The best summer holiday destinations in the world by private jet – The GATE

Europe is beginning to come out of lockdown and in a few weeks, travelling for pleasure will be an option once again. However, no matter how much we wish the situation was different, our holidays this year will be different. Its important to consider your options in a new light, so here are a few suggestions to make the most of your next summer holiday.

For those who can afford it, a private jet is the best way to travel, explore new places and relax in luxurious style. Youll not only be saving time at the airport and getting your holiday off to a flying start, youll have easier access to some of the most remote parts of the world.

Naturally, due to its benefits, this style of travel has become a go-to for high-flyers, with an almost 50% increase in demand over the last year alone. And now, with the ever-changing prospects of the travel industry due to coronavirus, more travellers than ever will take to the skies on private charter planes.

For your next holiday, reap the benefits of a private flight with these stunning destinations

The British Virgin Islands (BVI)

This collection of islands in the Caribbean is the holiday destination of the rich and famous for a reason. Picture white sandy beaches and coral reefs, submerged under dazzling blue waters. It sounds like the description of a postcard, but for holidaymakers on one of these tropical islands, it really is their reality.

This British overseas territory is made up of an island chain and sits alongside the neighbouring US Virgin Islands. Tortola is just one of the islands you could visit and its home to almost three-quarters of the population, along with some of the most famous beaches in the world.

Looking to tick some adventure activities off your bucket list? Tortola is known for its scuba diving, sailing and surfing, along with awe-inspiring views from hikes in the islands parks. With so much to see and do in the British Virgin Islands, theres no doubt that an island-hopping holiday is the only way to go and with a private jet charter, it becomes so much easier.

Seychelles

Calling all beach lovers and nature enthusiasts! Seychelles is a beautiful archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean with clear turquoise waters and stunning beaches, ideal for a week in the lap of luxury.

Fregate is just one of the glorious islands in Seychelles, offering 5-star accommodation, so you can explore all the island has to offer during the day and sleep easy at night. As you make your way through the thick green envelopes of vegetation on the island, watch out for the Hawksbill turtles often see basking in the sunshine.

These coral islands sit over 1000 miles from the Tanzanian coast, making it the perfect secret getaway. While they might not be as glossy as the Maldives or as well-travelled as the British Virgin Islands, theyre a step off the beaten track and a chance to explore the wilder side of luxury.

Musha Cay Bahamas

As one of the only privately rented islands in the world, its no surprise that those who are looking for a little more privacy have flocked to this island in recent years. Musha Cay is an island in the Bahamas owned by David Copperfield and sits in the Copperfield bay, surrounded by crystal clear ocean and tropical scenery.

The island, designed for you to be catered for, offers some of the best Caribbean cuisines alongside its lush vegetation landscapes. On Musha Cay, be prepared to see the day out with adventure sports such as deep-sea fishing and diving, along with outdoor theatre and cruises in private yachts and speed boats.

Supai, Arizona

If islands arent for you, why not try the deepest part of the USA? Accessible only by private plane and by foot, Supai is a remote part of Arizona buried at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Experience true American culture as you distance yourself from the outside world and come into the home of the Havasupai Tribe, who have lived on the land for almost 1000 years.

The hike to the village isnt for the faint-hearted, thats for sure. But when you arrive, youll be greeted by awe-inspiring views of the famous waterfalls, seen by many but experienced by few. After a day discovering this earthly paradise, youll go to sleep under the pitch-black sky with only the stars for light.

Practical Reasons for Flying Private

The way people travel is set to change forever, following the fall out from the current health crisis. Naturally, travellers are wanting to greatly minimize the risk to themselves and their companions while still being able to explore the world.

Travelling by private charter enables you to do this without worry as from the moment you walk through security, all the way to your separate terminal, you are in the hands of aviation professionals. On board, youll find that all extra hygiene precautions have been taken to give flyers the peace of mind they have come to expect from a private charter.

Certified operators all follow the European Union Aviation Safety Agencys recommendations of protection as standard. These measures are stringent and put in place solely for the protection of passengers and crew.

The private aviation industry is constantly evolving, identifying clients needs and meeting them often before being required to by law. For those looking to travel safely, in style and comfort, private charter jets are the way forward to secure full peace of mind wherever you fly.

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The best summer holiday destinations in the world by private jet - The GATE

Are cruises around Britain the answer for UK travellers in need of an escape? – Telegraph.co.uk

For cruise lovers who are miserable at being landlocked, unable to reach the shores of the Caribbean or Australia this year or, in the case of the Seychelles, until 2022 a cure may be found close to home.

In fact, theres a flutter of confidence that the hoops Britons must currently jump through to travel abroad could result in a surge of travellers looking to take to the waves around Britain.

Scotland and its islands, in particular, have been earmarked by cruise insiders as somewhere to watch, with one operator telling The Telegraph that despite such trips being domestic travel they will be very attractive for those wishing for a real escape.

Anticipation was raised further when Scotlands Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism, Fergus Ewing, set July 15 as a provisional reopening date for some businesses across the country as long as there are appropriate safety guidelines in place.

Since the industrys global voluntary pause in March, and with the larger international lines continuing in push back their restart dates, a key focus has been the exploration of home shores.

Viking Cruises stoked the embers of hope earlier this month when they announced that they were looking into the possibility of operating summer sailings around the UK. Dates and details on the itineraries have not been revealed, however, with the focus right now on feasibility and asking UK guests to register their interest.

The managing director of Saga Cruises, Nigel Blanks, said he expects a spike in interest for round-Britain cruises and that once they have the go-ahead from authorities they would be able to resume within three to four weeks.

There is still an appetite for cruise, said Peter Deer, the managing director of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, adding: Some people will look to take their next holiday closer to home, and we can see that in our own numbers where UK cruises are some of the most searched for on our website. Cruise and Maritime Voyages, which last week moved their optimistic July 1 restart date back to August 25, reported an increase demand for 2021 British Isles cruises.

Domestic voyages appear to be the method in which operators are easing into post-pandemic sailing. Nicko Travel began Europes first river cruise since March when NickoVision set sail from Passau, Germany, on June 1. Hurtigruten begins a coastal service between Bergen and Kirkenes today, while A-Rosa and American Cruise Lines aiming to resume this week.

So will we see British holidaymakers following the same path? One of Telegraph Travels cruise writers thinks they should.

This could be an ideal time to explore Britains shores as our own country is a hidden gem when it comes to cruising, said Sara Macefield.

While many mainstream lines will not be operating this summer, theres a plethora of smaller specialist companies offering wonderful itineraries that explore Scotlands Western Isles, which are rich in marine life and different bird species, and cruises along the West Country coast or out to the Scilly Isles.

North of the border is where the loudest optimism is coming from. Various lines who operate small ships expressed confidence that they can provide safe, Covid-secure cruises that tick the box for those in need for time on the water while swerving strict quarantine rules.

And it would be a much needed boost to an industry that could lose millions in revenue due to coronavirus travel restrictions. More than 900,000 passengers had been expected to visit on ships this year, a 15 per cent rise on 2019.

One in 10 cruises begin in the Islands and the Highlands, according to industry body Martime UK, with those areas potentially losing more than 28 million.

Mary Waller and Scott Atkinson are the owners and crew of Red Moon Cruises. Theyve spent their lockdown aboard Red Moon, which usually offers cruises for up to four passengers but is often chartered as a private love boat by couples, and believe the west coast of Scotland is one of the most stunning sailing areas in the world.

We think that its highly likely that staycations in the U.K. will become more popular for the next few years and we hope of course that that will include cruises. We hope that British people will look harder at whats on offer here and investigate more unusual and alternative vacations.

They added: We are confident the appeal of the remote Scottish beaches and hidden anchorages we habitually visit will be very attractive for those wishing for a real escape.

St Hilda Sea Adventure said they definitely think that Scottish small ship cruising will become more popular and that they are receiving enquiries for 2020, while The Majestic Lines Fiona Forsyth told Telegraph Travel that its the small vessels that people are interested in.

