@ 1ef61805:f18312cc

# **OpSec Academy is Specialising in TailsOS** At OpSec Academy, we have always been committed to providing the highest standards of privacy, security, and operational resilience. In line with this mission, we are excited to announce that we are now **specialising entirely in TailsOS** as the primary tool for teaching privacy and security practices. This transition marks our commitment to offering in-depth expertise in TailsOS, enabling individuals and organisations to leverage its full potential for operational security. ## **Why TailsOS?** Tails (The Amnesic Incognito Live System) is a privacy-focused, Debian-based operating system designed to ensure anonymity and data security. It operates as a **live system**, running directly from a USB stick or DVD without leaving traces on the computer. All internet connections are routed through **Tor**, offering robust protection from surveillance and censorship. Tails comes pre-installed with a variety of powerful privacy tools, including encryption software for secure communication and file storage. By specialising in TailsOS, we eliminate the complexities and risks associated with other security tools, focusing solely on providing the best possible training and support for this **leading privacy solution**. ## **How We Can Help You Master TailsOS** At OpSec Academy, we are not just adopting TailsOS for our own use—we are dedicating our expertise to helping others **learn how to use TailsOS effectively**. Whether you are an individual seeking to enhance your personal privacy or an organisation looking to implement secure communication protocols, we are here to guide you through the ins and outs of TailsOS. ### **Our Services Include:** - ✅ **Customised, Peer-Reviewed Secure TailsOS** – We offer a specially tailored version of TailsOS with added security features to meet your specific needs. - ✅ **One-on-One and Group Consultations** – Learn how to integrate TailsOS into your security framework with expert, hands-on guidance. - ✅ **Workshops and Training** – In-depth sessions focused on how to use TailsOS for secure communication, anonymous browsing, and data protection. - ✅ **Implementation Support** – Assistance with setting up TailsOS for businesses, journalists, or high-risk individuals. ## **Get Started with TailsOS Today** Our transition to specialising in TailsOS reflects our commitment to **privacy-first computing**. We invite you to join us in mastering the best tool available for secure and anonymous online activity. 🔐 **Interested in learning how to use TailsOS?** Contact us via our website [**opsecacademy.org**](https://opsecacademy.org) to learn more about our customised TailsOS services and consultation options. **Stay secure, stay anonymous, stay free.**

@ c13fd381:b46236ea

# Nostr *IS* Bitcoin: The Layer 3 That Ends the Old Internet Most people are still trapped in the old way of thinking. They try to compare Nostr to decentralised social media, calling it “the new Twitter” or “the uncensorable Facebook.” But this mindset is limiting—it completely misses the fundamental truth about what Nostr is. Nostr isn’t just another application built alongside Bitcoin. **It is the next logical extension of Bitcoin itself—a Layer 3 that completes the decentralised internet.** Bitcoin solved money. The Lightning Network solved fast, scalable payments. Nostr solves identity, communication, and coordination. And when you put all of these pieces together, something profound happens: **the old internet becomes obsolete.** --- ## The Internet Today: A System of Control The internet as we know it is broken. It’s a patchwork of corporate-owned platforms that act as gatekeepers to communication, identity, and finance. Every time you log into Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn, you’re not really accessing *your* identity—you’re borrowing space on someone else’s server, subject to their rules. This is a permissioned system. Your access is conditional. - Your Twitter account? Twitter controls it. - Your Facebook profile? Facebook owns it. - Even your emails and cloud storage? They sit on a corporate server that can delete them at any time. Bitcoin exposed the flaw in this model when it did the same thing to banks. Before Bitcoin, money was always controlled by an intermediary. But with Bitcoin, **your money became truly yours**, with no need for banks or approval. Now, Nostr is doing the same thing for identity and communication. --- ## Nostr as Bitcoin’s Layer 3 To understand why **Nostr is Bitcoin**, you have to look at how the layers fit together: - **Layer 1: Bitcoin** – The base layer of decentralised money. - **Layer 2: Lightning Network** – Scalable, instant payments built on Bitcoin. - **Layer 3: Nostr** – Decentralised identity, communication, and coordination. Bitcoin gave us financial sovereignty. But money alone isn’t enough—you also need a way to **communicate, organise, and transact without permission.** That’s where Nostr comes in. Nostr acts as **the identity and coordination layer of Bitcoin.** It allows users to interact freely, without relying on corporations, while remaining interoperable with Bitcoin itself. Through cryptographic keys, your Nostr identity isn’t just a social media profile—it’s **your passport to the decentralised internet.** And because Nostr integrates directly with Bitcoin and Lightning, the system is already primed to support payments, contracts, and governance without intermediaries. This isn’t just a Twitter replacement. **This is the new internet.** --- ## Why Nostr Changes Everything ### 1. **Your Identity Becomes Yours** Nostr eliminates the need for platform-based identity. Instead of creating an account on someone else’s system, you control a private key that acts as your identity across every application. No bans, no suspensions, no need for permission. ### 2. **Social Media Becomes Just a Skin** In the old model, social media platforms *were* the network. But with Nostr, **the network exists independently of any specific app.** Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn all become interchangeable interfaces that simply display Nostr data. This makes platforms obsolete—because your identity, posts, and connections live *outside* of any single service. ### 3. **Bitcoin and Nostr Are Interoperable** Nostr isn't separate from Bitcoin—it’s built to work with it. Lightning payments are already integrated into Nostr through Zaps, allowing instant Bitcoin transactions to be woven into communication itself. This means: - Tipping and payments happen *natively* in social interactions. - Crowdfunding, subscriptions, and paywalls don’t require third-party payment processors. - Entire economic models become possible without intermediaries. ### 4. **Censorship Becomes Impossible** Unlike traditional social media, Nostr has **no central authority**. It’s a protocol, not a platform. No one can shut it down. If one relay (server) censors content, another can pick it up. Your data and identity persist regardless. This makes Nostr the first truly **unstoppable** system for global communication—just as Bitcoin is the first unstoppable system for money. --- ## The Frustration of Seeing the Future All of this is inevitable. And yet, most people still don’t see it. They’re still asking, *“What’s the best Twitter alternative?”* They’re still thinking in terms of Web 2.0 platforms, branding themselves through corporate services instead of owning their own digital identity. But this mindset will soon be irrelevant. With Nostr, identity and communication become **protocols, not platforms.** And once identity is self-sovereign, platforms lose their power entirely. --- ## The Only Path Forward The future isn’t being built on platforms. It’s being built on **protocols.** Bitcoin started this shift by decentralising money. Lightning made it scalable. Now, Nostr is finishing it—by decentralising identity, communication, and social interaction. The Nostr protocol is already deployed. The infrastructure is here. The transition is happening whether people realise it or not. It’s only a matter of time before the world wakes up and understands: **Nostr *IS* Bitcoin. The old internet is already dead.**

@ 8d5ba92c:c6c3ecd5

