Have you ever wondered what the future of credit/debit cards will be once CBDCs (Central Bank Digital Currencies) go public? People will no longer need to use a plastic card to pay for goods and/or services, as everything will be done through a mobile (or desktop) app. This means people will directly interact with the central bank for deposits and/or withdrawals. No need for middlemen like Visa or Mastercard. At least, that's what I think it will happen. Do you think credit/debit cards will still be a thing after the launch of CBDCs? If not, why? Will payment processors like PayPal, Visa, and Mastercard survive? Your input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.  That's really bad news if you ask me. Definitely a step towards discontinuation of cash money and a new level of financial slavery. Directly the opposite of what Bitcoin is trying to achieve. |
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Swiatek v Sabalenka - here we go again, a Madrid Open final replay between these two!
Both are in top form and its going to be another close one and hard to pick a winner.
Over 20.5 @ 1.87 is my pick.
Jarry yesterday beat Tsitsipas in 3 sets, I watched the first set and I didnt think he would
make it but he turned the match around. Thats 2 Chileans in the semi finals. I wonder what
odds you would get for the two to reach the final?
Couldn't believe that Stefanos Tsitsipas is out and it was another one of the top ranked tennis players getting knocked out by somebody such as Nicolás Jarry, who nobody gave a chance to reach the semis. If Tabilo wins against Zverev which is in a couple of hours from now. As Alejandro has been playing amazing tennis. This would shock the ATP tour and question about an all Chile showdown in Rome. I made a small bet on an all-Chilean final just for fun today. That would be fun. Jarry looked great yesterday. I'm more worried about Tabilo as Zverev has much more experience in later tournament stages. |
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Does Ukraine have no army left? Then, probably, the Russian occupiers are now fighting with the ghosts of killed Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers.
You know, you're almost right: not exactly ghosts but very close. Alcoholics, drug addicts, people with health issues, elderly people and so on... But this army is much more serious and will not leave any chances for the enemy. In addition, on May 18, a new law on mobilization comes into force in Ukraine and there will be replenishment.
There will be very limited effect as most men aged 25-27 have already fled the country. Perhaps you can also remind me why this additional mobilization was necessary? What happened to the existing glorious warriors of light? You have only lost around 30k troops according to your president?  If the Russians were unable to significantly change the situation at the front over the last six months of their offensive, when arms assistance to Ukraine was suspended during this period and the Ukrainian Armed Forces could respond to ten shells with only one shell, and in the presence of complete Russian air superiority, now , when weapons have already begun to arrive, the occupiers will very quickly begin to feel it.
Actually they did: not so much territory-wise (although the gains are quite significant too) but successfully employing the "meat grinder" tactic (destroying enemy troops, reinforcements, vehicles and other equipment without advancing forward like at Bakhmut, Avdiivka etc... ) Already, Russian losses have increased to one and a half thousand soldiers per day, which is already a record in this war. During the six days of attacks in the Kharkov direction, Russian units suffered losses of up to 70 percent, so the pace of attacks dropped sharply.
You made a mistake by exaggerating total Russian losses. I was impatiently expecting this moment when the total amount will get so ridiculous and unreal that you will stop mentioning them, mentioning only daily losses. In about a month, the long-awaited F-16 aircraft should appear in the skies of Ukraine, then there will be at least some parity and this war will become much more interesting.
Muahahaha! Let me remind you: Bayraktar will let us win the war Javelin will let us win the war Himars will let us win the war Leopard will let us win the war Abrams will let us win the war Patriot will let us win the war ATACMS will let us win the war Where are all these weapons now? Well, if you think that Ukraine has already lost this war, name the date when the Russians will win.
The date? Sorry, I can't do that, I can't see the future... but I give 90% that the war will end this year and 10% it will end next year. You can save this post for later reference. |
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I can even make you happy. On the sixth day of continuous attacks, Russian occupiers in the Kharkov region have already captured 190 square kilometers of Ukrainian land and a dozen villages. The occupiers are making the most of the temporary difficulty with weapons from the Ukrainian Armed Forces, but they are already arriving at the front. Soon Russian soldiers will feel this and will not be happy that they came to visit uninvited. But this Russian offensive has already slowed down. When the Russians captured a significant part of the Kharkov region in 2022, they also said that they had come forever. But then they ran away in such a way that they abandoned a lot of serviceable armored vehicles in order to run away faster than they could go. It will be so this time too.