I think people will be looking for the perfect, remote getaway and the west coast of Scotland would be appealing. As our ships only accommodate 11 to 12 guests we are a great alternative to the larger cruise ships, you are not mixing with a huge number of people and we can get into remote anchorages, and hopefully they will see more wildlife than they will people.

It would be a lot more viable to run the cruises if social distancing was reduced to one metre, she added.

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Are cruises around Britain the answer for UK travellers in need of an escape? - Telegraph.co.uk

Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich: 10 Shocking Revelations From The Netflix Docuseries – Screen Rant

Netflix's latest true crime docuseriessensation is Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich, which tells the story of convicted sex offender and billionaire Jeffrey Epstein and the events that led up to the investigation and arrest, and the aftermath of his death. The docuseries also looked at Epstein's early life and career, as well as an incident that was reported to the FBI way back in the 90s.

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With just four one-hour parts, this miniseries is enthralling and shocking. And, even if you have been keeping on top of the case, there are a few things revealed that you might not have known.

Usually, you hear about pyramid schemes as they relate to money and the sale of goods. But, apparently, Epstein was reportedly running a sort of pyramid scheme that involved sourcing and selling women.

According to accounts by several of his accusers, he would offer girls money for massages, and, when they arrived, he would sometimes sexually abuse them and offer them money if they brought more girls to him. This went on and on in a reported spiderweb of recruitment. One accuser, Haley Robson, alleges that she alone recruited about two dozen girls.

Two women accused Epstein of sexual abuse way back in 1996 and even approached a journalist from Vanity Fair about it, Vicky Ward. After much investigation and a story, Ward says she had written the piece but any mention of the women and the alleged incidents were removed before publication.

Graydon Carter, editor-in-chief at the time, says Ward's reporting simply came too late in the press process and did not meet the publication's "legal threshold." Ward, however, says it was pressure and threats that led to the decision.

Maxwell, Epstein's long-time girlfriend and companion, allegedly threatened and intimidated Maria Farmer, Epstein's first accuser from 1996. After returning to New York, Farmer claims Maxwell would call her to threaten, implying that she was being watched.

RELATED: 10 Of The Best Crime Docuseries

Farmer says the calls kept coming for years until she finally decided to move to North Carolina and change her name.

For some time, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, one of Epstein's accusers and a woman who worked with him for years, has claimed that she was prostituted out to Prince Andrew. He has vehemently denied these accusations even though a photo was released of the two of them together.

In the docuseries, Steve Scully, a former employee of Epstein's who worked on telecommunication services at his Virgin Islands home, says he saw Prince Andrew grinding against a topless woman at the pool. After looking at photos, he confirmed the woman was indeed Giuffre, according to his recollection.

While Bill Clinton has long denied knowing Epstein very well, flight logs revealed in the documentary suggest that he was on Epstein's private plane 26 times. There was also at least one photo of him on the plane.

Additionally, Scully also reports having seen Clinton on the Little St. James private island once before, sitting on the living room porch area, which he referred to as being Epstein's favorite spot. He doesn't recall seeing anyone else there at the time. Giuffre also confirmed having seen Clinton on the property before, though never doing anything improper. A Clinton spokesperson, however, denies he was there.

If there was ever any question as to Epstein's character and attitude, it was chilling to see in the clips from his 2016 deposition. As he was asked question after question about his alleged involvement with underage girls, and even private details about his body, he simply answered invoking his constitutional rights.

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This, he noted, was on the advisement of his legal team. But, one would think that, if you're innocent of such horrendous accusations, you'd answer with a vehement denial of the claims.

Giuffre reports that Ghislaine approached her one time saying that she and Epstein would like to have a child together but they wanted Giuffre to birth the child and give it up to them. Giuffre was reluctant, but she agreed, provided she could get her masseuse certificate first.

After they agreed and sent her to Thailand to get her certificate, Giuffre met and fell in love with a man, got married, and called Epstein saying she would not return.

It's no secret that many conspiracy theorists have said they don't believe Epstein really committed suicide in his cell. While the docuseries doesn't suggest it was murder or suicide either way, it does explore the potential of another truth.

Forensic pathologist Dr. Cyril Wecht, who was hired by Epstein's brother to investigate his death, says he found three fractures in Epstein's hyoid bone that he claims would be impossible to happen from someone leaping from their bunk bed.

While his alleged victims will never be able to look him in the eye and see him sent to jail for life, they also won't be able to get any money for their pain and suffering. Just a few days before his death, Epstein transferred all of his money to the US Virgin Islands.

The total sum was about $577 million, and, with the funds being there, the women will have a hard time ever seeing a dime.

After Epstein's death, the judge ruled that, even though he couldn't be tried, a hearing would still take place so the women could tell their stories and be heard. Those who were present went up, one by one, to discuss what he had done to them.

Many expressed that this gave them much-needed closure and they appreciated the judge giving them the opportunity and sitting and listening attentively to every word.

NEXT: Netflix's Trials Of Gabriel Fernandez: 10 Details That Were Left Out

Next Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich - The 10 Biggest Takeaways From Netflix's Miniseries

A professional writer and editor with 18+ years of experience, Christine, now a freelance writer/editor, is a self-professed TV fanatic with tastes that vary considerably from comedies to dramas, sci-fi, and more. She can usually be found binging a new show at night, coupled with a glass of red wine. With a long history writing in the field of consumer tech, she now also writes on topics from entertainment to parenting, lifestyle, marketing, and business. She resides in Toronto, Ontario in Canada with her husband and young son.

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Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich: 10 Shocking Revelations From The Netflix Docuseries - Screen Rant

PM Jacobs responds to unions on deferred vacation allowance pay – The Daily Herald

PHILIPSBURG--Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs has responded to representatives of Windward Islands Civil Servants Union/Private Sector Union (WICSU/PSU) and Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU) regarding the payment of deferred vacation allowance as part of cost-cutting measures for civil servants.

With reference to your proposal as indicated in the letter dated June 1, 2020, I hereby inform you that the conditions as imposed on us by the Netherlands include a reduction of 12.5 per cent on the total package of employment benefits (remuneration and emoluments) and is applicable as of July 1, 2020, until further notice. Indexation is not applied either, also until further notice, Jacobs said in the letter.

Although I understand your efforts to serve the interests of your members, your proposal as stated will not meet the conditions as imposed by the Netherlands. This will result in other measures being imposed in order to reach a reduction of 12.5 per cent on the package of employment benefits, which most likely will not serve the interest of members.

With regard to the national decree, the relevant legislation will go into effect as per the date decided on by the Council of Ministers and, if deemed necessary, will happen with retroactive effect. In addition, all existing rights and claims of your members will be respected.

Taking into account the similarities in both proposals, and in the interest of your members, I recommend moving forward that the agreed-upon measures be formulated as such:

Our original proposal to pay out 50 per cent vacation allowance for the years 2020 and 2021 is supplemented by introducing an annual compensation as of the calendar year 2022. The amount of the annual compensation does not exceed 25 per cent of the total of the vacation allowances owed for 2020 and 2021. These payments will take place until the total amount of the vacation allowances owed are fully compensated.

The amount of the annual compensation is subject to the future financial developments and liquidity position of government of St. Maarten. To be clear, the compensation only applies to those that are affected and will be given according to the current position and salary.

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PM Jacobs responds to unions on deferred vacation allowance pay - The Daily Herald

When Tribal Journalists Try to "Cancel" Ayn Rand (Part 1) – New Ideal

Inaccurate, misrepresented, and even willfully distorted reporting on Ayn Rands ideas has been common in the media since she first gained public prominence. That fact came up in a conversation she had with the editor of The Ayn Rand Lexicon, a kind of mini encyclopedia of her philosophy, Objectivism. The editor, Harry Binswanger, relates that Rand became increasingly enthusiastic about the Lexicon project, in part because it could serve as a corrective and eliminate any excuse for the continual misrepresentation of her philosophy. Rand quipped to him, People will be able to look up BREAKFAST and see that I did not advocate eating babies for breakfast.