**It’s no exaggeration to say that Bitcoin has moved beyond its roots as a monetary innovation, growing into a cultural movement built on resistance, decentralization, truth, and freedom. This makes perfect sense.** Money and technology are powerful forces redefining how we interact with each other and ultimately live. From the invention of the printing press to the rise of the Internet—and the countless areas they’ve transformed to this day—every major shift in how we exchange value and information has sparked cultural revolutions. The key here is to choose authenticity over the shallow narratives so often thrown our way. Bitcoin, by its very nature, challenges current systems. The culture it fosters naturally becomes a counterbalance to a world dominated by fiat—its rotten values, dishonest incentives, hopelessness, greed, and increasingly weaker social interactions. ## Go Out and Meet Your Tribe Over the years, I’ve been to plenty of Bitcoin-themed events. Conferences, meetups, hackathons, and so on. All sorts of gatherings. Each one has left me with not just cool memories and lessons learned, but also genuine connections. I’ve met so many amazing people—some I’m lucky to call friends now, and I know that if it weren’t for Bitcoin and the incredible community that’s grown around it, I probably never would’ve crossed paths with most of them. > Culture is not just about where we’ve come from. It’s about where we’re going... Last year, I joined 5 different conferences, not to mention smaller gatherings. Regardless of their format, they always enrich my personal perspectives, and, in turn, shape how I see the world and my place within it. My calendar for the first part of this year is already marked with 6 major events, one of which I’m personally co-organizing. From January to March alone, I’ve attended around 10 Bitcoin meetups and 1 larger event in Thailand—[SatsNFacts](nostr:npub1yrnuj56rnen08zp2h9h7p74ghgjx6ma39spmpj6w9hzxywutevsst7k5cx), a signal-rich 'unconference' ([here](nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzpr2m4ykgej3at3ee9upe82c4h58uda35xfd5292purmuntrv8mx4qqxnzden8yen2v3sxqcrgdpcr34j4m) you can read some memories from it). The more I travel and spend time with Bitcoiners from around the world, the happier, more hopeful, and more motivated I become. I truly believe that the places we choose to go and the people we meet along the way can profoundly shape our near and distant futures. ## Discover the Heartbeat of Bitcoin Culture Now, imagine a unique gathering that embodies the ethos of Bitcoin while blending artistic expression, intellectual stimulation and collaborative spirit. Not too big, with thousands of attendees you’ll never have a chance to talk to, and not as small as an average local meetup where every face is already familiar. That’s exactly what [Bitcoin FilmFest](nostr:npub1rjtrs7xqdvj3588r9njrexh2n750j7jdwx9qs543nutmdsj6ljaqpfmp8a) 2025 (#BFF25) feels like—the event I’m honored to co-create (again) this year. It’s not a typical conference but a community-driven cultural experience, that, for the third time already, is taking over one of Warsaw’s most iconic landmarks: the Palace of Culture and Science. Once known as 'Stalin’s Ziggurat,' now [our Cinematic Rebel ₿ase](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wb-bZeQ9sIg). I’m not writing this piece to promote the event itself but rather to show how attending more culture-themed events can impact your journey. By participating in these experiences, you’re not just learning or networking—you’re becoming part of a movement that values creativity, authentic storytelling, and human connections. ### 📣 Why to attend Bitcoin FilmFest (or any similar event): **#1: Fresh Perspectives Through Art and Storytelling** Even if you’re not an artist or filmmaker, most probably you consume their work in one way or another, anyway. Viewing Bitcoin’s cultural impact through the lens of independent art can make you a more conscious, and inspired member of this space. The best part? You won’t just watch films or artistic projects—you’ll also have the chance to meet the creators, ask questions, and dive deeper into their stories. This isn’t about being a random spectator. It’s about engaging with narratives that fuel your mind and heart in ways you can’t yet imagine. Simply put, step in and become part of the story. **#2: From Cypherpunks to Spiritual Awakening** Cultural events like BFF feel more organic than traditional conferences, where networking can often feel rushed or transactional. Built on art and creativity, they foster a relaxed and open atmosphere—a perfect environment to explore deeper conversations, even those with philosophical dimensions. Topics could span a wide range, from the cypherpunk movement and its emphasis on privacy to using Bitcoin to escape inflation, real-world examples of micro-nations, freedom-tech innovations, powerful music, permissionless art, higher consciousness, personal awakenings, and spirituality. When you add the opportunity to engage with like-minded participants who have firsthand experience in many of these areas, you gain mind-blowing insights that can inspire you for months to come. **#3: Non-Technical Areas and New Opportunities** While developers and their work is essential, Bitcoin thrives on a wide range of skills and perspectives. Attending events like BFF might reveal how your unique talents can contribute to this space—something you might not realize while sitting at home. As [Anya](nostr:npub1tc4q7lfxgeet0d3afacnxrlgslcywgfgagtczxm764tx8ytww26s8g0f8j), founder of [Bitvocation](nostr:npub1wtknktw4tl6dtu5075jnjststamucaerzml0unypcj0grhfjjpasm2vyt7) (*a partner of this year’s BFF, running a mini-site event where you can learn more about the Bitcoin job market, details to come), once told me: > Face-to-face interactions create real connection and trust—vital ingredients for Bitcoin's social layer. Just like her, I know that by attending Bitcoin meetups and conferences, we gain an unmatched opportunity to grow our network in real life, resulting in much closer relations than hanging out with someone on X or Nostr. It could even be the first step toward a new career path that, precisely because of your presence, begins to take shape. Indeed, quoting Anya again: > The best opportunities come to those who truly show up. Of course, this doesn’t mean that after attending an event, you’ll immediately walk away with a job in Bitcoin (though you might!). But you’ll likely leave with valuable connections, fresh ideas, and a clearer sense of direction. ## Final Thoughts A year has 12 months—whether that’s a lot or a little depends on how we spend it. But please remember that a sound culture thrives when we gather, create, and connect. That’s why I’d like to encourage you to make Bitcoin events and meetups part of your plans this year. Hope to see you in [Warsaw at BFF25](https://bitcoinfilmfest.com/bff25/) (May 22-25)—so you can verify for yourself whether the points I’ve raised above resonate with your own experience. Who knows? Maybe our paths will cross at other events I’ve penciled into my calendar as well 😎 *BTC Your Mind. Let it Beat. Şela*

@ df67f9a7:2d4fc200

> For over a year, I have been developing “webs of trust onboarding and discovery” tools for Nostr. With additional funding, I hope to continue this endeavor in 2025. Here’s the story so far… ## What I’m Building More than simply a “list of follows follows”, “web of trust” implementations will power user discovery, content search, reviews and reccomendations, identity verification and access to all corners of the “trusted” Nostr network as it scales. Without relying on a central “trust authority” to recommend people and content for us, sovereign Nostr users will leverage many forms of “relative trust” derived from our own “web” of natural interactions, “simply” by normalizing and scoring these interactions. The problem is, Nostr doesn’t have an extensible library for performing these “web of trust” calculations and delivering standardized reccomendations to any client … until now. I have built a developer library by which clients and relays can offer “webs of trust” score calculations for any user. Primarily, I am also building a “social onboarding” client, which will leverage this library to provide “webs of trust” powered recommendations for new users at their crucial “first interaction” touchpoint. - [Meet Me On Nostr](https://nostrmeet.me) (onboarding client) : This is my first project on Nostr, which I started a year ago with seed funding from [@druid](https://primal.net/druid). This “social onboarding” client will leverage in person relationships, QR invites, and advocate recommendations to improve new user retention. Currently, it creates new accounts with encrypted keys upon scanning any user’s invite. Last summer, without additional funding or a reliable WoT engine to produce recommendations, I “paused” development of this project. - [GrapeRank Engine](https://github.com/Pretty-Good-Freedom-Tech/graperank-nodejs) (developer library) : Working with [@straycat](https://primal.net/straycat) last fall, I built an open source and extensible library for Nostr developers to integrate “web of trust” powered reccomendations into their products and services. The power of GrapeRank is that it can generate different recommendations for different use cases (not just “web of trust” from “follows and mutes”), configurable easily by developers and by end users. This library is currently in v0.1, “generating and storing usable scores” without NIP standard outputs for Nostr clients. - [My Grapevine](https://grapevine.my) (algo dashboard) : In addition, I’ve just now wrapped up the demo release of a web client by which users and developers can explore the power of the GrapeRank Engine. 
