Latest posts of: Gyfts

Quote from: merchantofzeny on March 21, 2022, 01:01:23 PM

He should have just done this instead of invading, imho. Much more cost effective, like how he's propping that guy in Belarus. Just orchestrate a coup to get rid of Zelinsky and help install a more friendly president.

Perhaps, but neither strategy is easy. The President before Zelenskky was a pro-Russia type leader that was essentially ousted who now lives in exile. Whatever coup Putin could devise would probably be shut down by the West before it could come to fruition. (Though seeing as NATO has done little to intervene in the invasion, maybe I could be wrong about that).

Quote from: merchantofzeny on March 21, 2022, 01:01:23 PM

The invasion stirred nationalist sentiments in Ukraine

I agree, but Putin did not foresee this happening. He envisioned a quick Ukrainian defeat. Instead he's galvanized Ukraine and the rest of the Westernized world against him.

Quote from: examplens on March 23, 2022, 04:52:26 PM

...

You're referring to these type of events?

https://www.news.com.au/world/europe/ukrainian-civilians-stripped-tied-up-and-beaten-by-vigilantes-in-shocking-videos/news-story/3a2abcc0a87815925dce0db9cee1c09a

Sure is news to me. Maybe it's not widespread and it appears this phenomenon is recent. War usually brings out the animalistic and tribalistic side of people. There is no police, no law and order, so people resort to retribution by mob. And it usually involves a lot of violence, apparently including tying women to a pole and beating them senselessly. There isn't much to understand, when civil society collapses under war so do social norms. I consider what these Ukrainians are doing to be tame compared to what goes on in middle eastern societies, where the punishment of being raped is being killed for having brought upon so much shame. Some might even be stoned to death for being gay. Of course, there is no logic or humanity under consideration. For the vast majority of human history, we've been pretty terrible to our fellow humans.

Quote from: LTU_btc on March 22, 2022, 08:56:26 PM

IMO, petitions is one of the most pointless things ever. Nobody is paying attention to it in democratic countries and now we are talking about mad dictator who don't care about people lifes, sanctions that kill his country economics and long term consquences of war. But no, he will stop war because of petition. Petitions is good thing only to show people's position.

Quote from: Findingnemo on March 22, 2022, 01:52:44 PM

Everyone concerned about people affected by the war but still the president of Ukraine is not showing any sign of oeace talk with neutral moodz he is still on the side of NATO join so probably Putin won't stop unless Zelensky comes down.

What do you expect Zelensky to do? Give up and let Russia to occupy country. And if you follow his statements, Ukraine has already lost hope to be ever accepted in NATO or that they will announce no-fly zone over Ukraine.

Quote from: Gyfts on March 22, 2022, 05:06:49 PM

Setting aside this worthless petition, how would you propose capturing Putin in order to make him stand trial? He is nearly 70 and he's declining in health. Let him die of natural causes and then worry about the next Putin who is set to take over Russia. The successor will adopt the crisis in Ukraine, and there is the gamble that this person is more unhinged than Putin himself. A deleterious successor is more concerning than Putin.

70 isn't that much. War or genocide criminals were punished even at 90 years or even more. Though, I hardly see scenario how to capture him. But anyway, Putin didn't deserved to die in natural way after all he did.
And I afraid that next president after Putin won't be much better, considering that majority of Russians support their current politics direction and this war too.

I say 70 with apprehension for the reason that people live much longer than that with OK cognitive function, but Macron visited Putin and alluded to something about his mental status not being up to par. I'd speculate the onset of dementia or senility at his age if what Macron says is true. The successor of Putin won't be much better, but for sake of the rest of the world, hopefully he won't be any worse either.

Quote from: Doan9269 on March 22, 2022, 12:06:07 PM

Is the Petition signed against Putin worth making him end the war?

Sure would be nice if it were that easy, signing a petition and declaring war over.

Quote from: avikz on March 09, 2022, 11:11:05 AM

Lol! No! Crypto has literally nothing to do with the Russia - Ukraine conflict. Just like any other good community, the crypto community is doing their part to help affectes people. That's it!

World's first crypto war - is completely unrelated and makes no sense at all! It's a war to maintain Russia's sovereignty against the NATO and US aggression. Ukraine has now announced that they will not join NATO. Hopefully the war situation will now normalize.

Of course the war doesn't have anything directly to do with crypto. The point is that crypto fills the void when a government is unable sustain the currency. Russia is crippled by sanctions and their government doesn't have control over their economy anymore. What happens when the currency becomes worthless? People switch to crypto. Also the overuse of sanctions by the U.S. government incentivizes countries to do commerce with crypto instead of USD. If the U.S. government can freeze assets on a whim, doesn't make for good business if you have billions of dollars in USD reserves.