This time is completely different. Firstly, Ukraine has already lost this war. It's pretty much clear for any sane person. You have no army left as simple as that. Everyone who wanted to fight Russians is already dead or crippled. To turn the tide you need to recruit at least 400-500.000 troops ASAP which would finish off the already badly battered economy of Ukraine. There are reports coming from the frontline that Ukrainian troops are surrendering en masse. Units located to the north of Kharkiv and mostly territorial defence units, poorly trained and equipped, mostly with low morale. The average age of AFU troops has reached 50+ years. Taking into account all of the above, I can claim that even all the weapons in the world won't help AFU. Ukraine has already stated several times that it will not conduct any negotiations with Putin, because he never respects them. On the other hand, Ukraine does not trade either its lands or its people. It is also possible that this time, having received Donbass and Crimea, Putin would have calmed down, because several times he was on the verge of failure and even crossed himself, which ended relatively well for him. But it’s unlikely that now he’s praying to God and not the devil. At the same time, the Ukrainian people do not want to give up their land to the occupiers and want a lasting and just peace, in which Russia must compensate Ukraine for the damage caused to it. The war will continue until the last occupier, alive or dead, leaves Ukrainian soil.
Or till the last Ukrainian? I'm just wondering for how long are you going to deny the obvious? Ukraine has no choice, sign a peace treaty now and hope for the best or cease to exist as an independent state. |
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But this is not what led to the events of Maidan in Ukraine, but precisely political motives.
Yanukovych, at Putin’s prompting, sharply abandoned the course of Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, and this was the reason why Ukrainians came to the Maidan of Independence in Kyiv with mass protests. Yanukovych and his entourage could continue to rob the Ukrainian people, as almost all presidents did before him and after him. But it was precisely his refusal to join the European Union that the people did not forgive him, which led to the current dramatic consequences.
No, the cookies was the main reason. Iraq, Libya, Ukraine, Belarus, Venezuela, Russia, Serbia, Moldova, just recently Georgia. These ""mass protests" are carbon copies of each other and are masterminded and sponsored by the CIA. How many lives and countries ruined without a single gunshot, without a single American soldier stepping on their soil... unfortunately, many stupid peeps with room temperature IQ like Argoo still continue to swallow the bait.... |
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Oddly enough, it is the war in Ukraine that has dragged on into its third year and failures on the Ukrainian front that can force Putin’s Russia to attack the Baltic countries as well. Russia has long shown that its leadership is completely inadequate and its actions are not particularly amenable to rational logic. These NATO countries are very vulnerable from a geographical point of view to Russia. It will be very difficult for NATO countries to deploy their forces and it will take a very long time. Russia may take such a reckless step to force Europe to negotiate peace with it in Ukraine on its terms.
On the other hand, Russia is very interested in the Suwalki corridor, which is located between Poland and Lithuania and connects Belarus with the Kaliningrad region of Russia. This became very relevant when Sweden and Finland recently became new NATO members and the Baltic Sea effectively became an internal sea of NATO countries. Therefore, the seizure of the Suwalki corridor recently became the subject of conversation between Putin and Lukashenko at their last meeting in Moscow.
So, you have zero proof? Right? I thought so... |
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Then we can also say that China is at war with the West at the hands of the Russians.
No, we can't say that. Ukraine is a sockpuppet, controlled by the US. Russia is a global superpower (think US, China) therefore it can't be controlled. China can't control Russia but they can be friends with Russia and eventually control the entire world. It is now beneficial for China to weaken both the United States and Europe and Russia through war.
It's definitely beneficial for China to weaken the US and EU but not Russia. China needs an ally in case WW3 breaks out. China is now taking advantage of the situation and buying oil and gas from Russia at a third lower price than they were previously supplied by Russia to European countries.
Energy prices tend to fluctuate so how can you tell what would the oil and gas prices be if Russia would continue to sell directly? Perhaps it would be the same they're offering to China? Btw, any proof they're selling gas and oil at lower prices than before? Perhaps a link to a reputable source? China is now using Russia as its raw materials appendage and Russia is forced to buy Chinese goods instead of European ones.
That's a huge opportunity and a huge new market for China. While Western companies were forced to leave this market and lose billions due to sanctions, their factories and other assets in Russia getting nationalized etc Chinese car manufacturers for example are entering the Russian market. The worst part for the Western producers is that this process is irreversible: Chinese companies are opening factories, dealerships and people in Russia are getting used to these new brands with no desire to get back to old conventional Western brands. Who do you think is a loser in this situation? In exchange for some help from Russia, Putin is now allowing China to regain control of previously lost territories in Siberia and the Far East without war. And not only these territories.
