I lost the Lottery..... I placed a bet on England.... Italy finished my Career
Don't mind my title, I haven't even been following the match judiciously. I have only been off and on and taking tips from my friends whenever they are discussing matches
Last night, England competed with Italy for EUEFA EURO 2020 finals. And Italy got the cup.
I was home trying to curate posts when a friend called and asked that I follow him to see the match. I was reluctant about going because I didn't finish my tasks on Hive.
I remembered I haven't been out of my house in the last 7 days, so I realized I needed the fresh air, and a change of Environ, so I accepted.
Late into the evening, he came around, and picked me, at one of the game stations. The guys were already there, waiting anxiously for the outcome.
I had a feeling a lot of them have placed one bet or the other on that match. And they were hoping and fervently praying.
I realized a lot of them rooted for Italy, and that they wanted them to come out victorious.
It was fun to be among the guys, and listen to them shout, cheers, support, and abuse the players from this end.
I didn't know why, but they kept abusing the various Chelsea, and Arsenal players in the field. And the fans of the various clubs abused each other back playfully, and it was hilarious.
I learned a lot of names in the PlayStation, names like Rice, Maguire, Saka, Mount, Sterling, Stones, etc. During the games, the guys joking said, the team should buy another player, and the player should be named either Beans or Stew, so that we can always have Rice and Stew or Rice and Beans in the field... hahahhahaha
The first goal England score was impressive, and everyone jubilates and cheered. There were subsequent attempts to score again and again by Italy and England. The first half finished, Italy couldn't counter the score.
It was well into the second half of the match that Italy finally scored, and I saw the guys rose to their feet and cheered. The experience was so overwhelming, I couldn't help but smile at all of them.
There was this player in the Italian team, he was so aggressive on the field. He constantly tried to score for his team but missed every time. I can't remember his name, but the guys were happy when he sustained injury and had to be replaced.
Another peculiar player that got our attention was someone from the England team who constantly tripped and failed, the guys said, he was trying so hard to gain a plenty shot for his team. And this act did not sit well with everyone on the PlayStation.
Whenever he felled, the guys shouted that he should get up and play because this is the finals. The guys also mentioned that the referee was purposely ignoring the player's faults, so he doesn't have to blow whistles, nor give penalties. Again, they acknowledged he was doing the right thing because it was the finals.
I would love to gist you more and more about what the guys said and the turnout of events but I have to go. When they gave them extra time, I had to leave because it was getting late. My environment isn't safe, we have a cult clash now and then.
So my friend took me home and returned to the game station. Later in the night, I asked him who won, and he told me Italy won by 4 goals to 3.
It was a tight game, and because they equalize at the end of the second half, they had to compete through penalty kicks.
My friend also told me that Italy had done 33 games, 26 wins, and 7 draws, so they truly this particular win.
Cheers to Italy. Cheers to the team who initiated the EUEFA EURO 2020 finals. Cheers to you for reading through.
Image source https://pixabay.com/illustrations/football-sport-money-value-players-142952/
Why are Some Countries Banning Crypto Mining?
Over the last couple of weeks, there have been reports of China shutting down bitcoin mining farms with 65% of Bitcoins hash rate coming from China only. This created an impact on the price of Bitcoin as the price dropped again for the umpteenth time since its last ATH.
Crypto mining has been a norm since the first cryptocurrency was introduced to the digital space in 2019. In this article, we will look into cryptocurrencies, how they are mined and why China is banning the mining of cryptocurrencies in its province.
What are Cryptocurrencies?
A cryptocurrency is a digital currency used to pay for the exchange of goods and services and is backed by blockchain technology. Blockchain technology is a decentralized protocol that allows one to manage and record transactions without the need for a third party. There are hundreds of cryptocurrencies today training from Bitcoin, Ethereum, EOS, Ripple, Tron, Cardano, Binance Coin, Polkadot, Solana, Bitcoin Cash, ChainLink, UniSwap, and many more.
There are many reasons why people love to use cryptocurrencies to trade today. One of them is that transactions with cryptocurrencies do not need the supervision of third parties like the bank or the government. Goodbye to the extra charges for doing absolutely nothing. Another reason is the fact that cryptocurrencies are volatile. Because of its high volatility, traders can make money from buying cryptocurrencies at low prices and selling them at a high price.
Apart from buying them, there is another way to own cryptocurrencies. You can mine and own any cryptocurrency you want. One cryptocurrency thousands are mining is Bitcoin. Is it easy or difficult to mine cryptocurrencies? How can you mine cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin?
How Can You Mine Cryptocurrencies?
Crypto mining is the process of bringing new crypto into the flow. This is done by using supercomputers that take care of complex numerical statements. The task can be troublesome and in particular, costly.
To start mining cryptocurrencies, you need to invest your time and the right equipment for it. In this section, we will zero in fundamentally on mining Bitcoin as it is the most famously mined digital currency.
At the point when you mine Bitcoin, you get Bitcoin as compensation for verifying transactions on finished blocks in the blockchain. You get paid for approving how authentic a bitcoin exchange is.
There are a couple of ways you can mine cryptocurrencies. Would you like to know what they are? Sure, I'll put you through
One way is through cloud mining. What is cloud mining? Cloud mining may be a cycle where you pay somebody (frequently it's a significant organization) a specific measure of money and "rent out" their mining machine called a "rig", and the process of mining itself.
Cloud mining has become so well known predominantly because it offers the likelihood to partake in the realm of digital currencies for individuals who probably do not have sufficient cash to purchase their equipment or who maybe just aren't keen on getting mining equipment.
The subsequent technique is called CPU Mining. Computer chip mining uses processors to mine digital currencies. It used to be a feasible alternative some time ago, yet at present, fewer and fewer individuals pick this strategy to mine digital currency day by day. Why? Most importantly, CPU mining is EXTREMELY sluggish. You could continue for quite a long time without seeing the littlest measure of income.
Effects of Mining Cryptocurrencies
One impact of mining digital currencies is that it takes a ton of energy and electrical ability to mine cryptocurrencies. This negatively affects underdeveloped nations that can scarcely survive, let alone provide such megawatts of power for people to mine cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.
In addition to energy consumption, mining cryptocurrencies likewise creates a lot of electronic waste as equipment gets out of date. This is particularly valid for Application-Specific Integrated Circuits.
Why Some Countries are Banning Cryptocurrencies
Cryptocurrency mining requires huge amounts of computing power, making energy consumption a major overhead for the industry. For some countries, this is manageable but not in China. Last week, several companies involved in cryptocurrency mining began halting operations in China.
A chief reason why countries like China are shutting down mining farms is due to the high amount of energy it consumes which can be draining to the economy of a nation.
Conclusion
Before the recent crackdown, efforts were being made to clean up the bitcoin mining industry. As well as consuming an enormous amount of power, mining rigs generate a whopping amount of heat and need to be cooled by fans which, in turn, use more energy. Technological advancements, such as liquid cooling for computers, can help reduce power consumption. How crypto mining will be in the future will be determined by time and future policies.
Lead image https://pixabay.com/vectors/prohibited-forbidden-no-banned-147408/
Did you know the man is also in labor and pains when the wife is pregnant?
Of all things that make a man happy, I think seeing a newborn baby, and knowing that they are your offspring, tops the list of the most exciting thing. A child is conceived in the womb and that begins a journey of uncertainties.
The fear of the unknown and the curiosities. A fear championed by culture and traditional believes or too much religiosity.
A belief that there are spirits that cause stillbirths, miscarriages, or false pregnancy alarms.
Scientists say two of the most intense pain comes from being burnt alive and the pain of childbirth.
Your threshold for pain has to be hundred percent not to wish death on yourself if you find yourself in either of the two scenarios.
One thing we always leave out, however, is the role of the man when his wife is pregnant.
