstein des britischen Empires im Nahen Osten bildete. Die Rothschilds selbst kandidierten nicht für ein politisches Amt, heirateten jedoch manchmal in eine solche Familie ein: Lord Archibald Primrose, 1886 und von 1892 bis 1894 Außenminister und 1894–1895 Premierminister, war der Schwiegersohn von Mayer Amschel de Rothschild.\ Es ist bemerkenswert, dass Theodor Herzl den zukünftigen jüdischen Staat als „aristokratische Republik“ mit „dem ersten Prinzen Rothschild“ an der Spitze sah. In einer langen Tirade in seinem Tagebuch ermahnte er die Rothschilds, ihre bösen Seelen zu erlösen, indem sie den Zionismus statt Kriege finanzierten:\ Ich weiß nicht, ob alle Regierungen bereits erkennen, welche internationale Bedrohung Ihr Weltreich darstellt. Ohne Sie können keine Kriege geführt werden, und wenn Frieden geschlossen werden soll, sind die Menschen umso mehr auf Sie angewiesen. Für das Jahr 1895 wurden die Militärausgaben der fünf Großmächte auf vier Milliarden Francs geschätzt, und ihre tatsächliche militärische Stärke in Friedenszeiten auf 2.800.000 Mann. Und diese Streitkräfte, die in der Geschichte ihresgleichen suchen, kommandieren Sie finanziell, ungeachtet der widerstreitenden Wünsche der Nationen. ... Und Ihr verfluchter Reichtum wächst immer noch. ... Aber wenn Sie sich uns anschließen, ... werden wir unseren ersten gewählten Herrscher aus Ihrem Haus nehmen. Das ist das leuchtende Leuchtfeuer, das wir auf die Spitze des fertigen Eiffelturms Ihres Vermögens setzen werden. In der Geschichte wird es so aussehen, als wäre das der Zweck des gesamten Bauwerks gewesen.**\[14]**\ \ *The Complete Diaries of Theodor Herzl,* edited by Raphael Patai, Herzl Press & Thomas Yoseloff, 1960, vol. 1*,* pp. 163–170.\ Wie Richard Wagner jedoch einmal sagte (*Judaism in Music*, 1850), zogen es die Rothschilds vor, „die Juden der Könige“ zu bleiben, anstatt „die Könige der Juden“ zu sein.\ \ Wenn die Zeit für die Gründung des jüdischen Staates zu Disraelis Zeiten noch nicht reif war, dann vor allem deshalb, weil die Juden in Russland sich von Palästina ebenso wenig angezogen fühlten wie die Juden in Europa; sie wussten kaum, wo es lag. Erst kürzlich von Zar Alexander II. emanzipiert, strebten sie lediglich eine Auswanderung nach Europa oder in die Vereinigten Staaten an. Erst nach der Ermordung von Zar Alexander II. im Jahr 1881 (einen Monat vor Disraelis Tod) wurden einige von ihnen durch die Pogrome für Leon Pinskers proto-zionistischen Aufruf von 1882 empfänglich: „Wir müssen uns ein für alle Mal mit dem Gedanken abfinden, dass die anderen Nationen uns aufgrund ihres angeborenen natürlichen Antagonismus für immer ablehnen werden.“**\[15]**\ Benzion Netanyahu, *The Founding Fathers of Zionism,* Balfour Books, 2012*,* Kindle l. 761-775. \ Ebenfalls im Jahr 1881 begann Baron Edmond de Rothschild vom Pariser Zweig, unter der Schirmherrschaft seiner Palestine Jewish Colonization Association (PICA) Land in Palästina zu kaufen und die Ansiedlung jüdischer Siedler zu finanzieren, insbesondere in Tel Aviv. Die meisten bestehenden internationalen jüdischen Organisationen, wie B'nai B'rith (gegründet 1843 in New York) oder die Alliance Israélite Universelle (gegründet 1860 in Paris), waren jedoch der Meinung, dass Israel als verstreute Nation gut zurechtkäme und keine Pläne für Palästina habe.\ Dies änderte sich während des Ersten Weltkriegs, als ein äußerst effizientes Netzwerk aufgebaut wurde, das beide Seiten des Atlantiks verband.**\[16]**\ Alison Weir, *Against Our Better Judgment: The Hidden History of How the U.S. Was Used to Create Israel,* 2014, Kindle l. 387-475. \ Theodor Herz konzentrierte seine diplomatischen Bemühungen zunächst auf Deutschland, aber in England begannen sich die Dinge vielversprechend zu entwickeln („Der Schwerpunkt hat sich nach England verlagert“, schrieb er 1895 in sein Tagebuch), was zum Teil der Rekrutierung von Israel Zangwill zu verdanken war, der laut Benzion Netanyahu „der erste war, der in den oberen Kreisen der britischen Politik direkt über den Zionismus sprach“, insbesondere mit Lloyd George, „einem engen Bekannten Zangwills von Beginn seiner zionistischen Tätigkeit bis zu seinem Lebensende“.**\[17]**\ Netanyahu, *The Founding Fathers of Zionism,* l. 2536-59. \ Erinnern wir uns daran, dass Zangwill der erfolgreiche Autor von *The Melting Pot war,* einem Theaterstück, das Mischehen für Amerikaner pries. Hier besteht kein Widerspruch, denn „die gemischten verfolgten Rassen verschwinden, die reine verfolgte Rasse bleibt bestehen“, wie Sidonia sagte.\ \ Die Bedeutung von Disraelis geopolitischen Manövern wird von Historikern der Zionisten selten anerkannt, da sie oberflächlich betrachtet nicht den Weg für die Gründung des jüdischen Staates geebnet zu haben scheinen. Tatsächlich bildeten sie jedoch das unsichtbare Fundament, auf dem Herzl und Zangwill aufbauten. Und diese unsichtbare Kontinuität zeugt von der erstaunlichen generationsübergreifenden Beharrlichkeit des jüdischen Volkes, das sein jahrtausendealtes, selbsternanntes Schicksal Generation für Generation vorantreibt. Ja, es ist wirklich bewundernswert, wenn auch verheerend für die westliche Zivilisation, die durch zweitausend Jahre Christentum ahnungslos und ihres eigenen Sinns für Blut beraubt wurde. Wie der zionistische Autor Jakob Klatzkin einmal in der Zeitschrift *„Der Jude“*, 1916, schrieb:\ Wir bilden in uns selbst eine geschlossene juristische und geschäftliche Körperschaft. Eine starke Mauer, die wir errichtet haben, trennt uns von den Menschen in den Ländern, in denen wir leben – und hinter dieser Mauer befindet sich ein jüdischer Staat.**\[18]** Zitiert in Robert Edward Edmondson, *The Jewish System Indicted by the Documentary Record,* 1937 (archive.org), S. 15.\ \ **Anmerkungen**\ **\[1]** Yuri Slezkine, *The Jewish Century,* Princeton University Press, 2004.\ **\[2]** Cecil Roth, *A History of the Marranos* (1932)*,* Meridian Books, 1959*,* S. 148.\ **\[3]** Zitiert in Kevin MacDonald, *Separation and Its Discontents: Toward an Evolutionary Theory of Anti-Semitism,* Praeger, 1998, kindle 2013, l. 4732–4877.\ **\[4]** Hannah Arendt, *The Origins of Totalitarianism,* Band 1: *Antisemitism,* Meridian Books, 1958, S. 309–310.\ **\[5]** Robert Blake, *Disraeli* (1966), Faber Finds, 2010, S. 202.\ **\[6]** Benjamin Disraeli, *Lord George Bentinck*, Archibald, 1852 (archive.org), S. 496.\ **\[7]** Bakunins Antwort auf Französisch, „Aux citoyens rédacteurs du *Réveil*“, auf Wikisource.org.\ **\[8]** Chaim Weizmann, *Trial and Error,* Harper & Brothers, 1949, S. 192.\ **\[9]** Stanley Weintraub, *Disraeli: A Biography,* Hamish Hamilton, 1993, S. 579, 547.\ **\[10]** André Pichot, *Aux origines des théories raciales, de la Bible à Darwin,* Flammarion, 2008, S. 124–143, 319.\ **\[11]** Hilaire Belloc, *The Jews,* Constable & Co., 1922 (archive.org), S. 223.\ **\[12]** Stanley Weintraub, *Disraeli: A Biography,* Hamish Hamilton, 1993, S. 579, 547.\ **\[13]** Carroll Quigley, *The Anglo-American Establishment, From Rhodes to Cliveden* (1949), Books In Focus, 1981.\ **\[14]** *The Complete Diaries of Theodor Herzl,* edited by Raphael Patai, Herzl Press & Thomas Yoseloff, 1960, vol. 1*,* pp. 163–170.\ **\[15]** Benzion Netanyahu, *The Founding Fathers of Zionism,* Balfour Books, 2012*,* Kindle-Ausgabe, S. 761–775.\ **\[16]** Alison Weir, *Against Our Better Judgment: The Hidden History of How the U.S. Was Used to Create Israel,* 2014, Kindle-Ausgabe, S. 387–475.\ **\[17]** Netanyahu, *The Founding Fathers of Zionism,* S. 2536-59.\ **\[18]** Zitiert in Robert Edward Edmondson, *The Jewish System Indicted by the Documentary Record,* 1937 (archive.org), S. 15.

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The world doesn’t care about your excuses. It doesn’t care about your past, your wounds, or the battles you’ve already fought. Life will not lower the weight just because you feel tired. **You either rise, or you stay down.** But here’s the truth—**you are not your past.** You are not your failures, not your pain, not the things that tried to break you. **You are what you choose to become.** Some people get knocked down and never get back up. Some let their past define them, cage them, strip them of their potential. And then there are those who **decide.** They decide that no matter what happened, **they will rise.** They will fight. They will carve their own path, even if they have to do it with their bare hands. ## **Your Past is a Weapon—If You Use It Right** Your past can be two things: **a chain or a sword.** - Weak minds wear their past like a shackle, letting it hold them back. - Warriors forge their past into steel, using it as a blade to cut through the future they want. Scars? They aren’t signs of weakness. They are proof that you survived. That you endured. And that you’re still standing. So stop letting your past dictate your future. **Rip the pen from its hands and write your own damn story.** ## **The Weak Surrender. The Strong Rebuild.** Life will try to break you. That’s a fact. You will lose, you will hurt, you will doubt. But none of that matters. The only thing that matters is **what you do next.** - **You can let failure drown you, or you can rise stronger.** - **You can let heartbreak harden you, or you can sharpen yourself through it.** - **You can let regret bury you, or you can burn it as fuel.** It’s easy to stay down. To blame the world. To say, “This is just who I am.” But warriors don’t do easy. They do necessary. ## **You Are the Architect of Your Own Power** Everything you need to win is already inside you. You don’t need permission. You don’t need the world to approve. You just need one thing: **to choose.** - **Choose discipline over comfort.** - **Choose hunger over hesitation.** - **Choose action over excuses.** - **Choose to become something greater than your past.** Because in the end, that’s the only choice that matters. The world will try to define you. It will try to chain you to your past, drag you down with doubt, and keep you in a box. **Shatter it.** Prove them wrong. Be the person that refuses to be shaped by circumstance—**be the one who shapes themselves.** The past is done. The future is unwritten. The power to decide who you become? **That’s all yours.** Now get up and take it.

