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@onlymythoughts

Joined 9 February 2021 · 1580 posts

Only my thoughts, to share with you.

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@onlymythoughts

The Tower of London, The Shard and Tower Bridge view from The River Thames, the sun is coming out now but it is windy on the top deck.

@onlymythoughts

A river cruise on the Thames in London today, seeing some of the sights, Greenwich and Canary Wharf in these pictures, more to follow.

@onlymythoughts

The Rising Cost of Living 4th April 2022 I have just had my direct debit increased for electricity and gas from £103 per month to £248 per month! More than double. I have phoned my supplier and it seems there is nothing I can do about this. There are no cheaper deals elsewhere and if I choose to fix my tarrif the cheapest deals start at over £300 per month. They have justified the increase in my direct debit by saying I need to build up a credit for my estimated usage over the next year. I figure that they are taking into account that gas and electricity prices will increase further before the coming winter time. The current inflation rate in the UK is officially 6.2% but in reality it is much more than this for many. The steep price rises in fuel is bound to feed through into higher prices for goods and services as businesses need to raise prices to cover their operating costs. All this at a time when the UK government and most governments around the world have spent billions on mitigating the economic impact of lockdowns due to the covid pandemic by effectively paying the wages of millions of people while they stayed at home to 'slow the spread' of Covid-19. Central banks have printed more and more money, a process known as 'quantitive easing' to try to stimulate the economy, and governments have borrowed colossal sums of money which will need to be paid back! Inflation makes it easier for governments to pay back this debt, as prices rise VAT revenues increase, fuel price at petrol forecourts have risen over 50% in the last year, so the recent 5p per litre 'tax cut' in fuel duty just about offsets the increase in VAT revenue that the government have gained from the rising cost of fuel. Higher inflation also reduces the real value of debt, bondholders on fixed interest rates see a fall in the real value of their bonds which in turn makes it eaiser for governments to pay back them back. But people get poorer, many people this winter here in the UK will really struggle with the cost of living this winter. This cost of living crisis was bad enough before the war in Ukraine started. Putin has weaponised the gas supply and threatened to 'cut off supply' to europe if he is not paid in rubles. Germany has outlined contingency plans to 'ration' the supply of gas to businesses in order to prioritise households. There is talk of food shortages too. Ukraine is a major supplier of wheat, barley and maize, particuarly to north Africa. Production has understandably been severely disrupted due to the awful war taking place and exporting the crops is much more difficult because Ukraine cannot be exported via the Black Sea ports of Odesa and Mykolaiv, only a fraction of crops can now be exported via Poland and Romania. Sanctions against Russia will impact not only Russia, but the rest of the world too as countries look for new sources of gas supply and goods and services. Could we see double digit inflation here in the UK before the end of the year? Cryptocurrencies have proved quite resilient throughout this unprecedented economic crisis. Maybe its a good time to build up some crypto reserves as a good hedge against the rising cost of living. Maybe we won't see hyperinflation here in the UK but with all the crazy stuff going on right now it would be foolish to say 'It could never happen' I hope we can all make it through this crisis, I feel for the people all suffering due to the war I find it hard to believe this is happening. A new cold war will be a dangerous thing for the whole world. The Russian people will suffer as a result of this conflict as well. Whats so sad is that innocent people suffer so much. This world is in turmoil and it is tragic. The future is uncertain, that is for certain! Thank you for reading, if you would like to read my other articles you can do so here. https://read.cash/@onlymythoughts Article is my own Pictures courtesy of Pixabay

@onlymythoughts

Having a bit of a struggle with Brave Rewards. To withdraw my 15 BAT which I have nearly reached I need to 'verify my wallet' and the only wallet I can use is 'Uphold' but my uphold wallet has been under review since Saturday. I have contacted support and 6 days later have heard nothing, maybe the will sort it out eventually, I hope so! 😣😣 Anyway by trial and error I have found that by using 'Brave Beta' you can verify your wallet straight away!! Using 'Gemini' wallet. So now I have my old Brave Browser and Brave Beta too! Though I couldn't transfer my Brave Rewards, so am starting from scratch! I have kept the original Brave Browser installed as uninstalling would mean losing all my BAT!! There is currently no other option than verifying it with 'Uphold' I saw on a sub reddit that 'Uphold' take ages to review accounts but hopefully they will unfreeze my wallet soon!! If you are new to Brave Browser I would say try the Beta version!! So you have the option to link 'Gemini Wallet' 👍👍 I have posted a screenshot, which shows my verified Brave Rewards!!