But articles that misrepresent, or outright distort, Rands ideas continually find their way into print. Rarely are they worth a response. Two recent articles about Rand one in Salon, the other in the New Republic are different. Its not because of what these articles say about her, but in how they say it.

Both articles raise worthwhile questions at least, nominally. One asks about the appeal of Rands ideas among young people; the other is on the relation between Rands moral ideal of selfishness and President Trump. Both articles, moreover, cite sources, name facts, and even include some actual reporting all in support of their highly unfavorable conclusions. Which is putting it mildly.

These essays are apt case studies of a tribalist mindset.

Whats remarkable about these essays is not that theyre sloppy, error-filled, slanted, or smears. They are. (And Ill indicate a few, though by no means all, of their errors and misrepresentations.) Rather: what marks these essays out is that they exemplify a pernicious mindset, a mindset thats wreaking havoc on our cultural-political life. Its a phenomenon wider than how people engage with Ayn Rand but when shes the subject, that mindset is often starkly apparent.

These essays are apt case studies of a tribalist mindset.

Before we go on, let me acknowledge a concern that some of you might have. Yes, I work for the Ayn Rand Institute; Im writing in a journal published by that Institute; and Im analyzing articles that portray Rand unfavorably. But my main point is not to vindicate Rand, nor to change your mind about her, nor to convince you that these critics are wrong in their assessment (though I believe thats the case).

What I want to show you regardless of what you may already think of Rand, if you have a view at all is that theres a fundamental problem with these articles, a problem that negates their credibility. Theyre not seeking to engage with facts, reach the truth, let alone convince any active-minded readers. Instead, they manipulate seemingly factual information for the sake of affirming and reinforcing a set of prejudices.

The Last of the Ayn Rand Acolytes, by Alexander Sammon, appeared in the New Republic, and it seemingly asks a worthwhile question. The piece contends that The romance of the [Objectivist] movement has lost a good deal of its cachet in an unequal, austerity-battered America particularly when it comes to pulling in the young recruits who were once the backbone of the Rand insurgency. All the kids these days are becoming socialists and communists. Citing a poll about young Americans who are fond of socialism, the writer then wonders if Rands hyper-capitalist philosophy is running out of juice?

There is a really interesting question here about Rands appeal, because it has far outlasted her lifetime and has gone global, reaching well beyond the United States. And its true that her writings resonate powerfully with young people. Why? What explains it? How much, if any, of it relates to her political views? Or her powerful dramatization in fiction of a new moral ideal? Does it vary by individual reader? These are among the questions my colleagues and I at ARI think a lot about. One observation Ive drawn is that these questions are deceptively simple. Answering them takes a lot of data and a serious engagement with the variety of ways that Rands work resonates with particular individuals.

READ ALSO: How to Resist the Pull of Todays Tribalistic Politics

But the article is remarkable for its lack of curiosity about its nominal question. The reporter logged a few days at the conference and interviewed a number of people. That on-the-ground reporting, however, was just an opportunity to gather some anecdotes and quotations to reinforce a preexisting view. Notice what the reporter takes as a sign that Objectivism has a serious youth problem, and the conferences organizers were quite aware of it. ARI, which runs the conference, offered a discount rate for those under 30, a talent show, and extracurricular activities like late night jams.

It would be exceedingly odd for an intellectual or political movement to be uninterested in connecting with young people.

What are these evidence of? Take the talent show. It might be probative, if it had been uniquely geared to young people. (No reason is given in the article to believe that.) Or, if it had been added to the program in a panicked reaction to some plummeting interest. (No again). The late-night jam session is an extracurricular event, meaning that attendees, not ARI, spontaneously organized it. That fact doesnt support the point the reporter is trying to establish and arguably, it might be counterevidence.

Finally, what conclusion can be drawn from the fact that people under 30 can register at a discount? One conclusion is that ARI is interested in attracting young people and making it easier, more affordable, for them to attend. But is that unique to the Objectivist movement? No. Student and youth discounts are everywhere (think: movie theaters, transportation). Moreover, it would be exceedingly odd for an intellectual or political movement to be uninterested in connecting with young people.

Thats why, for example, you find the same kind of discount offered by Netroots Nation, which, for more than a decade, has hosted the largest annual conference for progressives, drawing nearly 3,000 attendees from around the country and beyond. In 2019, if you were 18 or younger, you would have paid only $110 (discounted from the full rate of $375) to attend the conference. And thats quite apart from the hundreds of scholarships, covering full or partial costs, that Netroots offered. Is that proof, then, that the progressive movement in the U.S. has a serious youth problem?

Theres no way to reach a reasonable conclusion neither about ARIs conference, nor the Netroots event when this is what is offered as evidence.

What, then, is the actual purpose of the New Republics article? Some of the shoddy reporting provides a lead, because its not mere sloppiness. Its purposeful. Lets unpack just one paragraph, for which the relevant facts are publicly verifiable.

Sammon quotes ARIs chairman, Yaron Brook, saying that the Institutes first program focused on young people, and then writes:

True to that aim, ARI began donating 400,000 copies of Rands novels to advanced-placement high school programs each year. It also awarded big cash prizes for Rand-themed essay contests (in 2018 alone, ardent young Objectivists raked in a cool $130,000 for such broadsides).

In just these 44 words, there are four factual errors, which slant toward a purpose.

(1) The article implies that ARIs first program was giving away copies of Rands novels. In fact, the Institutes first major project, in 1985, was an essay contest on Rands novels. It was in 2002 fully seventeen years after ARI was founded that we piloted an initiative to supply teachers with free classroom sets of Rands novels. That project was born in response to requests from teachers themselves. So far, weve given away more than four million books. Teachers continue to ask for the books, and then tell us about how intellectually energized their students are after reading Rands novels.

READ ALSO: Church-State Separation: A Principle, Not a "Wall" (Part 2)

(3) Students who take part in our essay contests may agree or disagree with Rands view. Theres never been a requirement that they be ardent young Objectivists (meaning that they embrace Rands philosophy), either to take part or to win a prize. Which bring us to the next tendentious error.

(4) To imply that ARI awards prizes for Rand-themed broadsides is factually wrong. The questions we set for the essay contests are designed to prompt students to engage deeply with Rands novels, the plot, the motivations of characters, the books philosophic theme. Whats more, our judging criteria (published online) state that: Essays will be judged on whether the student is able to argue for and justify his or her view not on whether the Institute agrees with the view the student expresses. Take a look at the questions for 2020, and some of the winning essays, to form your own view.

Its a trivialization of Rands philosophy to take her appeal as exclusively about her advocacy of capitalism.

The thread running through these errors, and the article as a whole, is to push a distorted picture of Rand (and by extension, the Objectivist movement). There are three elements in that picture none of them true to the facts.

First, its a trivialization of Rands philosophy, so that her appeal is taken to be exclusively about her advocacy of capitalism and (in Sammons phrase) personal pocket-stuffing. Thats the subtext behind the errors Ive just noted, and many others. Its also evident in Sammons downplaying of the salient fact that the theme of our 2019 Objectivist conference was Rands theory of art.

Second, the movement around Rands ideas is portrayed as something of a quasi-religious, or cult-like, phenomenon of unthinking followers. Third, and this goes to a major purpose of the article, Rand is assumed to be the motive force behind the conservative or right-wing tribe.

This false picture comes out in numerous small touches throughout, but its the opening of the article thats particularly revealing. Sammon claims that the original Ayn Rand clubs in the 1960s were governed by eight rules, only two of which could be mentioned publicly: that Rand was the greatest human being ever, and Atlas Shrugged, the greatest human achievement ever. Then Sammon observes that at last summers Objectivist conference, everyone seemed to be in compliance. For evidence of that, he quotes a 26-year-old attendee. Sammon reports that she was once an avowed environmentalist, but after reading Atlas Shrugged, she has come to believe that the solution is to encourage development.

