Frankly, seems pretty logical to me to legalize doping in some sports. Everybody knows that top athletes are doing it so why pretend they're fighting it? Times change, they have replaced linesmen with cameras, "hawk eye" etc in tennis, video judges in football so why not allow doping in cycling for example as everyone is obviously doing it anyway?  Ever heard of slippery slope? How would you allow it? Like, open all doors and say go for it? Because implementing limits is as ineffective as prohibiting or allowing it. There is no solution to that problem. There is only one thing for sure: if doping is allowed entirely, we will see athletes dying like flies because the pressure, greed and addiction for personal records and so on will be so intense that athletes will see themselves being forced into insane abuse. Many athletes know that if they stop their doping tomorrow, they will lose their sponsorships the day after and all the fans and admiration/support from the public as well. This is such a huge topic and I believe there really is no solution to that because whenever there is a set limit, a doctor or chemist is already trying in a laboratory how to circumvent it without getting caught. But allowing it entirely would open the floodgates to death. And seriously, I am not interested in seeing how far or high someone can jump or how fast they can run when they are pumped up with drugs. I am interested in seeing what is humanly possible. Some will say that doping could be considered an element of human existence. Good point, but why would I care what people are able to do on drugs? It is a different discipline and it can indeed be interesting just for the sake of informing people like me. But in a competition I would like to see people compete on the same level, whatever that means. My first reaction is to say legalise it, no restrictions but make everyone aware of the dangers of it. If someone dies then others weill be held responsible then on the other hand this could result in kids taking drugs trying to make it into professionalism.
Anyone following the WTA1000 event in Guadalajara? Layla Fernandez is doing really well and is into the last 16 and now plays Emma Navarro. Fernandez is slight favourite @1.83 v 2.00 for Navarro. If she progresses she could be in the company of Ostapenko, Sakkari and Kenin. |
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If and when a Bitcoin spot ETF gets approved for Blackrock for example the markets
will react to this, there will probably be a drop in price in the short term because of >>>
"buy the hype, sell the news"
but medium term the price will increase. A spot ETF means that any of Blackrocks clients
who want to buy the Bitcoin ETF then Blackrock have to actually hold that amount. This could
result in a supply v's demand issue.
Also just to remind all, Blackrock is the worlds largest investment company.
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Yes I think Banks are slowly softening their views towards Bitcoin, I'm not sure if "Adopt"
is a relevant description - yet.
Also I think when more institutional investments become the norm there will be more
acceptance from the banks. For example if and when Blackrocks ETF gets approved
it will be a game changer, not only for investors but also for the perception of Bitcoin
by other individuals and other institutions.
The thinking might be "if Blackrock can get a Bitcoin spot ETF it has to be something
to get into"
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Well this coming Sunday Australia have a massive challenge against Wales who
also had a tough time against Fiji themselves. This is going to be a very close affair,
and I think I will back Wales TBH.
The last game from last weekend turned out as expected really England 34 - 12 Japan.
TBH the scoreboard kind of flatters England, they struggled with Japan for a
lot of the game.
Next round of games kick off tomorrow with Italy v Uruguay.
Further on at the weekend there are 2 very important games:
Argentina v Samoa - The Jaguars NEED to win this game
Ireland v South Africa - Arguably the most important game of the tournament, World no.1
v World Cup Champions.
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Today makes it two years since El Salvador made bitcoin a legal tender in the country. Since the adoption of bitcoin in that country. The president of the country Nayib Bukele has accumulated about 2381BTC which he has spent $101 million for the purchase with an average purchase price of $43,357. The price is down by 40% which the BTC price now worths $61 million today. Even as this is happening, the president is not compelled or pressured to sell them off, but still optimistic about the future of bitcoin and will likely love to add more to the bitcoin savings until a target 100,000 BTC by 2024 is met. Will this approach, confidence and doggedness by the president of El Salvador make other countries to follow his footsteps. No one has loved and gave much confidence in bitcoin as a government like him, and I admire and respect him for that a lot. We hope other countries leaders will follow and trail on his path.