@onlymythoughts

Axie Infinity, $600 million dollar hack, that's rather worrying, these eth sidechain bridges seem vunerable to exploits! I have some of this coin staked myself, hope I will be able to withdraw. 😱😱 https://tinyurl.com/axieinfinityhack

@onlymythoughts

Having a walk around Cambridge, lots of bikes everywhere. A little bit chilly today. 🌀🌀

@onlymythoughts

Trying to save a little bit on fuel by driving a bit more economically, £1.77 per litre of Diesel I need to! 😉

@onlymythoughts

Nearly at 15 BAT on brave rewards and Uphold have placed my wallet under review, I emailed support on Thursday and am still waiting for them to fix it. Uphold is the ONLY wallet I can use to withdraw my BAT. I found a workaround to sign up as a content creator with twitter and use Gemini wallet but am still waiting to be verified as a creator. Hey ho, just have to wait and hope they sort it out. Centralized exchanges, what a hassle!! 😣😣

@onlymythoughts

Just trying this coffee for the first time, home made latte. 😊 I am off out to play snooker tonight, catch up later.

@onlymythoughts

Losing their grip on power 24th March 2022 In 1450, Johannes Gutenberg created the first printing press, which was given the name of the “Gutenberg Press” This invention revolutionised the way information and ideas were spread throughout Europe. Over time printing press machine improved significantly to the point where is was able to print a vast amount of material in a short space of time. In 1455 the first book to be produced was the Guternberg Bible. The text of the Gutenberg Bible is the Latin translation known as the Vulgate and it consists of only 42 lines so it is incomplete by a long way. You can read more here. https://tinyurl.com/thegutenbergbible The Bible was later translated and printed in many languages by men such as Tyndale and Martin Luther so that the common man, who could not read Latin, could now read the word of God for themselves, without relying on the interpertation of the Roman Catholic church authorities. The printed Bible in the hands of the common man was indeed a direct challenge to the papal authorities. On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses on the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany. Luther strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God’s punishment could be purchased with money. He believed in the doctrine of 'Justification by faith alone' salvation is by faith, not works. Martin Luther's 95 Theses challenged the papal authority in so many ways. He challenged among other things the selling of indulgences which was a monetary payment that was made to supposedly, absolve a person of past sins, for which there is no basis in scripture. You can read more about Martin Luther here. https://tinyurl.com/martinlutherandthereformation Martin Luther believed thay only Jesus Christ has the power and authority to forgive sin. These theses were printed and spread at a phenomenal rate across Germany and Europe. The success of the printing press played a big part in the success of the Protestant Reformation. Many conflicts followed during the middle ages and time of the reformation for example the German peasants war  (1524–1525) Later the Catholic Church began the counter reformation in 1545 against the growth of protestanisim. The conflicts continued with the Thirty Years War, which devastated Germany. This time in history, whatever your view was revolutionary and has shaped the world we live in today in many ways. Periods of great change and upheaval like this do not happen often but could it be that we are living in another period of huge change and revolution today. I wonder is this time in our history going to be another "Gutenberg moment" the results of which will shape our world for years to come. Nearly 29 years ago, the World Wide Web was made available for everyone. Back then not too many people had computers, let alone smartphones and the speeds on dial up were very slow. The Internet has changed beyond recognition since then. In under 30 years nearly everyone in can seek out information