Men look tough, act tough, but deep down, some men wish they were the ones carrying the pregnancy. Some men love their wives too much, they cannot even imagine them going through such pain.
The thoughts of what their wife goes through during labor scare them to death. They are restless almost half the time.
Today I was in the company of a man whose wife just put to birth fit the first time. He was so happy, I couldn't understand myself.
It was when I sat and thought about it deeply that I concluded that, it may be the woman carrying the child, but mentally it's the man who bears the burden, the thoughts, and fears.
The man is also in labor and pains when the wife is pregnant.
They are constantly bothered.
They are constantly afraid.
Then the baby comes.
Babies are bundles of joy.
No matter the circumstances surrounding the birth of a child. It's like when mother hen batches, they are very protective of their chicks and very vigilant.
That's exactly how men are.
The joy comes from the kid defying the odds and cheating on every uncertainty to be alive.
It is this joy that seals the love of the father for a child.
Watching them grow from the fetus stage to a full-blown human.
This is not comparing a woman's pain to that of the man though, I'm just saying that the role of the man is most of the time downplayed.
Men have feelings.
They hurt too.
Imagine the husband thinking about losing the wife or the baby, and boom, they both come out of the hospital without as much a headache.
A man I know once expressed himself about the fears he had when he was told that his wife would go through the cesarean method of delivery, according to him, he had never been that scared in his lifetime.
He could not eat for days or do anything meaningful.
When a woman is pregnant, she shares the burden of her pregnancy with her husband.
You can say they are both pregnant.
Respect women.
Especially those who have traveled that road.
They are strong people.
Extend the respect to men, they are stronger people.
Lead image https://pixabay.com/photos/couple-pregnancy-marriage-romantico-1812777/
Will EOS ever replace Ethereum at the top?
EOS made a shocking introduction to the blockchain community in July 2017. In the space of two years, EOS moved from being just a new cryptocurrency to being among the top five cryptocurrencies. With so many amazing features, a lot of people have high hopes for the blockchain project.
In this article, we will talk about EOS, its features, and its limitations. Are you ready for this journey? Let's go.
What is the EOS blockchain?
The EOS blockchain is a decentralized platform that is intended to host and support decentralized applications. The decentralized applications are applications that run on a distributed computing system. The EOS blockchain supports the smooth running of decentralized apps on a commercial level.
The EOS blockchain uses the **Proof-of-Stake** consensus algorithm. This helps developers to offer solutions to the scalability issues affecting many cryptocurrencies. With its low to negligible transaction fees, developers process millions of transactions every second.
Before we move ahead to highlighting the features and limitations of the EOS blockchain, let's go down memory lane to when it all started.
Background History of EOS
The creator of Bitshares and Steem, Dan Larimer, created EOS in June 2017. He created the platform as a host for decentralized applications (apps). Latimer built EOS to host and run web applications across a blockchain network. With the aid of smart contracts and governance systems, the platform can also set up Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs).
The blockchain launched its ICO in 2017 raising a record high of $4.1 billion. When the blockchain went live in 2018, it was the fifth-largest cryptocurrency in the market. Over the years the cryptocurrency has become so popular and is listed on many exchange platforms such as Binance, Coinbase, OKEx, Kraken, and many more. Now that we have a background on how EOS started, let's talk about some of the features that attract EOS to users and investors.
Features of EOS
There are many attractive features to the EOS blockchain. One amazing feature is the flexibility of the protocol. The EOS blockchain uses the Delegated Proof-of-Stake (DPoS) protocol. The Delegated Proof-of-Stake (DPoS) protocol is similar to the Proof-of-Stake protocol. However, when it comes to staking, the DPOS protocol acts based on the votes taken by delegates who act as witnesses. You don't need to have a large stake to be a witness, but you will have to fight for more votes from users to be one.
Another amazing feature that makes EOS stand out amongst its predecessors and competitors is how scalable the blockchain is. Scalability is a major issue in the blockchain ecosystem especially for blockchain protocols that are still using the Proof-of-Work consensus algorithm. With the help of DPOS, the EOS blockchain can process thousands of transactions each second.
In EOS, you can maintain governance by establishing jurisdiction and choice of law along with other mutually accepted rules. Every transaction done in the EOS blockchain must include the hash of the constitution to the signature. This binds the users to the constitution.
## Advantages and Limitations of the EOS Blockchain
We've come a long way talking about what the EOS blockchain is and its amazing features. In this section, we will discuss some advantages that come with the EOS blockchain.
One of such advantages is that EOS transactions are fast. They are so fast they can not be compared to the transaction speed of Bitcoin and Ethereum combined. Rather than a hard fork to improve transaction speed, EOS upgrades each time there is a software upgrade to ensure the blockchain protocol can handle millions of transactions every second.
Despite the amazing features, there are some limitations to the EOS blockchain. The number of competitions is high. Apart from Ethereum, there are others such as NEO, RChain and so many more. However, EOS does not seem to promote its services as much as other competition. There have been more blockchain projects offering scalability as a solution to the pressing issues with the first generation blockchain projects. However, it seems that these projects promote their products more than EOS and it leaves the blockchain project struggling to attract more investors compared to its competitors.
Another issue is that most people argue that the network is more centralized. Why? That's because EOS was designed to rely on only 21 block producers to confirm all transactions. Since EOS depends on voting, less vote turnout could lead to further decentralization.
Despite these limitations, the future is bright for EOS as more people become interested in the project and are willing to invest in it.
Conclusion
It's hard to say whether EOS will ever replace Ethereum at the top, but it is easier to determine how EOS will be in the future. With a strong community and its amazing features, we're safe to say that EOS is here to stay.
Image source https://www.investopedia.com/tech/what-is-eos/
I took away my mum's life with a pistol
I have always believed that everyone should be contented with the little they have while working hard to reach greater heights. A lot of people get broken or lose their lives while chasing money, affluence and fame.
Some people, however, get lucky with their dirty deeds, we can say that God knows why that happens.
For Peter, he wasn't that lucky.
Peter began joining the neighbourhood boys to smoke before he was fifteen. His parents warned him, scolded him, flogged him and sometimes even starved him, but all to no avail.
Peter got worse by the day.
His mother would wake up very early and head to the market to buy goods for her small scale foodstuff business just so they could have that to eat, his father, a retiree, sat at home depending on his monthly pension.
At fifteen he had joined a gang, they would hide at the junction and snatch people's bags, phones, goods and other items.
They would break into peoples shops at night and steal their wares.
Since Peter had a small stature, he was the one that would be pushed through any window or narrow opening into shops and houses. One time they went into a church and stole the carpet on the altar.
On daily basis, they exhibited worse criminal tendencies, so much that they quickly became a thing of concern to the community.
At eighteen, Peter had already been in and out of police custody more than five times. Every time he went back to the group.
One time by the time he came out, his gang had graduated from petty stealing to armed robbery and rape.
They would ambush trucks and cars transporting goods on the highway and rob them, sometimes if the girls appealed to them, they would go as far as raping them.
When he came back to join them, they told him he could only join them if he could prove to them how heartless he was.
Peter had never held a gun before, let alone shoot one, by this time, he had left home, he hung around the street and would sometimes follow his gang members to their hideout.
One day, Peter made up his mind, he needed to get his spot in the gang, he had to prove that he was tough and heartless as the rest of the gang members.
He agreed to follow them for an early morning operation, it was a big market day, so people would leave early for the market.
Cars, trucks, pedestrians, bicycles snd motorbikes, it was on days like that that they cashed out, sometimes killing stubborn victims of their attack.
Peter was assigned to be the lookout.
From afar, he could signal them and tell them someone was coming by calling them via phone, they had just robbed a vehicle on the first street and gone on to another one.
Peter sighted a pedestrian and called them.
They laid ambush and waited, the moment she got close they pounced on her and took everything she had. Then they began to rape her, covering her face so that she doesn't recognize them.