It takes years for a country to join NATO and there wasn't much incentive for NATO countries to accept Ukraine given they were obligated to intervene if Russia invaded. People seem to forget there was years of tension well before the invasion of Crimea in 2014. Setting that aside, Joe Biden is also President of the U.S. and he is incompetent and senile which gave Putin the greenlight to invade. Putin saw the withdrawal in Afghanistan, he knew the West would be silent if he attempted to capture Ukraine. And he was right.

Quote from: tranthidung on February 22, 2022, 07:55:42 AM

Quote from: pooya87 on February 21, 2022, 04:54:26 PM

"You can't ban the internet" is being repeated but you have to realize that the governments didn't abandon banning the internet because they couldn't. They abandoned it because they ended up having a very good level of control over it.

To grow bigger, Bitcoin and crypto market need to have more and better regulations. Having our own banks and financial freedom does not mean the crypto market and its ecosystem should be left as free space.

People must be protected by regulations, laws, etc. There are always pros and cons of regulations but I believe that in the world, we must have law and regulations in any industry. Fortunately, with Bitcoin, governments can not brutefore our own wallets. They can not free our wallets like what they can do very easily with bank accounts.

Wouldn't be the first time I've heard the sentiment of laws being crafted to protect the people. Bitcoin regulations are no exception. The precise verbiage of any one law doesn't matter - the goal is the same, to decrease the usage of crypto in hopes of people reverting back to normal currency. What starts out as innocuous regulations and laws, as you suggest, inevitably turns into an outright ban. It's difficult to recall when government has responsibly been given power that does not conclude in abuse. What exact regulations do you purpose for crypto currency that would make the sector better? Perhaps you have more faith in a competent governmental system, because I surely do not.

Quote from: af_newbie on March 19, 2022, 07:46:22 PM

Quote from: Gyfts on March 19, 2022, 03:27:54 PM

Putin doesn't need to win the hearts and minds of the Ukrainian people. He will install a government that is pro-Russia. So the Ukrainian people will pledge loyalty to a puppet government, not him.

Take it as you will, as there is so much propaganda being thrown by actors culpable of stirring the pot, but here is Putin being cheered by a stadium of people in a recent public appearance: https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1504821631675473922

Quite the contrast from the videos and clips of small groups of protestors that are being arrested by Russian police. The international community is on the same page against Russia, but as long as Putin can sustain confidence among his own people, I see no reason why Putin would withdraw from Ukraine.

So that is the plan? LOL.

Hmm, you have no idea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzRls0WSW4c

Yes, it is his plan. That is only if he is able to murder Zelenskyy. See the number of hit squads/mercenary groups that have attempted to assassinate him: https://nypost.com/2022/03/09/zelensky-has-survived-more-than-a-dozen-assassination-attempts-aide-says/

They can't be cheap, must serve a purpose eh?

Do you think Ukraine will become part of Russia? How else would you expect they be governed? If Zelenskyy survives, then no problem for Putin. He will murder enough citizens until a concession is forced from Ukraine. Either way, Putin will be in control of the Ukrainian government,

Quote from: Hydrogen on March 18, 2022, 10:09:20 PM

I'm not expecting a US CBDC to offer advantages over crypto. They won't offer lower transaction fees, or a private key based system allowing sole ownership and control over funds to end users. They will not adopt a hard deflationary model, which could qualify their CBDC as an inflation protected asset. They won't implement a gold standard whereby their CBDC can be exchanged for precious metals. There won't be high interest earned by staking CBDCs as there is with crypto.

The approach regulators and the state makes to CBDC rules out every avenue which could allow them to be competitive in global markets. In an era where social credit and state surveillance are concerns, CBDC could be viewed as extensions of these programs, which I think most would prefer to avoid.

CBDC will have a difficult time to overcome the many obstacles and skepticism most will have towards it.

If it is pegged to the dollar, CBDC might be used as a stablecoin in countries like venezuela, turkey and argentina which could help residents to avoid inflation. That might be one area it could have real world application. Although given the preference for regional lockouts where video games made in japan can't be played in the USA, as an industry standard, it is possible that may not be an option outside of forex which already exists.

If they peg it to the dollar then inflation is still an issue because the money supply is not finite. They can create currency out of thin air, it just becomes digitalized under a CBDC system. If they chose to peg it to something like gold then it might help with inflation. There is no indication the countries floating the idea of a CBDC have aims of doing that though (granted, we're very early).