Put aside those eight rules for the moment (well come back to them), and consider his example of the former environmentalist. Lets assume that shes quoted accurately in the article. Whatever you think of environmental issues, or of Ayn Rand, this is nothing like a coherent argument. Ive met fans of Atlas Shrugged who believe environmental issues call for regulatory controls on development. You can hate Atlas Shrugged, or simply disagree with it, and still think that environmental problems call for more, not less, development and innovation. Thats basically the view Steven Pinker expresses in his book Enlightenment Now, and, whether hes read Rands novels or not, his views on key philosophic, moral and political issues are fundamentally at odds with Objectivism. We could keep going on and on with counterexamples.

Sammons claim cannot convince any active-minded reader. The non sequitur is pretty flagrant. What, then, is the articles opening trying to do? If you already hold a certain prejudice about Rand and about fans of her work, the article will trigger an emotional reaction. It will affirm and reinforce your prejudice. Put into words (politely), its something like: I always knew it theyre a bunch of unthinking worshipers of the dollar and rapacious industry.

READ ALSO: Wall Street Needs a Moral Defense against Warren, Sanders

Since that personal and professional rupture between them, Branden had an ongoing, publicly stated animus toward Rand and her ideas, and a vested interest in smearing her and vindicating himself. Theres a further problem, because his own memoir shows him to be a prolific liar, thus casting wholesale doubt over the books credibility. But if you did take it as credible, theres the fact that Sammon even manages to misreport that (dubious) source, regarding those rules in the source article. Brandens quoted words are implicit premises which his organization, the Nathaniel Branden Institute, transmitted to our students. Sammon takes this weird allegation from the grudge-bearing Branden and slants it further.

Sammons article is uninterested in convincing through facts and logic. Its advancing a particular slant, for the purpose of affirming certain prejudices.

But theres an even more significant problem here. Journalists are supposed to be not only critical of what they see, hear, and read, but also concerned with primary sources and first-hand evidence. A good place to look, then, is Rand herself, her published writing, her media appearances, her speeches. Though she was proud of Atlas Shrugged and possessed self-esteem, she would have strenuously repudiated those eight rules precisely because of their injunction to submit to authority. The through line of her writing and speaking is the supreme importance of thinking independently, putting nothing no authority above the judgment of your individual mind. To disregard this counterevidence, and pretend it doesnt exist, is malpractice.

Again: my point here is not to change your mind about Rand or her ideas, but to show that Sammons article is uninterested in convincing through facts and logic. Its advancing a particular slant, for the purpose of affirming certain prejudices.

Which bring us to the third element of the distorted picture of Rand and the movement around her ideas: the notion that Rand is the behind-the-scenes power of our cultures other major tribe, the conservative/right-leaning movement. This trope has been knocking around for years and surfaces in various articles. For those in the grips of this quasi-conspiracist trope, imagine how soothing it would be to hear that the Rand phenomenon is waning.

Has Rand influenced activists, intellectuals, politicians and others who define themselves as libertarian or Republican or conservative? Of course. But that influence is far from straightforward or uniform. For a start, Rand excoriated the conservative and libertarian movements of her own time; she saw those movements, in different ways, as intellectually bankrupt and subversive of freedom. Nor does Rand belong in the vague categories right wing or conservative, given her views. For instance, Objectivism rejects all forms of the supernatural, emphatically including religion; or consider her principled view on a womans moral right to abortion.

One more counterpoint to the trope is that Rands novels have been cited by Hollywood figures who view themselves as sympathetic, if not wholly supportive, of progressive causes. For instance, Angelina Jolie, Mayim Bialik, Emma Watson, among others, have said that Rands fiction had a strong impact on them. The point, then, is that Rands influence is multifaceted, it goes well beyond political issues, and it is unbounded by the conventional left-right framing.

READ ALSO: Theres Nothing Exploitative about the Gig Economy

Without appreciating these facts, its impossible to form a view of Rands cultural influence. To imagine that her philosophy underpins the mainline conservative movement is risible. Coming from opponents of her views, that notion is a prejudice.

The writer fashioned a narrative that will be emotionally soothing to the tribalist progressive reader and unconvincing to a critical reader.

Sammon seems dimly aware that the Rand-powers-the-right trope is problematic. But he is uncurious about why that is so. Instead, he mentions several politicians who claim to like Rand, but whose policies deviate from her ideal of laissez-faire capitalism. This is a fascinating phenomenon, and it should trigger dozens of questions for a journalist trying to understand Rands impact and appeal.

For example, if a professed admirer of Rands ideas enters politics but enacts policies at odds with Objectivism, does that mean hes betraying those ideas? Or, could it be evidence that his understanding of them was shallow or incomplete or non-existent? or that what resonated was not at all her political ideas, but perhaps the moral confidence of her heroes? or her depiction of productive achievement as heroic? More broadly, what does it look like for a radical, convention-challenging philosophy to influence an individual? Is it an overnight, all-or-nothing effect or is it subject to gradations, across what kind of time frame?

None of these threads (or many others I could name) is pursued in Sammons article. Theres no attempt to grapple with the actual nature and scale of Rands cultural impact. For Sammon, intent on portraying Rand and Objectivism in quasi-religious terms, there are just pilgrims and Quislings. By the close of Sammons article, theres no answer to the question that supposedly motivated it: Is Rands appeal with the young waning? At most, that question serves as a hook to make the article seem topical. Rather than address that issue, the writer fashioned a narrative that will be emotionally soothing to the tribalist progressive reader and unconvincing to a critical reader. Its message: Stop worrying, the Rand phenomenon and the hated conservative tribe it nourishes is done for.

End of Part 1.

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When Tribal Journalists Try to "Cancel" Ayn Rand (Part 1) - New Ideal

Meet Wikipedias Ayn Rand-loving founder and Wikimedia Foundations regime-change operative CEO – The Grayzone

This is part 2 in a series of investigative reports on the systemic problems with Wikipedia. Read part 1 here: Wikipedia formally censors The Grayzone as regime-change advocates monopolize editing

Internet encyclopedia giant Wikipedia has listed The Grayzone as a deprecated source, censoring the independent organization, alongside several other news websites, on an official blacklist of taboo media outlets.

The blacklisting is the result of a long-running campaign run by a coterie of regime-change activists who have effectively hijacked Wikipedia, scrubbing the site of information that runs counter to their sectarian agenda and editing their political adversaries out of existence.

At no point has this cabal of editors pointed to a pattern of errors or fabrications by The Grayzone. Instead, they have argued for its blacklisting on the grounds of the political views of its writers, a wholesale violation of Wikipedia guidelines that demand neutrality in editing.

As detailed in part one of this series, Wikipedia founders and the Wikimedia Foundation have done nothing to address the fundamental corruption of the internet encyclopedia they oversee by a gang of hyper-partisan censors.

That might be because the founder of Wikipedia, Jimmy Wales, and the executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation, veteran US regime-change operative Katherine Maher, share the interventionist and corporate agenda that disproportionately powerful, neoconservative-oriented editors advance under their watch.

Born from seemingly humble beginnings, the Wikimedia Foundation is today swimming in cash and invested in many of the powerful interests that benefit from its lax editorial policy.

The foundations largest donors include corporate tech giants Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Craigslist. With more than $145 million in assets in 2018, nearly $105 million in annual revenue, and a massive headquarters in San Francisco, Wikimedia has carved out a space for itself next to these Big Tech oligarchs in the Silicon Valley bubble.

It is also impossible to separate Wikipedia as a project from the ideology of its creator. When he co-founded the platform in 2001, Jimmy Jimbo Wales was a conservative libertarian and devoted disciple of right-wing fanatic Ayn Rand.

A former futures and options trader, Wales openly preached the gospel of Objectivism, Rands ultra-capitalist ideology that sees government and society itself as the root of all evil, heralding individual capitalists as gods.

Wales described his philosophy behind Wikipedia in specifically Randian terms. In a video clip from a 2008 interview, published by the Atlas Society, an organization dedicated to evangelizing on behalf of Objectivism, Wales explained that he was influenced by Howard Roark, the protagonist of Rands novel The Fountainhead.

Wikipedias structure was expressly meant to reflect the ideology of its libertarian tech entrepreneur founder, and Wales openly said as much.