 ## Potential Impact Webs of Trust is how Nostr scales. But so far, “web of trust” recommendations on Nostr have been implemented ad-hoc by clients with no consistency and little choice for end users. The “onboarding and discovery” tools I am developing promise to : - Establish “sovereignty” for webs of trust users, by stimulating a “free market of choices” with open source libraries, enabling any developer to implement WoT powered recommendations with ease. - Accelerate the isolation of “bots and bad actors”, and improve the “trustiness” of Nostr for everyone else, by streamlining the onboarding of “real world” trusted people directly into established “webs of trust”. - Improve “discoverability of users and content” across all clients, by providing an extensible algo engine with “unlimited” NIP standard outputs, allowing any client to consume and take advantage of WoT powered recommendations, even as these NIPs are still in flux. - Pave the way for “global Nostr adoption”, where WoT powered recommendations (and searches) are consistently available for any user across a wide variety of clients. ## Timeline & Milestones 2025 roadmap for “Webs of Trust Onboarding and Discovery” : - [Meet Me On Nostr](https://nostrmeet.me/) (onboarding client) : MVP release : “scan my QR for instant account and DM with me on Nostr”. - [GrapeRank Engine ](https://github.com/Pretty-Good-Freedom-Tech/graperank-nodejs)(developer library) : 1.0 release : “output WoT scores to Nostr NIPs and other stuff” for consumption by clients and relays. - [My Grapevine](https://grapevine.my/) (algo dashboard) : 1.0 release : “usable dashboard with API endpoints” for end users to configure and consume GrapeRank scores on their own clients and relays. - [Meet Me On Nostr](https://nostrmeet.me/) (onboarding client) : 1.0 release : first integration with My Grapevine, offering “follow and app recommendations for invited users”, customizable per-invite for Nostr advocates. ## Funding In February 2024, I received a one time donation from [@druid](https://primal.net/druid) to start the “Meet Me On Nostr” client. In May 2024, I applied for an OpenSats grant to fund further development of “Meet Me On Nostr”. This was denied. In September 2024, [@straycat](https://primal.net/straycat) offered to fund me for three months, to develop the “GrapeRank Engine” and “My Grapevine” demo client around his algorithm design. I have a [Geyser Fund page](https://geyser.fund/project/nostrmeetme) Please reach out via DM if you are interested to fund part of this or any related project.

@ c43d6de3:a6583169

## The Next 1000 Days Steam drifts from Jeffrey’s cup of coffee on the worn wooden table as he settles onto his familiar front porch, his only refuge from a world entirely different than the one he grew up in. Three years into retirement, he’s cultivated a quiet ritual: watching his neighbors through softly lit windows as they scurry about their morning routines.  Fathers in tailored suits exchange tender goodbye kisses with their children, while others—dressed down in basketball shorts—sprint to gather their little ones. Mothers go for jogs; mothers in suits pause, a foot outside their front doors, to take deep breaths before flipping their phones to their ears to jump on their first morning meetings as they strut down their driveways in high heels.  Men and women in rugged pants and long sleeve shirts packed in Ford 3500 trucks pile out in the street corner and begin unloading lawn care equipment for the work of the day.  Jeffrey has lived his life and is now watching the people of his neighborhood go about theirs.  He watches the evolving cadence of life; a rhythm that in his younger years would have seemed like science fiction.   Smartphones, cars with backup cameras, Teslas navigating on autopilot: technology has woven itself into the fabric of every routine. As his neighborhood empties and Jeffrey cues up a podcast with his coffee in hand, one truth emerges: his world has shifted dramatically.  And soon, yours will too. In just three years, artificial intelligence is set to upend corporate jobs. When the machines take over, where will you find your place? > "In 1000 days the world will be dramatically different than it is today"   -Daniel Priestly.  Those words do not linger in times new roman font deep in some obscure forum on the internet somewhere. They were spoken by prominent entrepreneur and writer, Daniel Priestly, on Peter McCormack's podcast a few weeks ago.  People echo these words in conversation as they ruminate on what has become of them since their schooling days and what still lies ahead.  Donald Trump, only a few days after his inauguration, brought the foremost leaders of AI on the stage to announce project "Stargate", an initiative which will pump billions of dollars and remove legislative red tape to further develop breakthroughs in AI.  How could anyone watch all of this unfolding and not think to themselves that something huge is coming. If you haven’t, I urge you to start thinking about it now because in as soon as three years you may find yourself sitting in a world you don’t recognize or fully understand like our friend Jeffrey on his porch.   ## The Holdouts This isn’t the first time society has faced the precipice of life-altering change. In fact, it’s happened countless times, and each era required humans to adapt in order to survive. The good news? Most of the time, this adaptation has led to swaths of the population enjoying better, less combative lives. But let’s be clear, some never made it through the transformations. The ones left behind in the wake of progress were those too stubborn to abandon old ways. Today, these holdouts are the ones clinging to the traditional life blueprint: go to university, earn a degree, seek out an entry-level job, and work for a large, reputable corporation. Tomorrow, however, those same corporations will replace human workers with machines that are not only cheaper but also infinitely better at the specific tasks central to their employment.  No hard feelings. For decades, education trained human beings to be pliable workers, cogs in the vast machinery of the economy. If you think this won’t affect your livelihood—or worse, if you’ve given it little thought—understand one thing: you are charging headfirst toward disaster. All your proverbial eggs are in one basket, and AI is about to knock that basket out of your hands. ## Natural Progression Consider this undeniable truth today: the affluent seek out one-of-a-kind, handcrafted treasures from those who labor with passion, while the masses settle for cheap, mass-produced widgets. Many voices predict a future where society either drifts into endless entertainment or reverts to a modern feudalism—an elite class of AI owners living like royalty while the rest labor merely to sustain the machine. I reject that dystopian vision. Instead, if we heed the dramatic shifts unfolding around us, it becomes clear that people, driven by the need for multiple income streams, will increasingly pivot toward what they do best. They’ll embrace the art of crafting custom-made products—whether by hand or through locally powered 3D printing—infusing each creation with a unique allure. In this future, while AI churns out soulless, mass-produced widgets, human hands will continue to craft irreplaceable works of art. A vibrant, decentralized marketplace will emerge, where neighbors and artisans trade items imbued with character and individuality. Look to the bitcoin space for a hint: platforms like NOSTR are already witnessing exchanges of goods and services for sats, transactions driven by genuine heart and soul. This is the future—a flourishing human economy that prizes the unique over the uniform. ## The Choice is Ours This transformation isn’t a fantasy or a guess, it’s a reality unfolding in real-time. AI will soon take over corporate roles it will redefine industries, it will displace workers, and it will shift the foundations of the traditional economy. The question isn’t if change is coming, but whether you will be ready when it does. We are at a crossroads. The choice is stark: continue relying on outdated systems that are on the verge of obsolescence, or take an active role in shaping the new economy. The sooner we embrace this shift, the smoother the transition will be—not just for individuals, but for society as a whole. A new marketplace is forming, one where human ingenuity, craftsmanship, and individuality hold more value than ever before. Many here on Nostr recognize this, albeit they may not be able to fully articulate it.  Those making active and early moves to adhere to these changes will be the ones that thrive in the next era—offering handcrafted, uniquely designed goods and services in a decentralized, global economy. The tools are already in place. Platforms like NOSTR and Bitcoin are glimpses of what’s to come—a world where economic exchange is no longer dictated by faceless corporations but by individuals trading real value with one another. But make no mistake—this transition will not be without obstacles.  ## The Challenges Ahead **Proof of Identity Will Become Crucial** As digital marketplaces grow, verifying authenticity will be essential. Fake identities, deepfakes, and AI-generated fraud will make it harder than ever to determine who is real and who isn’t. Those who build trust and credibility early in decentralized markets will have a significant advantage. **Geo-Politics May Stand in the Way of a Globalized Economy** While technology enables a worldwide marketplace, governments and institutions will resist. Economic protectionism, sanctions, and restrictions on decentralized trade could create friction, limiting global participation and increasing the risk of international conflict.  Looking at the recent Trump tariffs, it's easy to see how truly decentralized trade could be stymied as nations worldwide attempt to rein in natural global trade.  **Truth Will Become Harder to Define** AI will not only disrupt jobs but also the flow of information. Deepfake videos, synthetic news, and hyper-targeted misinformation will make it nearly impossible to discern what’s real. In an era where perception shapes reality, those who fail to sharpen their ability to seek truth will be left vulnerable. The world will change, of that, there is no doubt. But will you change with it? The next 1,000 days will define the trajectory of the next 100 years. If you’re waiting for someone to give you permission to adapt, you’ll already be too late. Start now. Be an active participant. Take control of your future before AI makes that choice for you. Here are some profiles of people taking advantage of this new change that are worth following and supporting! nostr:npub1uzt238htjzpq39dxmltlx60vxym9fetk9czz6kddq6fhvkf4z3usy9qtrh Oshi- Makes hand-made date bars and delicious goodies  nostr:npub1e2rd2k45ym2jmctnysfadxumrvrr57vqj69ck6trt2y62c40r0kqs9lx8t Eryn- Makes hand-made pottery of all kinds for your home  There are plenty more people leveraging their craftsmanship to serve the market and looking to establish relationships directly with you as their patron. Find more people like Oshi and Eryn at plebmall by nostr:npub1f0e6xymc9hy4wmepa7em60tp8p7s6kgnq53q06grq6n5r0m27l2s6tc5r6 This is how we actively participate in the future that is unfolding. --- Thank you for reading! If this article resonated with you, let me know with a zap and share it with friends who might find it insightful. Your help sends a strong signal to keep making content like this! Interested in fiction? Follow nostr:npub1j9cmpzhlzeex6y85c2pnt45r5zhxhtx73a2twt77fyjwequ4l4jsp5xd49 for great short stories and serialized fiction. More articles you might like from Beneath The Ink: nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp3padh3au336rew4pzfx78s050p3dw7pmhurgr2ktdcwwxn9svtfqq2n23zrgg68x5rw2pg477t6fezks36z940kcth39v6 nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp3padh3au336rew4pzfx78s050p3dw7pmhurgr2ktdcwwxn9svtfqq2nwd6829tkgwf3d9dyk42zdedx233d24f57yyvkjt nostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp3padh3au336rew4pzfx78s050p3dw7pmhurgr2ktdcwwxn9svtfqq24s4mrfdm55utg23z55ufs94argvn523k5yqhkrc3

@ 6f0a6a19:7dd662db

I have been on a mission to make bitcoin physical longer than I would like to admit. And I’m not talking about physical key cards or flash drives that hackers can exploit and governments can censor. I’m talking about incarnating the unit of account into physical material—a sort of cypherpunk alchemy. This obsession took root when I realized how close we are to the cashless and contactless society so many science fiction writers and futurists warned us about. At first, I thought this transition was just a given force of nature emerging from the evolution of free markets—one efficient innovation solving the inefficiency of another. However, as a digital assets journalist, I quickly discovered that financial privacy wasn’t only not an option in this more efficient system. Its public and traceable transparency was a feature that state actors would do anything to preserve. I learned that if I wanted to protect my freedom to cooperate with who and how I like, I would need to find a way to cash bitcoin, the oldest and most trustworthy digital asset, out of this surveillance matrix and into physical instantiations that are independently verifiable. Well, I discovered the secret to making this a reality. And I published an unalterable and uncensorable public record of it onto its blockchain. The bitcoin you see attached to this paper was minted using this standard. But before I explain the “how” and the, “why bitcoin?” I want to explain why cash is on its last dying breath and how states will use Bitcoin to usher in a new phase of the contactless matrix we are already living in. *You can find copies of this guide with physical bitcoin at local bookstores around LA.* ## THE CONTACTLESS NETWORK STATE Ask yourself this question. When did you last connect, in a meaningful way, with the other human being behind a transaction? I find that on the rare occasion there is a human to interact with in an exchange, it lacks eye contact or any sense of goodwill—an experience I'm afraid to admit happens on both sides of the counter. While I'm fully aware that my patience for interacting with strangers has reached a catastrophic low, I get the sense that I am not alone. I see it in the unwillingness to return those small courtesies that once saturated our society. You see, I am young enough to know and feel the social effects of growing up in a chronically online culture and old enough to remember a time when "thank you for your business" meant more than an adjustment to an electronic ledger. The exchange of tendered goods and services, if you recall, used to establish a relationship of mutual respect. Each transaction had body language and a face that other human beings could recognize, appreciate and hold accountable. Over the past few decades, we have systematically stripped those familiar human elements from commerce and deferred our responsibilities of recognition and accountability to a matrix of automated protocols and machines. I believe that this proliferation of intermediation is giving us early-onset dementia. It has removed the critical brain gym exercises that keep a body politic capable of trusting, engaging and holding other community members accountable. Each physical cash exchange may not feel significant, but it has a virtuous multiplying effect. On the rare occasions when we carry it, we are more willing to give it to someone in need. For example, cash is more likely to find its way to "The Young Entrepreneur's" bake sale outside Whole Foods than the grocery store's Amazon-owned bank account. Think about all the times a stranger asked you for money and you said, “sorry, I don’t have any cash on me.” Any cash you do have in your pocket doesn’t stay there for long. It passes from one human hand to another that owns a local business, is an independent contractor or simply in need. And yes, some use it for illicit activity, but that damage to society is an ounce in the bucket compared to the mass inequality and social erosion that hundreds of trillions in printed digital credit causes. At first glance, this observation makes it appear that cash is a moral good. But that's not what I'm suggesting. The difference is not between the quality of cash and digital cash. It is in the scope of intermediation between each exchange. Digital money may feel frictionless, but it contains the weight, energy and computing potential of this vast global network in between every transaction. Cash transactions, on the other hand, do not rely on any other machine to validate and execute a command. Instead, it only requires the mutual recognition of value and goodwill of both parties to maintain the cooperative relationship. The intermediating obfuscation of the human element is what slowly erodes our innate instinct to cooperate. And the human is what's at risk the more machine we insert into every human interaction. This slow march away from human trust not only removes the opportunities to give and reinvest cash into our communities, it makes us less generous towards and uninterested in the people closest to us. Instead, the same network of machines mediating our transactions harvests our attention by connecting us to people and content that affirm our views and boost our reach. Think about it. How many purchases from the past month were made because an algorithm suggested them to you while simultaneously connecting you to the content and people that best serve your interests? This experience is not only putting sales associates out of business; it is making them a literal deterrence from shopping in person. Customer surveys have shown that a simple question like, “can I help you with anything?” feels “pushy” and is an unwanted social interaction. Whether we see it or not, this reality is a matrix that disconnects us from the world. It makes conversations with people outside our narrow interests unbearable, creating divisions between the relationships that once meant most to us. This matrix also infects the way we see and engage nature. For example, a beautiful sunset ceases to be a sacred moment of reverence and awe when we view it through the anticipation of how it is received and compared to the other moments online. You don't need to take a picture