New Bombshell out in tennis news as one of the top prospects of Romanian tennis Sara Maria Popa alleges that Mouratoglou Academy are supplying performance enhancing drugs to teenagers who train at their academy. Sara Maria Popa also spoke about the case of Simona Halep and mentioned that many athletes resort to banned substances. I will quote her statement below: I want it to end well, as does every person who supports it. There were mistakes on both sides. Maybe she should have been careful too, maybe the people from Mouratoglou should have been careful too, to tell her exactly when to give her that substance, perhaps. I don't know the details and I don't want to go into too much. We don't know the insides. There are athletes who take those substances, only they don't get caught because they know exactly when to eliminate the substance and they know exactly when to take them. I, for example, was tested weekly and never took. But I can't put my hand in the fire for the other athletes. Supplements are different from the substances that the physical trainers and doctors at the Academies give to the athletes. Supplements are exactly the daily pills that every person can take.
I went when I was 12 years old. I played at the Mouratoglou Academy. It is true, from a young age athletes are given some substances. In juniors, you are not controlled by Anti-doping. They let you grow up a little more, to turn 17, and from then on the checks start more intensively. Players and parents must agree. They are given a sheet and must sign to agree to take that substance. The first time I was scared, I really didn't know what was going on (no - anti-doping controls) while speaking to AS.ro What are your thoughts? Are more players going to voice their opinions on doping slowly? Do you think there might be some top players that might be doping and who? I'm pretty sure that most/all top players are taking performance enhancing drugs. As a tennis insider I can tell you that it's true. Top players like Rafa Nadal, Williams sisters etc are awarded TUE and can't be tested at all. Anyway, in Doha today we will only see one semifinal as Karolina Pliskova who had to meet World #1 Iga Swiatek has withdrawn. P.S. Rybakina is through to the final. |
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In fact, for some reason I was sure that these two retarded blockchains are long dead, thanks for reminding (NOT!). I'm also not sure who would want to spend his/her time and money to attack these useless networks.  |
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Apologies if this is a topic which has already been extensively discussed, but does it not disturb anyone that in the last week ~55% of network hashrate has been shared between 2 pools? Maybe my judgement is incorrect but it seems like a disaster just waiting to happen. Is moving towards more asic resistant algorithms something which has been considering or is feesable?
It seems in the last couple of years mining has had a pretty dramatic shift into the hands of larger cooperations and governments.
Are my worries justified?
pseudospace.
That sounds pretty alarming to be honest. It could potentially lead to the dreaded "51% attack". Good thing however is that each of these pools separately is nowhere near 51%. But anyway, yeah, I believe that's not how Satoshi imagined the future of Bitcoin. |
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Made mistakes with your Bitcoin in the past...that you still regret or at least considered to be a wrong move especially considering the price of BTC these days? Three years ago, I got bored with the movement of Bitcoin so I look for other good alternatives which I can use to replace...unfortunately I decided to go for BTCV all in. And it was a big horror because two months after the price of BTCV dropped to just 30% to when I bought them...got no choice but to cut loss. Please share your story here if you have one so we can learn a lesson or two... Actually, your mistake was not buying a shitcoin at some certain period in time, but rather buying a shitcoin at all! People tend to make up all kinds of excuses for not buying Bitcoin: it's too long to wait for gains (I want here and now), you need to invest too much to get some nice returns (altcoins are cheap I can buy tons). That is why most noobs decide in favour of shitcoins, and that is their gravest mistake. |
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Hello everyone, I hope you are well. I came to bring a case that happened in Brazil, an investor wanted to get rid of his bitcoins at the Novadax cryptocurrency brokerage (I've never used it, I can't recommend it, I'm just bringing the news). The fact is that he went to sell 1.7 BTC and generated a market sell order, with the lack of liquidity his orders were executed and consumed the entire order book taking the price to practically zero. He had bitcoins sold at 238 USD. A huge loss just for not paying attention to selling at the price of the day, maybe he wanted to execute the orders quickly, or he didn't know what he was doing. So be warned, if you are going to sell, fill out your order correctly at the price you want to sell, never use the "market" price to sell a large amount of bitcoins.  This is what you get when you're trying to use such scammy exchanges. Even with big exchanges you can get in trouble: the moment you move your coins to the exchange you lose control over it. Not your keys, not your coins they say. And I'm sorry for the guy's loss. |
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Rybakina defeated Fernandez in a relatively easy match in straight sets 6:4, 6:2. Pavluychenkova is also through into the semis.