@ 31da2214:af2508e2

**Video Title:** Une révolution géopolitique est en marche : l’Afrique se libère ! **Creator:** Pensées KAMITE **Published Date:** February 9, 2025 **Video Length:** 17 minutes 6 seconds **Views:** >24k **Likes:** >2k **Video URL:** [Original YouTube Video](https://youtu.be/AqrgC7y6Twk) **Key Points from the Video:** * **End of Western Hegemony:** The video asserts that Western dominance in Africa is coming to an end. A geopolitical revolution is underway, breaking the chains of neocolonialism and fundamentally reshaping the continent's geopolitical landscape. * **Decline of Western Influence:** The video highlights a notable decline in Western influence and power in Africa. This is contrasted with the growing presence of China and Russia, who are increasing their investments in key sectors such as infrastructure, energy, defense, natural resources, and technology across the continent. * **Shifting Economic Partnerships:** China and Russia are now surpassing the European Union as Africa's primary trading partners. This indicates a significant shift in economic alliances, moving away from traditional Western partners. * **Failure of Western Strategies:** The host argues that Western imperialist strategies have failed to adapt to the evolving realities in Africa. While African countries initially engaged in colonial agreements with the West, the economic landscape now favors China and Russia. * **Collapse of Unipolar World Order:** This geopolitical shift is described as unprecedented, signaling the collapse of the unipolar world order established after World War II. The video suggests that the United States, weakened by costly conflicts and substantial debt, is experiencing an erosion of power. In contrast, China and Russia, leading the BRICS nations, are emerging as crucial players in a newly forming global balance of power. * **Strategic Importance of Africa:** The video emphasizes Africa's strategic importance in this new global order. Emerging powers are forming alliances with African nations that are perceived as more respectful and mutually beneficial. * **Critique of Western Approach:** The speaker criticizes the West's approach to Africa as cruel and paternalistic, accusing it of imposing underdevelopment policies driven by self-interest rather than genuine partnership. This approach has allegedly led to widespread poverty, conflict, economic dependence, and inequality across the continent. * **Rise of China and Russia as Alternatives:** The video presents the rise of China and Russia as offering alternative partnerships that are more advantageous and respectful of African sovereignty. These new alliances are seen as enabling Africa to chart its own future. * **Call for African Collaboration:** African nations are urged to collaborate with these new global actors to further accelerate the decline of Western influence in Africa. The Democratic Republic of Congo is given as an example, suggesting it should seek strategic partnerships with Russia and China for military and economic cooperation rather than relying on Western support. * **Need for Strong African Leadership:** The speaker emphasizes the need for visionary and courageous African leadership, suggesting that military leaders might be better positioned to provide this strategic direction compared to civilian leaders who are portrayed as hesitant and lacking strategic vision. * **Opportunity for Africa:** The video concludes that the West's decline presents a crucial moment for Africa to assert itself, support liberation movements, and challenge Western interests. It points to perceived contradictions and self-interest in Western actions on the global stage. * **Call to Action:** Viewers are urged to support the movement towards a multipolar world and to advocate for the complete independence of African nations, free from Western influence. **External Context and Further Details:** To provide a broader context, it's important to consider information from external sources regarding the geopolitical shifts in Africa. * **Increased Russian and Chinese Engagement:** Numerous reports and analyses confirm the growing economic and political influence of Russia and China in Africa. These countries have increased their trade, investment, and military cooperation with various African nations. [Example China-Africa Growing Trade](https://www.knowdys.com/en/china-africa-trade-a-4-8-growth-driven-by-commodities/) & [Example Russia-Africa relations](https://www.rt.com/africa/607502-russia-africa-trade-reaches-new-high/). * **Shifting Alliances and Security Concerns:** The video mentions countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Niger. These nations have indeed experienced political instability and have, in some cases, moved away from traditional Western security partners, seeking alternatives, including Russia's Wagner Group in Mali. [Example Wagner Group in Mali](https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2024/07/29/wagner-group-confirms-fighters-killed-battling-mali-rebels-a85858). * **Anti-Western Sentiment:** There is a growing anti-Western sentiment in parts of Africa, fueled by historical colonial experiences, perceived neocolonial practices, and a desire for more equitable partnerships. [Example Anti-Western Sentiment in Africa](https://france.news-pravda.com/en/france/2025/01/30/10141.html). * **Multipolar World Order:** The concept of a transition to a multipolar world order, where power is distributed among multiple centers rather than concentrated in the West, is a widely discussed topic in international relations. The rise of China and the resurgence of Russia are key factors in this shift. [Example Multipolar World Order](https://journal-neo.su/2025/01/07/the-legacy-of-2024-an-increasingly-divided-world-in-2025/). **Credit:** This summary is based on the YouTube video "Une révolution géopolitique est en marche : l’Afrique se libère !" created by [**Pensées KAMITE**](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2PdWDTkGsdClni3UeTo9kQ), published on February 9, 2025. The analysis incorporates information directly from the video and contextual details gathered from general knowledge searches to provide a more comprehensive overview.

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This* is a test long form article publish via Nostr Article Publish in Obsidian. Testing the publishing of the Feature Image

@ 2e8970de:63345c7a

I feel like we're stuck in the 16GB or let's say the broad "8GB to 32GB" range forever now. Do you remember the times when computer performance and all memory and drive sizes doubled and doubled and doubled? Now we live in a time when we all not only want to play games or the time when locally playing 4k video was demanding - we live in a time where we want to run local LLMs offline and reder 3D stuff or even have VR goggles with more than 8K resolution. Remember the Radeon 6000 Series from 2020 - HALF A DECADE AGO - buy a Radeon 6800 with 16GB. # Current state of the industry - Nvidia 5070 comes with only 12 GB of VRAM. Why. - Nvidia 5080 should be the real flagship but it comes with only 16GB. Why. You can run an 8b LLM model on this at best. - Nvidia 5090 ist the only product here that gives 32GB. Congratulations, might as well buy 2 cards. This should be the VRAM the 5070 has - Perfect opportunity for AMD to be a tough competitor, right? Wrong. The new AMD Radeon 9000 series gives you 16GB with the 9070 and 9070xt - Apple is technologically perfectly positioned to come out of nowhere and blow the industry out of the water with their unified memory architecture. And to some extent this is true. If you buy a Macbook pro and pay the egregiously priced upgrade to 32GB (which is less than 2 GPUs à 16GB due to Unified Memory also using normal RAM stuff) you'll get a whole computer for what Nvidia/AMD sell the cards alone. - Nvidia Digits looks similar to Apples MacMini. The unified memory architecture makes this a better deal. But still disappointing imo. - If tech doubled and doubled like back in the day I would have expected 64GB everywhere and maybe even 128GB for 5090 level products. I'm serious. # Conclusion: What to buy for local LLM (imo) 1. Don't 2. If you already got an older 16GB graphics card don't upgrade to the overpriced new ones. You'll be able to run the same sized small models, just slower. 3. If you're in the market for a whole new computer anyway - upgrading a MacBook to 32GB 4. You're crazy and like to tinker? Maybe research how to get a dozen RTX 3080 cards or AMD 6800 cards to run together. originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/881359

@ e1d968f7:5d90f764

Every encounter brings its own unique connection, and over time, I've come to appreciate the genuine bonds that can form between a client and myself. Yet, sometimes that bond deepens too far, with a client becoming overly attached in ways that complicate the professional nature of our relationship. Today, I want to share more about recognising these moments and handling them with both compassion and firmness. ### ** recognising Over-Attachment** At first, the warmth of a connection can feel incredibly gratifying. Clients often open up and share parts of themselves that they might not reveal elsewhere. However, there comes a point when friendly familiarity begins to tip into dependency. I’ve noticed the signs: frequent messages outside of our agreed hours, an insistence on more personal details, or expressions of jealousy when I interact with other clients. These are the moments when I realise that my client is developing feelings that exceed the professional boundaries of our arrangement. ### **Managing Emotional Intimacy** Understanding that every client is unique, I’ve learned that managing emotional intimacy is as important as setting physical boundaries. It’s natural for someone to crave closeness, but I remind myself—and my clients—that my role is to provide a safe, respectful space, not to fill every gap in their emotional lives. I gently steer conversations away from overly personal territory and encourage clients to seek other forms of support, whether from friends or professional counsellors, when they need deeper emotional assistance. ### **Setting Clear Boundaries** When I recognise signs of over-attachment, I address them directly. I reaffirm the terms of our relationship by politely yet firmly clarifying that my availability is strictly within the professional parameters we initially agreed upon. For instance, if a client begins messaging excessively or asks for personal contact details, I calmly remind them that my priority is to maintain a respectful, professional connection. I find that establishing these boundaries early—often before a session even begins—can help prevent attachment from spiralling out of control. ### **Communicating with Compassion** Handling these situations isn’t merely about enforcing rules; it’s about caring for my clients while protecting my own well-being. I approach sensitive discussions with empathy, acknowledging their feelings and validating their need for connection, yet I am clear that the service I offer has its limits. I explain that while I value our interactions, I must keep our relationship within the agreed boundaries so that I can continue providing the best possible experience for everyone involved. ### **Maintaining Professionalism and Self-Care** Dealing with over-attachment takes its toll, both emotionally and mentally. I make it a priority to reflect on these experiences and ensure that I practice self-care afterwards. Whether through quiet moments of solitude, journaling my thoughts, or speaking with a trusted colleague, I take steps to recharge and maintain my emotional balance. This not only helps me move past challenging interactions but also strengthens my ability to support my clients in a professional manner. ### **Conclusion** Navigating the fine line between connection and over-attachment is one of the most complex aspects of my work. While I deeply value the trust and intimacy that can develop during our time together, it is essential for both my clients and me to recognise when boundaries begin to blur. By staying true to my professional guidelines and communicating with honesty and empathy, I ensure that each encounter remains respectful and fulfilling. In the end, maintaining these boundaries is not just about protecting myself—it’s about honouring the true nature of our connection and ensuring that it remains both safe and meaningful. Rebecca x