It was still dark, the fog of the morning was still thick and one could barely see someone's face except they looked closely.
Peter had run down from where he was to partake in the rape to prove that he too was tough.
When it got to his turn, he heard the voice begging for mercy, the voice sounded familiar, when he uncovered the face, it was his mother.
There and then, his gang leader handed him a gun and told him to finish her off since she had seen his face.
He got the gun, stood for minutes, looked away and shot his mother. They all believed he was truly tough.
They shared the loot of that day.
Image source https://pixabay.com/images/search/pistol/
Are you using Binance too? How is your experience so far?
Binance. That's a word every newbie and experienced investor in the crypto space is accustomed to. It isn't the first crypto exchange in history but it is the largest crypto exchange today in terms of trading volume. Binance has a large number of users but still has the capacity to satisfy everyone's desire.
Binance is now the go-to exchange for both new and experienced investors. Spot trading, derivatives, futures, you name it. No one can underestimate the value of Binance in the crypto space today. Right now, I'll be your tour guide as we talk about Binance, how you can get started and what you need to look out for.
Before we start our tour, let's go down history lane and see how Binance started, shall we?
A Little Background Story
A long time ago in 2017, Changpeng Zhao and Yi He founded Binance in China. The name Binance is derived from a combination of binary and finance which gives the perfect summary of what the platform stands for. In 2017, the exchange held an ICO where they offered 100 million Binance Coin (BNB) to investors. The ICO generated over $15 million. Skip down to 2018 and the cryptocurrency exchange is the largest exchange with a market capitalization of $1.3 billion.
The cryptocurrency exchange is attractive and supports a huge number of crypto assets. So what makes Binance the go-to cryptocurrency exchange for most persons? Let's have a look at the advantages Binance has in the crypto community.
Advantages of Using Binance
There are a lot of advantages to using Binance to trade cryptocurrencies.
One advantage is the transaction fees charged on Binance. It is low compared to other exchanges. Although the transaction fee differs based on different trades and methods used, the transaction fees are low and suited for newbies who are new to buying cryptocurrencies and trading.
You have access to numerous crypto assets and trading pairs. With the launch of the Binance launchpad and Binance Smart Chain, more crypto tokens and DeFi projects are listed on the crypto exchange. With many people trading their favorite cryptocurrencies on the crypto exchange, no wonder why Binance is at the top of the food chain in terms of the trading volume.
How about their security?
Top-notch I must say. Binance offers a wide range of security options. The first batch of security is KYC. You need to complete your KYC if you're looking to mining huge volumes of cryptocurrencies through the platform. There are more security options to keep your account secure from illegal logins.
You have the option of using email verification, SMS verification, Google Authentication, and a security key. You might be wondering what a security key is, right?
A security key is a strong defense mechanism that makes sure no one gets a hold of your Binance account. How does it work? A security key provides strong phishing defense by using multi-protocol facilities that can protect any modern system. With the security key, you can always verify the website before inputting your login details.
Although there are many benefits to using Binance, there are some downsides. One of them is that there are some features not ideal for beginners. Newbies who are just getting into the crypto space find Futures trading easily accessible. Giving futures a try without proper research and education can lead to one losing the majority of their funds.
Another downside is their customer support. The customer support is poor as you rarely get attended to or it happens too late. It's quite poor that people sometimes take their complaints to Twitter with the hope of getting it resolved faster.
Taking all the aforementioned into consideration, it's safe to say that you can use Binance without issues except for the customer support of course. So how can you get started on Binance? Don't worry, I've got you covered. I'll drop all the steps you need to start trading on Binance.
How to Get Started on Binance
The first step is creating an account with Binance. So visit the official website, click on the register button, input your email address, your strong password, the extra details needed, and create your account. Be sure to look out for the lock icon on the left side of the address bar. That's an indicator that you're on the right page.
Once you're done, you are good to go. You can start buying and trading cryptocurrencies on the exchange. However, with your newly created account, there are limits to using it. There are limits on how much you can deposit and how much you can withdraw. Remember when I talked about KYC in the last section? Yes, KYC. You need that to verify your identity to lift off the limits on your account. Complete your KYC by submitting the documents needed by the platform. Once that is done, you are now a verified member of the Binance family.
Now you can buy cryptocurrencies and sell them without issues. There are many payment methods offered by Binance. They have made it possible that there are no obstacles when it comes to depositing your funds on the exchange platform. You can make use of your credit card, the P2P platform, or even third-party applications. Whatever options are easier for you, you are free to use them.
Conclusion
Sadly, this is where we have to end our tour on Binance. The apex platform is the most popular crypto exchange on planet earth. Within a space of four years, they have proven to be a trustworthy and reliable platform for the exchange of cryptocurrencies. If you're looking for a crypto exchange with fewer cons than pros, you know the name already.
Image source https://pixabay.com/vectors/bnb-binance-binance-currency-logo-6219388/
Someone pinch me, I am carrying my brother's Child.
It was a significant day for Victor back in the University. A day that would live with him for the rest of his life.
Victor had just been admitted to study Communication Arts after enrolling in the University's direct Entry Programme. By implication, he had to start from year two.
Victor grew up with his father, he never met his mother. His father never gave him any closure as to who his mother was.
Though he never lacked anything, he was a lonely, lonesome and unhappy person. His father sacrificed a lot by making sure he attended the best schools.
The only problem he had was that his father was strict, he was never allowed to set foot outside except when he went to school or church.
On days when his father was happy, he would permit him to go and play and be sure he got home before six o'clock.
It was a crowded neighbourhood but Victor had no friends, the only time he would have made friends was when he had to go out and fetch water, but the fear of his father never allowed him to mingle with people.
When he got admitted to school, the school became the home he always wished for, he made new friends, it was also the first time he was among a lot of girls.
Loneliness and unhappiness disappeared.
He lived in the hostel and would go home once a month to get money for foodstuff and books.
Victor was intelligent, his mastery of the English language was superb, lecturers often picked him amongst others to read from passages and pages of any given text.
In less than no time, Victor had gotten well acquainted with his new environment, it was different from the other campus where he was a Certificate student.
The University had a lot for him and Victor was going to get them all.
Something unimaginable happened during the second semester of his two hundred level. In his first semester, he met a girl during the screening exercise for freshmen.
She got his attention because they bore the same surname, only with a slight difference, whenever the screening officer called out names, starting from surnames, he found himself almost standing up to respond, only for him to hear the second name, Nancy.
He was Victor Anthony.
While she was Nancy Tony.
She was the most beautiful girl he had seen, the problem was that he had never talked to a girl, firstly, he had never been close to any and secondly, his father had warned him not to go close to any girl.
Coincidentally, they were in the same faculty, while he studied Communication Arts, she was there studying English and Literary Studies, all in the Faculty of Humanities.
Victor confided in his coursemate whom he became very close to and told him about Nancy.
His friend saw Nancy one day and became very interested in her, he had been there from year one, so he had no difficulties walking up to girls on campus.
Victor thought of many things to do, one day he resorted to writing her a letter, when he did, he gave it to his friend to deliver it for him, knowing how bold his friend was.
His friend did deliver the letter, but for two weeks, he didn't see her in school.
One day, on his way to the hostel, he heard a female voice call his name when he turned he saw that it was Nancy, he almost urinated in his trousers, he began to pant and sweat.
When Nancy walked up to him, she asked if that wasn't his name, he said it was, but that he's surprised she could call him from afar and even come to him.
Nancy was bold.
She grew up with her mother who constantly taught her not to be scared, that fear has done more harm than good to her.
She too never met her father, but unlike Victor, her mother knew who her father was and his whereabouts, only that she had told her not to worry that when she is old enough to understand certain things, she would take her to him.
They talked and became friends.
Nancy acknowledged receipt of the letter he wrote, they talked about it and laughed.
Nancy admitted that she too was attracted to him since the screening exercise but wanted him to make the first move.