Swiatek v Azarenka is live now and the winner predicted by the bookies is Swiatek and her chances are overwhelming: something like 85% vs 15% for the Belarussian. Last match of the day will be Osaka v Pliskova and I'm sure we'll see some quality tennis there too.
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I just wanted to share a piece of advice that I learned early on from Andreas Antonopoulos (if you don't know whom this is, I highly recommend looking up his YouTube page and watching his videos and or reading his book Mastering Bitcoin) never tell anyone how much bitcoin you have. Andreas use to say it's not our job to teach everyone we know about bitcoin, letting them know we own some "Let that be my job" he would say.
I see so many people that come around here sharing how much bitcoin they own...don't. Just like any of your finances such as your portfolio or how much your annual salary is..it's no one's business but your own. Being transparent about these things can be harmful to you in a multitude of ways. As an advisor this is something I tell my clients all the time. Your financial info is private and should always remain that way. I hate these new social media trends where people walk up to strangers on the street and ask things like "how much do you pay in rent" or "how much money do you make a year"...ignore them!
I think that's pretty obvious you shouldn't disclose the amount of your coins to anyone except perhaps your closest ones. Some people I know even refuse to tell their family the exact amount of their holdings. You are not bragging about your bank account balance in public, do you? Then why would you share info on the amount of your coins? Basic opsec. |
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Of course, Putin is the bloodiest monster of our reality. Russia has been continuously bombing and shelling schools, hospitals, and residential buildings of Ukrainians for two years now, killing everyone in Ukraine. Moreover, Israel is purging Hamas militants after they launched a rocket attack from Palestine, and also attacked with their troops and killed many Israeli civilians.
You know that Israel killed around 30k civilians in gaza and about 60k were injured. That is many times more than Russia killed in Ukraine in 2 years! Hamas killed only about 1k both civilians and the military during their raids. You think that's ok? But Ukraine never attacked Russia and had no intention of doing so. Do you see the difference?
Ukraine is attacking Russia on a daily basis: Belgorod, Kursk, Pskov even Moscow! |
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Osaka is on the rise again after her mental/emotional breakdown and later turning into motherhood which led to a year of absence from the game. Tonight she made an incredible comeback from being 0-4 down in the 2nd set tiebreaker and later down 6-3 to win the set 7-6(11-9). She saved 4 set points on the way to winning the 2nd set. She might be coming back into form sooner rather than later and might win a title by the end of the year. If she manages to stay fit throughout the season.
Oh cool, I love her game and her overall attitude, so humble. For some reason I thought she retired for good after her mental problems and especially because she also got a child last year. Didn't expect her to come back for another try, hopefully she can stay healthy, physically as well as mentally especially! I once saw her at a sponsor event in Tokyo, there is so much hype around her, it's crazy. Japan doesn't have a lot of international sports stars so the few they have get a lot of attention! Yea its great to see her back winning. It was only a matter of time before she got to this stage, she has the skills and mental strength back IMO. Thats interesting about Japan, they dont actually have that many high profile international sports people. Previously Osaka had felt the pressure of all the attention, that in itself can be hard to manage for young rising sporters. So its the Ukrainian Tsurenko who she plays next, could be a tough one but hopefully she comes through to the quarter finals. Frankly, I don't see how the Ukrainian veteran can win in this encounter. Osaka just has superior everything and she is determined to get to the later stages of this tournament. Czech derby Noskova v Pliskova also looks very promising, we'll be able to enjoy some top-level tennis! |
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technically we already are in a bull market: after we reached the lowest point of the cycle (and I'm pretty sure we did) bull market starts. Right now it's the worst (and most risky) time to SELL Bitcoin and the best time to BUY Bitcoin. Any money you invest now will most likely double in the next 1.5-2 years. And it's going to be like this until 2025, cycle top and a new ATH.