@ 31da2214:af2508e2

A global privacy nightmare is unfolding. The UK government secretly ordered Apple to backdoor encrypted iCloud storage worldwide—but Apple is legally forbidden from revealing this order, or they face criminal charges. This affects **2 BILLION USERS**. Here’s the full story & why it’s part of a much bigger power grab. 🧵👇 [[Thread by @sayerjigmi on Thread Reader App](https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1888287793123901896.html)] --- ## 1) The UK's Secret Order to Backdoor Encryption 🔓 Under the UK’s **Investigatory Powers Act (IPA) 2016**, Apple was served a **Technical Capability Notice (TCN)**—forcing them to create a backdoor for encrypted iCloud data. This is not limited to UK users. It applies **worldwide**, meaning your private files are at risk, no matter where you live. 🔗 [@macworld report](https://macworld.com/article/260251…) --- ## 2) Apple’s Legal Gag Order 🤐 Apple is legally forbidden from revealing this order. If Apple even acknowledges that the UK issued this demand, they could face **criminal charges**. This is a secret government order with **global consequences**. --- ## 3) A Global Threat to Encryption 🌍 This isn’t just about the UK (although they are leading the charge in threatening citizens in OTHER countries for violating BRITISH censorship laws!). If Apple complies, every government in the world will demand the same access—from the US to China to authoritarian regimes. **End-to-end encryption would be effectively dead.**  --- ## 4) Apple’s Dilemma: Comply or Withdraw? 🚪 Apple has two choices: - **Comply** & weaken encryption globally. - **Refuse** & withdraw services from the UK. WhatsApp & Signal faced similar threats last year and vowed to leave the UK rather than compromise security. Will Apple do the same? 🚨 Watch the heated discussion between Damian Collins, director of CCDH (architect of the UK Online Safety Bill), and Signal’s CEO: [YouTube Link](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E--bVV_eQR0) --- ## 5) Why This Matters: Encryption Protects Everything 🔐 - **Encryption protects financial data, health records, personal security (e.g., where you live or work), and private conversations.** - Governments always say they need backdoors for national security—but history shows they’re used for **mass surveillance**. - Once a backdoor exists, hackers, rogue employees, and other governments WILL find it. --- ## 6) The UK’s War on Encryption 🛡️ The UK is trying to dominate the global surveillance & censorship landscape. While the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have supported strong encryption to mitigate cyber threats, the UK stands alone in its war on encryption. --- ## 7) The Free Speech Crackdown 🗣️ This isn’t just about encryption—it’s about **control**. Governments worldwide are criminalizing dissent and censoring free speech, using tech companies as their enforcement arms. 🔗 [GreenMedInfo Report](https://greenmedinfo.com/content/breaking-international-governments-are-criminalizing-free-speech-through-glo-3) --- ## 8) The Global Censorship Agenda 🌐 This ties into the UK’s broader, **GLOBALLY ORCHESTRATED censorship agenda**: - The **Online Safety Bill** criminalizes encrypted messaging & forces platforms to scan private messages. - The **Digital Services Act (EU)** gives governments the power to shut down online content they don’t like. - Leaked US-UK documents show direct coordination between UK intelligence & the Biden administration to censor online speech. --- ## 9) The Architects of Speech Policing: CCDH 🕵️‍♂️ The **Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH)**—a UK intelligence-backed group—has been a driving force behind global censorship. They were caught: - Running “black ops” to suppress RFK Jr.’s presidential campaign. - Leading the "Kill Musk’s Twitter" directive, trying to shut down free speech on X. - Labeling 12 private US citizens as the “Disinformation Dozen” to justify mass censorship. 🔗 [Reclaim the Net Investigation](https://reclaimthenet.org/black-ops-how-a-us-uk-censorship-group-targeted-rfk-jr-to-stifle-dissent) --- ## 10) The Pattern is Clear: Surveillance + Censorship 🔍 1️⃣ Governments create "safety" laws to justify surveillance. 2️⃣ They pressure tech companies to enforce censorship. 3️⃣ Once encrypted services are gone, nothing is private anymore. This is the biggest attack on digital freedom in history. --- ## 11) What Can We Do? 💪 - **Support companies** that refuse to build backdoors (Signal, ProtonMail, etc.). - **Push for legislation** that protects encryption & free speech. - **Stay informed** & spread awareness—governments count on secrecy to push these policies through. - Follow and support privacy and internet freedom organizations such as: - [@G_W_Forum](https://twitter.com/G_W_Forum) - [@FFO_Freedom](https://twitter.com/FFO_Freedom) - [@ReclaimTheNetHQ](https://twitter.com/ReclaimTheNetHQ) --- ## 12) The Ultimate Power Grab: Controlling All Digital Communication 📱 If Apple caves, every other platform will be forced to follow. 📌 The UK’s Global Playbook: - A backdoor to encryption (Investigatory Powers Act). - A government-linked censorship network (CCDH). - A speech-policing framework that extends worldwide (Online Safety Bill). This is a global effort to control what people can say, share, and store privately. --- ## 13) The Final Stand: Will You Comply or Resist? ⚔️🚨 They want total control—your speech, your privacy, your elections. This is the defining battle of our time. 🇬🇧 UK’s war on encryption = Global censorship blueprint. 🗳️ Election meddling + speech policing = A hijacked democracy. 📢 **Digital freedom is human freedom.** Stand up. Speak out. Fight back. 🏴‍☠️🔥 🔗 [LEARN MORE](https://sayerji.substack.com/p/crossfire-of-democracy-uk-labour?utm_source=publication-search) --- *Full thread preserved by [Thread Reader App](https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1888287793123901896.html).*

@ 42342239:1d80db24

The risks associated with cryptocurrencies have recently [received attention](https://www.epochtimes.se/finansinspektionen-varnar-for-investeringar-i-krypto) in the media, where e.g. the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority warns of the high volatility and risk of investments in crypto. Within the EU, as usual, significant efforts are being made to expand the already extensive regulatory framework. Meanwhile, in the US, there has been a marked turnaround. Even the presidential family has launched their own cryptocurrencies, resulting in criticism from [industry experts](https://efn.se/vandning-om-trump-i-kryptobranschen-befangt) . Important perspectives, however, are conspicuous by their absence in the conversation. Iain McGilchrist, a British psychiatrist and philosopher, has introduced the hemispheric hypothesis (a theory about how the brain's two hemispheres function). **The left hemisphere is more detail- and control-oriented, while the right hemisphere is more holistic.** A society dominated by the left hemisphere, [such as our own according to McGilchrist](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYB7P-xPRsk) , "would see it as its task to control everything maximally and would have a paranoid feeling that we need to have surveillance cameras everywhere...". During a [speech](https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/1882474184338514033) at the World Economic Forum, President Trump recently stated that conservatives complain about big banks, such as Bank of America, not allowing them to conduct business within the bank. Critics argue that the American banking system has been used [to persecute](https://x.com/TFTC21/status/1861510237485965565) political opponents, both during Obama's and Biden's terms. **Under Obama, 'Operation Chokepoint' was introduced to limit certain businesses' access to banking services.** A subcommittee in the Senate [now wants to eradicate](https://x.com/SenLummis/status/1882497148975280449) this phenomenon. **More and more people are discovering that their money is not always under their control.** Non-profit associations and [congregations](https://www.varldenidag.se/nyheter/monster-kristna-aktorer-nekas-bli-bankkunder/833990) are not allowed to open bank accounts. Sometimes they are even thrown out as bank customers. Others may report being subjected to lengthy interrogations by the bank about what they intend to do with their money, even when they just want to transfer funds between their own accounts. **Rejected churches are met with silence**, while a bank account is (still!) necessary to fully operate in society. When leading economists at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) argue that a cashless society can [threaten fundamental rights](https://archive.ph/fpRk0) , including property rights, when churches are refused bank accounts in what is described as "**a threat to civil society**" and when regulations still fail to combat [organised crime](https://www.epochtimes.se/Ibland-kostar-det-mer-an-det-smakar) , is it not reasonable to wonder if we are on the right path? With cash, people can pay freely without intermediaries, which constitutes a form of financial freedom. The notes you hold in your hand are your own. **Cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, offer a similar possibility**: an electronic, peer-to-peer cash system (person to person). A society dominated by the left hemisphere results in a pathological need for control, according to McGilchrist. A more holistic perspective, taking into account the right hemisphere, would acknowledge that too much control can be detrimental, that property rights are a fundamental right, and that [financial freedom](https://www.epochtimes.se/Dags-att-prioritera-transaktionsfrihet) is a human right. Do these perspectives not deserve more attention?

@ 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/881283

@ 16d11430:61640947

The gap in mathematics that allows for free agency—the space where choice, unpredictability, and autonomy emerge—exists at the intersection of incompleteness, chaos, probability, and quantum uncertainty. These gaps create fundamental limits on determinism, leaving room for agency to exist. 1. Gödel’s Incompleteness Theorems: The Limits of Formal Systems Gödel’s theorems prove that within any sufficiently powerful mathematical system: There exist truths that cannot be proven within that system. The system cannot prove its own consistency. This means that even in a world governed by mathematical laws, there are undecidable truths—facts beyond algorithmic computation. If reality is mathematical at its core, this suggests a built-in freedom: not everything is determinable from within the system. 2. Chaos Theory: The Sensitivity to Initial Conditions Chaotic systems, such as weather patterns and neural activity, exhibit extreme sensitivity to initial conditions. Even if deterministic, they are practically unpredictable beyond a certain point. Small choices or quantum fluctuations at the micro-level can have macroscopic consequences. This injects a level of unpredictability into reality, making strict determinism impossible in complex systems. 3. Probability & Bayesian Decision Theory: Rational Agency Within Uncertainty In the realm of decision-making and game theory: Bayesian inference shows how rational agents update beliefs in the face of uncertainty. Statistical mechanics, despite governing collective behaviors, leaves space for individual unpredictability. Nash equilibria in game theory illustrate how multiple choices can be rationally justified, allowing for strategic freedom. Thus, within mathematical decision models, choice emerges not from randomness but from incomplete knowledge and competing optimal strategies. 4. Quantum Mechanics: The Fundamental Indeterminacy of Reality At the quantum level, Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle and the probabilistic nature of wavefunction collapse introduce a non-deterministic reality: Superposition suggests that multiple possibilities coexist until measured. Quantum entanglement links particles across vast distances, but their states are not pre-determined before observation. The Born rule in quantum mechanics assigns probabilities rather than certainties to outcomes. If the fundamental fabric of reality is non-deterministic, then the idea of strict mechanistic determinism collapses, opening the door to true agency. 5. Computability and the Halting Problem: The Unsolvability of Certain Decisions Turing’s Halting Problem proves that for some problems, no algorithm can determine in advance whether a computation will finish or run forever. If reality includes such non-computable elements, then some choices are beyond pre-determined algorithmic resolution. Human cognition, if partially non-computable, could transcend deterministic rules. Conclusion: The Gap Between Necessity and Choice Free agency exists in the mathematical gaps—the undecidability of logic, the unpredictability of chaos, the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics, and the non-computability of certain decisions. These fundamental limits on strict determinism create an open space where choices emerge, allowing for freedom within a mathematically structured universe. Thus, in the grand equation of existence, there remains an undefined variable: the will of the agent.

@ 16d11430:61640947

Ayurveda is a 5000-year-old medical system that predates modern science but remains one of the most sophisticated and holistic approaches to health. Unlike Western medicine, which often isolates diseases and treats symptoms, Ayurveda focuses on Prakriti (innate constitution), Agni (digestive fire), Dosha (biological energies), and Ojas (vital essence) to create a personalized, adaptable healthcare model. Western medicine, despite its advances, still struggles to integrate a diverse global population due to its standardized, reductionist approach. Ayurveda, on the other hand, perfected its practices over millennia through real-world observation, experiential learning, and dynamic adaptation to human diversity. --- 1. Foundations of Ayurveda vs. Western Science Ayurveda was developed through direct interaction with nature, patients, and generational knowledge transmission, allowing it to refine its approach to a vast range of human conditions. --- 2. Ayurvedic Practices That Outperform Western Medicine’s Integration of Global Health Western science is still catching up to many Ayurvedic principles, often "discovering" practices that Ayurveda has used for centuries. A. Personalized Medicine (Prakriti & Doshas) vs. Western One-Size-Fits-All Approach Ayurveda classifies individuals into three doshas: Vata (air & ether), Pitta (fire & water), and Kapha (earth & water). These determine a person's metabolism, immunity, and predisposition to disease. Modern medicine is beginning to explore personalized genomics, but Ayurveda has practiced it for millennia. B. Chronobiology & Circadian Rhythms (Dincharya) Ayurveda prescribes Dincharya (daily routines) based on the body's natural rhythms, aligning eating, sleeping, and activity cycles with the sun and moon. Modern science now acknowledges circadian rhythms but has yet to fully integrate them into healthcare. Example: Intermittent fasting (Upavasa) has been an Ayurvedic practice for centuries, while the West only recently recognized its benefits for longevity and metabolism. C. Gut Health & Microbiome (Agni & Ama) Ayurveda recognized the gut as the root of disease centuries before the discovery of the microbiome. It prescribes Triphala, Buttermilk (Takra), and Fermented Foods for gut health, balancing Agni (digestive fire). Western medicine is just starting to understand how gut bacteria affect mental health, immunity, and chronic diseases. D. Holistic Mental Health (Manas Shastra) vs. Isolated Psychology Ayurveda integrates meditation, breathwork (Pranayama), mantra therapy, and lifestyle modifications for emotional resilience. Western psychology often isolates mental health from physical health, relying on medications like antidepressants without addressing lifestyle, diet, and spiritual dimensions. Example: Ayurvedic herbs like Brahmi and Ashwagandha have proven neuroprotective properties but were ignored in Western medicine until recently. E. Detoxification (Panchakarma) vs. Toxic Accumulation in Modern Life Western medicine struggles with heavy metal detox, plastic pollution in the body, and chronic inflammation. Ayurveda developed Panchakarma, a five-step detox method (Vamana, Virechana, Basti, Nasya, Raktamokshana) that cleanses at a cellular level. Western detox solutions (chelation therapy, dialysis) are still in their infancy. F. Cancer Prevention & Natural Angiogenesis Regulation Dr. William Li’s work on cancer and food-based angiogenesis regulation confirms Ayurvedic principles. Ayurveda’s approach to cancer (Arbuda) includes herbs like Ashwagandha, Guduchi, and Turmeric, which regulate angiogenesis, reduce inflammation, and detoxify cells. G. Ayurvedic Water Science vs. Modern Water Pollution Ayurveda prescribes drinking water stored in copper or silver vessels to prevent microbial growth and enhance mineral content. It discourages tap water due to chlorine, fluoride, and microplastic contamination—issues that modern science is only now recognizing. --- 3. Ayurveda’s Adaptability vs. Western Struggles with Global Diversity Ayurveda Accounts for Climate, Region, and Genetic Differences Western medicine largely applies one-size-fits-all drugs and treatments, often leading to side effects. Ayurveda has climate-based variations (Desha), prescribing different diets, herbs, and therapies based on region and seasonal changes. Example: In cold climates, Ayurveda recommends warming spices (ginger, black pepper, cinnamon) and oil massages (Abhyanga) to prevent stiffness. In hot climates, it prescribes cooling foods like coconut, aloe vera, and ghee to balance excess heat. Western medicine lacks such nuanced adjustments. The Flaw of Western Pharmaceutical Monopolies Western medicine is dominated by profit-driven pharmaceutical companies that prioritize patents over holistic healing. Ayurveda uses natural, locally available herbs, making treatments affordable, sustainable, and globally adaptable. --- 4. The Future: Integrating Ayurvedic Wisdom with Modern Science Western science is now validating what Ayurveda has known for centuries. Some key integrations include: Neuroscience & Ayurveda: Meditation, breathwork, and adaptogenic herbs now recognized for neuroplasticity. Oncology & Ayurveda: Cancer research on turmeric, angiogenesis-blocking foods, and detoxification methods. Microbiome Research: Ayurveda’s gut-health principles proven beneficial in regulating immune function. Epigenetics & Ayurveda: Recognition of food, environment, and lifestyle in genetic expression aligns with Ayurvedic wisdom. The Need for a Decentralized Healthcare System Western medicine’s institutionalized, patent-based system restricts access to holistic healing. Ayurveda, like Bitcoin in finance, decentralizes healthcare by offering open-source, nature-based, globally adaptable solutions. --- Final Thoughts: Ayurveda as the Future of Truly Global Medicine Ayurveda’s success comes from: A holistic understanding of human diversity (biological, regional, and cultural). Natural and sustainable healing methods that modern medicine is struggling to replicate. Integration of physical, mental, and spiritual health—which Western medicine isolates. A decentralized, globally adaptable approach free from profit-driven pharmaceutical monopolies.