They became the latest lovebirds in school and were seen everywhere together.
They dated for long, on holidays they were on call 24/7, sometimes Nancy's mother would want to hear the voice of the boy disturbing her daughter, she wanted to know everyone in her daughter's life, she told Nancy not to hide anything from her that she should just be careful.
Victor's friend, who also admired Nancy wanted her by all means and he did a lot of things, he waited till they went for their three months IT.
He chose a nearby location and encouraged Victor to apply in his faraway state, in a way Victor thought about and said his father would use his connections to get him a good place in his home town.
So with Victor far from Nancy, he began to pull strings, he bought her gifts and would warn her not to tell Victor because Victor would think he had ulterior motives, which he had.
Victor was barely one month into his IT program when Nancy called to tell him she had missed her period.
It was the first time Victor prayed for the earth to swallow him, he had heard rumours of his friend always hanging out with Nancy, but he couldn't bring himself to believe that neither she nor his friend could betray him.
But then he thought about the heated sex they both had before he left for his IT.
Nancy could not hide it from his mother because she came to school from home, when her mother confirmed it, she was devastated.
"You are keeping this child, I don't care who owns it!”, she thundered.
Victor had to come back from his IT and try to convince her to abort the child.
When he came back, Nancy's mother demanded to see him.
After hiding from Nancy and her Mother for long, he summoned the courage to go and see them.
They were home the day he went, neither Victor, Nancy nor her mother knew what was about to befall them.
The moment Nancy's mother saw Victor, she became uncomfortable, she could not utter a word.
When she asked of his Surname and he mentioned Anthony, she fainted.
After she was revived due to water being poured on her, she sat and began to cry.
Victor and Nancy were confused.
She sat down amidst tears and narrated to them the origin of the ordeal they have found themselves in.
Victor's father had taken him away from his mother and relocated when he was barely a year old after accusing her of infidelity, at that time, she was a month pregnant for him.
That baby was Nancy.
Her mother had shortened her father's name to the name she fondly called him, instead of totally discarding it, and since he had deserted.
There and them the Names Tony and Anthony began to make sense to Victor and Nancy.
Nancy then remembered that while growing up, her uncles usually told her she had a brother.
For hours, they sat there, uncommunicative.
It was a dilemma of the century.
source(image) https://pixabay.com/photos/pregnant-woman-belly-mother-parent-6178270/
Have you joined the NFTs trend yet? A trend not likely to fade soon
The last few months have seen non-fungible tokens (NFTs) come into the crypto space and dominate. Very much like the ICO publicity in 2017 and the DeFi boom in 2019, NFTs have become a significant feature of the crypto sector for 2021. We have seen some tremendous deals in the NFT space with a piece of art selling at $69.6 million. It's certainly not the most expensive painting but that amount is insane.
In case you're new to the blockchain and crypto space, you may have heard of NFTs and wonder what they are and why they are that expensive. Even tweets are minted as NFTs and sold for huge amounts of money. The CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, minted his first tweet as an NFT and it was sold for $2.5 million.
That's how crazy the crypto space was a few months ago. Although the NFT space hushed up for the last few weeks, there is still interest in making, printing, and selling NFTs. So let's talk about NFTs, how they work, why they have so much value, and how you can make your own NFTs.
What are NFTs and How Do They Work?
So what are non-fungible tokens otherwise known as NFTs? Well, NFTs are digital assets that symbolize either genuine or immaterial objects. These objects can be anything ranging from digital artworks to actual artworks, to even tweets.
With NFTs, you can make a duplicate of the original work and tokenize them on the blockchain. At the point when you do this, your work gets a special ID that can not be shared with any other NFT.
NFTs are like tickets to a football game. Each ticket has specific data such as your name, the date of the football game, and the serial number or ID for that particular ticket. No two tickets can have a similar ID or name of an individual. Your artwork or NFT has a unique ID and is totally authentic.
Blockchain technology guarantees your work is genuine. No outsider can control that data. But what makes NFTs so valuable?
People have always been tempted to get things others can't. Back then, one reason why artworks got so much value is that rich people always tried to outbid others into getting a one-of-a-kind painting. If Mr. A outbids everyone into getting artwork for $90 million, the moment he decides to sell, the auction starts at $90 million and ends when there is a final bidder. Let's say Mr. B gets the final bid and gets the artwork at $200 million. That's the new price of that artwork. And that's how that artwork has gained a new value.
This idea works with NFTs as well. People are invested in purchasing NFTs because they believe their owned NFTs will increase in value as time passes by. And that's why people go out of their way to get rare NFTs such as Jack's first tweet. Enough of the small talk, let's discuss how you can create your own NFT.
How To Create Your Own NFT
Creating and selling NFT isn't hard in any way. Here are a couple of steps on how you can make and sell your own NFT.
The initial step is setting up a wallet. This wallet will hold your NFT and hold the funds you are going to use to pay for transaction fees. So where can you create a wallet? You can go to metamask.io and download the app or its Chrome extension. Remember to store your seed phrase somewhere safe. Once you're done setting up your wallet, you are one step closer to creating your NFT.
The next step is opening an account in an NFT marketplace. One of the most popular markets is OpenSea. Create an account with the platform and connect your MetaMask wallet to OpenSea.
Click on the create button, create a name for your collection, click on the add new button and upload the file you want to tokenize. You can add additional properties and information if you want to.
Whenever you're done, you can sell your NFT in OpenSea. You will need to pay for transaction fees. Once you are done, you have officially given OpenSea the right to sell your NFT.
Conclusion
Although the NFT sector has been quiet for some time, there is still value in creating and selling NFTs. Numerous organizations including comics giants, DC Comics, are creating NFTs of their popular comic characters. Even top musicians are now selling their albums and songs as NFTs. If you are a content creator or an artist, there is no better time to create your own NFT than now. You can follow the steps provided in this article and become part of a trend that won't fade away.
Image source https://pixabay.com/photos/nft-bitcoin-crypto-blockchain-6288805/
What is Bitcoin Cash and How Does it Work?
It has been 12 years since the first cryptocurrency was introduced into the digital space. A cryptocurrency is a decentralized form of digital cash that permits individuals to conduct transactions without the need for third parties such as banks or governments.
Satoshi Nakamoto stated in his whitepaper that what was needed was “an electronic payment system based on cryptographic proof instead of trust, allowing any two willing parties to transact directly with each other without the need for a trusted third party”.
In recent years, more and more cryptocurrencies have come onto the market. One among them is Bitcoin Cash. Beginners regularly mistake Bitcoin Cash for Bitcoin in light of the very fact that they're similar in name only. So what's Bitcoin Cash?
What is Bitcoin Cash?
Bitcoin Cash was created in 2017 and is a hard fork of Bitcoin. A bit like Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash is a decentralized peer-to-peer network encryption currency. It has all of the features of its big brother, Bitcoin, but the transaction speed is quicker.
Bitcoin Cash was created to tackle the problems of the Bitcoin blockchain. Since Bitcoin is the hottest cryptocurrency in the world, there are many transactions on the Bitcoin network. With every transaction, users complain about the transaction speed and the high transaction fees. If a transaction takes minutes or maybe hours to process, how can investors get interested in Bitcoin? Or, if transaction fees are high, how will retailers and micro-businesses use Bitcoin for transactions?
At the moment, there are many alternative currencies out there that offer faster transactions and lower transaction fees, like Ethereum and lots of other currencies. Concerned about the longer-term scalability of cryptocurrencies, few miners decided to make Bitcoin Cash unravel Bitcoin's limitations.
Although it's been four years since Bitcoin Cash was created, few people and newbies understand how the blockchain network works. Let's discuss how Bitcoin Cash works and the way it is often used for digital transactions.
How Does it Work?