of the sunset to feel this effect. You only need some presence on the network to shape how you perceive the moment. If you don’t believe me, I recommend reading “The Extinction of Experience” by Christine Rosen. She masterfully explains the total impact that these intermediating forces have on society. But the point I wish to make here is that the transition away from cash, amidst this societal shift, is giving up more agency and mutual good than we realize. But more pressingly, it gives up the public's only bargaining chip with the banking casino network. You see, even if you don't use cash, your ability to withdraw it from their accounting system puts an elastic check on money debasement. For example, banks are less inclined to infinitely leverage your deposits if they know you can take them out of their surveillance and credit-tracking network. Anyone within living memory of the 2008 financial crisis knows that the banking elite’s appetite for exploitation and control has no limit. If there is an opportunity for more, they will always take it. ## THE WAR AGAINST PHYSICAL MONEY This growing matrix isn’t simply conditioning us to use cash less and less. Those "no cash" signs you see at more and more coffee shops are just the tip of a well-constructed mechanical spear aimed squarely at the human-to-human exchange. For example, over the past 5 years, banks have doubled business cash deposit fees and increased all other costs associated with running a cash-heavy operation—making it more expensive than digital payment solutions. That coordinated effort, along with the help and political influence of organizations like The World Health Organization and Better Than Cash Alliance, has made refusing cash not only socially acceptable and financially expedient but they have made it a virtue of "sustainable development." This rebranding and the cachet businesses earned for requiring contactless payments during COVID-19 gave them the cover needed to continue the practice today. As a result, the number of companies no longer accepting cash is at an unprecedented all-time high of 40%. This effect is not the result of a secret cabal. It is what the techno-optimists hail as the grand "network effect." It is the culmination of incentives that orient banking, government and UN-backed systems toward increasing automation and intermediation. As I pen this essay, Congress is discussing a stablecoin bill that would allow the executive branch to eliminate cash altogether. The bill in its current draft enables the infrastructural changes needed for a cashless upheaval because it introduces a novel interbank accounting trick. It would let banks fund their operations with self-issued stablecoins backed with deposits at partner banks. The bill itself doesn't explicitly sanction this practice, but it does create exploitable loopholes to its effect. In short, it enables the same type of hidden leverage and circular financing that fueled the 2008 mortgage-backed security crisis, and it creates a regulated substitute that they can use to replace cash. If the bill passes, we are only one more financial crisis and emergency powers directive away from all banks closing their cash ATMs in turn for their freshly minted, surveillable and programmable stablecoins. ## THE CASHLESS CONTINGENCY PLAN With the looming US debt crisis, the timing of this bill suggests that this might be the work of a contingency plan for when the US government no longer has the political will to service its debt. You see, the Treasury and Congress are between a rock and a hard place. The cost to service the government's debt just surpassed the defense budget. And it will soon overtake and compete with Social Security and Medicare. Congress must either make room for the debt by making severe cuts to the budget or issue new debt to pay the old. The latter option is getting more difficult because the Federal Reserve needs to keep the cost of issuing debt high to curb inflation. And the economy and political will doesn't seem strong enough to make the necessary cuts for the debt payments. The only other option is refinancing the debt with key creditors like China and Russia. In this scenario, the US would face a different existential crisis. Because the interest that one receives for holding US debt is the only reason the world is interested in holding its Dollar. There is nothing else backing US currency. So, if the government renegotiates its debt, it would need a system to ensure and secure interest in the US Dollar. Historically, governments have fixed a currency exchange rate for gold and/or silver to secure this interest in their currency domestically and abroad. However, these metals' physical portability and untraceability make anticipating and regulating redemption difficult. For example, the type of gold liquidity crunches that plagued the late 19th century and early 20th crippled the US banking system and subjected the economy to prolonged and difficult depressions. This is why, amid the Great Depression, Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order to confiscate the public's gold. To avoid losing its monetary power and flexibility, the US government will discover that it needs to secure its debt with a digital asset it doesn't directly control but can instantaneously monitor and mark individual units with approval or disapproval. And they will need a digital dollar that its citizens can’t take out of their surveillance state. This level of oversight would give them the ability to not only set an exchange rate that can price the new asset at a level that can adequately service their debt, but it also gives them the ability to set a punitive exchange rate for units of the reserve digital asset not redeemed at approved custodians. This carrot and stick incentive structure would provide the global dollar debt market insurance against the type of liquidity problems it faced when it was backed by gold and issued as physical Federal Reserve Notes. Bitcoin is the only digital asset that the regulating powers can use to support this new monetary standard and system of control. First, it is the one asset secured on a universal public ledger with the longest record of distributed consensus value. Second, its public accounting record allows central authorities to track and devalue coins used for things or ways that don’t serve their interests. This asset’s transparency and historic primacy among all other digital coins make it an unbeatable state reserve asset. And so any currency not priced against it will eventually give way to a standard that is. This simple fundamental reality is undoubtedly why a bill to establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve is currently in Congress. The plan to hold bitcoin now can very well provide the precedent to reprice the dollar to a fixed exchange with bitcoin when the time comes. And the US isn’t the only one. Nation-states around the world are facing the same debt problems. These countries are racing to accumulate Bitcoin to their reserve now because they likely suspect others will need to reprice their currencies against it. El Salvador and Butan were the first to announce their reserves. But others like Brazil, Russia and Germany all have indicated that they are moving toward that direction. A transition to such a standard will enrich many people holding bitcoin today. And it may avoid a prolonged global economic depression. But the trade-off will come at a grave cost. It will not only eliminate cash. It will further funnel the remaining energy reserved for in-person cooperation to this machine and the digital world in which it proliferates. And its expansion of power will make us more subject to coercion by exclusion. For example, suppose your credit to society is constantly monitored and validated by this Bitcoin-based matrix. In that case, your behavior is implicitly subject to its interests. Its most potent intelligence-gathering center will exercise this power by setting exclusionary restrictions on those less creditworthy and privileges to those who are more. These credit lines already exist and have, for a long time, created artificial boundaries between people, places, and things. But if we trade more and more of our lived experience for a system that can automate the enforcement of these lines, they will spread like the numbing venom of a parasite, transforming humanity into an empty host. We will exist as a means to something else’s end. Not someone else’s end, but a thing, an immaterial system of things bound by the predetermined objectives of a ghost. Many people who follow this industry are well aware of this threat. But the only response they can give is that tech billionaires like David Sachs, Howard Lutnick, Peter Theil, and Elon Musk are spearheading this initiative, and it seems they have good intentions. If you want a well-rounded and good-faith argument for this perspective, listen to Adam Curry's explanation of the Stablecoin bill on the Joe Rogan Podcast. Personally, I find the “trust me bro” argument unconvincing. And then if you want a deep dive investigation into the motives behind these tech entrepreneurs, I recommend Whitney Webb’s reporting. The