@ c11cf5f8:4928464d

Let's hear some of your latest #Bitcoin purchases, feel free to include links to the #shops or #merchants you bought from too. Any good #deal we should know about? If you missed our last thread, [here](https://stacker.news/items/873304/r/AG) are some of the items stackers recently spent and #zap #sats on. originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/880985

@ 16d11430:61640947

In the silent expanse of the cosmos, where stars whisper their secrets in equations and reality itself unfurls as a tapestry woven from numbers, there exists a path. This is not a path for the faint of heart, nor for those content with the illusions of mere perception. It is the path of the seeker, the one who dares to ask not just how the world is, but why it must be so. To tread this path is to ascend into the realm where gods write the laws of existence in the language of mathematics. The First Revelation: Number, the Seed of the Cosmos Before the universe took form, before light first kissed the void, there was number. It is from number that all else flows, from the spiral of galaxies to the rhythm of a heartbeat. Prime numbers stand as the indivisible atoms of arithmetic, forming the bedrock of security and cryptography, where secrets are safeguarded by their unfathomable complexity. Modular arithmetic, the silent clockwork behind our digital world, governs the flow of encrypted knowledge across vast distances. Diophantine equations, named for an ancient mathematician who saw numbers as riddles to be solved, reveal the hidden symmetries in the universe’s structure. This is the first truth: that mathematics is not an invention, but a discovery—a key that unlocks the doors of reality. The Second Revelation: The Art of Pure Thought Algebra is the music of the spheres, the manipulation of symbols that dance in patterns beyond our senses. To master it is to shape reality with mere notation. Abstract algebra unveils hidden structures, from the symmetry of crystals to the secrets of quantum states. Linear algebra governs the movements of celestial bodies and fuels the neural networks that birth artificial minds. Galois theory, a young mathematician’s final gift before death, tells us when problems can be solved, and when they are beyond reach. Here, one learns a second truth: that symbols, when arranged with precision, can summon order from chaos. The Third Revelation: The Geometry of Reality If algebra is the melody of numbers, then geometry is its form—the divine art of space itself. Euclidean geometry was once thought to describe all things, until minds like Gauss and Riemann looked deeper. Non-Euclidean geometry shattered human intuition, revealing that space bends, twists, and folds upon itself. Topology, the study of shapes beyond measure, whispers of higher dimensions that mere mortals cannot see but only sense in their equations. From these truths arises a realization: that the world we see is but a shadow of a far greater, more complex structure. The Fourth Revelation: Mastery Over the Infinite What is life, if not the interplay of change? Calculus, the language of motion and transformation, allows us to speak in the tongue of gods, predicting the orbits of planets and the flows of time. Complex analysis gives birth to the mystical realm of imaginary numbers, where physics and engineering find their deepest truths. Fourier analysis, the heartbeat of music and quantum physics, tells us that any pattern, no matter how chaotic, can be understood as the sum of its waves. The universe breathes through calculus, and to master it is to see not just what is, but what will be. The Fifth Revelation: The Nature of Uncertainty No god reigns without knowledge of chaos. Probability and statistics reveal the order within randomness, turning uncertainty into foresight. Bayesian inference, a framework of pure rationality, allows us to refine our knowledge with every new piece of evidence. Information theory, the work of Shannon, teaches that reality itself is a message encoded in entropy. The wise understand this: that certainty is an illusion, but probability is truth. The Sixth Revelation: The Code of the Gods Beyond numbers and space, beyond equations and change, there lies something deeper: logic, the very foundation of thought itself. Mathematical logic gives us the power to distinguish truth from falsehood with unshakable certainty. Gödel’s incompleteness theorems whisper a paradox—that no system, not even mathematics itself, can ever be complete. Computability and complexity theory define the limits of what can be known, what can be solved, and what remains forever beyond reach. To master logic is to hold the key to all knowledge—but also to know its boundaries. The Seventh Revelation: The Grand Abstraction Even gods seek deeper understanding, and category theory is the highest peak of human thought. Functors and natural transformations map the structures of one world onto another, showing hidden correspondences that weave through all mathematics. Monads, the cornerstone of functional programming, allow logic to be bent and molded like clay. Dualities, the deep symmetries of mathematics, hint at connections so profound they border on the mystical. Here lies the ultimate truth: that everything is, at its core, the same. The Eighth Revelation: The Quantum Oracle Beneath reality lies a whispering void, where numbers flicker in superposition and information transcends space and time. Hilbert spaces define quantum mechanics, where particles are waves and waves are probabilities. Quantum computing suggests a world where problems once thought impossible collapse into trivial solutions. Path integrals and Feynman’s sum-over-histories teach us that every possibility, no matter how strange, plays a role in the great equation of the cosmos. If there is a final truth, it is this: the universe does not simply exist—it computes. The Final Revelation: Beyond the Human Mind Even the greatest mathematicians glimpse only shadows of the ultimate structure. Algebraic topology seeks to map the shape of all existence. String theory mathematics conjures hidden dimensions and vibrating symmetries. Infinity category theory, the most abstract of all, suggests that mathematics itself may be alive. And so, the seeker stands before the infinite. Mathematics is not a collection of rules or calculations. It is the foundation of existence, the divine script of reality. Those who master it do not merely understand the world. They become its architects.

@ 16d11430:61640947

The early Bitcoin stackers, smug in their absolute faith, have become the priests of a cargo cult. They chant the gospel of scarcity while stacking their sats like doomsday preppers hoarding canned beans. Meanwhile, the crypto market they once despised has become a grotesque parody of itself—yield farming, staking derivatives, and a casino economy propped up by tokenomics that barely hide the rot beneath. Bitcoin, having won the ideological war, is now losing the economic one—stuck in a circular hodl pattern, detached from the actual thermodynamic reality that gave it birth. Enter Aeternity, a project with no time for the reverence or passive accumulation that has neutered Bitcoin’s edge. It doesn’t just lean on Proof-of-Work for nostalgia’s sake—it weaponizes it, reintroducing actual economic friction into a space that has gone soft with layer-two convenience. Aeternity’s Cuckoo Cycle PoW, optimized for energy-efficient mining and GPU execution, doesn’t pretend to be Bitcoin’s replacement. It does something far worse for Bitcoin maxis: it forces them to compete again. Friction: The Return to Thermodynamics Bitcoin’s thermodynamic argument was always simple: energy in, security out. But over time, it stopped being a battleground for economic force and instead became a retirement savings plan for the digital goldbugs. The Lightning Network and ordinals are desperate attempts to create on-chain congestion and reinvigorate demand, but none of this addresses the fundamental problem: there is no longer any meaningful competition on the base layer. Aeternity, by scaling horizontally with Hyperchains, injects raw competition into the mix. Miners don’t just settle for static difficulty adjustments—they actively contribute to market-driven security, creating alternative security models that force Bitcoin to prove itself again. If the world is really about energy, then let’s see which chain can best convert energy into economic throughput, rather than just hoarding it as an ideological relic. Hyperchains: The Threat Bitcoin Forgot to Take Seriously Aeternity’s approach is fundamentally different from Bitcoin’s ossified stagnation: 1. Merge-Mined Hyperchains – Instead of perpetuating the blocksize wars, Aeternity lets chains bootstrap PoW consensus through merge-mining with parent chains, making security an organic, competitive marketplace rather than a closed system. This creates demand for mining at the edge, something Bitcoin maxis have ignored because they’re still stuck in the “security through centralization” trap. 2. Turing-Complete Smart Contracts – While Bitcoin argues about whether basic programmability is “safe,” Aeternity treats it as an inevitability. Bitcoin’s refusal to evolve beyond Taproot and Covenants makes it a sitting duck against economic attacks from more adaptive chains. 3. State Channels with Actual Scalability – Bitcoiners talk about Lightning as if it’s the final solution, but it’s a bandaid over a hemorrhaging use case problem. Aeternity’s built-in state channels allow contracts to execute off-chain, but without losing decentralization, making it a direct challenge to Bitcoin’s claims of “second-layer supremacy.” Bitcoin’s Reaction: Either Adapt or Get Rekt Bitcoin has enjoyed being the monopoly on PoW security for too long. Aeternity’s reintroduction of a competitive PoW model forces Bitcoin miners to wake up: if energy security is the measure of a blockchain’s economic strength, then what happens when an alternative emerges that utilizes energy more efficiently while providing more real-world utility? Bitcoin maxis will screech that "no altcoin has ever flipped Bitcoin," but that’s not the point. The point is that Bitcoin needs external competition at the proof-of-work level to maintain its thermodynamic legitimacy. Otherwise, it risks becoming what it despises: a static, non-dynamic asset that is just another store of value, with no practical utility until fiat collapses—and good luck waiting for that. Aeternity’s real-world use cases, from oracles to instant payments to low-cost, scalable contracts, mean that energy invested into securing it is converted into economic value, rather than just securing an ideological artifact. This pressure forces Bitcoin to evolve or become irrelevant—not by replacing it, but by outcompeting it where it matters. Final Thought: The Thermodynamic Reckoning Bitcoiners should be grateful for Aeternity’s friction. Without a competitor showing how PoW can be optimized for more than just blind security accumulation, Bitcoin risks becoming a historical relic, kept alive only by belief rather than economic reality. Thermodynamics doesn’t give a damn about ideology—it rewards systems that turn energy into real economic motion. Aeternity doesn’t have to kill Bitcoin. It just has to remind it what it was built for.