nearly instantly at the touch of a button, no need to visit a library and borrow a book any more, its all there at your fingertips. For years governments have been able to maintain power by influencing the media and pushing their agenda without too much of a challenge, but armed with a new source of access to information people have began to wake up, to read for themselves, to uncover the lies peddled by governments, the media and the deep state. The lies about the financial system, it is collapsing before our eyes, an economy built on ever more debt and the only solution seems to be printing more money. Inflation is spiralling out of control, people are becoming poorer, it is such a mess. Governments feel threatened by people having too much knowledge, they don't want people to 'think for themselves' but just to be good obedient citizens. They are becoming more oppressive in order to try and maintain their grip on power! Free speech is suppressed, you are only allowed to have one view. People with different views who do not follow the narrative are 'deplatformed' their voice must not be heard. Does this sound 'free and democratic' to you? Governments also are threatened by the emergence of cryptocurrencies because they offer a way to trade independently outside the constraints of the global financial system. If your money is held in a bank it is not really yours. Look at how quickly the assets of russian oligarchs and kremlin officials have been frozen as a result of economic sanctions due to the invasion of Ukraine. Decentralized exchanges can be used to trade crypto currencies annoymously accross the globe in seconds, crypto can be used to buy goods directly from another business without any need for a third party. Bitcoin cash is the perfect coin to use for this purpose due to its low transaction fees and lightning speeed. Many people can see what may be coming and are taking their money from the banks and holding it in their own custody where no-one else can access it. If you hold your own private keys then you are the soverign owner of your assets. The real battle for power is between centralised regimes, who plan to create their own 'central bank digital currencies' as a means to oppress us further, and decentralized networks. Decentralized Financial System Decentralized Currencies Decentralized Internet Decentralized Trade We have it in our hands to build these decentralized networks, this is why governments don't like it, it threatens their power to control us. The world is in turmoil, things are worse now than they ever were during the 'cold war' 1947-1991. Russia has gone back towards a totalitarian dictatorship, they will look to do more trade with China, who are likely to benefit as a result. China will not condem Russia for invading Ukraine and likewise it seems likely that Russia would not condem China if they chose to invade Taiwan. East and West are in opposition, things are tense and the stakes are high. Putin spins the narrative that this is a just war and he is defending Russia from Ukraine, many Russians are taken in by this and support him in his aims. Here in the west we are led to believe that Ukraine can do no wrong, but we are not told anything about the background. The implications of the 2014 far-right coup in Kiev, which overthrew the pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych for example. This coup was openly supported by the US and Europe and was implemented primarily by the CIA and far-right shock troops such as the Right Sector and the neo-Nazi Svoboda Party, to install a pro european puppet regime on the borders of Russia. I don't believe that any of this give Putin the justification to invade Ukraine, and feel terribly sad for the innocent victims of the conflict. The only thing I really know right now is that our world is in peril, our future is so uncertian, which side of history will you be on? Article is my own. Pictures courtesy of Pixabay Thank you for taking the time to read my article. If you would like to check out my other articles you can do so here. https://read.cash/@onlymythoughts