At the same time, however, Wikipedia editors have upheld the diehard Objectivist Jimmy Wales, as the New York Times put it in 2008, as a benevolent dictator, constitutional monarch, digital evangelist and spiritual leader.

Wales has always balanced his libertarian inclinations with old-fashioned American patriotism. He was summoned before the US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Operations in 2007 to further explain how Wikipedia and its related technologies could be of service to Uncle Sam.

Wales began his remarks stating, I am grateful to be here today to testify about the potential for the Wikipedia model of collaboration and information sharing which may be helpful to government operations and homeland security.

At a time when the United States has been increasingly criticized around the world, I believe that Wikipedia is an incredible carrier of traditional American values of generosity, hard work, and freedom of speech, Wales continued, implicitly referencing the George Bush administrations military occupation of Iraq.

The Wikipedia founder added, The US government has always been premised on responsiveness to citizens, and I think we all believe good government comes from broad, open public dialogue. I therefore also recommend that US agencies consider the use of wikis for public facing projects to gather information from citizens and to seek new ways of effectively collaborating with the public to generate solutions to the problem that citizens face.

In 2012, Wales married Kate Garvey, the former diary secretary of ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Their wedding, according to the conservative UK Telegraph, was witnessed by guests from the world of politics and celebrity.

Wales status-quo-friendly politics have only grown more pronounced over the years. In 2018, for instance, he publicly cheered on Israels bombing of the besieged Gaza strip and portrayed Britains leftist former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn as an anti-Semite.

Jimmy Wales and the Wikimedia Foundation claim to have little power over the encyclopedia itself, but it is widely known that this is just PR. Wikimedia blew the lid off this myth in 2015 when it removed a community-elected member of its board of trustees, without explanation.

At the time of this scandal, the Wikimedia Foundations board of trustees included a former corporate executive at Google, Arnnon Geshuri, who was heavily scrutinized for shady hiring practices. Geshuri, who also worked at billionaire Elon Musks company Tesla, was eventually pressured to step down from the board.

But just a year later, Wikimedia appointed another corporate executive to its board of trustees, Gizmodo Media Group CEO Raju Narisetti.

The figure that deserves the most scrutiny at the Wikimedia Foundation, however, is its executive director Katherine Maher, who is closely linked to the US regime-change network.

Maher boasts an eyebrow-raising rsum that would impress the most ardent of cold warriors in Washington.

With a degree in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies from New York University, Maher studied Arabic in Egypt and Syria, just a few years before the so-called Arab Spring uprising and subsequent Western proxy war to overthrow the Syrian government.

Maher then interned at the bank Goldman Sachs, as well as the Council on Foreign Relations and Eurasia Group, both elite foreign-policy institutions that are deeply embedded in the Western regime-change machine.

At the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), Maher says on her public LinkedIn profile that she worked in the US/Middle East Program, oversaw the CFR Corporate Program, and Identified appropriate potential clients, conducted outreach.

At the Eurasia Group, Maher focused on Syria and Lebanon. According to her bio, she Developed stability forecasting and scenario modeling, and market and political stability reports.

Maher moved on to a job at Londons HSBC bank which would go on to pay a whopping $1.9 billion fine after it was caught red-handed laundering money for drug traffickers and Saudi financiers of international jihadism. Her work at HSBC brought her to the UK, Germany, and Canada.

Next, Maher co-founded a little-known election monitoring project focused on Lebanons 2008 elections called Sharek961. To create this platform, Maher and her associates partnered with an influential technology non-profit organization, Meedan, which has received millions of dollars of funding from Western foundations, large corporations like IBM, and the permanent monarchy of Qatar.

Meedan also finances the regime-change lobbying website, Bellingcat, which is considering a reliable source on Wikipedia, while journalism outlets like The Grayzone are formally blacklisted.

Sharek961 was funded by the Technology for Transparency Network, a platform for regime-change operations bankrolled by billionaire Pierre Omidyars Omidyar Network and billionaire George Soros Open Society Foundations.

Maher subsequently moved over to a position as an innovation and communication officer at the United Nations Childrens Fund, UNICEF. There, she oversaw projects funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), an arm of the US State Department which finances regime-change operations and covert activities around the globe under the auspices of humanitarian goodwill.

Soon enough, Maher cut out the middleman and went to work as a program officer in information and communications technology at the National Democratic Institute (NDI), which was created and financed directly by the US government. The NDI is a central gear in the regime-change machine; it bankrolls coup and destabilization efforts across the planet in the guise of democracy promotion.

At the NDI, Maher served as a program officer for internet freedom projects, advancing Washingtons imperial soft power behind the front of boosting global internet access pursuing a strategy not unlike the one used to destabilize Cuba.

The Wikimedia Foundation CEO says on her LinkedIn profile that her work at the NDI included democracy and human rights support as well as designing technology programs for citizen engagement, open government, independent media, and civil society for transitional, conflict, and authoritarian countries, including internet freedom programming.

After a year at the NDI, she moved over to the World Bank, another notorious vehicle for Washingtons power projection.

At the World Bank, Maher oversaw the creation of the Open Development Technology Alliance (ODTA), an initiative that uses new technologies to impose more aggressive neoliberal economic policies on developing countries.

Mahers LinkedIn page notes that her work entailed designing and implementing open government and open data in developing and transitioning nations, especially in the Middle East and North Africa.

At the time of her employment at the World Bank, the Arab Spring protests were erupting.

In October 2012, in the early stages of the proxy war in Syria, Maher tweeted that she was planning a trip to Gaziantep, a Turkish city near the Syrian border that became the main hub for the Western-backed opposition. Gaziantep was at the time crawling with Syrian insurgents and foreign intelligence operatives plotting to topple the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

Just two months later, in December, she tweeted that was was on a flight to Libya. Just over a year before, a NATO regime-change war had destroyed the Libyan government, and foreign-backed insurgents had killed leader Muammar Qadhafi, unleashing a wave of violence and open-air slave markets.

Today, Libya has no unified central government and is still plagued by a grueling civil war. What Maher was doing in the war-torn country in 2012 is not clear.

Mahers repeated trips to the Middle East and North Africa right around the time of these uprisings and Western intervention campaigns raised eyebrows among local activists.

In 2016, when Maher was named executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation, a prominent Tunisian activist named Slim Amamou spoke out, alleging that Katherine Maher is probably a CIA agent.

Amamou briefly served as secretary of state for sport and youth in Tunisias transitional government, before later resigning. He noted that Maher traveled to the country several times since the Arab Spring protests broke out in 2011, and he found it strange that her affiliations kept changing.

Maher replied angrily, seriously, Slim? Youve welcomed me in your home.

Amamou shot back, you gave me the impression that you were not who you claimed to be back then.

Maher denied the accusation. Im not any sort of agent, she said. You can dislike me, but please dont defame me.

Amamou responded, I dont dislike you. Im doing my duty of protecting the internet.

Amamou lamented that the Wikimedia foundation is changing.. and not in a good way.

Its sad, because rare are organisations that have this reach in developing world, he added.

In April 2017, in her new capacity as head of the Wikimedia Foundation, Katherine Maher participated in an event for the US State Department.

The talk was a Washington Foreign Press Center Briefing, entitled Wikipedia in a Post-fact World. It was published at the official State Department website.

Maher spoke about the libertarian philosophy behind Wikipedia, echoing the Ayn Randian ideology of founder Jimmy Wales.

When journalists asked how Wikipedia deals with highly charged topics, where some entities sometimes countries, sometimes various other entities are often engaged in conflict with each other, Maher repeatedly provided a non-answer, recycling vague platitudes about the Wikipedia community working together.

The Grayzone has clearly demonstrated how Wikipedia editors overwhelmingly side with Western governments in these editorial conflicts, echoing the perspectives of interventionists and censoring critical voices.

A few months later, in January 2018, Maher appeared on a panel with Michael Hayden, the former director of both the CIA and NSA, and a notorious hater of journalists, as well with a top Indian government official, K. VijayRaghavan.