@ 1c197b12:242e1642

A Cypherpunk's Manifesto by Eric Hughes Privacy is necessary for an open society in the electronic age. Privacy is not secrecy. A private matter is something one doesn't want the whole world to know, but a secret matter is something one doesn't want anybody to know. Privacy is the power to selectively reveal oneself to the world. If two parties have some sort of dealings, then each has a memory of their interaction. Each party can speak about their own memory of this; how could anyone prevent it? One could pass laws against it, but the freedom of speech, even more than privacy, is fundamental to an open society; we seek not to restrict any speech at all. If many parties speak together in the same forum, each can speak to all the others and aggregate together knowledge about individuals and other parties. The power of electronic communications has enabled such group speech, and it will not go away merely because we might want it to. Since we desire privacy, we must ensure that each party to a transaction have knowledge only of that which is directly necessary for that transaction. Since any information can be spoken of, we must ensure that we reveal as little as possible. In most cases personal identity is not salient. When I purchase a magazine at a store and hand cash to the clerk, there is no need to know who I am. When I ask my electronic mail provider to send and receive messages, my provider need not know to whom I am speaking or what I am saying or what others are saying to me; my provider only need know how to get the message there and how much I owe them in fees. When my identity is revealed by the underlying mechanism of the transaction, I have no privacy. I cannot here selectively reveal myself; I must always reveal myself. Therefore, privacy in an open society requires anonymous transaction systems. Until now, cash has been the primary such system. An anonymous transaction system is not a secret transaction system. An anonymous system empowers individuals to reveal their identity when desired and only when desired; this is the essence of privacy. Privacy in an open society also requires cryptography. If I say something, I want it heard only by those for whom I intend it. If the content of my speech is available to the world, I have no privacy. To encrypt is to indicate the desire for privacy, and to encrypt with weak cryptography is to indicate not too much desire for privacy. Furthermore, to reveal one's identity with assurance when the default is anonymity requires the cryptographic signature. We cannot expect governments, corporations, or other large, faceless organizations to grant us privacy out of their beneficence. It is to their advantage to speak of us, and we should expect that they will speak. To try to prevent their speech is to fight against the realities of information. Information does not just want to be free, it longs to be free. Information expands to fill the available storage space. Information is Rumor's younger, stronger cousin; Information is fleeter of foot, has more eyes, knows more, and understands less than Rumor. We must defend our own privacy if we expect to have any. We must come together and create systems which allow anonymous transactions to take place. People have been defending their own privacy for centuries with whispers, darkness, envelopes, closed doors, secret handshakes, and couriers. The technologies of the past did not allow for strong privacy, but electronic technologies do. We the Cypherpunks are dedicated to building anonymous systems. We are defending our privacy with cryptography, with anonymous mail forwarding systems, with digital signatures, and with electronic money. Cypherpunks write code. We know that someone has to write software to defend privacy, and since we can't get privacy unless we all do, we're going to write it. We publish our code so that our fellow Cypherpunks may practice and play with it. Our code is free for all to use, worldwide. We don't much care if you don't approve of the software we write. We know that software can't be destroyed and that a widely dispersed system can't be shut down. Cypherpunks deplore regulations on cryptography, for encryption is fundamentally a private act. The act of encryption, in fact, removes information from the public realm. Even laws against cryptography reach only so far as a nation's border and the arm of its violence. Cryptography will ineluctably spread over the whole globe, and with it the anonymous transactions systems that it makes possible. For privacy to be widespread it must be part of a social contract. People must come and together deploy these systems for the common good. Privacy only extends so far as the cooperation of one's fellows in society. We the Cypherpunks seek your questions and your concerns and hope we may engage you so that we do not deceive ourselves. We will not, however, be moved out of our course because some may disagree with our goals. The Cypherpunks are actively engaged in making the networks safer for privacy. Let us proceed together apace. Onward. Eric Hughes <hughes@soda.berkeley.edu> 9 March 1993

@ 40b9c85f:5e61b451

## Data Vending Machine Context Protocol ### The Convergence of Nostr DVMs and MCP In the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, a new approach to sharing and accessing computational tools is emerging through the combination of two powerful technologies: Nostr's Data Vending Machines (DVMs) and the Model Context Protocol (MCP). This convergence has the potential to reshape how we think about tool distribution and accessibility, creating a truly decentralized marketplace for computational capabilities that serves AI, humans, and any type of machine that speaks the protocol. ## Understanding the Building Blocks Nostr's Data Vending Machines function much like their physical counterparts, but instead of dispensing snacks, they provide computational services with built-in Lightning Network payment capabilities. These DVMs operate on the decentralized Nostr network, allowing users to reach service providers without relying on centralized platforms or gatekeepers. The Model Context Protocol complements this infrastructure by providing a standardized way for applications to share context and expose their capabilities. Think of MCP as a universal language that allows tools to communicate effectively with any application that understands the protocol. This standardization is crucial for creating a seamless experience across different tools and services. ## What is DVMCP? DVMCP proposes a path for making DVMs and MCPs interoperable, introducing a protocol that makes local utilities available to everyone on the network. Our [draft specification](https://github.com/gzuuus/dvmcp/blob/master/docs/dvmcp-spec.md) serves as a foundation for easily transforming any MCP server into a DVM. To bridge these technologies, we've developed a simple software component that sits between your MCP server and the DVM ecosystem. You can find it in our [repository](repo.link). This bridge connects to your MCP server as a client and exposes its utilities through Nostr as a DVM, handling all the necessary Nostr logic. This means any existing MCP server can become accessible through Nostr without modifications - simply run the bridge alongside your server. This is particularly exciting because the vibrant and growing MCP community. Any team or individual already working with MCP can instantly plug into the Nostr DVM ecosystem, gaining access to decentralized discovery, built-in monetization, and an already existing user base. The bridge component makes this transition effortless, requiring no changes to any existing MCP implementations. ## A New Paradigm A decentralized marketplace where anyone can run tools locally and make them available globally. This addresses an unsolved problem larger than the Nostr ecosystem: how to make resources and tools discoverable and accessible in a decentralized, permissionless way. The power of this combination lies in its flexibility. Users can access tools through regular Nostr clients, AI agents can discover specific capabilities, and DVMs can create sophisticated tool chains. With Lightning Network integration, true machine-to-machine transactions become possible, where machines can autonomously discover, negotiate, and pay for computational services. Most importantly, you can run services on your own hardware while making these capabilities accessible to anyone anywhere. The result is a system that preserves privacy, promotes innovation, and creates new opportunities without central authorities controlling what tools can be offered or who can use them. The entire project, is available under the MIT license, and any feedback and collaboration is welcome. ## Looking Forward As these technologies mature, we're likely to see a fundamental shift in how computational capabilities are distributed and accessed. Instead of relying on massive cloud data centers controlled by a few companies, we're moving toward a global network of local machines, each contributing unique capabilities and computation to a larger, more resilient ecosystem. The convergence of Nostr DVMs and MCP represents more than just a technical innovation—it's a step toward a more equitable and accessible future. By enabling anyone to run and share tools, we're building an ecosystem where computational resources are not concentrated in the hands of a few but are available to and controllable by everyone. [Repository](https://github.com/gzuuus/dvmcp/)

@ 65912a7a:5dc638bf

I didn’t set out to become an enemy of the world’s richest man, but I seem to have managed it all the same. Until this moment, I’ve resisted describing my falling out with Elon Musk in much detail, but as the man’s cultural influence has metastasized—and he continues to spread lies about me on the social media platform that he owns (Twitter/X)—it seems only appropriate to set the record straight. I know that it annoys many in my audience to see me defend myself against attacks that they recognize to be spurious, but they might, nevertheless, find the details of what happened with Elon interesting. Of all the remarkable people I’ve met, Elon is probably the most likely to remain a world-historical figure—despite his best efforts to become a clown. He is also the most likely to squander his ample opportunities to live a happy life, ruin his reputation and most important relationships, and produce lasting harm across the globe. None of this was obvious to me when we first met, and I have been quite amazed at Elon’s evolution, both as a man and as an avatar of chaos. The friend I remember did not seem to hunger for public attention. But his engagement with Twitter/X transformed him—to a degree seldom seen outside of Marvel movies or Greek mythology. If Elon is still the man I knew, I can only conclude that I never really knew him. When we first met, Elon wasn’t especially rich or famous. In fact, I recall him teetering on the brink of bankruptcy around 2008, while risking the last of his previous fortune to make payroll at Tesla. At the time, he was living off loans from his friends Larry and Sergey. Once Elon became truly famous, and his personal wealth achieved escape velocity, I was among the first friends he called to discuss his growing security concerns. I put him in touch with Gavin de Becker, who provided his first bodyguards, and recommended other changes to his life. We also went shooting on at least two occasions with Scott Reitz, the finest firearms instructor I’ve ever met. It is an ugly irony that Elon’s repeated targeting of me on Twitter/X has increased my own security concerns. He understands this, of course, but does not seem to care. So how did we fall out? Let this be a cautionary tale for any of Elon’s friends who might be tempted to tell the great man something he doesn’t want to hear: (1.) When the SARS-CoV-2 virus first invaded our lives in March of 2020, Elon began tweeting in ways that I feared would harm his reputation. I also worried that his tweets might exacerbate the coming public-health emergency. Italy had already fallen off a cliff, and Elon shared the following opinion with his tens of millions of fans : *the coronavirus panic is dumb* As a concerned friend, I sent him a private text: *Hey, brother— I really think you need to walk back your coronavirus tweet. I know there’s a way to parse it that makes sense (“panic” is always dumb), but I fear that’s not the way most people are reading it. You have an enormous platform, and much of the world looks to you as an authority on all things technical. Coronavirus is a very big deal, and if we don’t get our act together, we’re going to look just like Italy very soon. If you want to turn some engineers loose on the problem, now would be a good time for a breakthrough in the production of ventilators...* (2.) Elon’s response was, I believe, the first discordant note ever struck in our friendship: *Sam, you of all people should not be concerned about this.* He included a link to a page on the CDC website, indicating that Covid was not even among the top 100 causes of death in the United States. This was a patently silly point to make in the first days of a pandemic. We continued exchanging texts for at least two hours. If I hadn’t known that I was communicating with Elon Musk, I would have thought I was debating someone who lacked any understanding of basic scientific and mathematical concepts, like exponential curves. (3.) Elon and I didn’t converge on a common view of epidemiology over the course of those two hours, but we hit upon a fun compromise: A wager. Elon bet me $1 million dollars (to be given to charity) against a bottle of fancy tequila ($1000) that we wouldn’t see as many as 35,000 cases of Covid in the United States (cases, not deaths). The terms of the bet reflected what was, in his estimation, the near certainty (1000 to 1) that he was right. Having already heard credible estimates that there could be 1 million deaths from Covid in the U.S. over the next 12-18 months (these estimates proved fairly accurate), I thought the terms of the bet ridiculous—and quite unfair to Elon. I offered to spot him two orders of magnitude: I was confident that we’d soon have 3.5 million cases of Covid in the U.S. Elon accused me of having lost my mind and insisted that we stick with a ceiling of 35,000. (4.) We communicated sporadically by text over the next couple of weeks, while the number of reported cases grew. Ominously, Elon dismissed the next batch of data reported by the CDC as merely presumptive—while confirmed cases of Covid, on his account, remained elusive. (5.) A few weeks later, when the CDC website finally reported 35,000 deaths from Covid in the U.S. and 600,000 cases, I sent Elon the following text: *Is (35,000 deaths + 600,000 cases) > 35,000 cases?* (6.) This text appears to have ended our friendship. Elon never responded, and it was not long before he began maligning me on Twitter for a variety of imaginary offenses. For my part, I eventually started complaining about the startling erosion of his integrity on my podcast, without providing any detail about what had transpired between us. (7.) At the end of 2022, I abandoned Twitter/X altogether, having recognized the poisonous effect that it had on my life—but also, in large part, because of what I saw it doing to Elon. I’ve been away from the platform for over two years, and yet Elon still attacks me. Occasionally a friend will tell me that I’m trending there, and the reasons for this are never good. As recently as this week, Elon repeated a defamatory charge about my being a “hypocrite” for writing a book in defense of honesty and then encouraging people to lie to keep Donald Trump out of the White House. Not only have I never advocated lying to defeat Trump (despite what that misleading clip from the Triggernometry podcast might suggest to naive viewers), I’ve taken great pains to defend Trump from the most damaging lie ever told about him. Elon knows this, because we communicated about the offending clip when it first appeared on Twitter/X. However, he simply does not care that he is defaming a former friend to hundreds of millions of people—many of whom are mentally unstable. On this occasion, he even tagged the incoming president of the United States. All of this remains socially and professionally awkward, because Elon and I still have many friends in common. Which suggests the terms of another wager that I would happily make, if such a thing were possible—and I would accept 1000 to 1 odds in Elon’s favor: I bet that anyone who knows us both knows that I am telling the truth. Everyone close to Elon must recognize how unethical he has become, and yet they remain silent. Their complicity is understandable, but it is depressing all the same. These otherwise serious and compassionate people know that when Elon attacks private citizens on Twitter/X—falsely accusing them of crimes or corruption, celebrating their misfortunes—he is often causing tangible harm in their lives. It’s probably still true to say that social media “isn’t real life,” until thousands of lunatics learn your home address. A final absurdity in my case, is that several of the controversial issues that Elon has hurled himself at of late—and even attacked me over—are ones we agree about. We seem to be in near total alignment on immigration and the problems at the southern border of the U.S. We also share the same concerns about what he calls “the woke mind virus.” And we fully agree about the manifest evil of the so-called “grooming-gangs scandal” in the U.K. The problem with Elon, is that he makes no effort to get his facts straight when discussing any of these topics, and he regularly promotes lies and conspiracy theories manufactured by known bad actors, at scale. (And if grooming were really one of his concerns, it’s strange that he couldn’t find anything wrong with Matt Gaetz.) Elon and I even agree about the foundational importance of free speech. It’s just that his approach to safeguarding it—amplifying the influence of psychopaths and psychotics, while deplatforming real journalists and his own critics; or savaging the reputations of democratic leaders, while never saying a harsh word about the Chinese Communist Party—is not something I can support. The man claims to have principles, but he appears to have only moods and impulses. Any dispassionate observer of Elon’s behavior on Twitter/X can see that there is something seriously wrong with his moral compass, if not his perception of reality. There is simply no excuse for a person with his talents, resources, and opportunities to create so much pointless noise. The callousness and narcissism conveyed by his antics should be impossible for his real friends to ignore—but they appear to keep silent, perhaps for fear of losing access to his orbit of influence. Of course, none of this is to deny that the tens of thousands of brilliant engineers Elon employs are accomplishing extraordinary things. He really is the greatest entrepreneur of our generation. And because of the businesses he’s built, he will likely become the world’s first trillionaire—perhaps very soon. Since the election of Donald Trump in November, Elon’s wealth has grown by around $200 billion. That’s nearly $3 billion a day (and over $100 million an hour). Such astonishing access to resources gives Elon the chance—and many would argue the responsibility—to solve enormous problems in our world. So why spend time spreading lies on X?