Aren't there a lot of delays in the growth of Bitcoin's price at the moment which isn't what should happen during a bull run? This is the reason why I feel like we are not in the bull run yet but we are just very close to it at the moment. The last few days have been pretty good for Bitcoin, it has been showing positive movements after some time, and some altcoins have been following the movement as well even though some are still going sideways by now. We will believe that we are in the bull run if we don't see many corrections and dips and if there are larger pumps in the market than regular dumps. Since that hasn't been the case lately, I don't thing we are technically in the bull run but it is yet to begin, with full force. Well, it doesn't matter if the price is growing slowly or inconsistently, it's still a bull market. Bear market is when the price is going down, which is obviously not happening. Moreover, there may be periods in a bull market when the price is dropping, but again it doesn't matter we're in a bear market because of that. |
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In recent times, the competition has increased in women's tennis. And it also looks like the quality has also improved.
Just another proof: Coco Gauff is out of Doha! American unexpectedly lost to Katerina Siniakova of Czech Republic 2:6, 4:6. Coco was half way to a comeback in the second set, she was leading 4:0 but Siniakova somehow managed to turn the tide and win 6! games in a row! I guess Gauff is the first top player losing at such an early stage in Qatar. Tsurenko v Jabeur live now and we'll possibly see another shocking result as Jabeur is down 3:6, 0:2 atm! |
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Lots of spectacular matches await us today in Doha! Kostyuk v Pavlyuchenkova This is going to be very intense, as any other Russo-Ukrainian encounter lately. Pavlyuchenkova has already eliminated a top 20 player in R1 (Kasatkina) Noskova v Sakkari Noskova is on the rise, winning Swiatek this year and reaching some later stages at several tournaments. Sakkari is not in her best shape now. Frankly, I see Noskova winning this one. Collins v Bouzkova What is so exciting about this match? Collins has been playing really great lately, she is back in business after terrible performance last year. Bouzkova defeated another American player Kenin in R1 and she proved to be a dangerous opponent. Martic v Osaka Osaka is always fun to watch. Naomi has already proved she can play at the top level by eliminating Garcia in R1. Badosa v Fernandez Both players are not in their top form but it's an interesting encounter nevertheless: who will be able to win against all odds? Potapova v Pliskova Pliskova is getting back on track after poor performance last season. She has won a title last week in Cluj-Napoca. This is going to be fun!  |
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~snip~
Currently a lot of matches are going on in the Qatar open. A lot of matches are also going to start very soon. This is the round of 64. And as this is the women's singles, I am expecting a lot of surprises in this tournament. Swiatek has a match in the round of 32 which will be played today and I don't think it is going to be a big problem for her. She should be able to win the match without too many problems. I can definitely see her playing in the finals. But as I said, it is the women's competition. So unexpected things can happen on a regular basis. I think that Sinner will do very well in this tournament. He is expected to do well. Even though some players who could be very good competition for him or not playing, it will still be hard. But he definitely has the capability as well. In the women singles Qatar Open, several matches have been completed in the round of 64 and only 2 matches remain to be completely finished and advance to the round of 32 tomorrow. But this is championship that many people may not really participate in because women tennis is still not as popular as men tennis, maybe some tennis fans can find more interesting matches in men tennis. It just that in this championship I quite interested in the Navarro vs Mertens match because they are two players who are capable of meeting directly in the round of 16, I looking forward to which of them will lose and who will have the right to advance to the next round. Swiatek will meet Cirstea and this match will start the match for the round of 32, I also think she will not have any problems that could affect the game. If you don't experience the slightest problem then it is clear that Swiatek is the favorite and has the chance to win. Naomi Osaka has just defeated Garcia 7:5, 6:4. Nice play by 3 time GS champion! Swiatek v Cirstea starting in a moment! Perhaps high time to place your late bet? On ATP tour, apart from Rotterdam tournament, we have at least 2 more spectacular tournaments going on this week: Delray Beach and Buenos Aires. In Buenos Aires top seeds are Alcaraz and Norrie. In Delray Beach mostly US players: Taylor Fritz, Tiafoe and Paul. This is going to be fun! |
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^
And Rybakina indeed won that final, and quite easily too, 6-1, 6-4. She isnt 5th in the WTA
world rankings for nothing!