technocratic aims of these figure heads are well documented. ## THE BITCOIN MINT At this point, it is hard to imagine cash surviving past the next four years, let alone a decade. The cashless society of a digital matrix feels unavoidable. And honestly, the current state of online culture, with its personality cults, clout chasers, and reactionary communities, does not make this new digital age appear that golden. Plenty of articles and documentaries attempt to warn the world of this growing separation. But these warnings, while alarming, fail to compel actual change. The small remnant of stubborn anarchists and luddites can't return society to material reality. Instead, these artists and commentators unwittingly feed the machine more attention by creating a market for techno-alarmist content. This market creates more financial and social capital incentives that pull collaborative energy away from other humans in the here and now. This irony doesn't discredit their points or invalidate their work. But speaking from experience, the irony is hard to swallow. At first glance, it seems that we can't exit the system without isolating ourselves from society, and we can't try to convince others to leave the system without strengthening it. This social predicament is like a Chinese finger trap. The harder you rage against it, the stronger it gets. So intuitively, the only way out is through. The Bitcoin Mint is how you and I can cash the value of our work in and out of this system. And it's a way we can speak to broader society without feeding the machine our attention. Here's how it works. At face value, it is a set of procedures that offer the Bitcoin Network a way to concede that bitcoin sent to addresses derived from one-of-a-kind physical material is irreversibly minted into those objects. When I first discovered this possibility, a friend asked me a question you are probably asking now. He could foresee how a genuinely one-of-a-kind object could correspond to frozen individual units of bitcoin, but he wanted to know how such a procedure could import bitcoin into physical material. It's a great question. However, it presupposes that bitcoin exists as an identifiable thing in digital space. This is not the case, and it is a common misconception. Bitcoin is accounted for on a shared ledger in digital space, but it does not exist there, just as gold doesn't exist in the markings recorded on a balance sheet. That might throw you. So, let me give you a quick refresher on the Bitcoin basics. Bitcoin's ledger isn’t the complex accounting system most assume it is. The ledger is only composed of three columns. The middle column accounts for the total supply of bitcoin, the far left denotes the location of each base unit of bitcoin, and the far right shows the record of change. This ledger has some rules and guidelines for making changes to this ledger that can get pretty technical, but conceptually, it doesn't get more complicated than those three columns. Nowhere in that ledger or set of mutually held rules is there anything that actually defines the bitcoin recorded in the middle column or limits it to what it can and cannot become. It only limits the supply to 21 million bitcoins, with each bitcoin consisting of 100 million base units. The question, therefore, is not, how do you import bitcoin into physical material? It is; how do you ascribe a definition to the unit recorded to its middle column? And where on its ledger can you record that definition? This question sent me down a curious thought experiment in a park in West Hollywood. You can't universally ascribe a definition at the top of the ledger because there is no way to ensure that each address owner will concede to abstract principles about the nature of the asset. And secondly, if the network could put forth a vote, there would be no way to prevent a vote to change it in the future. The question about its definition is why every attempt to explain "what it is" is never the same. Some argue that it is the energy it costs to acquire, hash rate, computing power, digital property, currency, etc. No matter how adamant someone is, the answer is never consistent. The only other option is to define bitcoin, one base unit at a time. But then the question becomes, where and how do you ascribe that definition to the ledger? At first, I thought one could theoretically ascribe that definition to the right side—the one dedicated to the record of change. This record includes every detail associated with a transaction. But it also has a memo line for extra data. The ledger's consensus rules only limit the size of the data. So the contents can be anything we want. Many use this space to catalog things like article headlines, digital images and entire coding libraries. I initially thought that I could ascribe the definition to individual units of bitcoin by attaching a photo and message claiming that the bitcoin included in its transaction is defined by the material in the image. But this definition doesn't hold true if the bitcoin in question can move to another destination address that isn't associated with that image. I realized that this type of actualization required sacrifice. It needed to sacrifice the potential for the accounted bitcoin to be anything other than this one thing in material reality. This definition would not only need to prove that its bitcoin could never change destination addresses again. It would need to prove that the anchoring destination address was not a random string of numbers in abstracted digital space but, in fact, a verifiable expression of that object. Otherwise, that ambiguity would sever the connection between the bitcoin unit's unique expression in time and space with its ascribed location. It would be like saying my body is sitting in a 1990 Toyota Pickup, but my soul is elsewhere. The procedural minting standard for The Bitcoin Mint meets this requirement. First, this standard is recorded on the right column of the bitcoin ledger under Satoshi Number: 1632665171305931. So anyone can reference it, and no one can alter it. Second, it offers free image detection software to create final destination bitcoin addresses derived from natural visual patterns. The public inscription of this software demonstrates, to those with a basic understanding of cryptography, that no one can ever send that bitcoin to another address. (For crypto nerds: The script proves this because it does not use public-private key pairs when creating the addresses.) Those who wish to mint bitcoin into physical material must find a natural object with a unique, one-of-a-kind pattern and upload an image of it to the software. Then, they need to send bitcoin to the address created from the object. This transaction, with reference to The Bitcoin Mint, will forever ascribe this definition to the ledger's left column, proving to anyone who can see the physical material that the amount of bitcoin in question can only ever be the object from which its address was derived. This minting standard transforms every single unit of bitcoin into little bits of a giant blank canvas. Every artistic contribution to that canvas is independently verifiable—meaning you don’t need an issuer or third party to authenticate it on your behalf. To verify first, visually inspect that its natural irreproducible pattern matches "The Natural Standard" (the image used to generate the address). Second, run the Natural Standard image through "The Minting Standard" protocol to verify it generates the same result. This proves that there was no way to authenticate an outgoing transaction from the address and that the address was deterministically derived from the object in question. Lastly, verify that the bitcoin minted to the object is accounted for at the same address on the network. This step verifies that bitcoin was actually minted to the object and it tells you how much it is worth. I call this last verification step the "The Money Standard" because it ascribes something universal to all money; a way to measure its applied value. ## WHAT NOW Now, you are probably thinking, "the coffee shop down the street refusing to take cash will certainly refuse physical bitcoin. What does this solve?" And it's a good point. The simple existence of physical bitcoin won't change society or reverse this slow march into the digital matrix. But I didn't publish The Bitcoin Mint with this over-inflated notion that it will or must change the world. I published it because I wanted a way for my community to cash in and out when we want and how we want. I did it because, even though cash exists now, it probably won't soon. And I did it to make art that can redirect attention from the matrix toward the here and now. The Bitcoin Mint doesn't need convincing or grand adoption to work. It is simply an inscription that shows you something. It unveils the garment of indescribability cloaked around Bitcoin's base units. What we do with that revelation is up for debate. You can use it to make bitcoin a canvas for your physical art. You can use it to hold and exchange bitcoin privately. You can even oppose this revelation with a religious devotion similar to the iconoclasts of old. That discussion and debate is