Crazy things are happening in the parallel universe of retarded Ukrainian propaganda. Considering that in the last nine years there has been a continuous decrease in the population of Russia,
Ahh, it's always a pleasure to catch a lying troll red-handed:  and also that the war with Ukraine continues to take the lives of the most active Russians, they are being replaced on Russian territory by the Chinese. Russian women give preference to hardworking Chinese men instead of lazy and always drunk Russian men.
I think you meant Ukrainian men here? Most Ukrainians are lazy and always drunk. At 30yo most of them look like they're in their 50ies! And I already posted before, that many AFU recruits are so drunk they can't even stand straight during the training exercises. Meanwhile Russians keep capturing new territories, they've captured about 110 square km up North from Kharkiv recently. Not bad for lazy and always drunk huh? All these territories are lost forever, although this (and also hundreds of thousands of dead Ukrainians) could have been easily avoided by Zelensky (the US). Sign a peace treaty with Russia and offer them Donbas and Crimea. That's it, the war will stop, people will stop dying, Ukraine will keep their statehood, Putin will get what he wants.  |
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Really shocking that he lost so heavily against a really solid opponent that shouldnt win against Djokovic. This is bad for him ahead or RG and will need to be more serious and change his gamestyle. Also i dont think he was off due to head injury because honestly that wasnt a serious hit to the head.
Yeah, I agree that hit wasn't serious enough. And frankly I didn't see a metal bottle there. I suspect, Djokovic being an asshole in real life, acted just to show the security guys didn't do a great job to protect him (partly true). And later he showed up with a bicycle helmet on his head to meet the fans! It was a joke but kind of an asshole joke, typical for Nole. |
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It's bad enough to see defending champion Elena Rybakina having to withdraw from the Italian Open due to illness, and this year she has withdrawn from at least three WTA 1000 tournaments and two of them as defending champion, it seems like she and her team have to be more selective in choosing tournaments because she often get sick and that was the only obstacle she faced.
Here I have to point out that WTA players can't choose which Masters series tournaments to play and which ones to skip. All Masters tournaments are mandatory and many star players have been commenting on this topic recently mostly saying that quality of tennis drops significantly because of the tight schedules and several long Masters tournaments in a row. |
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I just checked the outright odds for the mens winner and in top spot is Djokovic, no surprise
there at 2.85. Closest to him is Tsitsipas at 10.2!
OMG, that's a huge difference between the first and the second position. Rounds of 128 playing today but Rafa plays tomorrow in his round against a Belgian player
I have never heard of, Bergs. Maybe serveria.com has heard of him?
Not really, I've never heard of him as well. He's not exactly junior, he's 24 yo but only showed up recently, prolly a late bloomer and just appeared on tour. Will keep an eye on him. On the womens side its the same, its rounds of 128 playing ATM. It will be interesting to
see how Swiatek and Sabalenka play. Outrights ATM are Swiatek 2.35, Sabalenka 5.70.
It's a bit weird as Sabalenka defeated Swiatek in Madrid final. |
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Here's your one of a kind opportunity to acquire a super cool domain for your future or existing web hosting or server related business! Domain age: Domain is 21 years old! Most of the time the domain was active/in use. Popular keyword: server is a widely used keyword. Great extension: Uses the .com extension. Short: serveria is 15 characters or less. For sale because of an upcoming rebranding/focusing on cloud products. Here are some independent domain appraisal results:   Price: $7.5k in BTC or USDT (negotiable)Can provide more details on request, please PM me if interested. |
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And what events will occur in Russia? Please share your information. I am intrigued.
I can approximately guess what he meant: CIA funded and masterminded student riots in Russia (like the ones started by CIA in Georgia now), possible coup' d'état by the same high-standing military officers who sold Russia's attack plan to CIA back in 2022, Putin's assassination attempt, fuelling and promoting national movements among the nationalities of Russia etc etc... so a pretty much standard set of CIA tricks. |
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Until 2014, the Donetsk and Lugansk regions within Ukraine prospered. The main economic sectors of these regions were coal mining and metallurgy. At the time of separation from Ukraine, the separatists stated that the Donbass region supposedly fed the whole of Ukraine and without it Ukraine would not survive.
The Russian world brought decline and destruction to the Donbass, destroying a significant part of the civilian population. But Russia blames Ukraine for this. It’s so convenient to justify your atrocities.
Just google Donbass in 2014 vs now or Crimea 2014 vs now or Mariupol 2014 vs now. You will be shocked. All these locations looked like a shithole back in 2014. Even most Ukrainians and ex-Ukrainian locals admit it. Most of the towns across Ukraine, perhaps only with the exception of Kyiv haven't been renovated since Soviet times. |
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Aaand the new Madrid Open WTA champ is Iga Swiatek! She defeated last year's Madrid champion Aryna Sabalenka 7:5, 4:6, 7:6! That was one hell of a match and Aryna had 3 championship points during the match!