The talk, entitled Lies Propaganda and Truth, was held by the organization behind the Nobel Prize.

The moderator of the discussion, Mattias Fyrenius, the CEO of the Nobel Prizes media arm, asked Maher: There is some kind of information war going on and maybe you can say that there is a war going on between the lies, and the propaganda, and the facts, and maybe truth do you agree?

Yes, Maher responded in agreement. She added her own question: What are the institutions, what is the obligation of institutions to actually think about what the future looks like, if we actually want to pass through this period with our integrity intact?

Hayden, the former US spy agency chief, then blamed the Russians for waging that information war. He referred to Moscow as the adversary, and claimed the Russian information bubble, information dominance machine, created so much confusion.

Maher laughed in approval, disputing nothing that Hayden said. In the same discussion, Maher also threw WikiLeaks (which is blacklisted on Wikipedia) under the bus, affirming, Not WikiLeaks, I want to be clear, were not the same organization. The former CIA director next to her chuckled.

Today, Maher is a member of the advisory board of the US governments technology regime-change arm the Open Technology Fund (OPT) a fact she proudly boasts on her LinkedIn profile.

The OPT was created in 2012 as a project of Radio Free Asia, an information warfare vehicle that the New York Times once described as a worldwide propaganda network built by the CIA.

Since disaffiliating from this CIA cutout in 2019, the OPT is now bankrolled by the US Agency for Global Media, the governments propaganda arm, formerly known as the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

Like Mahers former employer the National Democratic Institute, the OPT advances US imperial interests in the guise of promoting internet freedom and new technologies. It also provides large grants to opposition groups in foreign nations targeted by Washington for regime change.

While she serves today as the executive director of the Wikimedia Foundation, Katherine Maher remains a fellow at the Truman National Security Project, a Washington, DC think tank that grooms former military and intelligence professionals for careers in Democratic Party politics.

The Truman Project website identifies Mahers expertise as international development.

As The Grayzones Max Blumenthal reported, the most prominent fellow of the Truman Project is Pete Buttigieg, the US Naval intelligence veteran who emerged as a presidential frontrunner in the Democratic primary earlier this year.

The extensive participation by the head of the Wikimedia Foundation in US government regime-change networks raises serious questions about the organizations commitment to neutrality.

Perhaps the unchecked problem of political bias and coordinated smear campaigns by a small coterie of Wikipedia editors is not a bug, but a deliberately conceived feature of the website.

Ben Norton is a journalist, writer, and filmmaker. He is the assistant editor of The Grayzone, and the producer of the Moderate Rebels podcast, which he co-hosts with editor Max Blumenthal. His website is BenNorton.comand he tweets at @BenjaminNorton.

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Meet Wikipedias Ayn Rand-loving founder and Wikimedia Foundations regime-change operative CEO - The Grayzone

What Big Tech Wants Out of the Pandemic – The Atlantic

From the October 2018 issue: Yuval Noah Harari on why technology favors tyranny

Also in April, Google and Apple announced that they would suspend their rivalry to work with nations of the world to create a new alert system. They would reconfigure their mobile operating systems, incompatible by design, to notify users if they have stepped within the radius of a device held by a COVID19 patient.

The companies have failed to impress some public-health officials with their initial efforts, but their hastily designed program will likely improve with subsequent iterations. It could evolve to function like the official papers that Europeans are always fumbling to present to the authorities in grainy war movies. By documenting your history of social contact, your phone could be used to help demonstrate your fitness to return to the office or board a flight.

The shock of the virus has overwhelmed government at every level. In states facing an unmanageable deluge of unemployment claims, Amazon and Google have stepped in to revamp antique systems so that money can flow with less bureaucratic friction. When Nadella invoked the possibilities of a new alliance, he was alluding to the abrupt shift to telemedicine and virtual learning. Public health and education may be traditional functions of government, but Nadella suggested that his industry should share the burden: We at Microsoft view ourselves as digital first responders.

The blessings bestowed by the online economy in this strange time are indisputable, and we should be grateful for them. But thats not a reason to suspend skepticism of the tech industry as it attempts to make the most of the moment. In the years before the virus, critics began to prophesy that a handful of tech companies would soon grow more powerful than the government. Their scale and influence, and their ability to manipulate public opinion and shape markets, would permit them to reign unimpeded.

That warning, however dark, didnt quite capture the emerging strategy of these firmsa strategy that was in fact taking shape before the pandemic beganor the graver threat they pose. Rather than supplanting government, they have, in essence, sought to merge with it.

Tech executives didnt always yearn to work in league with government. During their years of wild growth and political immaturity, the tech companies sounded like teenagers encountering Ayn Rand for the first time. Like John Galt, the protagonist of Atlas Shrugged, they muttered about the evils of government and how it kept down great innovators. This view of the world smacked of self-interest. Companies such as Amazon, Google, and Facebook wanted to avoid the sorts of regulatory controls that constrained their older, more established competitors.

But if self-interest neatly aligned with idealism, the idealism was real. Googles cofounder Sergey Brin, a refugee from the former Soviet Union, warned about the moral costs of the companys foray into China. He styled himself a purist, and the companys experience in the country ultimately illustrated the logic of his stance: Despite abiding by the dictates of the regime, Google was breached by Chinese hackers, who attempted to steal its intellectual property and peer into the Gmail accounts of human-rights activists. In 2010, after four years of operating on the mainland, Google decamped to Hong Kong.

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What Big Tech Wants Out of the Pandemic - The Atlantic

THE STROLLER: Digest these words and these flowers – Martinsville Bulletin

TODAYS WORD is the Latin root word arch. What does it mean, and what are some common English words that use it? Example: In Ayn Rand's engaging and powerful book "The Fountainhead," Howard Roark is an indivualistic young architect whose ideas and designs refuse to compromise with the staid conventions of the patriarchy.

TUESDAYS WORD was the Latin root word matri. It means mother. Some English words formed from it include matriarch, matrimony, matron. Example:Mrs. Stockton, the family matriarch, was firm and unyielding in her approach to discipline even of her adult children and grandchildren.

The Stroller is nearing the end of its daily look at words of Latin origin and soon will go back to miscellaneous words in the Word of the Day section. However, words and their origins are fascinating, and The Stroller eventually will find another theme. Please send in suggestions as to interesting Words of the Day, as well as potential themes. See contact information below.

These sprays of creamy white bell-shaped flowers, rising as tall as you do in height, above a plant with sharp, long, spiky leaves, are yucca, also called Beargrass or Adam's needle. The flower, in Spanish, is called izote.

The Stroller's best friend, whenever she sees yucca in bloom, recounts stories of how her mother used to cook it in Guatemala. Yucca is in bloom now, but The Stroller and best friend are in such a strong state of quarantine right now that there was no cooking together, so The Stroller cooked yucca flowers alone for breakfast. The verdict? Yum.

Here's how: Pick three or four cups worth of flowers. Remove the stamens (the little pointy things poking out in the center). Rinse the flowers, then boil them in salted water for 15 minutes.

In oil, saute half an onion, sliced, with two crushed cloves of garlic and half a chopped tomato or several halved cherry tomatoes. When they are tender, toss in the flower petals. Stir while cooking.

Variations of that include cooking sausage with the onions and/or adding in an egg or two with the petals.

Serve with a wedge of avocado and a dollop of sour cream and/or freshly made corn tortillas.

Fido's Finds and Kitty's Collectibles opens today in its new location: 119 E. Main St., Martinsville. It's at least twice the size as the original shop, a few doors down the same block from the original, bright and sunny.

The shop is in the old Rimmer's Jeweler's building, and shelves Rimmer's used to display china are used now by the SPCA-fundraising shop for the same purpose.

TUESDAYS TRIVIA ANSWER:Virginia's state flower is the dogwood.

TODAYS TRIVIA QUESTION:When it comes to state symbols, Virginia has an "official TV series." What is it?

The Stroller appreciates readers calling or emailing to share jokes, stories, comments, Words of the Day and trivia questions. Were at 276-638-8801 ext. 243 and stroller@martinsvillebulletin.com.