the most exciting element of this project. Because I alone can't tell you what to do with it. I can only show you my works. And you can only show me yours. This discovery invites a dialectic discourse of creativity and cooperation that demands to be seen in the here and now. My work in all of this is to preserve the tension between organic cooperation and competition. Anarchists like Peter Kropotkin described this tension as mutual aid. It's the force that underpins and sharpens the collective efforts of every economic model throughout history. Automating that dialectic only weakens our resolve and makes us more pliable to the system mediating it. And it's why making bitcoin physical isn’t my end goal. Because at the end of the day, while rudimentary as it is, physical bitcoin is still a mediating tool. We can easily make it a slip of credit that affirms our self-individuality over a gift that can affirm the works of one another. It's why I made the distinguishing mark on my physical bitcoin a hand of aid. I want this revelation to remind people of their innate instinct to cooperate. ## EXCHANGING IDEAS So, in that vein, I'm hosting a regular in-person meet-up for this conversation, debate and art exchange. It's not a podcast or substack. It's just a handful of creatives and critics wanting to learn more about bitcoin, credit, mutual aid and true anarchy. The plan is to publish this guide with the in-person feedback from this meet-up to The Bitcoin Mint Press—a nested catalog within The Bitcoin Mint. This meet-up and publishing system has the potential to branch off into other publishing and distribution hubs. But for now, it's a single hangout in space and time. (You can find more details about this in the link tree.) You might ask, if the goal is to cultivate local cooperation and exchange, then why bother publishing anything at all? We forget that a publisher's work wasn't always an attempt to exploit your attention for personal gain. Publishing is also a way to preserve a consensus of ideas, facts and values. Cataloging this consensus in a public manner helps communities remember their past. It extends that in-person dialectic into the future so that distant communities can build on and refute the claims that came before. Unlike flashy self-publishing platforms like Twitter and Facebook, The Bitcoin Mint Press doesn't host or need a platform to deliver a frictionless user experience. It doesn't beg strangers to feed it their interests and desires. Yet its immutable inscription to the Bitcoin ledger ensures that no one can censor it from the public’s eye. ## EXCHANGING AID AND ART Lastly, this meet-up offers more than just conversation. It allows people to exchange physical bitcoin for aid and allows creatives to share their artistic expressions of bitcoin. These expressions are like those augmented reality QR codes you see at modern art exhibits. But instead of transporting your attention toward art transposed through digital space, they transport it to the material world. This signpost, or physical bitcoin receipt if you will, signals two things to people whose focus and presence occupy digital space. First, it signals you must leave digital space to see and experience the art. Second, it signals that you can actualize your bitcoin into new and creative expressions of art. Now, you might be thinking, “How does physical bitcoin art differ from posting pictures of physical art on social media?” The key difference is the message and verifiability. When you post a picture of physical art, you say, "Look at what I created or discovered." You give the network a digital substitute for the real thing so people don't have to spend the energy to see the art themselves. It doesn't matter if the image is fake or if you were there because you are giving them the experience in and of the post. A physical bitcoin receipt doesn't deliver a substitute for the real thing. It invites you to experience the art in person. It's more like a classifieds posting in the newspaper. Only the posting is permanent and independently verifiable. This public permanence allows artists to ascribe provenance and create dynamic art collections by including additional data in the minting transaction. This information, like the minting standard itself, can be recorded on the right side of the ledger—next to its corresponding transaction. There are quick and easy ways to embed this information. Simply look up "how to inscribe Ordinal collections," and you will find creative ways to string physical mints together under your authorship. Of course, there are still ways for people to exploit this standard to funnel attention back to the machine. But as an anarchist, I'm not here to tell people what they shouldn't do with The Bitcoin Mint. I'm only here to offer an alternative approach. But if you are interested in subverting the technocratic system pervading our day-to-day, consider adopting a simple ethic. Don't engage the matrix with fear or avoidance. Instead, approach it with courage and intention. Look for opportunities to post, coordinate physical cooperation and ghost. And if you are an artist who wants to adopt these principles, consider using the posting (see linkt.ree) for this guide as a template: \[{Share inscription} {opportunity for in-person collab or exchange} {#thebitcoinmint(location)}\]. This standard shows the Luddites and anarchists of the world a way to engage people within the machine on their terms—a way that doesn't feed its digital attention-harvesting objectives. Every inscription attracts local cooperation and local experience, and every local interaction it facilitates inspires more expressions of physical bitcoin art and exchange. But this propensity for growth doesn't mean that the standard needs a network effect to work. It only requires the person before you to see its unalterable ascribed definition on Bitcoin's public ledger. The physical bitcoin attached to the physical editions of guide is part of a social experiment in mutual aid and self-determination. But I won't mince my words here. Your personal agency and orientation to the physical world is an affront to the machine. It and the people most committed to its network objectives will look for ways to stop you, pull you back in and restrain you. But you don’t need their or anyone’s permission to be free. You only need to remember the power and gift of agency this life has given you. See the Link Tree Directory below for information and updates on the local Bitcoin Mint meet-up. And if you don't live close, share this guide and create your own space for mutual aid. Feel free to contact me directly if you have questions or want paper copies with physical bitcoin attached. [Link Tree Directory](https://linktr.ee/TheBitcoinMint) #TheLosAngelesBitcoinMint #TheBitcoinMint

@ 878dff7c:037d18bc

## Energex Releases Power Restoration Timeline Following Storms ### Summary: Following severe storms in Queensland, Energex has detailed timelines for restoring power to various suburbs. As of Wednesday morning, approximately 58,654 customers remain without electricity. Hard-hit areas include Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Logan, Moreton Bay, and Redlands. Restoration times vary, with some areas expected to have power restored within a day or two, while others may remain without power for up to a week. Sources: <a href="https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/weather/suburbbysuburb-when-energex-will-restore-power-to-your-area/news-story/7c4c50f1d28fc33da0710c75563457e7" target="_blank">The Courier-Mail - March 12, 2025</a> ## Orica CEO Favors US Over Australia for Investments Due to High Gas Prices ### Summary: Orica's CEO, Sanjeev Gandhi, expressed a preference for investing in the US over Australia, citing more favorable investment conditions, superior infrastructure, and better talent availability. He criticized Australia's high gas prices and advocated for domestic reservation policies and government intervention to ensure affordable gas for manufacturers. Gandhi also highlighted opportunities arising from potential US tariffs on steel and aluminum, emphasizing the importance of self-sufficiency for America's manufacturing growth. Orica's recent financial performance shows a substantial rise in net profit, indicating strong demand. Sources: <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/companies/us-still-beats-australia-in-the-gas-cost-stakes-says-orica-boss-sanjeev-gandhi/news-story/e1d21e60954948849380c9839ff58f95" target="_blank">The Australian - March 13, 2025</a> ## Western Australia's Growing Gas Consumption Raises Economic and Environmental Concerns ### Summary: Western Australia's (WA) increasing gas consumption, led by sectors like LNG processing, electricity generation, alumina refining, and ammonia production, contrasts with the rest of Australia's move away from gas. This trend raises concerns about potential supply constraints, higher prices, and environmental impacts. The report suggests that adopting new technologies and leveraging renewable energy could reduce WA's gas dependency and benefit its industries. Sources: <a