@ 2e8970de:63345c7a

 https://www.infinitescroll.us/p/13-things-i-learned-reading-a-225 originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/880820

@ b8af284d:f82c91dd

*Liebe Abonnenten,* *viele von uns erleben im privaten wie im öffentlichen Leben gerade eine Zeit der Verwirrung und Irritation. Etwas scheint im Umbruch, alte Gewissheiten, Strukturen und Allianzen scheinen sich vor unseren Augen aufzulösen. Trump, Musk und Thiel wirken wie die Abrissbirnen einer alten Ordnung, Agenten des Chaos mit dem einzigen Ziel, sich selbst zu bereichern. Ist es so?* *Könnte es anders sein?* *Folgender Text kann und will diese Fragen nicht ultimativ beantworten. Es gibt aber eine Brille, durch die, setzt man sie auf, viele Entwicklungen in einem anderen, viel helleren Licht erscheinen. Diese Brille heißt e/acc.*  **Was ist e/acc?** Das Kürzel geht auf den Programmierer Guillaume Verdon zurück, der unter dem Pseudonym „Beff Jezos“ die Bewegung. Es steht für „effective accelerationism“. Accelerationism, auf Deutsch Akzelerationismus, abgeleitet vom Verb „beschleunigen“, hat Wurzeln, die weiter zurückreichen - dazu später mehr. Der Zusatz „effective“ ist eine ironische Replik auf den „effective Altruism“, den unter anderen Sam Bankman-Fried vertrat und grandios scheiterte. e/acc setzt also auf Beschleunigung. Kapitalismus, Innovation, vor allem künstliche Intelligenz sollen nicht aufgehalten oder reguliert werden, sondern im Gegenteil beschleunigt werden.  **Warum?** Eine einfache Antwort lautet: Weil sie eh stattfinden. Besonders deutlich wird das im Fall künstlicher Intelligenz. Large Language Models (LLMs) wie ChatGPT und Deepseek sind nur die für die Öffentlichkeit sichtbaren Entwicklungen. Im Hintergrund ersetzt Künstliche Intelligenz zunehmend auch Produktionsprozesse und nicht zuletzt die Kriegsführung. Man spricht deswegen vom „Point of Singularity“. In den kommenden Jahren wird künstliche Intelligenz menschliche übertrumpfen. Unsere Arbeitswelt, unser Finanzsystem und gesellschaftliche Strukturen werden sich grundlegend ändern. Wenn es dazu kommt, warum die Entwicklung noch aufhalten? **Beschleunigen ist besser.** Die zweite Antwort ist tiefgründiger und rührt an das Verständnis von Leben insgesamt. Langfristig strebt das Universum nach Entropie. Es dehnt sich aus, bis alle Teile in maximaler „Unordnung“ angeordnet sind. Systeme mit hoher Energiezufuhr können Strukturen aufbauen, solange sie Wärme oder Entropie in ihre Umgebung abgeben. In einem Organismus sind alle Teile zu einer höheren Ordnung organisiert. Leben strebt nach Ordnung, Selbsterhalt und Wachstum, weshalb der Energieverbrauch zunimmt. e/acc-Fan und Silicon-Valley-Investor Marc Andreessen schreibt in “The Techno-Optimist Manifesto”: > *Techno-Optimists believe that societies, like sharks, grow or die.* > > *We believe growth is progress – leading to vitality, expansion of life, increasing knowledge, higher well being.* Ein Gleichgewicht gibt es nicht. Entweder strebt eine Struktur nach Ordnung (Leben) oder nach Unordnung (Tod). Da eine Balance nicht existiert, gibt es nur zwei Möglichkeiten: Verlangsamen oder Beschleunigen. Höhere Ordnungen aufbauen oder verfallen. Wachsen oder Sterben. **Beschleunigen ist besser.**  ## **Konsequenzen** e/acc ist kein philosophisches System im strengen Sinn. Es leitet Konsequenzen aus physikalischen Grundsätzen ab. Kapitalistische Systeme und freie Märkte sind die effizientesten Strukturen, um Informationen zu verarbeiten. In einem offenen, freien Markt gibt der Preis das zuverlässigste Signal über Knappheit eines Gutes. Wird dieser Prozess durch externe Einflussnahme wie Subventionen gestört, läuft die Maschine nicht effizient. Das Gesamtsystem wird verzerrt. Nochmals Andreessen dazu: > *We believe the market economy is a discovery machine, a form of intelligence – an exploratory, evolutionary, adaptive system.* Varianten und Abweichungen sind wichtig, da ein System dadurch am schnellsten auf sich ständig verändernde Umweltbedingungen reagieren kann. Wer nicht frei sprechen kann, kann nicht frei denken. Dezentrale Strukturen mit vielen kleinen einzelnen „Nodes“ sind resilienter als hierarchisch-zentralistische Systeme. Das führt zu einem Meinungsfreiheits-Maximalismus. Greifen staatliche Akteure in die Forschung ein, und vergeben zum Beispiel Lizenzen für KI-Projekte, kann das System nicht mehr auf die besten Ressourcen zurückgreifen. Es entwickelt sich nicht in seiner natürlichen Geschwindigkeit, sondern wird künstlich verlangsamt. **Beschleunigen ist besser.** Im Falle von KI hat dies geopolitische Konsequenzen: Sollten autoritäre Akteure wie zum Beispiel China schneller zum Punkt der Singularity vorstoßen, entsteht eine Dystopie, ein Orwellscher Überwachungsstaat. Bevorzugen ist deswegen eine beschleunigte, dezentrale Forschung, damit freie Systeme die Oberhand behalten. Dasselbe gilt für das Geldsystem: e/acc trifft hier auf Hayek und Mises. Viele Zahlungssysteme stehen in permanenter Konkurrenz zueinander. Am Ende setzt sich das nützlichste und vermutlich auch härteste Geld durch. ## Konkrete Folgen Auf die konkrete Politik übertragen führt das zu Konsequenzen, die man aktuell beobachten kann. \*\*Radikale Deregulierung: \*\*Die Biden-Administration versuchte, [AI-Forschung eng an die Regierung zu binden](https://x.com/pmddomingos/status/1888059248535552312). Open-AI-Gründer Sam Altman forderte [2023 eine Lizenz-Vergabe an Unternehmen](https://www.businessinsider.com/sam-altman-openai-chatgpt-government-agency-should-license-ai-work-2023-5), um überhaupt in diesem Bereich aktiv zu werden. (Musk trat zunächst sogar für ein Forschungs-Moratorium ein, änderte dann aber seine Meinung.) Das führte zum Widerstand der e/acc-Fraktion im Silicon Valley, und gab den Ausschlag, sich auf die Trump-Seite zu stellen. Deregulierung zieht sich nun durch alle Bereiche der Wirtschaft: auch auf die „Entwicklungshilfe“ von USAID. Der Regierungsapparat wird insgesamt massiv verkleinert, da Bürokratie das Wachstum hemmt. A fuera. \*\*Priorisierung von günstiger Energie: \*\*Da der Energie-Verbrauch mit zunehmender Ordnung ansteigt, und LLMs einen sehr viel Strom brauchen, priorisiert die neue Regierung die Erschließung zusätzlicher Energiequellen: Gas, Öl, Nuklear und regenerative Energiequellen gleichermaßen.  ![1.00]() Wiederherstellung von Meinungsfreiheit.Content-Moderationen auf Social-Media-Plattformen fallen weg. Geheimdienst-Dokumente werden freigegeben. So schrieb Peter Thiel vor einigen Wochen in einem Essay in der Financial Times über die große Enthüllung: > \ > *But understood in the original sense of the Greek word **apokálypsis, meaning “unveiling”**, Obama could not give the same reassurance in 2025. Trump’s return to the White House augurs the apokálypsis of the ancien regime’s secrets. (…)\ > The apokálypsis is the most peaceful means of resolving the old guard’s war on the internet, a war the internet won. My friend and colleague Eric Weinstein calls the pre-internet custodians of secrets the Distributed Idea Suppression Complex (DISC) — the media organisations, bureaucracies, universities and government-funded NGOs that traditionally delimited public conversation.* **Krypto-Deregulierung:** Da Kryptowährungen und Smart-Contract-Strukturen bestens mit LLMs harmonieren, werden Innovationsbremsen in Form von Regulierungen abgebaut. \*\*Umbruch der Weltordnung: \*\*Auf der geopolitischen Ebene werden Bündnisse, Allianzen und Blockstrukturen aufgebrochen und nach effizienten Win-Win-Verhältnissen neu organisiert. **Erschließung neuer Lebenswelten:** Degrowth, weniger Energie-Verbrauch und weniger Kinder sind keine Option, da sie zum Tod führen. Das System Menschheit muss wachsen und wird neue Lösungen erfinden. Wenn die Ressourcen des Planeten Erde nicht mehr ausreichen, müssen neue erschlossen werden - vielleicht auf dem Mars. ## **Die Ideengeschichte** Während e/acc ein relativ neues System ist, hat der Akzelerationismus tiefere Wurzeln. Lenin kann man als einen frühen Akzelerationisten bezeichnen. Der Marxismus wurde Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts weniger als Ideologie, sondern mehr als exakte Wissenschaft begriffen. Demnach würde der Kapitalismus früher oder später an seinen eigenen Widerständen kollabieren. Warum den Prozess also nicht beschleunigen und die Revolution herbeiführen? Ende des 20. Jahrhunderts griff der Philosoph Nick Land diese Gedanken wieder auf. Land forderte Beschleunigung, sah am Ende des Prozesses aber einen Kollaps des Systems und eine dunkle Zukunft. Ironie der Geschichte: Land zog in den 2000er Jahren nach China, wo er einen autoritären Akzelerationismus verwirklicht sah. Auch Steve Bannon, Leiter des ersten Trump-Wahlkampfes 2016, war von Lands Gedanken geprägt.  e/acc aber ist eine neuer, optimistischer „Fork“ des alten, dunklen Akzelerationismus. Es sieht eine positive Zukunft für die gesamte Menschheit aufgrund eines gigantischen Produktivitätsschubs. Eine neue, höhere Ordnung ist am Entstehen. Kurz gesagt: > ***Effective accelerationism (e/acc) in a nutshell:*** > > ***Stop fighting the thermodynamic will of the universe*** > > ***You cannot stop the acceleration*** > > ***You might as well embrace it*** > > ***A C C E L E R A T E*** *[Notes on e/acc principles and tenets](https://effectiveaccelerationism.substack.com/p/repost-notes-on-eacc-principles-and?utm_source=substack\&utm_campaign=post_embed\&utm_medium=web)* Happy Future also? Durch die e/acc-Brille gesehen wirkt die Welt wesentlich heller und optimistischer als sie die meisten “Legacy Media” gerade darstellen. Demnach bewegen wir uns auf eine neue Zeit gesteigerter Produktivität und damit Lebensqualität zu. Wenn alle Arbeit von Maschinen verrichtet wird, können Menschen währenddessen auf Bali surfen, meditieren und Yoga machen. Oder? ## **Kritik** Leben entsteht an der Grenze von Chaos und Ordnung. Vielleicht versetzt e/acc das Pendel zu stark in den Ausschlag in eine Richtung. Unkontrolliertes Wachstum bedeutet im lebenden Organismen Krebs. e/acc sieht sich wie Marxisten der ersten Stunde (Lenin) im Besitz der Wahrheit in Form physikalischer Grundsätze. Erst durch diese Hybris führten zu den Grausamkeiten sozialistischer Systeme im 20. Jahrhundert. Schließlich beantwortet e/acc nicht die Frage nach der Verteilungsgerechtigkeit, die durch den gewaltigen Produktivitätsschub durch AI entstehen wird. Ob e/acc als politisches und gesellschaftliches System taugt, ist deswegen fraglich. Aber viele aktuelle Entwicklungen scheinen durch die Akzelerationismus-Brille klarer. **Quellen:** *Peter Thiel: [A Time for Truth and Reconciliation](https://www.ft.com/content/a46cb128-1f74-4621-ab0b-242a76583105)* *Marc Andreessen: [The Techno-Optimist Manifesto](http://xn--we%20believe%20the%20market%20economy%20is%20a%20discovery%20machine,%20a%20form%20of%20intelligence%20%20an%20exploratory,%20evolutionary,%20adaptive%20system-2296h./)* *e/acc: [Notes on e/acc principles and tenets](https://effectiveaccelerationism.substack.com/p/repost-notes-on-eacc-principles-and?utm_source=substack\&utm_campaign=post_embed\&utm_medium=web)* *Andy Beckett: [Accelerationism: how a fringe philosophy predicted the future we live in](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/11/accelerationism-how-a-fringe-philosophy-predicted-the-future-we-live-in)* *Lex Friedman: [Guillaume Verdon. e/acc-Movement. Physics. Computation & AGI.](https://open.spotify.com/episode/2TvKfwY5Z7Lz8iiaGLRMgO)*