IMO the goal of a CBDC is to eliminate paper money in an age where everything is digital, and while the government is at it they can use it as a mechanism to control the money supply easier than paper-based currency. They would present CBDC's as a crypto competitor when it is nothing remotely similar.

Putin doesn't need to win the hearts and minds of the Ukrainian people. He will install a government that is pro-Russia. So the Ukrainian people will pledge loyalty to a puppet government, not him.

Take it as you will, as there is so much propaganda being thrown by actors culpable of stirring the pot, but here is Putin being cheered by a stadium of people in a recent public appearance: https://twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1504821631675473922

Quite the contrast from the videos and clips of small groups of protestors that are being arrested by Russian police. The international community is on the same page against Russia, but as long as Putin can sustain confidence among his own people, I see no reason why Putin would withdraw from Ukraine.

Quote from: so98nn on March 15, 2022, 11:25:45 AM

Quote from: teddybear on March 15, 2022, 12:28:32 AM

[...]
The EU's Markets in Cryptoassets Regulation — known as MiCA for short — would have forced Proof-of-Work blockchains, like the one used by Bitcoin, to meet "minimum environmental sustainability standards."
[...]
I wasn't expecting a ban in the first place(as they can't) but its nice that someone always isn't rallying against Crypto.

Never understood what they mean when they say minimum environmental sustainability standard?

I am not sure why these are still running: Cars, Factories, Satellites, Rockets and everything basically that use fuels to run?

We have nuclear and green energy sources to replace the fuel consumption, why dont they replace it entirely on the planet earth so that we can have so called, "minimum environmental sustainability standards."

Tails of politics and nothing else. I am not sure and dont wanna compare how much energy mining takes against all those things running on gas. But surely its way less and still they think its harmful for the environment. Lolz.

They conjure up a definition depending on what they're talking about in terms of environmental sustainability. I have yet to see any consistency with these sort of people. Europe generally is pro-green energy but the unfair targeting of Bitcoin seems deliberate. Nuclear energy would solve a lot of the energy needs for most developed countries yet that isn't seen as any solution to energy demands.

Quote from: paxmao on March 01, 2022, 07:25:03 PM

...

I'm skeptical that Putin authorizes nuclear weapons but tactical nukes that are smaller in blast radius remain a possibility. Not a large possibility, but enough that would worry the West. There is no winning a nuclear war, and Putin is wise enough to recognize that.

Doesn't seem likely Putin is going to make any concessions that do not involve the initial list of demands (ie Ukraine remaining neutral, refusal to join NATO and such). I am expecting more civilian casualties before the nukes are a factor in the war. I'm sure you've noticed the number of bombs targeting civilian congregations, those aren't mistakes.

Is it conceivable to have a war that actually economically elevates a country? Yeah, maybe if you find a bunch of oil or gold. Unfortunately for the Russians, Ukraine has neither so the Russian economy will continue to tank. This is also within the context of their economy being atrocious to begin with. Putin couldn't afford a war, but presumably he could not afford Ukraine to join NATO either.

Quote from: Silberman on March 15, 2022, 04:58:11 PM

While without a doubt Russia expected to win this war under a week and now they are frustrated this is not the case I doubt that they are destroying the infrastructure out of anger, this is nothing more but another example of total war, in which the invader begins to destroy anything that may have some use for the opposite army with the hopes of demoralizing them and at the same time to cut short their supplies, this means Russia is taking more seriously the war and it is just one more indicator that tells us they are not going to back down on their decision to invade Ukraine.

Seems clear they didn't expect the type of economic blowback they received either. The annexation of Crimea was met with little to no resistance and their economy did not crumble as a result. Appears now that major companies are pulling out their operations from Russia on top of the sanctions already in place. Russia is taking civilian causalities more seriously, certainly.

Quote from: Argoo on March 17, 2022, 06:09:55 AM

Quote from: gantez on March 16, 2022, 03:40:48 PM

Russia sanctions is suppose to be within the EU and NATO countries but India is not part of it, and the restrictions extending there to India ? Russia will discount to more countries that are not NATO or EU for survival for the sale of oil or other products. I don't think India or China will stop buying from Russia, these countries are likely to form an alliance.

This statement is incorrect. Now the entire civilized world is uniting to punish Russia with economic sanctions as an aggressor that unleashed a war against Ukraine and shelled peaceful cities and killed civilians. This is the largest war of conquest in Europe since the Second World War. But states are only just beginning to understand the danger of what is happening. Therefore, Germany is already joining the sanctions and supporting Ukraine with weapons.
The US has also warned China not to have trade deals with Russia, so the same warning against India is logical. If Putin is allowed to go further, the entire human civilization may suffer. In the 21st century, with current technology, wars of this magnitude are unacceptable.