href="https://ieefa.org/articles/western-australias-growing-addiction-gas-burning-issue-industry-and-nation" target="_blank">IEEFA - March 13, 2025</a> ## Australian Medicine's Historic First: Successful Total Artificial Heart Implant ### Summary: In a groundbreaking medical achievement, Australian doctors at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney successfully implanted the country's first BiVACOR total artificial heart into a patient suffering from severe heart failure. The six-hour procedure, led by Dr. Paul Jansz, served as a bridge for the patient awaiting a donor heart. Remarkably, after several weeks in intensive care, the patient was discharged and later received a donor heart transplant, marking the longest duration between an artificial heart implant and a heart transplant. This advancement, developed with contributions from Monash University and other Australian research institutions, aims to reduce transplant wait times and provide alternatives for patients unable to obtain donor hearts. Sources: <a href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/human-body/unmitigated-success-australian-medicine-celebrates-major-breakthrough/news-story/2723f3d4b6be84100b9e87f0147d62c6" target="_blank">News.com.au - March 13, 2025</a> ## Cyclone Alfred's Impact on Queensland Property Market ### Summary: Ray White data indicates that while some areas experienced negative price growth immediately following the flood event in February 2022, they rebounded with significant growth three years later. Suburbs like Camp Hill, Grange, Holland Park, and The Gap saw price drops of over 5% between 2022 and 2023 but grew by 10-17% by 2025. High-risk areas still command premium prices due to lifestyle benefits, despite potential natural disaster threats. Queensland's property prices are more sensitive to flood risks, further influenced by rising insurance costs, and properties that mitigate insurance costs may become more valuable. The Real Estate Buyers Agents Association of Australia (REBAA) notes that limited housing supply, especially in southeastern Queensland, will concentrate demand in unaffected areas. Ray White Queensland CEO, Jason Andrew, advises vendors to continue selling despite recent weather events to avoid increased competition later. Wilston, a flood-affected suburb, has resumed property inspections, with strong buyer interest in properties that withstood Cyclone Alfred well. Sources: <a href="https://www.couriermail.com.au/real-estate/queensland/brisbane/more-buyers-fighting-for-homes-across-queensland-in-the-wake-of-cyclone-alfred/news-story/476a6fad367ca1438773d4bfe778e73c" target="_blank">The Courier-Mail - 13 March 2025</a> ## Australia Responds to U.S. Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum ### Summary: The U.S. has imposed a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports, affecting Australian exports. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese criticized the move as unjustified but stated that Australia would not retaliate with its own tariffs, emphasizing that such measures could harm both economies. Opposition Leader Peter Dutton criticized Albanese for failing to secure an exemption, labeling him as weak. One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson supported the U.S. tariffs, arguing they protect local industries, despite bipartisan pushback. Additionally, former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull faced backlash for his public criticisms of former U.S. President Donald Trump, with media commentators debating the implications of his remarks on current trade tensions. Sources: <a href="https://apnews.com/article/fe8ad2239a20c65d42c9249c05ae9303" target="_blank">Associated Press - March 13, 2025</a>, <a href="https://www.news.com.au/world/no-australian-carve-out-from-trump-tariffs/news-story/2a7c62130a57b8e20e7c6426cf2137c8" target="_blank">news.com.au - March 13, 2025</a>, <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/current-affairs/shut-up-host-blows-up-at-turnbull/news-story/3a57773f02fb9a0a517546eae0a7f475" target="_blank">news.com.au - March 13, 2025</a> ## Victoria to Implement Australia's Toughest Bail Laws ### Summary: Victoria is set to introduce the nation's strictest bail laws in response to rising crime rates. Premier Jacinta Allan announced reforms prioritizing community safety, particularly targeting serious offenses among adults and youths. The changes aim to reverse the trend where jail is considered a last resort, ensuring that individuals committing indictable offenses while on bail face stricter consequences. This move follows public concerns and notable figures urging the government to take decisive action against escalating crime. Sources: <a href="https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/politics/victoria-set-to-bring-in-toughest-bail-laws-ever-in-major-crime-crackdown/news-story/5d4af1b0507346d97ae8a17be28a8ab8" target="_blank">news.com.au - 13 March 2025</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/12/bail-laws-victoria-jacinta-allan" target="_blank">The Guardian - 12 March 2025</a> ## Concerns Over Potential Global Trade War Amid U.S. Tariffs ### Summary: The U.S. administration's decision to impose significant tariffs on steel and aluminum imports has raised fears of a global trade war. While Australia's exports of these metals to the U.S. are relatively minor, the broader implications could affect global economic growth and trade dynamics. Economists warn that such tariffs could lead to higher consumer prices and strained international relations, potentially impacting Australia's economy. Sources: <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/no-winners-here-were-in-for-a-wild-tariffs-ride/news-story/0ab9ad52b8c876ab1d1e404f360b6a1b" target="_blank">The Australian - March 13, 2025</a>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/12/trump-tariffs-global-trade-war-australia-impact" target="_blank">The Guardian - March 13, 2025</a> ## Victorian Judge Raises Alarm Over Mentally Ill Woman's Prolonged Solitary Confinement ### Summary: A Victorian County Court judge has expressed deep concern over a mentally unwell woman who has been in solitary confinement at Thomas Embling Hospital for nearly a decade. Found not guilty of assault due to mental impairment, her prolonged isolation has led to further deterioration of her condition. Psychiatrists criticize the lack of action toward her reintegration, emphasizing that extended seclusion exacerbates mental health issues. The judge is urging immediate improvements, highlighting the urgency of addressing her situation. Sources: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/mar/13/mentally-unwell-woman-in-solitary-confinement-for-almost-a-decade-an-emergency-victorian-judge-warns-ntwnfb" target="_blank">The Guardian - March 13, 2025</a> ## Former PM Malcolm Turnbull Criticizes Trump's Trade Policies ### Summary: Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has openly criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's trade policies, particularly the recent tariffs on Australian steel and aluminium. Turnbull described the tariffs as detrimental to global trade and warned against succumbing to such "bullying" tactics. In response, Trump labeled Turnbull as "weak and ineffective." Media commentator Andrew Bolt defended Turnbull's right to free speech, while others suggested that former prime ministers should refrain from commenting on current affairs to avoid complicating diplomatic negotiations. Sources: <a href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/current-affairs/shut-up-host-blows-up-at-turnbull/news-story/3a57773f02fb9a0a517546eae0a7f475" target="_blank">News.com.au - 13 March 2025</a> ## Victoria's LNG Import Plan Faces Criticism ### Summary: Victoria's plan to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) to address Australia's East Coast gas crisis is under scrutiny. Critics argue that importing gas is costly, increases emissions, and doesn't solve underlying issues. They suggest implementing a domestic gas reservation policy and market reforms to ensure competitive pricing and adequate supply. Accelerating new gas development and reforming regulatory frameworks are among the proposed solutions. Sources: <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/rethinking-victorias-lng-import-plan/news-story/6ec1c479b022f5065b62100b0ff25b28" target="_blank">The Australian - 13 March 2025</a> ## Urgent Action Needed to Address Battery Fires ### Summary: The Gladstone Regional Council has raised concerns about the increasing threat of battery-related fires, with over 10,000 incidents occurring annually across Australia's waste and recycling streams. These fires cause significant environmental harm and infrastructure loss. The council urges the federal government to expedite legislation enforcing greater disposal responsibility for battery producers and importers, emphasizing the need for immediate action to mitigate these risks. Sources: <a href="https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/regional/council-raises-alarm-about-unacceptable-risk-to-waste-services-community/news-story/84004538e70f2b05aa6d4893999778a0" target="_blank">The Courier-Mail - 12 March 2025</a>