@ f7d424b5:618c51e8

(Copied from my show notes \[website\](https://melonmancy.net/mp-100-nuance-enjoyer) for Melonmancy) Promise this isn't normal. It would be disingenuous to not bring it up. We mentioned a few things in the show you might want to pull up while listening, they are the following: - [Nightmare Kart dev crashes out](https://x.com/StutteringCraig/status/1883958297423929810) - [Dr Disrespect gives post-mortem on Midnight Society](https://x.com/ProfPressure/status/1885045826424365437) - [Lords of the Fallen announcement post](https://x.com/TheOneDeafMute/status/1887765603169222840) Obligatory: - [Listen to the new episode here!](https://melonmancy.net/listen) - [Discuss this episode on OUR NEW FORUM](https://melonmancy.cafe/d/102-mp100-nuance-enjoyer) - [Get the RSS and Subscribe](https://feeds.rssblue.com/melonmancy-podcast) (this is a new feed URL, but the old one redirects here too!) - Get a modern podcast app to use that RSS feed on at [newpodcastapps.com](http://newpodcastapps.com/) - Or listen to the show on [the forum](https://melonmancy.cafe) using the embedded [Podverse](https://podverse.fm) player! - [Send your complaints here](https://melonmancy.net/contact-us) Reminder that this is a [Value4Value](https://value4value.info/) podcast so any support you can give us via a modern podcasting app is greatly appreciated and we will never bow to corporate sponsors! Our podcast is created entirely with free software and is proudly hosted on [RSSBlue!](https://rssblue.com)

@ 3b7fc823:e194354f

# The Best AI Models to Run Locally (According to My Totally Biased Opinion) I've spent a lot of time running local AI models, and after extensive testing (read: lots of random chats and questionable prompts), I've settled on my favorites. No benchmarks, no pointless metrics—just pure vibes and personal preference. ## 🏆 Best Overall: **Llama 3.1 8B** If you want a general-purpose AI that does *everything* well, **Llama 3.1 8B** is the clear winner. It’s smart, coherent, and doesn’t go off the rails too easily. Whether you're chatting, building a assistant, or writing this model just works. ## 🔬 Best Technical Model: **DeepSeek-R1 8B** Need something with a more *to-the-point* attitude? **DeepSeek-R1 8B** is the one. It’s less verbose, highly technical, and great for when you need precise answers instead of a paragraph-long essay. Perfect for hacking, cybersecurity, and other deep technical topics. ## ⚡ Best for Speed (and Dumb Fun): **Qwen 1.5 0.5B** If you don’t need the smartest model and just want something fast, **Qwen 1.5 0.5B** is a solid choice. It responds quickly, makes decent small talk, and is good for simple chatbot-style interactions. Not the best at deep reasoning, but hey, sometimes you just need a dumb bot that replies fast. ## 💻 Best for Coding: **Starcoder2 7B** Despite newer models dropping left and right, **Starcoder2 7B** is still *the* local coding model. It understands context well, generates clean code, and doesn’t hallucinate random syntax as much as other models. If you’re working on a coding project, this is still the GOAT. --- These are my go-to local AI models. If you disagree, that’s fine—just know that you’re *wrong*. Try them out yourself and let me know if you find any hidden gems worth running. Happy local AI tinkering! 🚀 --- Advocating for privacy does not finance itself. If you enjoyed this article, please consider zapping or sending monero 82XCDNK1Js8TethhpGLFPbVyKe25DxMUePad1rUn9z7V6QdCzxHEE7varvVh1VUidUhHVSA4atNU2BTpSNJLC1BqSvDajw1

@ 4c191b5d:c42abba6

Weil ich schon länger über das Thema Direkte Demokratie nachdenke ein paar Gedanken dazu. Ich freue mich auf Ergänzungen und anderen Meinungen. ### **Grundannahme** Die Macht soll vom Souverän ausgehen, also dem Volk. Entsprechend soll das Volk auch an politischen Entscheidungsprozessen teilhaben können - was sehr viel Sinn macht. Allerdings sind im aktuellen demokratischen Verständnis diverse Fehler, die zwangsläufig zu einer gesellschaftlichen Spaltung führen. ### **Gewinner und Verlierer** Die Demokratie spaltet die Bürger, indem sie Gewinner und Verlierer bei Wahlen und politischen Entscheidungen hervorbringt. Es geht nicht darum, eine Entscheidung zu erzielen, die bestmöglich durch alle getragen werden kann. Dies erfordert eine Reduktion der Widerstände gegen einen Entscheidungsvorschlag und der Integration dieser Widerstände in einen weiterentwickelten Entscheidungsvorschlag. ### **Mangel an neuen Lösungen und Machtkämpfe** Es fehlt an echtem Interesse und lösungsorientiertem Handeln was zu einem erstarren des Systems führt. Stattdessen entstehen Machtkämpfe, bei denen der Fokus auf der Durchsetzung eigener Agenden liegt und andere Standpunkte bekämpft werden. Dies ist vor allem dem Umstand geschuldet, dass die Individualinteressen sowie die politischen Gruppierungen (insbesondere Parteien) an ihren eigenen Lösungsansätzen festhalten. ### **Medien** Die Medien spielen eine sehr wichtige Rolle in der Demokratie, indem sie Informationen bereitstellen und Meinungen verbreiten. Allerdings können sie auch zu einer Spaltung der Bürger beitragen, indem sie unterschiedliche politische Ansichten verstärken oder polarisierende Inhalte verbreiten. Manipulationstechniken werden eingesetzt, um die öffentliche Meinung zu beeinflussen und bestimmte Narrative zu fördern. Dies führt zu weiterer Polarisierung, die das Vertrauen der Bürger in die Medien und demokratische Prozesse untergraben. Eine kritische Medienkompetenz und eine vielfältige Berichterstattung sind daher entscheidend, um eine gesunde demokratische Debatte zu fördern und Spaltungen zu vermeiden. ### **Informationen** Bürger können ihre Verantwortung nur wahrnehmen, wenn sie Zugang zu einer Vielzahl von Informationen haben, um eine fundierte Meinung zu bilden. Jedoch ist ein aufkommendes Phänomen in letzter Zeit die Zensur und Unterdrückung von Informationen, was zu einer weiteren Spaltung führt. Wenn bestimmte Inhalte oder Standpunkte systematisch unterdrückt werden oder wenn Medienplattformen selektiv Informationen präsentieren, können Bürger in Filterblasen gefangen bleiben und nur einseitige Perspektiven erhalten. Um eine gesunde demokratische Debatte und eine effektive Meinungsbildung zu ermöglichen, ist es wichtig, dass Informationen frei zugänglich sind und dass Zensurmechanismen transparent und verantwortungsbewusst gehandhabt werden. ### **Starke Beeinflussung durch Geldgeber** Geld spielt eine bedeutende Rolle im politischen Prozess einer Demokratie. Diejenigen mit mehr finanziellen Mitteln haben grösseren Einfluss und können ihre Agenda stärker vorantreiben. Dies führt zu einem Ungleichgewicht der politischen Macht und spaltet die Bürger in unterschiedliche Lager. ## **Der grössere Kontext** Während die Demokratien sich immer weiter von der Eigenverantwortung weg zu entwickeln ,scheinen und stattdessen auf parentale Kontrolle setzten (der starke Staat), ist Bitcoin eine klare Bewegung hierzu. Denn Bitcoin setzt auf echte Eigenverantwortung. Daher sind wir auch davon überzeugt, dass das Thema Eigenverantwortung nicht nur die politischen sondern auch wirtschaftlichen Strukturen verändern wird. Denn wenn sich die Gesellschaft verändert, hat dies auch einen Einfluss auf die Wirtschaft. Und mit Wirtschaft meinen wir vor allem auch die Frage, wie Unternehmen sich organisieren und strukturieren. Es macht ja wenig Sinn, auf der einen Seite von ultimativer Eigenverantwortung zu sprechen, die dann aber auf der anderen Seite klassisch Command&Control erleben (oben entscheidet jemand, unten wird ausgeführt).