https://bitkan.com/learn/how-much-bitcoin-does-el-salvador-own-in-2023-the-risks-16511Thank you iBaba for reminding us. No country has shown so much commitment like El Salvador and no president has ever believed in Bitcoin like Nayib Bukele. Central African Republic became the second country to adopt Bitcoin but the nation couldn't withstand the pressure from institutional anti-Bitcoin forces so they repelled the law that made it a legal tender. Selling it now is needless since it will lead to losses rather they should hodl and even add more now that the price is down. Many countries are becoming more Bitcoin-friendly and we can assume that through friendly policies we are seeing. But they are not bold enough like Nayib Bukele's El Salvador. or brave enough! As we move ever closer to the possible pre-halving bullrun profits will be realised and the post-halving bullrun will prove Bukele's decision to embrace Bitcoin was a brave move and will prove beneficial to those we also believed in his move. |
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~snip~
It amazes me that so many people still think $hitcoins are an actual viable option.
I'm not surprised at all, people are greedy or desperate and you can sell them whatever you want, and what's even better for all those scammers is that people are not only naive, but you can take advantage of them several times until they finally realize that they've been scammed. Bitcoin is of course something much different, but I still cannot be indifferent when I see that people are absolutely convinced that only by investing in Bitcoin they can count on a better future. I already recently wrote in another topic that there are various risks that should be taken into account. Here we can always refer to the old advice that says "don't invest more than you are prepared to lose".or pure gamblers, risking more than they can/should on a purely made up project aimed at lightening peoples wallets. We all know at this stage or at leats I hope everyone does of the saying "don't invest
more than you are prepared to lose". but I have taken some risks in order to get more Bitcoin...which have worked out. Not all Altcoins are automatically shitcoins.
Shitcoins are the ones created for the single purpose like "getting rich quick".
Some alts have better properties than Bitcoin, they lack value though.
What becomes christal clear is that most crypto enthusiasts are in for FIAT, and not for crypto.
Maybe you should have at least given us an example of one altcoin that is better than Bitcoin. As far as I'm concerned, there are lots of altcoins or rather shitcoins out there that claims to provide same features with Bitcoin but they can never be Bitcoin. Altcoins, creators uses this pump and dump schemes solely to attract investors and make quick profits for them selfs. Bitcoin, being the best and most established cryptocurrency, is in a league of its own with a solid track record and a unique value proposition as digital gold.there's no coin like Bitcoin mate, you should have that in your mind. They never stated "are better than Bitcoin" but have better properties like Monero which is a specialist project in Privacy which Bitcoin is not. There are Altcoins which are still viable and which are "old" projects like Monero and Litecoin. |
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Ah I have been there too, got involved with them thinking they were going to become big,
I checked them a few months ago and they are gone outside the top 100 on coinmarketcap.
I count myself fortunate to have been able to get some of my Bitcoin back by trading them
before they went to absolute zero.
It amazes me that so many people still think $hitcoins are an actual viable option.
I am 100% Bitcoin
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Yea it was a tough one and its not a regular occurrence that play extends past 40 minutes in the first half by that much. The comments after the match from some of the Irish players shows they were not happy with some of their play.
As I suspected with the second game yesterday Australia were beaten by Fiji, I kind of saw that coming after the Wales game (they were hard done by in that game by the ref!)  |
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If I transfer BTC into my Coinbase account from a personal wallet, and then sell my BTC for Fiat/USD... am I subject to tax obligation?
If yes, how much? In other words, what type of taxation am I subject to?
Intuition says there is no tax, for this is not income, is this true?
You dont say where you are based, what country? because every country has their own system and some have similar ones to others. In my country profits from Crypto are classified as "Capital Gains" and fall into that tax bracket of 33%.
In other words, I can sell more than EUR 5000 worth of cryptocurrencies every day, completely legally without KYC, and buy, for example, a house after a month - the problem arises if someone reports me (which can be anonymous), and then I have the problem of proving where the money came from. If the amounts transferred are only small will you ever be asked to prove where they came from? I suspect not and only if the amounts get into the multiple 1000's will they seek proof... |
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A player has trained for a long time and is well prepared for a tournament. 1 week before, he notices he is getting a cold. I do not think he just drinks warm tea with lemon and eats little more fruits
And I not really assume that all the top players and athletes in the various kind of sports (soccer, Tennis, athletics, swimming etc.) are only at the top because their genetics are good, they do a plant based diet and yoga and taking an icecold tub after the training.