Over at Marseille in todays final my hunch about Humbert actually became a reality, unfortunately
I didnt back up my hunch with a bet. Humbert won in two somewhat easy sets, 6-4, 6-3. Dimitrov
to be fair to him looked tired after his 3 setter yesterday.
Humbert also has won every final he was in, 5 from 5, if he keeps going and can perform well
outside France he could be a top10 player.
Yes, Humbert winning the title was a bit surprising to me. Dimitrov has been showing exquisite performance so far, but it seems that 32 yo Bulgarian veteran was exhausted by previous intense matches. |
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I'd like to share my experience with you all. Even though I'm not currently employed, I went through a phase of gambling while I was working in the past, and the outcome wasn't positive. It affected my job performance because, as you may know, when you lose, you tend to dwell on your losses and constantly think about strategies to win. When we talk about work, it usually means we're not particularly wealthy, and imagine what happens when we gamble money we can't afford to lose, especially when we're not earning much.
Let me tell you, the feeling is far from pleasant. It leads to a decline in your work performance, which can have significant consequences since that's your primary source of income. It might be manageable if you're winning, but the harsh reality is often quite the opposite. Even when we do win, we tend to spend most of our winnings, so we don't treat it as business money. This leaves us in a precarious situation when we lose because the money we initially budgeted for our families gets diverted to cover unexpected gambling-related expenses.
I'd like to hear from those of you who have experienced this or are still dealing with it. Please share your testimonies.
I'm self-employed now and I gamble sometimes, so I guess that could qualify as gambling at work? Although, I must admit when I worked at my 9-5 job I've never gambled at work. As to exceeding gambling budget, I always gamble for fun so I only risk with what I can afford to lose. Just my 2c. |
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You can probably get that for free at Amazon AWS for 750 hours a month, with a new account. That runs for 12 months.
Since you are on a thin budget, I recommend buying AWS credits on this forum to get you started. They are typically 50% off.
Amazon has a ton of hidden fees across all of their cloud computing services. Storing EC2 snapshots costs money, incoming data transfer costs money (and you're syncing a node so add 2 and 2 together) and also the IPv4 addresses themselves even have a cost. All these things are used when you create a new VPS there so you really have to be careful to stay within their free tier.
There are probably more AWS costs I've missed too. Maybe you should hit up @Vod, he's the resident AWS expert around here. You're absolutely right! They're trying to lure new customers by offering free trials and stuff like that but the hidden fees are there, as you mentioned above. I'm also not sure about their terms and conditions if they allow crypto-related projects and what is their position on censorship. You have to investigate this unless you want to wake up to your website/vps suspended or even terminated with no way to recover your data. |
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^
They were both 3 set semi finals. Haddad Maia put up a fair fight against Kasatkina but
failed to pull through. So its a Rybakina v Kasatkina final, I fancy the top seed Rybakina @ 1.29.
Over in Marseille its a Humbert v Dimitrov final!
My guess on Humbert beating Hurkacz came true, he got the job done in 2 sets 4-6, 4-6.