Madrid ATP tournament is one of the weirdest of all time: a lot of players have withdrawn including the semi-finalist Jiri Lehecka.
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Is there a chance Sinner is taking a precautionary measure to withdraw here to minimise the
risk of getting injured before Rome?
...
Definitely yes. However this Is not the favorite surface for him so I see the chance for the win really hard. In Italy there Is a "Sinner mania" probably linked to the fact that Is a new kind of "sport influencer" ... Far away from what we have seen in the past (One of the top players here was Fognini... Called also "fogna" - sewer). There Is a lot of pression to see here live (there Is a big hype for the tournament tickets for the final are already soldi out...) By the way It seems Sinner Is already suffering for hip injury like Murray... Here the difference Is the young age ...  Yeah, so true, Sinner is a real nice guy and a role model for young tennis players not only in Italy but all around the world. There's some Federer-esque aristocratic touch to his image. And yeah, huge difference with arrogant and pompous Italian tennis bad boy Fognini... |
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Nice parachute into the semi final against either Medvedev or Lehecka, TBH I dont know who
to pick for a win of this match, maybe n over 22.5 bet here.
To me it's a no-brainer: my bet will be on Medvedev. He's got much more experience playing at later stages of Masters series tournaments. And despite clay is not his preferred surface he's still quite dangerous opponent literally for any player on tour. Lehecka is in top form that's right and he's got plenty of confidence after winning Rafa on clay, but... Medvedev is my pick this time. |
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In any case, for most Ukrainian pilots the first flight is also going to be the last...
Yeah, that's another factor to consider. On one hand we have Russia that still has a large number of air-defenses which include high quality and long range radars and anti-air missiles alongside a large air-force with modern aircrafts with pilots flying them who have been trained for a long time under favorable conditions. On the other hand we have Ukraine that has lost most of its air-defense and basically has a handful of low tier, low quality air defenses with lower range radars and anti-air missiles, alongside a small number of old/used aircrafts flown by pilots who have had little training under bad conditions. For example @Argoo talks about "dogfight". That is easier said than done. Even the so called expert American pilots with years of training and most sophisticated systems at their disposal are not capable of performing decent dogfights. Not much is expected of a Ukrainian pilot with little training abroad (language barrier) on a Western system they are not even familiar with. Another serious issue that may be overlooked is overhaul. Ukrainians may be able to fix a Russian/Soviet made aircraft since they've had them before (eg. Sukhoi and MiG) but they neither have the infrastructure nor the know-how to fix a Western aircraft such as F-16. Any small issue in an F-16 means they'll have to ship it back abroad (possibly to US itself) for Lockheed Martin to fix that issue. That's not a sustainable air-force that can make any change. Lest we forget the Abrams tanks... This is why I said too little and too late... You are absolutely right! Not only language barrier and inability to reach decent levels of flying in shorter periods of time/training but mainly just the lack of pilots. Most of the Ukrainian pilots were Russian-trained and flew Russian-built planes. Unfortunately, most of them are already dead. The remaining pilots have very poor level of English as you precisely pointed out. As a result, some time ago it was announced by a Ukrainian news outlet that there are only 6 pilots who could proceed with training abroad! 6 pilots/planes certainly doesn't sound like a gamechanger! |
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...
What were the odds on Rafa today?
...
Rafa Nadal odds against De minaur was @2.50 but lowered up to @2.20 during pre-market. I wasn't able to follow the match but the result surprised me a bit. It is obvious that in his home tournament he wants to achieve maximum results and visibility, but I don't know up to what match his physical condition can be satisfactory. Rafa announced he is going to play doubles together with Carlos Alcaraz at the Olympics in Paris this summer. Very interesting decision, I wonder who initiated this: Rafa or the Spanish tennis federation? Rafa is known to be an average doubles player with rather poor performance at the net. Spain, on the other hand, have one of the longest rosters in sport and can choose from at least a dozen of top level players. What do you think? Is Rafa the right candidate? |
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My guess is all these fighter jets would do is to only knock Russia down from having air dominance to having air superiority. And that's best case scenario.
My guess most of them will be destroyed on the ground before even being able to become airborne. Russian intelligence has improved A LOT since the beginning of the war and they are now being able to locate and destroy targets like HIMARS, Patriot systems, foreign mercenary camps etc even far away from the frontline. Airports/airfields are such an easy target for Russian missiles. You can't hide an airfield or build a new one secretly. In any case, for most Ukrainian pilots the first flight is also going to be the last... |
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