Certainly, there are exceptions. And we all have seen them, the talents of the century. But they are in the minority. But nevertheless, at some point they will also be in the situation of quitting or playing this one more game with illegal performance-enhancing substances.
I know a lot of people are going to argue with me, but I am going to say this anyway. If any athlete actually tries really hard, if they are actually disciplined, not scrawling through tick-tock's on YouTube shorts when it is time to sleep, and also not eating something that they should not. I think they are going to be alright. That kind of dedication alone is going to make them fall in the top 1% in my opinion. But right now, it is actually hard to have that much dedication. Especially with all the distractions available to them. My argument is that it is not easy at all and that is the reason why the top players should be the best of the best. And they should totally be checked if they are taking any illegal substance. So kind of like what Djokovic is doing - plant based diet, yoga and the like. IDK that much about high performance food nutrition but I would recon doping along with high performance trumps that. I would also say that doping alone is only going to take an athelete so far, without the right fitness, nutrition and mental strength you are not getting into the top10 or even 20. |
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Welcome @rohang to the Rugby thread. Its a pity your bet didnt land. The damage was done in extra time in the first half, maybe Ireland had one eye on getting into the dressing room which left them defending their try line and committing some penalties and a yellow card which after 4 minutes of pressure Tonga went over for the try which was converted. Tonga are a decent team with some former All Black players playing. Ireland didnt take any chances and fielded their first team.  |
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The Warriors lead 22 - 10 after fifty minutes. Given in the first fifteen minutes of the game the Warriors had piled on a point a minute, it's shaping up to be another tight finish.
Amazing - The warriors romped home adding another 18 points and were able to hold the Knights to those 10 points. Just as I expected really. Actually that second semi final is going to be tough enough, Broncos v Warriors! Union RWC And again as I said earlier Samoa will beat Chili - Final score 43 -10. Just looking at the scoreboard for Wales v Portugal ... 7-3 hmmm wasnt expecting that after the first half. |
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Very frustrating to watch on one hand and on the other we were treated to moments of pure
brilliance by the All Blacks.
There is no other way to say it than Namibia were very poor, they just couldnt hold onto
the ball, their handling skills were very poor. There were moments where they visited
NZ's 22 and attacked but ended up getting turned over.
Compared to their tier 2 peers Uruguay there is chalk and cheese.
Anyway more action today, I'm going to miss Samoa v Chili, I hope to be back to watch
Wales v Portugal then Ireland v Tonga.
Samoa, Wales and Ireland to win anyway.
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Well it played out just as I figured, I didnt think Melbourne would roll over and would look for vengeance of sorts this week after last weeks performance. They now play the Panthers for a place in the final. Warriors v Knights tomorrow, for some reason I'm thinking the Broncos will have a slightly easier semi final against either of these than the Panthers will against Storm 
Union RWC New Zealand v Namibia has just started and after 2 minutes its 7-0... |
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Thanks for the replies everyone, looks like there isnt much appetite for this and probably a
pity the thread got moved from the collectibles board to Off Topic.
Anyway thanks owlcatz, I remember that thread by geo, it was a great idea and like he said
I also wasnt looking to feather my own nest.
Anyway I'll leave the thread open and see if there is any more interest.
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In the RWC, looking at the odds, if I were to bet on every outsider and just say Japan won, then I'd get my money back. If Japan and Fiji win I'd be ahead. I'm going to mull over that one all night I think. (If say e.g. Romania, Portugal or Uruguay won as well, then I'd be much further ahead again...)