Dimitrov had a tough battle against Khachanov over 3 sets with 2 tie breaks.
Dimitrov is still favourite but I have a thinking Humbert could pull off a surprise victory!
Rybakina should have no issues with Kasatkina, one way traffic expected. Kasatkina's defensive playing style is very physically demanding and I'm sure she doesn't have much fuel left in her tank. As to Marseille, I somehow suspect Dimitrov is going to win. Yes, he wasn't particularly convincing yesterday against Khachanov. The Russian had pretty good chances to win, his serve let him down a bit. He was even leading 4:2 in third set tie-break but managed to lose somehow. Some psychological barrier most probably. |
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Recently news came with video confirmation. I am interested in your opinion and would like to hear comments from those who support the anti-Israeli boycott, expressing their support for the residents of Gaza.
And so, let's move on to the main news: Egypt has begun construction of the SECOND line of the wall, fencing off Egyptian territory from Gaza. The second stone fence, with barbed wire...
Should we expect the Arab world to reject Egyptian goods and your calls for a boycott of Egypt? Will Egypt's "brothers" introduce any economic restrictions? Only honestly, without double standards
Why do you always lie? In fact, Egypt started building the second wall but... in 2020! In February 2020, Egypt began building a new 3-kilometre (2-mile) concrete wall along its border with the Gaza Strip, from Gaza's southeastern tip at Kerem Shalom (Karam Abu Salem) to the Rafah border crossing.[3] The new wall is in addition to the old wall, and will not be more than 8 m (30 feet) from the old one. Both walls are within Egyptian territory. The wall will be 7 m (20 feet) high and will be equipped with electronic sensors. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt%E2%80%93Gaza_barrierSo how can it be related to the latest events in Gaza? If we look into the reason why they are doing it, it's enough to read the same Wiki article: In December 2009, with help from the United States, Egypt started building a steel wall along the Gaza border. The project has received technical cooperation from the United States and France. The United States announced its support for the barrier saying it would help to prevent weapons smuggling. Any more questions? |
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Bitcoin mining’s silent comeback in China, according to industry insiderCryptoSlate’s research analyst, James Van Straten, recently sat down with Bitfarms’ Chief Mining Officer, Ben Gagnon, to discuss the evolving landscape of Bitcoin mining, revealing some interesting thoughts on Bitcoin mining in China, along with detailed insights into global miner revenues. Gagnon, who spent time operating crypto-mining facilities in China, shared his unique perspective on the country’s mining ban and the recent expansion of Bitcoin mining in the nation. Contrary to attributing the ban to environmental or economic reasons, Gagnon suggested the decision was politically motivated. “When the China mining ban happened in 2021, I really don’t think it had anything to do with Bitcoin itself. I think it was entirely internal politics.” Gagnon noted that mining is slowly returning to China as a way to recycle waste inputs, notably heat, for residential and office projects. This approach allows for reintroducing mining in China as a net social benefit, balancing business and political interests. “And I think we’re gonna see a lot more of that. It’s a way for China to bring back mining indirectly and improve the cost efficiency of infrastructure and residential developments.” While Bitcoin mining might seem insignificant regarding China’s overall GDP, Gagnon observed that it holds significant potential at the individual business level. Entrepreneurs might see it as an opportunity to improve business efficiency, recycle resources, and diversify revenue streams. This is particularly relevant in China’s real estate sector, which has faced challenges but remains a significant part of the economy. This is good news, China has always been an important factor for the Bitcoin market. Remember times when just a news on "China bans Bitcoin" or "China embraces Bitcoin" could move the price thousands in both directions! So any positive news from China could propel Bitcoin to the new highs. |
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So, what VPS host do you recommend for starting (hosting) crypto project/business?  Could you elaborate on what kind of crypto business? Running a full BTC node? Launching your own token/altcoin? Selling NFTs? Developing a trading bot? Most likely the specs necessary for these projects will vary. |
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