Bitcoin Cash works equivalently as Bitcoin. Both Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash have a hard cap of 21 million coins. Both protocols have nodes to verify transactions and use Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus algorithms. You want to know what makes Bitcoin Cash different from Bitcoin, right? Well the similarities between them are technical.
Compared to Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash has quicker transaction speed and lower transaction fees. With Bitcoin Cash, micro-businesses and retailers don't have to stress over high transaction fees and slow transactions. You don't have to wait a few minutes or hours just because you decided to buy morning coffee with Bitcoin.
One issue with Bitcoin Cash is that fewer individuals use it in everyday exchanges. it's yet to be embraced as a daily means of payment. Over time, with increasing awareness and further improvements, Bitcoin Cash will soon become the forerunner in digital currency transactions.
Bitcoin Cash also supports applications like CashShuffle and CashFusion. Bitcoin Cash uses these two applications to make payments easier, faster, and secure.
CashShuffle is a decentralized coin mixing protocol that will mix your Bitcoin Cash with other participants within the Bitcoin Cash network. CashShuffle is meant to guard your business and your funds. With CashShuffle, your transactions are private and can't be easily tracked. Many dollars have been shuffled since its inception, making CashShuffle one of the most popular applications on the Bitcoin Cash platform. However, shuffling coins requires a trusted third party to function. Quite ironic considering crypto is supposed to be decentralized and autonomous.
CashFusion is another application designed for Bitcoin Cash. The protocol allows anyone to make multi-party transactions with other participants within the network. A bit like CashShuffle, your data and transactions are private and transactions can't be easily tracked.
Unlike CashShuffle, which uses the coin-mixing method, CashFusion aggregates your funds with funds from other CashFusion users into one large transaction. Then your Bitcoin Cash (BCH) is sent back to your wallet, except, in this case, your transaction has been mixed up with other transactions, making it difficult for anyone to trace your transaction.
Pros and Cons
One advantage of using BCH is that the convention solves Bitcoin's scalability problem. Bitcoin transactions take an extended time. Bitcoin's block size is restricted to 1MB. Bitcoin Cash solved this problem by increasing the block size to 8MB and in some cases to 32MB. Expanding the block size means more transactions are often completed per block. With Bitcoin, 1,000 to 1,500 transactions are often completed per block. With Bitcoin Cash, you'll complete a mean of 25,000 transactions per block.
One downside is that the protocol always has to compete with Bitcoin for popularity. A war that was lost before it even began. However, as long as there's some innovation, Bitcoin Cash is going to be widely used as a transaction medium.
Conclusion
The future is bright for Bitcoin Cash. In 2018, Bitcoin Cash experienced its hard fork resulting in the creation of another derivative of Bitcoin called Bitcoin SV. What the future holds will depend on how Bitcoin Cash scales its transactions on the network.
The future is bright for Bitcoin Cash. In 2018, Bitcoin Cash experienced its hard fork leading to the creation of another derivative of Bitcoin called Bitcoin SV. What the longer term holds will depend upon how Bitcoin Cash scales its transactions on the network.
Lead image https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.fxempire.com/en/bitcoin-cash-bch-summary/711644
They couldn't have been wrong, one good turn deserves another.
My parents were not rich when they were alive, so growing up was very hard for me and my siblings.
We hawked so many things just so our school fees could be paid on time.
My elder brother had to go learn a trade after primary school so that we the younger ones could go to school.
My father was one of those soldiers who was accused of planning a coup, he was first sent to prison, he stayed there for two years, he was released when a new government took over.
While there all his entitlements were denied him. It was hell for us, my mother, who was a trader found it difficult to cope, she cried every day and fell sick many times along the line.
My elder brother was away in the City learning a trade, so it was just I and my younger ones at home with mum.
We lived in the barracks, but when my father got imprisoned we were evicted.
Shortly after my father was released, he had a heart attack and died.
My mother took us to the village, in the village we found it very difficult to cope, we began to weed people's farms for stipends.
Within a short period, we were known as the only people who could weed farms perfectly.
It is what I'm grateful to my parents for to this day, they thought us how to do things diligently, I remember how my mum would throw plates at me if I didn't wash them properly.
One day, the owner of a farm we were paid to weed visited the farm while we were there, only a small portion was left, she was so impressed, she asked us to go and come back the next day to complete it.
My mother insisted we finished everything so that we could get the balance of our money and get dinner for that day.
I noticed that the woman stood somewhere and watched us until we finished.
Then she walked up to us and asked my mum who she was, my mum then narrated our ordeal to her, she became very sober and I could tell that she was just holding back her tears.
She offered to accommodate us in the city, she told us she had two houses in the city and that we could stay in a flat in one of them, she also promised to get my mother a little job, while I and my siblings would go back to school.
For us, it was a miracle, I could not hide my joy, the woman even told us to call on her if we ever needed help.
My mum began to work in a hotel as a cleaner, she couldn't get a better job because she had only her primary six results.
I went on to secondary school after my common entrance result was out, I passed with distinction and was enrolled on a scholarship for which I wrote an exam, courtesy of my benefactor.
We were at home one day when some policemen, in the company of well corporately dressed individuals came to the compound with a "quit notice".
I later got to know that they were bankers and the house had been forfeited for a debt my benefactor owed.
We were homeless again.
My brother had begun doing well and would send us little money to feed with.
From my mother's little savings, which she got from her janitorial services in people's homes, she was able to rent a wooden house called Bacha, we lived there until I finished secondary school, the hotel job my mum was doing was tasking and frustrating so she quit.
I aced my West African Examination and continued on the scholarship to the University.
By this time, my benefactor was nowhere to be found.
Some said she traveled abroad, while some said she was in prison, but all efforts to reach her proved abortive at the time.
One day, while in school, I saw a little girl by the corner of a classroom block crying, beside her was a bucket full of sachet water, I was to her so I went by and asked what the problem was, she told me her mother was dying and she has nowhere to go or anyone to tell.
I asked her where her house was and she told me, I became very interested because I understood what it felt like to be in a helpless situation as such.
We had moved out of the Bacha, it happened when my mother was contracted to clean the house of an expatriate who came to supervise a construction job.
It was the first time I saw dollars, I remember my mum telling me that the white man gave get white papers and that she doesn't know if anyone would accept the money.
I took them to the bank and changed them into naira.
We got a better place, it wasn't perfect, as we had to share the toilet with about twenty people, but it was better than having to poo in buckets or bags and throwing them over a fence.
The little girl took me to her mother, lo and behold it was my benefactor.
She looked old and tired.
When she saw me, she couldn't recognize me.
I wondered what could bring such a vibrant, well-to-do woman to such a state.
She could not hold back tears when she saw me, I cried along with her but promised her that all will be well.
It happened that she was duped and the firm she worked with at the time accused her of stealing.
She was stripped of all she had, along the line she had to withdraw her only child from school so she could hawk sachet water on campus.
I was already done with my final exams and was waiting for service.
When my mum heard about her, she was so excited.
We began to take care of her.
She became alive again, her daughter went back to school courtesy of me and my mother.
After my youth service, I got a job and I took her daughter to live with me, I placed her on a monthly salary and got a decent place for her.
My mother became sick and slowly died of cancer despite all efforts to keep her alive.
I was, however, glad that she saw a bit of my success story and GOD used her to help someone rise from the dust.
Life is in turns.
People you help on your way up can help you on your way down.
Do good today.
One good turn deserves another.
What we know are today and yesterday, but you see tomorrow?
It's not certain
Have a beautiful new week.
Image source https://pixabay.com/photos/button-buttons-computer-design-key-2076/
When I meet you, then, I'll know
It feels impossible to meet someone who would know you in and out and love you as you are.
One day I'll know.
I'll know your birthday.
I'll know your best dance.
I'll know your middle name, your parent's names, where you were born and where you grew up.
I'll know your zodiac sign and personality traits, your eye colour, how many scars you have and the stories behind them.
I will show up at your place of work or school and gift you your favourite food, or favourite flowers.