The U.S. has no authority to dictate international commerce. Any bilateral transactions between countries is not their business. It is not India's responsibility that the U.S. elected a senile leader that paved the way for Ukraine to be invaded. India does not share the westernized vision of green energy with electric cars and solar panels - they need cheap oil. The sanctions just make Putin more desperate which means more dead Ukrainian civilians. By the way, China has no problems trading with Russia despite the pathetic pleas of the Biden administration to China to financially restrict ties.

Quote from: Tash on March 16, 2022, 07:04:25 PM

...

It becomes easier to pool resources in times of war by huddling together in safe houses or congregating in public buildings, like a church or a library. This is also within the context of probably having no power, plumbing, or clean water. It isn't clear to me whether that might already be the case in the particular area where the theatre bombing occurred, but nonetheless it isn't uncommon. Imagine you are in fear for your life with explosions overhead in an active war zone. People will stay together.

Also, Putin has a history of targeting civilians so none of these bombings should come as a surprise. Expect more as he gets more desperate.

Quote from: Cnut237 on March 17, 2022, 03:57:54 PM

So who will lose in Ukraine? Arguably, everyone.

This is the only correct answer.

I see the sentiment from those virtue signaling by displaying a Ukrainian flag on social media bios or demanding that NATO get involved and engage in a combat war with Russia that somehow Ukraine is able to scrap together the remaining pieces of rubble in decimated buildings and call themselves okay. That somehow Ukraine is able to come back from the destruction. I suppose a "winning" in Ukraine could be perceived as the Ukrainian government remaining self sufficient, oppose to Zelenskyy outright being murdered. But that doesn't bring back any lives or property back.

I'd take it a step further and argue that everyone has already lost, and the continued occupation of Ukraine is merely digging the hole deeper.

Quote from: 325btc on March 17, 2022, 12:26:56 PM

Yes but who runs btc ? Cmegroup biggest derivates exchanger is in usa, grayscale biggest btc holder is in usa
Most regulated and biggest exchangers are in usa.
Crypto regulations are in usa
So whats changing ? Still usa

Crypto doesn't rely on exchanges the same way traditional currencies don't rely on banks (which is why CBDC's are becoming something many countries want to experiment with). No one runs BTC, it's decentralized. If you want to create a currency based on an oil standard, then feel free. Venezuela essentially tried this, with their entire economy dependent on oil. Didn't work out well when oil prices crashed.

Quote from: 325btc on March 17, 2022, 12:30:36 PM

Second question ?
Will we buy oil with BTC ??
If not oil then ewhat real commoditie food or fuel or energy will be related to btc that makes huge btv demand ??

And if its not oil...then usa can invade country where is electricity and start to control electricity if the oil will not be the king.

Whats the point ? Point is those who got power and are wealthy will always find the ways to create more wealth and get more power so if its not OIL then it will be something else they grab

Is it required that a currency be backed by a commodity? Yeah, maybe in a perfect world we could go back to the gold standard, but things don't work like that anymore. They don't have to either.

The world could adopt a Bitcoin standard, you know. The dollar isn't worth saving anymore if it's on track for a 10 percent inflation rate. If the U.S. is inclined to sanction every country that has the audacity to oppose them and print irresponsibly, then USD can continue to weaken its position on the global stage with more countries dumping the dollar and opting in for other currencies.

But sure, I suppose the proposition of casually invading a few countries, overthrowing governments, and killing civilians in order to save a currency that is on the decline is a viable strategy. Might invade some oil producing countries if they are feeling motivated.

If you can call the right winners, you don't necessarily have to short. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, the winners were the pharma companies that produced a COVID vaccine, and Amazon that was able to capitalize on the boom in e-commerce due to restriction measures. Crypto becomes a whole lot harder to predict, because it correlates with other markets such that a crash in housing or stocks would also result in a crash in crypto. And trying to predict which precise crypto currency beats the others in a recovery is pure gambling.

Sanctions backfire when overused. Right now, the U.S. is going a bit overboard with their sanctions and seizing assets of anyone that might be related to Russia. The obvious result is Russia will instead do business with China and perhaps India, carrying no USD assets and switching to Yuan, among others. USD doesn't have any competitive edge that's worth using anyways. High inflation, reckless sanctions, and sporadic asset forfeitures (imagine having billions frozen just because the U.S. government wants to have a tough appearance).