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THE STROLLER: Digest these words and these flowers - Martinsville Bulletin

From farmers to salad toppings: 26 weirdly niche dating web web sites. This updated tale had been initially published Feb. 8, 2012. Rebecca Ruiz…

From farmers to salad toppings: 26 weirdly niche dating web web sites. This updated tale had been initially published Feb. 8, 2012. Rebecca Ruiz contributed to the tale.

Ahoy, matey! You might "find very first mate" at SeaCaptainDate.com, a dating internet site that connects women and men whom share a love associated with the ocean.

After noting that "dating are a sea that is stormy" SeaCaptain.com CEO Bill Kay implores, "In the unforgiving ocean of love, why don't we be your lighthouse. "

Seeking Brits here is a website especially for individuals who are interested in men that are british DateBritishGuys.com.

Enter the Atlasphere those who love Ayn Rand love Ayn Rand -- therefore possibly it stands to reason why they are able to love each other also? TheAtlasphere.com is just a dating website that connects "admirers of 'The Fountainhead' and 'Atlas Shrugged. '"

Because the web site describes, "for all individuals, Ayn Rand's novels tend to be more than just 'a good browse'; they inspire us in order to become better peoples beings. "

Pounced! Pounced.org is really a personals web web site for furries -- that is, individuals attracted to "furry fandom. "

Perhaps Not certain what this means? Here is a description that is good the BBC News Magazine piece "that are the furries? ": "No standard meaning exists but generally speaking furries are individuals who have a fascination with anthropomorphic pets. They are pets which can be offered traits that are human like walking and chatting. They could be any such thing from cartoons figures like Bugs Bunny to video game personalities like Pokemon. The scene has its own art, https://hotrussianwomen.nets animation, comic publications and literary works. "

It is 4:20 someplace 420Dating.com, a totally free, personal site that is dating individuals who smoke cigarettes cannabis, gets the motto: "Why toke alone? "

Many people describe on their own inside their 420Dating.com pages as "laid back, " "kicked back" and "mellow"; some pages speak about attempting to find a someone special with|someone that is special who they might "burn just a little. "

Most mortals need not apply "Smart is sexy" at RightStuffDating.com, an site that is ultra-exclusive bills itself as "the Ivy League of dating. " To participate, a graduate or even a faculty user (evidence needed! ) from the choose band of "excellent" universities and universities.

Want to guess which schools appear on record? Harvard, Yale, Stanford, MIT -- yes. Greendale Community University -- no.

PURRfect for pet loversBefore you click PURRsonals.com in the office, turn your amount down! Otherwise, piano music will begin to play, and keeping a pet will enter from phase kept and keep placing strong emphasis that is verbal your message "purr. "

The stories and videos of their beloved family member as the lady holding the cat explains, "Cat lovers from all walks of life can celebrate the photos. If you're single, listed here is your opportunity to fulfill somebody who's PURRfect for your needs. "

What exactly is your favorite band? The people that began Tastebuds.fm are enthusiastic about that folks's music preferences say lots concerning the individuals on their own -- and about their compatibility that is potential with. This site that is dating you to definitely enter a couple of bands you love and start to become matched up with individuals across the nation who share your preferences and wish to satisfy someone.

A co-worker of mine whom heard of this website had this to express: "Where ended up being whenever I had been solitary? Did you know just how difficult it really is to locate appealing females who'll tolerate round-the-clock airings Stranglers and Killing Joke? "

Only a few. Bibliophiles can turn to Alikewise, which tries to match strangers centered on their flavor in literary works. Are you currently a nerd and proud from it? Geek 2 Geek pairs down special kindred spirits. Also Apple item fanatics will get real love on Cupidtino.

Lonely heart in the modern world, you will see a site devoted to the quest for the perfect types of love.

This updated tale ended up being initially published Feb. 8, 2012. Rebecca Ruiz contributed for this tale.

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From farmers to salad toppings: 26 weirdly niche dating web web sites. This updated tale had been initially published Feb. 8, 2012. Rebecca Ruiz...

Head coach of Comet softball: we havent lost a step compared to last years team – KCHA News

A year ago, the Charles City Comet Softball team finished third in the Class 4A softball tournament. The team had state champion aspirations and finished the season having won more than 90% of their games. That team went on to lose an extra-inning game in the semifinal match. A year later, and a similar-but-different team is about to take the field post-pandemic. With the Comets eyeing their first game on June 15th, Head Coach Brian Bohlen expects some people to believe the team has regressed from last years dominance.

Bohlen reassures locals this team has not been negatively affected by the pandemic and is in no universe worse than last year.

As the pandemic toiled on, Bohlen says the team definitely was working on their own.

This year, both Comet baseball and softball will be able to play on the new sports complexes located at the Charles City high school.

The Comet softball team will be conducting their opening day versus Decorah at home on June 15th.

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Head coach of Comet softball: we havent lost a step compared to last years team - KCHA News

Comet trapped in a strange orbit near Jupiter! – Science 2.0

By Professor Mark R.... | June 14th 2020 09:06 AM | Print | E-mail

Jupiter has captured an icy comet from the outer solar system in a bizarre orbit that will bring it back to within 3 million kilometres of the giant planet in 2063. The only Sun orbiting objects known to come closer were the fragments of Comet Shoemaker Levy 9, which plunged into the Jovian cloud deck in July 1994.A CENTAUR, NOT A TROJAN:During 2019 NASA's asteroid hunting ATLAS project in Hawai'i discovered 2019 LD2, and further observations showed it was a comet. New observations confirmed it as a periodic comet and placed its orbit near Jupiter, leading (Denneau, L.) to announce that P/2019 LD2 was the first comet among the Trojans. This family of several thousand asteroids shares Jupiter's orbit but stays steady at approximately 60 ahead or behind of the planet. The discovery of a comet among Trojan asteroids was surprising because most of them are thought to have been captured in the solar systems early years, any ice should have evaporated long ago.However, when amateur astronomer Sam Deen used software on the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's (JPL) solar system dynamics website to calculate the objects orbit, he found P/2019 LD2 had a close encounter with Jupiter that left its orbit unstable. The model showed that the comet had likely been a Centaur, part of a family of outer solar system asteroids, with an orbit reaching out to Saturn. On February 17th, 2017, it passed approximately 14 million kilometres from Jupiter, an encounter that sent the comet on a wild ride and inserted it into an odd Jupiter like orbit.Although the swing past Jupiter put P/2019 LD2 into a Jupiter like orbit, it did not move it near to one of the two Lagrange points where the combination of gravitational forces from Jupiter and the Sun hold Trojan asteroids. Instead of being 60, one sixth of the giant planet's orbit, from Jupiter, P/2019 LD2 is only 21 ahead of Jupiter. The model predicts the comet will drift to no more than 30 ahead before the two begin converging again.FUTURE PASSES: The comet will pass within approximately 18 million km on May 13th, 2028. That will alter the orbit again (Deen, S.). That makes P/2019 LD2 a Jupiter family comet, but not a Jupiter Trojan, as the Hawaii group now acknowledges. Project Pluto's Find Orb model gives similar results to JPLs model.Also, amateur astronomer, Tony Dunn, found similar results. He illustrated the orbit using his own model to show the path of the object as seen from Jupiter.The 2028 encounter will shift the comet from an orbit close to a 1:1 resonance with Jupiter to one near a 2:3 resonance. But that orbit will not last, because it will put P/2019 LD2 on course for a much closer planetary encounter."From Jupiter's perspective the comet will appear to slowly move around the Sun before coming back," (Deen, S.). In January 2063, it will pass approximately 3 million kilometres from Jupiter, just outside the orbits of its Galilean satellites, close enough to cause a major redirection of the comet's orbit.2063 AND BEYOND: Where P/2019 LD2 will go from there is unclear. The orbital uncertainties are large enough to make the results of that encounter difficult to predict (Gray, B.). "It could get tossed almost anywhere," (Gray, B.) depending on how close it comes to Jupiter. The closer the encounter, the more dramatic the results could be.Another wild card, is that comets eject gas from various points on their surfaces, and it is difficult to model the impact of the resulting non gravitational effects on their orbits. Such effects could enhance or diminish the effect of Jupiters gravitational force and could send it veering off in an unexpected direction. Strong forces can also fragment a comet, as happened to Shoemaker Levy 9 before its impact (Gray, B.).The 2063 approach should yield new insight into a process that has helped shape the solar system: intense interactions between planetesimals and the gravitational giant of the solar system. The event should give "a detailed look at the dynamics that convert Centaurs and long period comets into short period comets," (Deen, S.)."Odds are that we will have some spacecraft orbiting Jupiter by then that will be able to visit the interplanetary visitor close up." That would give a much better view of the action than we had for Shoemaker Levy 9, when the collision itself happened on the side of Jupiter hidden from terrestrial observers and spacecraft.References:Deen, S. (Minor Planet Mailing List).Denneau, L. (University of Hawaii).Dunn, T.Gray, B. (Project Pluto).Heinze, A. (Asteroid Terrestrial impact Last Alert System/ Institute for Astronomy (ATLAS/ IfA)).