One day, I'll put you to sleep with a sweet lullaby and wake you up with sweet melodious country music with breakfast just within your reach right there on the bed.
One day I'll know how many cousins you have and how old you were when you first learned how to ride a bike or a car and exactly how many freckles you have.
One day ill know your best friend, your favourite co-worker, and why you love to shop where you do.
One day I'm going to know your favourite book, movie, song, clothes, pair of shoes and colour.
I'll know your dreams, your aspirations, desires, wishes and fantasies, and why you can't sleep at night.
I'll understand why you worry about irrelevant things.
I'll know that when that one song comes on, I'd better turn it up or put it on repeat.
I will memorize your facial expressions, body language, your laugh, your eye movements and when you think something is funny.
Someday I will know the nasty manners you wish you could break, and help us break them together.
I'll know your fears about life and how you don't want to get any older.
I'll know how much you love golden hour and when the sun sets or rises.
I'll know how you love to sit and watch the ripples raindrops make.
I'll know how many kids you want and what colours you want for your wedding and how you wish you could tell all the people that you hurt how sorry you are.
I'll know your favourite travel destination, your cravings and the things that hurt you most.
I'll know that you like your coffee with cream and sugar and lots of it, or Pap and Akara with a bottle of fine wine to wash it down.
I'll know that it takes you forever and a day to decide where you want to eat and what you want to wear and exactly what ice cream you like to order because you never change it.
One day I'm going to know how you dance, kiss, smile, walk and sing.
I'll figure out what to do when you can't stop crying and I'll know exactly what's wrong before you tell me.
I'll know the words to say to make your ribs crack from laughter and know what to do to provoke your tears of joy.
One of these days I'm going to know everything there is to know about you and I'm going to love all of it.
Most importantly, one of these days, I'm going to find you, and get lost in your groove.
One day is all I need.
Lead image source https://pixabay.com/photos/couple-hug-romantic-romance-1209046/
MY SURVIVAL----A close mouth is a close destiny
I had just broken ties with my school father then, the principal's son. How I became his school son was my making.
He was very handsome and I admired him a lot. I liked him and always looked forward to seeing him and listening to him talk to us.
So one day I wrote him a letter.
Telling him how I liked him and how I wanted him to be my school father.
And to the glory of God, he accepted me as I was.
So he began the fatherly role of always eating up my provisions, this continued for a while.
One day I rebelled against him.
And I told him, not in so many words, that we were done.
I used to support my rebellion with crying, whenever I cried while doing anything, I was up to something.
Before then I was nicknamed "reporter".
When the good was going between us, no one touched me, or even abused me, because I would report to my school father.
Who wanted to get into trouble with the principal's son.
When water scarcity hit the school and we had to go outside to fetch, no senior, who stood by the dormitory entrance, scooping two bailers each of people's water touched mine.
I was covered.
But my provisions weren't.
When a particular senior heard I was no longer Tony's school son, he came at me, ridiculing me.
"If I beat you now, who will you report me to?", he always asked.
During one of those eleven nights, there was chaos in the dormitory, when the seniors finished with us, they went to flog other students, and some of them who had started with them but repeated a class revolted.
Hell was let loose.
The principal was called when the boarding master couldn't handle the situation anymore.
That night some students left the hostel and strayed into the bushes and streets.
Then the principal came.
And angrily he decreed and declared, and told us the juniors that if any senior should ever touch us, we should climb a chair and slap the senior, then run to his office for safety.
He promised he would deal with the senior.
We cheered.
But we knew that warning alone would cause us more pick pins, angle ninety, and the dreaded scorpion.
And true to it, the following weeks were hell.
I ran home.
Mum brought me back.
I had no coverage anymore.
I went back to being the endangered species, that was used for experimental purposes to the amusement of wicked senior prefects.
And it wasn't just me.
But the rebelling spirit was alive and well in me.
I was unpredictable, some of the things I did were just reactions to the actions meted towards me.
One day, that senior who took it upon himself to fast and pray that I broke up with my school father, sent me to buy something at the canteen.
When I came back, he asked that I went again.
I wasn't really happy that day, they had turned my food in the dining and I had no provision, I was just managing my life, giving time some moral support so it would run fast to evening for dinner.
I mumbled some words in protest.
He heard me and called me back.
He slapped me and instantly I began to cry
My crying must have angered him more, and he slapped me again.
He crossed the line there.
You don't beat me when I'm crying.
Before he could tell that was happening, he received the hottest slap he would ever get from a junior student, yes, I made sure my palm greeted his face well.
And immediately, the spirit of Hussein Bolt entered me, I went racing across the school compound.
"I am going to report you", I screamed as I ran off, he followed at some point, but could not catch up, because, for a moment, he stood there, probably in shock, wondering if I slapped him.
"As you are going, if you don't report me, don't come back o!", he shouted.
I was done for, I went to the class block and stayed there, watching the pathways leading up there, to make sure he doesn't creep up on me.
I didn't know what to do, I decided to wait it out till evening, maybe by then, he might have calmed down.
News had gone viral, my brothers at arms were waiting for me to celebrate me, some came looking for me to cheer me, some came and told me to go home that the senior will kill me.
I summoned the courage to go back to the dormitory and apologize to him.
When he saw me coming, he asked me if I was done reporting him.
I looked at him boldly and told him the principal was calling him.
He knew nobody had the guts to walk up to the principal, so he said that if I'm lying I would see what he would do to me.
I thought of so many things, then I reiterated, I told him that the principal said we should come together now.
I planned to run away and go straight home when we got closer to the gate.
But I don't know what happened, I walked in front with him trailing me behind, I said to myself," Qui sera sera"(whatever will be, will be).
I walked straight to the principal's office.
He wasn't moved, students used to say they have reported someone but when you get to the office door or entrance of the staff room, they will abscond, saying they were lying.
This senior, whom the gods wanted to kill by first making him mad thought I was lying, or knew rather.
He was prepared to hold me by my shorts, if I tried to run, so he came very close to me.
At this point, I was standing by the principal's door, and I thought to myself, do I run away and get beaten again?
Or should I just apologize to him there? While I was thinking I knocked on the door of the principal's office, and he asked that I come in?
The senior was shocked.
It was even more shocking to the principal when we both got into the office and I told him I came to report the senior to him, crying.
The senior stood there, looking dumb.
The principal's specs nearly fell off his face, I could tell he was holding back some good laugh, if not for anything, for the funny look on the senior's face and of course for the size of the boy who brought a grown-up person with him to report.
It took him a while to comprehend what was happening.
"Do you see how stupid you are?", the principal asked him, repositioning his glasses on his face.
" Now tell me what happened", he said looking at me as I was cleaning the tears from my eyes.
I began the whole story and roped every other bully in, starting from my first night in the dormitory when I woke up and couldn't find my bucket and bed sheet.
Until I left that office, the senior couldn't utter a word.
He was flogged as I later heard, from that day if he saw me coming, he made sure he was going.
Lead image source https://pixabay.com/photos/bullying-child-finger-suggest-3089938/
I wish I had met him sooner
My best friend John was very brilliant back in primary school. They had relocated from Lagos to Aba when things got tough.
His father worked in the federal government waterboard service, after working for years with nothing to show for, except a rickety Suzuki bike, he decides to call it quits and relocate to his home town, as he said, at least there will be a farm to plant crops.
I was playing with other children in a sand field close to the school I attended when John came to join us to play, he was mostly white but very funny, we got to talk and he told me his father was searching for a school to enrol him in.
I told him my school was nice, and given that he would be in my class, I advised him to suggest Mbano Primary School to his father.
Two weeks later John had joined us, within a short period he was nicknamed JoJo.
He suddenly became the best pupil in mathematics and English, surpassing Ezinne who gave every one of us a gap we couldn't fill, he would go ahead to come first every term.
