BITCOIN: Nigeria is an exemplarfor what could happen here

Saturday, February 11, 2023

https://bitcoinmagazine.com/culture/bitcoin-can-help-nigeria-fight-for-money?utm_source=Bitcoin%20Magazine&utm_campaign=60be7f380b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_02_08_06_08&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f7d45fbb67-60be7f380b-357073741&mc_cid=60be7f380b&mc_eid=386b7b0895

Nigerians Are Fighting For Their Own Money And Bitcoin Can Help

  • As Nigerians have been cut off from access to their own money amid a banknote redesign, Bitcoin is the best chance to reinvent the system.

Ray Youssef  —     Feb 7, 2023

*** begin quote ***

This is an opinion editorial by Ray Youssef, a founder and CEO of Paxful and a founder of the Built With Bitcoin Foundation.

Imagine standing in endless lines, fighting to get ahold of your own money. Read that again and try to make sense of it. This is life for millions of Nigerians right now, who face a redesign of their banknotes, the naira, which means old naira bank notes will be useless after February 10. This is a problem because while Nigeria hopes to move closer to a digital-cash economy, the country is still heavily cash dependent. The policy is causing a flood of people at bank offices and ATMs, desperate to swap their old bank notes for the new redesign.

Adding fuel to the fire, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has imposed a weekly cash withdrawal limit which, as of January 9, was 500,000 naira for individuals (around $1,087) and 5,000,000 naira (around $10,087) for organizations. While these weekly limits already seem insane, the actual amount Nigerians can pull out depends on what’s available at each location.

What’s Unfolding On The Ground In Nigeria

My team in Nigeria is witnessing all-day queues — with many people walking away empty handed. Some bank offices and ATMs do not even have cash to dispense. Nigerians are bringing mattresses to ATMs and others are arriving at ATMs at 4:00 a.m. to be 115th in line for when they open at 8:00 a.m. Scarcity is an even bigger issue in some rural areas and individuals have not been able to access any new notes. I’m hearing that, after returning the old notes to the banks through their kids or agents because most are unbanked, they are unable to get new notes. This puts a halt to their day-to-day transactions and livelihoods. And for the individuals who are able to get naira, point-of-sale (PoS) transaction charges skyrocketed by 400% in most cities across the country. This is causing a lot of fear as inflation is already over 20% and Nigerians are struggling to keep up with the cost of living. 

*** end quote ***

While inflation in the USA is not near as bad as in Nigeria, it’s still bad if you’re on a fixed income, a wage slave, or just trying to get by.

Unlike fiat currency, ₿ bitcoin has a mathematical enforced scarcity.  While probably not a good as bullion, it is transportable with the memorized word list.  

And it frees you from Gooferment and its clutches.

Forewarned is forearmed!

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INTERESTING: The peak of air travel luxury?

Friday, February 10, 2023

#47 Lufthansa Serving Pork And Draft Beer On Planes In The 1960s

Beeronplanes

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MONEY: Gooferment Debt in a “death spiral”

Thursday, February 9, 2023

https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/welcome-death-spiral

Welcome To The Death Spiral
by Tyler Durden
Monday, Feb 06, 2023 – 09:00 AM
Authored by John Rubino via Substack,

*** begin quote ***

And there’s nothing that the monetary authorities can do to stop it, because either choice – keep interest rates high or push them back down – leads to the same place, which is a currency crisis. Meanwhile, each turn of the wheel makes the problem more intractable and the collapse more imminent. That’s what the term “death spiral” refers to: a process that feeds on itself until the system implodes.

*** end quote ***

Assuming that they, our wise and merciful Overlords, can see that they can no longer kick the debt can down the road, what can they do?

Easier said than done, cut spending.  The Military Industrial Complex is spending the USA into oblivion.  They have to face the largest share of the cuts.  It would seem that NATO has far outlived its usefulness and should be ended.  Our participation in the UN and all its corrupt activities should also go.

Then, we need to address welfare and entitlements.  Sorry but they have to get cut too.  As humanely as possible.

The cathedral of “education” needs to be starved too.

The entire class of Gooferment drones have to be freed to take on more productive roles.

Unpleasant times for everyone.

The alternative is the fall of Rome.

—30—

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INTERESTING: Svingerudsteinen rune pushes known history backby hundreds of years

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/sensational-runestone-discovered-in-norway-with-mysterious-inscription-may-be-worlds-oldest/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=02-02-2023

‘Sensational’ Runestone Discovered in Norway With Mysterious Inscription–May Be World’s Oldest
By Andy Corbley – Jan 31, 2023 

*** begin quote ***

A runestone was discovered in Norway recently that jumps back the origin date of runic writing by hundreds of years to a time before the fall of Rome.

Based on carbon-dated organic remains, the reddish-brown sandstone block may have been carved as far back as 250 to 1 CE—making it the oldest ever found.

Most runestones are named based on the location they were discovered, and this one is called the “Svingerudsteinen,” or “the Svingerud Stone.”

*** and ***

Runologists like Zilmer don’t have a large body of reference, as only 30 or so stones have been found with inscriptions dating from the 6th century or earlier.

*** end quote ***

Amazing about how little we know about human history.  Here’s some messages from the past (obits) that are cryptic bits.

What all did these people know that is lost in “history”.