@onlymythoughts

Walking back from town in the spring sunshine, this beautiful magnolia by the side of the path. 😊🌿🌷

@onlymythoughts

The sun is shining today, I woke up early this morning and heard the dawn chorus, spring time is truly here.

@onlymythoughts

This song released in 1985 still sounds relevant today and an absolute classic tune n-n-n-n-nineteen, Paul Hardcastle, number 1 in the UK for 9 weeks! https://youtu.be/lJN850qHklw Picture courtesy of Pixabay

@onlymythoughts

Spring has sprung in the UK, I took these pictures of some spring flowers this morning, spring has been a long time coming. 🌼🌿🌞

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Feels like spring has finally sprung, clear blue sky just some chemtrails from this jet you can see. The flowers in my garden have begun to bloom too. 😊🌷✈️

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Just on my way to work, running late again so need to do some olympic pace walking, but had to stop just to take this picture to share with you. 🌿🌼

@onlymythoughts

Must share these pics I took today of these crocuses in te park, really felt like spring in the air today. 🌷🌞

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Sanctions Crypto and Regulation 10th March 2022 The world is changing rapidly before our very eyes. After the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 it seemed as if Russia was turning its eyes toward the west. Under the leadership of Boris Yeltsin Russia rapidly made radical changes to the exchange rate of the ruple and lifted price controls. State companies were privatised and the economic model became capitalist. With such radical reforms a period of volatility followed. Inflation took off and there was great instability and hardship for some time, though many oligarchs made vast amounts of money it must be said. Things settled down and Russia began to prosper, Yeltsin promoted greater co-operation with europe and also signed arms control treaties with the US. In 1999 Yestsin was forced to resign and he was succeded by his chosen succesor Vladimir Putin. Vladimir Putin previously worked for the KGB as a foreign intelligence officer from 1975-1991 and achieved the rank of lieutenant colonel. From 1996 he served under the Yeltsin administration before he became president in 1999, he has been in power ever since, even under the presidency of Dmitry Medvedev under which Putin was prime minister, it was Putin who was really in charge and pulling the strings. The video below explains Vladimir Putins rise to power. https://youtu.be/-2RxfP9pWaw Russias economy grew under Putins rule, and he was admired by russians as a strong leader. In 2014 Putin invaded Ukraine and succesfully annexed Crimea. This incursion was condemmed by the west and sanctions were imposed on Russia which hit their economy. In 2015 GDP fell by 3.7%, though it rebounded the following year. In my view the longer that Vladimir Putin has been in power the more authoritarian he has become, he is highly intelligent no doubt and has a huge influence on the media in Russia. In many ways he is regarded as a master stategist, often outsmarting the west politically. Putins current invasion of Ukraine is on a whole different scale however. I wonder, has Putin miscalculated this time. There may be complexities regarding the conflict of which I do not understand but the full scale assault of a soveriegn nation on a pretext of defending Russia surely cannot be justified. As far as I am aware although it may be true that there are anti russian factions within Ukraine they have never launched an attack on Russia itself. The US and Europe have imposed the most far reaching sanctions yet upon Russia and the economy is bound to suffer significantly. The sad thing is that the ordinary russian are the ones who will suffer the most. Here is the case for cryptocurrencies for example Bitcoin Cash. The value of the russian ruble has fallen by more than 40% in the past few weeks, many russians have sought to buy up cryptocurrencies as a hedge against the falling value of the ruple. The interest rate in russia has reached 20% and inflation has reached nearly 9% as well. The sanctions make things difficult for the ordinary people as well as hurting the state. The US has made it clear that cryptocurrencies are included in sanctions against Russia but how is this possible in reality. The only thing that they are able to do is ask crypto exchanges to freeze accounts, which will have a limited effect. Not all people keep their crypto on an exchange. The russian regime must have been anticipating this and no doubt have found ways around this. While cryptocurrency transactions are recorded on the blockchain, making them transparent and can be analysed by crypto intelligence firms such as 'Chainanlysis' it would be foolish to think that the russians haven't thought about this. Here is the website of crypto intelligence firm 'Chainanalysis' https://www.chainalysis.com/ Altough this software exists the russian regime have no doubt developed tools which can help mask the origin of such transactions. This would allow businesses to trade with internationally without detection. Cryptocurrencies have been successfully been used to evade sanctions by Iran and North Korea for example. Trading with crypto directly without using an exchange is how they will evade these sanctions. Bitcoin Cash with its low transaction fees could see greater adoption as a result of this changing world. The ordinary people need to understand the importance of holding their own private keys and not keeping their assets on exchanges. If only you have your private key, no-one can take your crypto from you. It is true that crypto may be used to help oppressive regimes avoid sanctions but also true that it can liberate people and set them free from the constraints of the global financial system. I hope that this war will end soon, it is tragic to see how much people are suffering. Does Vladimir Putin care about sanctions or is he so consumed with his ideology that nothing will deter him. I do not know how things will unfold, things could get even worse but I pray that there may be a peaceful resolution for the sake of humanity. Article is my own Pictures courtesy of Pixabay Video: YouTube I hope you found my article interesting, if you would like to read my other articles you can do so here. https://read.cash/@onlymythoughts

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All the terrible news on the TV, I had to get out today, its a little more spring like and 12°c at the moment. A little escape, swiss hazelnut chocolate, some coffee and some time in the outdoors enjoying some signs of spring today. 🌿🌷

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A chilly day, only 6°c with a cold wind, but a lovely sky and the sun is beaming through the clouds to remind us that spring is comining. 🌷🌞