All I loved was that I was called his friend, he was fun to be with and I thought all was well with him until I followed him to his house one day after school.
His mother sold Garry in front of their compound, she kept it in the verandah since she could not afford a shop, the father had retired to farming and would sit under the mango tree at the village town hall to draught.
Their house was mainly uncompleted, he told me his father begun the building when he worked for the government, I stood there in my naive mind, thinking that whoever works for the government ought to be rich.
Jojo came to school hungry some days, but I alone knew.
Sometimes I would come to school with my breakfast and lunch so he and I could share.
When it was time for primary six exams, Jojo couldn't afford to pay, so the headmaster wrote to the community that played host to the school for support, he and other indigent pupils were sponsored.
Jojo passed with flying colours.
One day I was in my house when Jojo came running. He told me his father had died.
His younger siblings had been sent back home from their uncle's place where they lived and helped him in his shop, his father was hypertensive, I guess seeing his kids going hungry every day must have lured him into unending and uncertain thoughts.
After his father's funeral which was organised by the village church, Jojo was sent to Onitsha to serve someone who would in turn settle him after some years.
I never heard from Jojo anymore.
There were no phones then.
In my three hundred level in University of Portharcourt, I remember I met someone who knew both of us as best friends, he told me Jojo was somewhere in Port Hacourt and that he was a very bad boy, that if I saw him, I won't want to have anything to do with him.
Last week in Port Harcourt, just beside the oil mill market, some boys attacked me, got my phone and beat me up, while I walked away one of them ran up to me and told me their senior man wanted to see me, I was scared, but I walked back with him reluctantly.
It was getting late, so when I walked closer the figure didn't appear like someone I knew until I heard my name, the voice rang a bell, especially since it was my nickname.
I went closer and to my surprise, it was Jojo.
He said he saw my ID card and my picture, that was why he sent for me.
He handed my properties to me and took me to a corner, in seconds the Jojo who commanded his boys around became very sober, I could see it in his eyes, he didn't like the life he was living, I almost cried.
He narrated to me how his oga maltreated him and accused him of stealing, two months to the end of his apprenticeship, he had to go back to the village and live with his mother and siblings for years before following his friend to Port Hacourt, he said he needed to survive, he had tried his hands at everything.
I was pained.
I had just gotten a job and I remember they were looking for a laundry man in the company, I told him about it and he said he would do it and that he desperately wanted to leave there streets.
I went back home that day and could not sleep.
I spoke to my boss and narrated the whole story and he felt concerned and offered to help Jojo by rehabilitating him and giving him a job.
I went by the junction where he hung around that day to look for him, he didn't have a phone so I went with a small phone I bought, when I got there I saw a crowd.
I didn't know what was going on so I forced my way into it, standing on my toes most of the time, I got to the front and saw two young men being beaten and tired up beyond recognition, they had poured fuel on them and were a boy to lit the fire, I marveled at how people were so uncivilized and heartless.
I could not stand to watch fire gut people to death do I made to leave, I had come there for Jojo and not that.
When I left the crowd, I heard someone say, " so na so Jojo take go, na wa o".
It took about a minute for my brain to process the information, I ran back to the crowd, they had lit the fire, and I asked someone who the culprits were, he told me it was Jojo and Tata, the ones who usually rob people night at Oil mill junction.
My friend John left this world in flames.
Deep down in my heart, I knew he wanted better for himself. I wish I had met him sooner.
It left a scar, that will take eternity to disappear.
Image source https://pixabay.com/photos/boys-kids-children-two-pair-286151/
Life has a way of creating balance; what's your story
Image source https://pixabay.com/photos/beach-balance-rocks-stones-corals-2178625/
Too much of everything is bad, they say. For this reason, we tend to lose one thing to gain the other. It is a way of creating balance.
If you have seen the movie, Merlin, you will be familiar with this phrase, "when a life is given, a life must be taken". It is a constant phenomenon, even when we do not notice it.
When my Grandpa died, my Aunty gave birth to a baby boy, and he had the skin color of my granddad. If the baby had granddaddy's face, we would have said, it's reincarnation. He is lucky he didn't.
I had wondered if that is what Merlin meant or not. Now, the week, we buried my grandmother, another aunt of mine gave birth to a baby boy.
He had my grandmother's complexion too. Now, does the phrase not ring true in my family? It certainly does.
Life does have a way of creating balance, I repeat. When we work too hard and forget to take care of ourselves, life punishes us by making us sick, so we could take medications, and take quality breaks.
If we go for days without eating, life makes us look thin, so we will notice the malnutrition, and eat well. Or life blows us with an illness called Ulcer, so we will never leave our stomachs without food.
If we have lots of money, life brings losses in various ways. A car that needs repair, a building catches fire, a relation suddenly has financial issues, we run into bad debts, or lose major investments
All these, life is trying to make sure we do not get comfortable with one lifestyle. That way, we don't pride ourselves on being able to do this or that on our own.
Anytime, we grow stronger, the world becomes tougher. Life makes sure, it eliminates, tyranny from our blood and flesh.
We do not have a manual on how to go through life. We learn through experiences, and at the point when we feel, we are understanding life, we get old.
Getting old means, we are near death. Again, life plays his cards well. Yes, you have seen life, and you should be able to live it without hitches.
But life says no, and makes you old, and unable to exercise control as you thought you should.
No one has everything, you may have lots of money but no children or lovers to spend on. Loneliness crawls in.
You begin to appreciate those who have a normal lifestyle. Those with simple, and plain living. Since they are pretty much contented with what they have.
And, they have children, and grandchildren running around and giving them happiness.
On the other hand, if you do have someone to share your wealth with, life doesn't give you wealth or gives you a little. This may put a strain on your relationship, but life doesn't care.
Your children blame you for not being to live a flashy lifestyle like the other kids in school or down the block. Your partner blames you for not getting the flashy lifestyles their friends are showcasing.
Now, what if you have both the money and lovers or children to share with? Life makes you enjoy them less by giving you illnesses, and diseases to battle with.
You spend your time, money, and resources on getting well, so you can at least enjoy your family and loved ones.
If you are not sick, you have a partner that gives you heart attack here and there. One involved with one social media scandal here and there. One who doesn't appreciate your efforts to give them comfortable lifestyles.
Or you end with children who abuse the privilege of a comfortable life. They smoke, drink, party, and engage in unhealthy activities every day.
I repeat life has a way of creating balance.
If you had money, time, good health, and a good lover, and children, what does life do to create balance? Life gives you brilliant children, but these want nothing to do with you.
They hate you because you try to tell them how to live their life. They hate you because you are trying to force your business on them.
Of course, you are looking for an heir. But your heir is setting his sight on things that are different from what you are giving them.
Then, if you had everything, including children who want to take after you and over from you, life takes away the love of your life, quite early.
You spend every day missing them. To make matters worst, your children remind you of them.
For life makes sure one of them has the resemblance of your dead partner, both in character and in body structures
Life has other ways of creating balance for everyone. What is your story?
How you can make a 1800% ROI with your copywriting skills.
Do you often read books or watch videos that repeats the same content and information about copywriting?
Do you wish you knew the psychology that draws customers to your content?
Do you want to put out valuable sales letter that entices them enough to take action?
Source https://pixabay.com/vectors/copywriter-copywriting-writing-5469732/
There is a fundamental psychology that comes with copywriting. You have to be taken by the hand, and guided on the basics of writing a perfect sales copy.
You need to know the key concepts, terms, and advice, even if you are a beginner.
You should know how to write sales letters, emails, e-newsletters, sales copy, funnels, and more.
Imagine you are reading a sales letter, what is the one thing you look out for?
A single idea that will make you more successful right?
You are never interested in everything the author has to say. You naturally skim through looking for answers. Answers perculiar to your needs at the moment.
As you continue reading, your soul longs for a single, and powerful idea that will catapult and jolt you out of your indifference and unbelief.