Its a very big ask Timelord... I watched last nights game France v Uruguay. France had made 12 changes to their team ahead of the meeting and they had a tough time against a decent Uruguay team. At one point the scoreline was France 13 - 12 Uruguay. That was probably an opportune time to put a bet on France.  France failed to secure a bonus point and Uruguay had a try disallowed so it was a very entertaining game. Final score: France 27 - 12 Uruguay Next Game tonight - New Zealand v Namibia |
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What do you all think of this?
Is doping widespread in the ATP and WTA Tennis ?
Was Halep very unlucky to be caught?
I think every athlete (in any sport) who wants to be and stay in the world elite takes substances that are not allowed. One does it smarter and the other gets caught. It is a farce to talk about a sport without doping. Even Amateur athletes take permitted substances to get better. At some point the body and the genetics reach a limit and one cannot go any further. Then one have to make a decision. Whether not to play at the top or to take illegal performance-enhancing substances to get to the top of the world. Very few people would decide against it. I actually disagree. If people are consistent enough, they do not have to use these things in my opinion. You have to be very disciplined and have to maintain consistency as a player to actually reach the top of the competition. If any kind of performance enhancing drug is introduced in this situation, and more people are actually performing well than they should be, it is not going to be special anymore, is it? There have been people who have been playing, consistently at the top of the competition for a very long time without taking anything like those. And that’s how it should be. That creates more competition in my opinion. And without those performance enhancing things, people will know that they have to work hard. And there is no other way. But I do agree on one thing some people do it smart and the others get caught. I would like to agree too that some people are smarter about what, when and how they dope. I'm probably opening a can of worms with this following cynical statement but I'll out it out anyway... ain terms of a smart way of doping there is Nadal with a special medicine for a medical condition as @serveria.com posted and Djokovic with his statements about plant based diet and yoga, that paints a picture of "clean living" (now as i said thats me opening it up for discussion) I would also say that particularly in Tennis where the game is as much about mental strength as it is about talent and skill taking illegal substances would I imagine offer a limited advantage. |
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Over in the NRL, I'm putting my satoshi where my mouth is and going with the Roosters and Knights: Melbourne Storm - Sydney Roosters 15 Sep 2023 19:50 Money Line Sydney Roosters @ 3.16 New Zealand Warriors - Newcastle Knights 16 Sep 2023 16:05 Money Line Newcastle Knights @ 2.46 Taken Amount: 0.10 mBTC Possible Payout: 0.777 mBTC
Melbourne Storm - Sydney Roosters 15 Sep 2023 19:50 Money Line Sydney Roosters @ 3.16 Taken Amount: 0.10 mBTC Possible Payout: 0.316 mBTC
New Zealand Warriors - Newcastle Knights 16 Sep 2023 16:05 Money Line Newcastle Knights @ 2.46 Taken Amount: 0.10 mBTC Possible Payout: 0.246 mBTCSourced from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_NRL_season the semi finals look like this so far:  Penrith and Brisbane are parachuted into the second last semis with their wins (via their being first and second on the ladder having then won their first encounter of the semis). It's must win for Newcastle and Sydney to then square off. Sydney *might* thump Brisbane to make it an all Sydney Grand-final (Penrith over Newcastle - in saying that - Penrith had a couple of upset losses, so let's see how this weekends games go)Correction - Sydney AND Newcastle *might* thump Penrith and Brisbane to make it a head scratching Grand-final (misread the chart the first time) Great chart, I have been trying to decypher how the finals work and looking at it now it makes sense. Winning the first finals week gets you straight to the semi final, losing means you have another game to play. Are Storm going to lose a second week in a row? they will want to make amends for the horrid performance last week. Warriors just based on their end of regular season ladder position of 4th V's Knights 5th and with 2 more wins would be my pick but yea small margins.... |
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Yea, a lot of mismatches happening this weekend starting tomorrow. Currently ROLLBIT are
taking bets on all games. France 1.001 - 40.0 Uruguay. New Zealand are also 1.001 also.
The game of the weekend has to be Australia v Fiji, odds are in favour of Australia but I
really think Fiji could pull off an upset, they are priced at 3.55! sorry Timelord
I am really looking forward to Wales v Portugal, Wales will win but I want to see what
Portugal are about, I have never seen them play.
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