@onlymythoughts

Opened an etoro account this week, cfds, stocks and crypto, its quite good fun, a social network for traders. They have a copy trade feature where you can replicate the trades of the best performing traders. I am not sure if copy trading is a good idea to be honest, I believe in my own strategy. No leverage, no shorting, a diverse portfolio and not over trading. After 2 months if your performance is good you can be eligible to have your own trades copied and earn some comission. Thats a big incentive to be a succesful trader, mind you the stats say that 68% of investors who use this platform lose money. I think that is because they take big risks and use too much leverage, it is a tough job to predict the market! I am down nearly 4% after 2 days anyway, a good start! 🤣🤣

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What is it good for 'war' absolutely nothing! 4th March 2022 I am almost lost for words, the last 2 years have been pretty terrible and just when we were beginning to return to some kind of 'normality' a new disaster strikes! Russia invaded Ukraine, a soverign state without provocation. Vladimir Putin says that he sees Ukraine as a 'threat' and this is about defending Russia from 'Neo Nazis' in Ukraine. When events like this happen it is very difficult to discern what is the truth, however Ukraine did not 'attack' Russia. Had Ukraine bombed a target within Russia then they would be justified in defending their territory. I want to say, that this article is not in any way meant to criticize the Russian or Ukranian people, this was was the choice of the Russian President 'Vladimir Putin'. The Russia he seeks to 'protect' is now under heavy sanctions which cover financial services and trade, which will no doubt be crippling to Russia and their own people will suffer. The Russian Ruble has collapsed, Russian stocks have plumeted, this is a disaster for the Russian people as well as Ukraine. The attacks on Ukraine have been brutal and many innocent civillians have lost their lives as well as many Russian and Ukranian soldiers. This is utterly tragic, the most awful thing about war has to be the sheer scale of innocent lives lost. The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court already plans to open an investigation into alleged 'war crimes' commited by 'Vladimir Putins' regime. You can read more about this in the article posted below. https://tinyurl.com/thecaseagainstputin The possibility of actually having Putin stand trial is at the moment very remote though, he is unlikely to leave Russia so unless he is ousted from power which is doubtful in the immediate future, then holding him to account for his actions will be difficult. The worrying thing about this conflict, if it was not horrific enough already is how it could escalate. Ukraine has on a number of occasions asked NATO to help by enforcing a 'no fly zone' over Ukraine. In 1993 Nato enforced a 'no fly zone' over Bosnia and Herzegovina, why can't they do the same for Ukraine? I think the reason is that Vladimir Putin has the nuclear option at his disposal. Would enforcing a 'no fly zone' over Ukraine be seen as an 'act of aggression' and might Putin retaliate by launching a nuclear attack. Putin has already warned that anyone who tries to interfere in this conflict will face consequences like never seen before in history. See Putins warning to anyone who tries to interfere below. https://youtu.be/ys-KxmeoMSs Is he bluffing? I guess we can't be sure but is it worth risking by trying to enforce a no fly zone, which would no doubt involve shooting down russian planes. Another risk is that this conflict could spill over into for example Poland, which is a member of NATO. This could be a by a deliberate act or maybe a miscalculation. Under article 5 of the NATO treaty, if an armed attack against one or more of the its members occurs it shall be considered an attack against them all. An attack against a NATO member would provoke a response and things could escalate rapidly. At the moment Putins nuclear deterrent seems to be working, but how long can the rest of the world stand by and do nothing but impose sanctions. I figure Putin has already taken these sanctions into account, he has been planning this invasion for years. If Putin is backed into a corner who knows what he could resort to? Who knows where this conflict will go from here, let us pray for peace and de-escalation. The rising cost of oil and gas may be the least of our concerns in the coming months. Here is a relevant song to conclude my article, by Edwin Starr entitled 'War' https://youtu.be/oBtOKGxtM8Y 'War' what is it good for 'absolutely nothing' Article is my own, if you wish to read my other articles you can do so here. https://read.cash/@onlymythoughts Pictures courtesy of Pixabay Videos: YouTube

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Don't know why I keep getting this notification as I am in the UK, not the US very strange, my ISP is UK based and not using a VPN either, anyone else had this I wonder?

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Clear and sunny day, nice enough for a short stroll this afternoon, spring time not too far away but still a chance of some snow before then.