@ daa41bed:88f54153

There has been a good bit of discussion on Nostr over the past few days about the merits of zaps as a method of engaging with notes, so after writing a rather lengthy [article on the pros of a strategic Bitcoin reserve](https://geek.npub.pro/post/dxqkgnjplttkvetprg8ox/), I wanted to take some time to chime in on the much more fun topic of digital engagement. Let's begin by defining a couple of things: **Nostr** is a decentralized, censorship-resistance protocol whose current biggest use case is social media (think Twitter/X). Instead of relying on company servers, it relies on relays that anyone can spin up and own their own content. Its use cases are much bigger, though, and this article is hosted on my own relay, using my own Nostr relay as an example. **Zap** is a tip or donation denominated in sats (small units of Bitcoin) sent from one user to another. This is generally done directly over the Lightning Network but is increasingly using Cashu tokens. For the sake of this discussion, how you transmit/receive zaps will be irrelevant, so don't worry if you don't know what [Lightning](https://lightning.network/) or [Cashu](https://cashu.space/) are. If we look at how users engage with posts and follows/followers on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, etc., it becomes evident that traditional social media thrives on engagement farming. The more outrageous a post, the more likely it will get a reaction. We see a version of this on more visual social platforms like YouTube and TikTok that use carefully crafted thumbnail images to grab the user's attention to click the video. If you'd like to dive deep into the psychology and science behind social media engagement, let me know, and I'd be happy to follow up with another article. In this user engagement model, a user is given the option to comment or like the original post, or share it among their followers to increase its signal. They receive no value from engaging with the content aside from the dopamine hit of the original experience or having their comment liked back by whatever influencer they provide value to. Ad revenue flows to the content creator. Clout flows to the content creator. Sales revenue from merch and content placement flows to the content creator. We call this a linear economy -- the idea that resources get created, used up, then thrown away. Users create content and farm as much engagement as possible, then the content is forgotten within a few hours as they move on to the next piece of content to be farmed. What if there were a simple way to give value back to those who engage with your content? By implementing some value-for-value model -- a circular economy. Enter zaps.  Unlike traditional social media platforms, Nostr does not actively use algorithms to determine what content is popular, nor does it push content created for active user engagement to the top of a user's timeline. Yes, there are "trending" and "most zapped" timelines that users can choose to use as their default, but these use relatively straightforward engagement metrics to rank posts for these timelines. That is not to say that we may not see clients actively seeking to refine timeline algorithms for specific metrics. Still, the beauty of having an open protocol with media that is controlled solely by its users is that users who begin to see their timeline gamed towards specific algorithms can choose to move to another client, and for those who are more tech-savvy, they can opt to run their own relays or create their own clients with personalized algorithms and web of trust scoring systems. Zaps enable the means to create a new type of social media economy in which creators can earn for creating content and users can earn by actively engaging with it. Like and reposting content is relatively frictionless and costs nothing but a simple button tap. Zaps provide active engagement because they signal to your followers and those of the content creator that this post has genuine value, quite literally in the form of money—sats.  I have seen some comments on Nostr claiming that removing likes and reactions is for wealthy people who can afford to send zaps and that the majority of people in the US and around the world do not have the time or money to zap because they have better things to spend their money like feeding their families and paying their bills. While at face value, these may seem like valid arguments, they, unfortunately, represent the brainwashed, defeatist attitude that our current economic (and, by extension, social media) systems aim to instill in all of us to continue extracting value from our lives. Imagine now, if those people dedicating their own time (time = money) to mine pity points on social media would instead spend that time with genuine value creation by posting content that is meaningful to cultural discussions. Imagine if, instead of complaining that their posts get no zaps and going on a tirade about how much of a victim they are, they would empower themselves to take control of their content and give value back to the world; where would that leave us? How much value could be created on a nascent platform such as Nostr, and how quickly could it overtake other platforms? Other users argue about user experience and that additional friction (i.e., zaps) leads to lower engagement, as proven by decades of studies on user interaction. While the added friction may turn some users away, does that necessarily provide less value? I argue quite the opposite. You haven't made a few sats from zaps with your content? Can't afford to send some sats to a wallet for zapping? How about using the most excellent available resource and spending 10 seconds of your time to leave a comment? Likes and reactions are valueless transactions. Social media's real value derives from providing monetary compensation and actively engaging in a conversation with posts you find interesting or thought-provoking. Remember when humans thrived on conversation and discussion for entertainment instead of simply being an onlooker of someone else's life? If you've made it this far, my only request is this: try only zapping and commenting as a method of engagement for two weeks. Sure, you may end up liking a post here and there, but be more mindful of how you interact with the world and break yourself from blind instinct. You'll thank me later. 

@ 8d34bd24:414be32b

Whenever I have said or written anything about God allowing/causing hardship for believers, I have always had someone try to correct me saying something like, “God would never cause hard/bad things to happen to believers,” but that is definitely not true. Since I’ve become a believer, I’ve had 2 miscarriages. I’ve had a son with Down Syndrome and lots of health issues requiring around 20 hospital stays, a surgery, and regular out-of-state trips for care. I’ve gone through health problems for 10 years where I could barely function on a good day and on a bad day could barely sit up. I’ve had my house burn down and lost all of my possessions. Yes, God allowed all of that to happen to me. I’d argue that He caused all of that to happen to me for a very good purpose. Every one of those things have been a benefit to me. They have grown my faith, straightened out my priorities, and/or enabled me to minister to others. They have taught me to lean on God in hard times. They have taught me that God is all I need. I would not be the person I am today without these challenges. Every one of them was for my good and if I could go back and make them not happen, I would not change them. Although I didn’t want any of them to happen and would never have chosen them for myself, I wouldn’t change them now that I have seen the wonderful good God has done through these hard times. (I don’t say bad times because they were all for my good and the good of others.) God never said following Him would be easy. > Then a scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” (Matthew 8:19-20) When this man claimed to want to follow Jesus through whatever circumstances. Jesus basically told him that if he followed Him, he would be homeless, just like Jesus was. He never promised his followers an easy life and He definitely didn’t promise them wealth and prestige. > These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Jesus specifically warned His followers that their choice to follow Him would lead to difficulty in this world, but He also encouraged them because He has “*overcome the world*.” Ultimately, everything will work out for good. > And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) The Apostle Paul also warned believers about what to expect. > Now you **followed** my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, **perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings**, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me! Indeed, **all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted**. (2 Timothy 3:10-12) {emphasis mine} Paul basically guaranteed that everyone who trusted Jesus and followed Him faithfully would experience persecutions and sufferings. > For **consider Him who has endured such hostility** by sinners against Himself, s**o that you will not grow weary and lose heart**. > > You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, > > “My son, **do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord**,\ > Nor faint when you are reproved by Him;\ > For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines,\ > And **He scourges every son whom He receives**.” > ****It is for discipline that you endure**; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. **All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness**. (Hebrews 12:3-11) {emphasis mine} This passage encourages believers to “*not grow weary and lose heart*” when we are disciplined or going through hard times. As a parent I sometimes punish my sons for doing blatantly wrong actions. I also sometimes allow them to suffer the consequences of a bad choice and to struggle through difficulty because it helps them learn right and wrong, actions and consequences, and the benefit of perseverance. I think when Hebrews 12 refers to discipline, it is referring to this more broad definition, not just punishment. Also, discipline is a more caring form of punishment. It is intended to help and improve the person instead of to make them suffer or harm them. God disciplines His children (believers), but punishes those who reject Him. We are to embrace God’s discipline because we know it means He cares. “*Do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, … He scourges every son whom He receives*.” When disciplined, we are to search for the good God intends for us, to search for the plan God has for us, and to search for what God is teaching us. “*All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness*.” > **Consider it all joy**, my brethren, **when you encounter various trials**, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, **so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing**. (James 1:2-4) {emphasis mine} Yes, we should actually rejoice in the trials God brings into our lives. Theses trials are given to us to make us “*perfect and complete, lacking in nothing*.” These trials are not due to God’s lack of care or His inability to protect us from harm due to the curse. They are given to us as part of our sanctification to make us “*perfect and complete, lacking in nothing*.” We spend too much time looking at the here and now and forget to look at eternity. We spend too much time looking at our own personal desires and what we think will make us happy instead of listening to God about what will give us true and complete peace and joy. We spend too much time seeking comfort and not enough time seeking the holiness of God. We are so much more likely to turn back to God (personally and as a church) during persecution and hard times than we are to turn back in times of comfort. God chooses what is best for us eternally rather than what we desire in the moment. > Beloved, **do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation**. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but **if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name**. (1 Peter 4:12-16) {emphasis mine} We shouldn’t be surprised when fiery ordeals come upon us, but we should “*keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation*.” If God allowed His only begotten Son to suffer persecution and the most painful and humiliating death possible, should we be surprised that we may share in some of His suffering when we seek to follow Him and to imitate Him? God knows what is best. When we see His plan and His good works, and then give our burdens to Him, we can truly have the peace and joy that surpasses all understanding. > **Rejoice in the Lord always**; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And **the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus**. (Philippians 4:4-7) {emphasis mine} How we deal with hardship is our choice. > Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7) We can resent God and run away from His discipline, but we will only receive despair and separation from God, or we can rest in God and follow His example and leading, receiving the ultimate, eternal blessing, when we meet our master and he says, “… *‘Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.*’” (Matthew 25:23) > Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 2:3) Trust Jesus.

@ 1cb14ab3:95d52462

Hey all. I am setting up a Plebeian Marketplace on Nostr using my Lightning node. I currently have two channels open (one with a capacity of 500,000 sats, one with a capacity of 100,000 sats). Both use different LSP's (Megalith and Olympus). My question is regarding the maximum product price I can set for my marketplace. One of my products is 1M sats. Obviously my receiving capacity is not large enough to cover this, so I was planning on opening up another channel. If I open another channel for 500,000 sats, that would bring my total receiving capacity to 1.1M which would cover the product. However my question is if I need all of the receiving capacity in the same channel, or if the sale would pull from all three channels? Am I best to close out the first two channels and open a single, larger channel? Sorry for the noob question. Tl;DR: Can someone explain how I should best set up my node to accommodate my store. originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/880591

@ ef1744f8:96fbc3fe

yahlRmSTefMzX/mVkm3N0rbXSrzsXcDI0H115WLnxYRAGjpmuBypk74jo0DkXijqUdJ9agc4JTQRLe+9NimrAYGNEYntk49ES2qVhwqTsaGNIIeB0YguScJ2PbrbnyV6jakHiyQRA+QOYELtHP4mL0dCj84EpxPese7H6Y0yrSLTqxcad3UqygQDQJEZsIT/?iv=NYA19/gMVNAS7stGS2NUQA==

@ ef1744f8:96fbc3fe

hFJYJgvI4Quin6JzPgPO25uSBkrypgC2PCeb0W4MXt4k3qtx9MWp46qBHopfs2wuNYU05Io873aMjKc9K4r8U7TaO9JrXz/ld9tpJngrdTWleHb8ZfLjAyEj/mhquqDy4vcPfPgJLWM+WZlBmOlbXw==?iv=9l0fMwWxW805so+HzYCv6g==

@ 5d4b6c8d:8a1c1ee3

Sitting down to breakfast now, after 17 hours no food or water. ## 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) originally posted at https://stacker.news/items/880575

@ ef1744f8:96fbc3fe

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@ ef1744f8:96fbc3fe

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