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RANT: Has anyone contacted Turkey & Syria and asked: “What do you need? What can we do to help?”

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Ferdinand Reinke @reinkefj

@POTUS Has anyone contacted Turkey & Syria and asked: “What do you need? What can we do to help?” No conditions; no strings. Just want to help in your time of need. #TurkeyEarthquake

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POLITICAL: Downsize Gooferment

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

How brains get ground into dust 

https://buff.ly/3HBBuQr 

“I don’t believe in government. I hate politics. I’m against it. And I hope that sometimes this fall, we can destroy part of our government, and next year destroy even more of it. The less government, the happier I will be.” Ray Bradbury

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POLITICAL: We have more to fear from stupid people than evil ones

Monday, February 6, 2023

https://bigthink.com/thinking/bonhoeffers-theory-stupidity-evil/?utm_campaign=weeklynewsletter&utm_source=rejoiner&utm_medium=email&utm_content=02%2F02%2F23+Smarter+Faster&rjnrid=1Qrp0MR

Thinking — January 26, 2023
Bonhoeffer’s “theory of stupidity”: We have more to fear from stupid people than evil ones
Evil is easy to identify and fight against; not so with stupidity.
Credit: Giovanni Battista Recco, Annelisa Leinbach

Key Takeaways

  • When we know something or someone is evil, we can take steps to fight it.
  • With stupidity, it is much more difficult.
  • Dietrich Bonhoeffer argues that stupidity is worse than evil because stupidity can be manipulated and used by evil.
  • He also argues that stupidity tends to go hand-in-hand with acquiring power — that is, being in power means we surrender our individual critical faculties. 

Jonny Thomson

*** begin quote ***

There’s an internet adage that goes, “Debating an idiot is like trying to play chess with a pigeon — it knocks the pieces over, craps on the board, and flies back to its flock to claim victory.” It’s funny and astute. It’s also deeply, depressingly worrying. Although we’d never say so, we all have people in our lives we think of as a bit dim — not necessarily about everything, but certainly about some things.

*** end quote ***

I never heard the internet adage before but it certainly hits the bulls eye.

I’m not sure how we overcome the stupidity of our fellow Americans.

Perhaps it’s the result of Gooferment Skrules that make “We, The Sheeple” so stupid?

—30—

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RANT: of course Russia didn’t do itu

Sunday, February 5, 2023

Top German Investigator: No Proof of Russian Involvement in Nord Stream Pipeline Blasts https://legalinsurrection.com/2023/02/top-german-investigator-no-proof-of-russian-involvement-in-nord-stream-pipeline-blasts/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=top-german-investigator-no-proof-of-russian-involvement-in-nord-stream-pipeline-blasts

why would they?

The US may not have done the deed but its fingerprints are all over it.

Argh!

—30—

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PEACE: Since the USA is funding the Ukraine side of the Russiian war, we should be able to enforce a peace

Sunday, February 5, 2023

https://www.lewrockwell.com/2023/01/karen-kwiatkowski/some-questions-for-our-congressmen-and-senators-on-ukraine/

Some Questions for Our Congressmen and Senators on Ukraine – LewRockwell
By Karen Kwiatkowski
January 27, 2023

*** begin quote ***

Dear Representative and Senators,

As we approach twelve months of the Russian SMO to end Kiev’s war on Russians of east and south Ukraine, and resolve the NATO head fake of Minsk II, it’s question and answer time for London, Washington, and Poland – and each of you.

The US Congress approved over $100 Billion in arms and aid to Ukraine in the past year. At the same time, Russian forces have secured 20% of the former Ukrainian landmass, nearly everything east of the Dneiper River, and have established not only a formidable defensive line, they have begun rebuilding political, economic, defense and civil society in the eastern Republics.

First question: What, in your opinion, will the next $100 Billion – gain for the United States?

*** end quote ***

Not much.

We need to put the kibosh on this war.

NOW!

—30—

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ECONOMICS: Axiom — Rent control makes everyone poor except politicians!

Saturday, February 4, 2023

https://jeffjacoby.com/26719/as-any-economist-can-tell-mayor-wu-rent-control

As any economist can tell Mayor Wu, rent control never works
by Jeff Jacoby
The Boston Globe
January 29, 2023

*** begin quote ***

From the other side of the aisle, the renowned conservative economist Thomas Sowell agrees. Rent control policies, he said in a 2019 interview, turn everyone into losers:

“The tenants lose because they can’t find a place to stay. Landlords lose because they don’t make the profit they would have made otherwise. The builders lose because there’s no demand for apartment buildings if no one can make a profit on them.” By and large, observed Sowell, politicians are the only class of people who come out ahead. “They get the reputation of being for the poor and the downtrodden [and] preventing the evil landlords from raising the rent.”

As if that isn’t enough, rent control is infamous among economists for other negative impacts. It exacerbates racial discrimination in housing. It multiplies bureaucracy. It disproportionately hurts those it is intended to help. And what is true in America is true everywhere. When rent control has been tried in other countries, from Canada to Germany to Sweden, the outcomes have been dismal. Even communist Vietnam abandoned rent control after its destructive impact became apparent.

*** end quote ***

Why do “we” have to keep reinventing the wheel?  “We, The Sheeple” should immediately give any politician or bureaucrat that mentions “rent control” the pitchfork and torches treatment.

Argh!

—30—

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