Once you are uplifted, you will remember that idea, and take actions.
It is important that you understand what a single idea is and what is it not. An idea that is able to bring results isn't all that big.
They are always simple ideas, and once it is applied to problem solving, the whole scenario looks really simple.
They are often clear, concise, and precise ideas.
A copywriter thrives on being able to push the buy-button of his client by centering his sales letter around one idea.
This is because when his client reads such letters, he will discover engaging, thought-provoking, and scalable ideas.
This will move him towards taking action, and in this case, buying the product.
A copywriter learns what it takes to hit the nail on the head, instead of circling his sales letter around more than one idea.
A good copywriter knows that the more topics or points or ideas that he tries to analyze, the less effective his sales copy will be
So he is committed to making sure the hit the right idea, and wins over his customer with it.
Soaring in your copywriting career means you must learn how to use one idea with all the right techniques. Such techniques include appropriate stories, predictions, statements, promises, etc.
These techniques has to capture the idea and then drive your sales.
The best way to be able to gain such a massive advantage is to know who your customer is.
It is the only way you will be able to present an idea that solves his problems and needs.
If you do not want to lose your target, then study him. Do not assume that everyone will respond to your sales pitch in the same way.
You should learn to study your mark or potential client. You have to become familiar with his weakness, pride, insecurities.
Learn to see through his appearances, and contradictions. Find the chink in his armour that will give you an upper hand in selling to him.
Gather concrete knowledge about him, know his attributes and the perculiarities of his taste. Find those uncontrollable emotions and secret needs.
Once you are able to find the one thing or idea that will bait him, stay on course till the end.
How do you stay on course? Use that one idea and tell a captivating story, strike core emotions in your customer, give him the desire benefits, and then make him take action.
The ultimate goal in copywriting is to find one good idea to grab your reader's attention. Instead of tackling different ones that pulls their attention in different directions.
So use a simple but strong idea, one that is easy to believe, and understand. Use an idea that stirs interest, convince, and is clearly useful to the reader.
This is the core principle of copywriting.
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Why should you let go of your past?
Do you often feel like the majesty of isolation? Probably yes, we are all guilty of the tendency or need to always be alone or keep to ourselves. We feel the rest of the world will not understand us.
So we choose to stay on our own instead of mingling with a bunch of folks whose duty will only be to judge us. Most times, people try to come close to us, but we find ourselves shutting them out.
And it is likely because we don't want them to see into us, and read our souls. If care is not taken these people always find their way into our lives, with or without our permission. In the real sense, what we should do about life is let every burden go.
We should not ever be caught holding onto anything. This is because everything is bound to change, and there can be no stability or lasting order in this life. The earlier we understand this, the better it will be for us.
From here, we can always understand that nothing stays the same forever. so letting go is of utmost importance. Again, letting go could mean leaving behind the spaces that we are already familiar with.
It could mean expanding our coast and reaching for the skies. It could be the time to taste the limit that we can go. We could push through the boundaries, and the hurdles, and become free.
Once we have mastered the art of letting go, we will leave the past in the past. We will not have any reason to dwell on them. if we have to, it will not be to bear a grudge, rather, it will be to learn lessons.
These will be lessons, we will vow never to repeat anymore.
In a nutshell, the song Frozen by Idina Menzel inspired this writing. And it is a call to every one of us, to allow the world to pass through us. We should refrain from being restricted and overly constricted to a certain form of life. We should be as formless as fluid, and watch the world respond to us the way we want it to.
Can you convert Bitcoin into cash? If yes, How?
The simple answer is yes! But how can you convert Bitcoin into cash? Well, the growth of the industry over the years has made available several options.
The truth is most people are investing in Bitcoin because it is showing a tendency to replace fiat currency. Apart from this, you should know that in the nearest future, you will be able to use any bitcoin for any kind of purchase.
For now, only a few businesses or individuals accept bitcoin as payment options. This could be one of the reasons you want to know how to convert your Bitcoin to cash at the moment.
Another reason that might bring this decision is a decline in the market. A sell option will only occur to you if you feel you have to protect yourself from the losses as the market continues to sink.
**How can then you transfer your Bitcoin to your bank account?**
***Sell it on a cryptocurrency exchange/broker***
Exchanges such as Coinbase or Kraken offer the easiest way to sell your coins and withdraw cash to your account.
The best advice here is to use the same account details that were used to make a deposit while withdrawing. This is required to curb and regulate money laundering.
For verification and authenticity, you need to sign up and complete the verification process. Deposit or buy Bitcoin into your account. Once you are ready to withdraw, you do so via a bank transfer or Paypal.
***Bitcoin ATMs***
A Bitcoin ATM allows you to buy or sell Bitcoin with fiat currency. There are about 4990+ crypto ATMs across 76 countries.
You can find ATM’s location in your region by using the website **Coin ATM Radar**.
Know that all the machines are not the same, and the biggest drawback is the high transaction fee.
***Bitcoin Debit Card***
These cards are either powered by VISA or MasterCard, and you can use them both online and offline. The card can be gotten from websites that you sell bitcoin, and they give you a prepaid debit card in exchange.
***Peer-to-peer exchange***
The quickest form of selling bitcoin is through peer-to-peer transactions. With this method, you can decide which payment method you prefer before you transfer the coins to them.
This could be a cash deposit or a bank transfer with a proof of transaction ID respectively. You might as well go ahead and meet the buyer in person if he is in your locality.
The peer-to-peer method of buying Bitcoin offers a good level of safety. This is because this method works hand in hand with the escrow service which locks bitcoin up until payment has been confirmed.
However, before you convert your bitcoin to cash you have to remember that the sales will always require transaction fees in most cases and that taxes are inevitable.
Also, take into consideration, the cost and the ease of the cash out method. This means you should note the bank account to be deposited, the type of currency, and the duration it takes to receive your cash.
Whatever it is that you need on account of Bitcoin exchange, they will always be an options that meets your needs. Look out for them!
***How to create an account with Coinbase***
First open an account with CoinBase, by searching for the Coinbase on your browse. Give an email address, and get started.
Once you have given your email, you will be asked to create an account. I think for verification purposes, you should use your real names when signing up. Choose a password, and click on the agreement to successfully create an account.
From here, you will be asked to verify your mail, you will do this by opening the mail you provided and click on the verify button.
Once you have your mail verified, provide your phone number, CoinBase will ask for permission to send a code for verification
Type in the seven digits numbers you received and submit.
The server will pop up a question on what you would love to do next with your account. You can choose to transfer crypto or to skip the process
If you choose the "yes, transfer crypto "option, this is the disclaimer that you are going to receive.
If you choose option B, you will be led to a home page with the various features including the buy and sell option.
***How to sell Bitcoin on CoinBase***
Now that you have successfully created an account with CoinBase, you can transfer your CoinBase Bitcoin address, and sell them using the sell option.
• Once you are done, click on the buy/sell button
• Follow suit with the sell button.
• Your bitcoin balance will reflect on your account, and the corresponding default fiat currency. The image below shows a Euro currency, yours will change depending on your country
• Other things you will notice are your account limits, and you can increase the limit of you do the additional verifications.
• When you click on the sell button, your funds will be in your fiat currency wallet.
• Here is the final step to exchanging your bitcoin, you just need to click on your fiat currency wallet, e.g., USD, and click on ***withdraw***.
If you already had your account details saved. You have successfully converted your Bitcoin into cash.
***How to save your bank account/details on CoinBase***
Once you have added an ID for verification in your CoinBase account, you can go ahead and add a payment option
• This is done by clicking on your profile and choosing the setting icon.
• You will find the payment method as one of the listed procedures in your account.
• Click on it and choose an option
• Go ahead and verify your payment method, and you will are ready to receive your money.
Note that the payment duration varies between countries, it could take up 4-6 days for most countries, and 1-3 days for others.
@Edystringz