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Comet trapped in a strange orbit near Jupiter! - Science 2.0

Asteroid, comet, alien spaceship? Scientists have new theory on what mysterious interstellar object Oumuamua i – MEAWW

Oumuamua, the first known interstellar object to pass through the Earths solar system, has been called many things: an asteroid, a comet, a cigar-shaped spaceship. Now it has a new description: astronomers at Yale University and the University of Chicago say it could be a hydrogen iceberg. This is a new type of object and it is likely that a large population of similar objects exist, says the research team.

Oumuamua is about 900 feet long and traveled through space for millions of years before entering the solar system. It has now passed beyond Saturns orbit and will travel another 10,000 years before exiting the system.

We developed a theory that explains all of Oumuamuas weird properties. We show that it was likely composed of hydrogen ice. This is a new type of object, but it looks like there may be many more of them showing up, going forward, says co-author Gregory Laughlin, a professor of astronomy at Yales Faculty of Arts and Sciences, in the analysis that appears on the preprint website arXiv. The study has been accepted for publication by the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Its a frozen iceberg of molecular hydrogen. This explains every mysterious property about it. And if its true, its likely that the galaxy is full of similar objects, says the first author of the study, Darryl Seligman, a former Yale graduate student now at the University of Chicago, who began the research at Yale. Researchers at the University of Hawaii first discovered Oumuamua in 2017, more than a month after it passed its closest point to the Sun. They named the object after the Hawaiian word for scout. It was spotted by the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System 1 (PanSTARRS1) telescope, located at the University of Hawaii's Haleakala Observatory and made headlines as the first object to visit from outside the solar system.

Telescopes did not pick it up until it had already swung past the sun and was on its way out, but its trajectory indicated it came from interstellar space. It was Oumuamuas odd and unique characteristics that had led to widespread interest and speculation the object could be an alien spacecraft, sent from a distant civilization to examine our star system. Astronomers formally named the object 1I/2017 U1 and appended the common name Oumuamua. A previous study had stated that Oumuamua likely has an elongated, cigar-like shape and an odd spin pattern, much like a soda bottle laying on the ground, spinning on its side.

As Oumuamua hurtled through the inner part of the solar system, astronomers noticed it had several unusual properties. It varied rapidly in brightness, suggesting it was either saucer-shaped or cigar-shaped. It also accelerated in a fashion similar to a comet yet it showed no evidence of emitting gas or the fine billows of dust normally associated with comets. The typical comets scientists have seen in our solar system have cometary tails, which can be seen when small dust particles in the outflow reflect sunlight, but they could not see any such sparkle of dust from Oumuamua. Last year, however, the research team showed that it could be a comet whose outflow was simply invisible to telescopes. Starting from that idea, the researchers worked their way backward to see what the substance could be in the outflow. They knew where Oumuamua was, how fast it was moving and how much energy it should be getting from the sun at any given time, so they checked the list of what materials would give the acceleration they saw when burned up.

According to scientists, Oumuamuas behavior can be explained if it is composed of hydrogen ice. The only kind of ice that really explains the acceleration is molecular hydrogen, says Seligman. Molecular hydrogen ice is a strange substance, only formed when the temperature is just a little above absolute zero. It does not reflect light or produce any light as it burns up, so telescopes would not be able to see it. While hydrogen is the most common element in the universe, it is rarely found in solid form, which requires extremely cold temperatures. Frozen hydrogen does, however, offer a compelling mechanism for acceleration, says the study.

Laughlin elaborates, that as Oumuamua passed close to the Sun and received its warmth, melting hydrogen would have rapidly boiled off the icy surface, providing the observed acceleration and also winnowing Oumuamua down to its weird, elongated shape much as a bar of soap becomes a thin sliver after many uses in the shower.Seligman argues that since they saw one at all implies that the galaxy must be filled with these dark hydrogen icebergs.

The study theorizes that iceberg-like objects made of hydrogen can potentially form in the dense cores of molecular clouds that pervade the Milky Way galaxy and give rise to new stars and planetary systems. Their presence would be an accurate probe of the conditions in the dark recesses of star-forming clouds and provide a critical new clue for understanding the earliest phases of the still-mysterious processes that generate the birth of stars and their accompanying planets, says Laughlin.

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Asteroid, comet, alien spaceship? Scientists have new theory on what mysterious interstellar object Oumuamua i - MEAWW

Utica Comets GM Johnson proud of team – Utica Observer Dispatch

Ryan Johnson had a key takeaway from his wrap-up meetings with Utica Comets players.

"It was how much fun they said they had coming to the rink and how much they valued the staff and their teammates," said Johnson, the Comets General Manager since July 2017. "The feeling was how excited they were to make a run at something (in the playoffs).

The high-scoring Comets had been in the thick of the North Division, sitting in third place with a 34-22-3-2 record after 61 games and trying to make a push for the playoffs when the American Hockey Leagues season was ultimately canceled due to concerns with the coronavirus pandemic.

"I dont have a ton of complaints about our team," Johnson said. "Right when things stopped (this season), I felt we were starting to become a very defensive-aware team. Although we were still finding ways to score goals, we were doing it the right way and not being riverboat gamblers every time. Thats what was exciting to me about heading into playoffs. They were really starting to become a complete team."

It is a similar feeling that has been shared by players and head coach Trent Cull since the season was halted. The group featured one of the more skilled and talented rosters in the Comets seven seasons.

There was growth throughout the roster, Johnson said. Dynamic wing Reid Boucher and rookie defenseman Brogan Rafferty each were AHL All-Star selections. The speedy Justin Bailey was also a key part of the group and his frequent linemate Kole Lind took notable steps in his second pro season, Johnson noted. Goaltending prospect Mike DiPietro who turned 21 years old Tuesday also helped give the team confidence, Johnson said. They are among the players being considered to join the parent Vancouver Canucks should the NHL resume this summer.

"The message from Day 1 with players and coaches was we want you all to get to a point where youve had your best year. We do that, and youll elevate to the next level," Johnson said. "I was proud of our players, they put in the work and they took the resources."

While the AHL is known for its amount of turnover, Johnson said there is a hope to have a similar roster of skill and talent when the Comets hit the ice for the 2020-21 season. Hed like to add some players "who play with pace and are a little bit hard to play against." A few Canucks prospects Marc Michaelis, Will Lockwood and Jett Woo among them could also join the Comets.

The AHL is in the process of determining what next season looks like as it navigates through the pandemic with different options being considered with regard to the schedule. The season could be pushed back from its usual October start.

Johnson said hes in "a holding pattern" when it comes to decisions regarding AHL contracts because of the variables and unknowns. The Comets had 13 players signed to AHL deals for the 2019-20 season and could have a similar number going forward.

"Ive got a group of players that I certainly want back and would like to have back," Johnson said. "All I can do is be up front and honest with players and wait and see how things trickle down from the NHL to the AHL level and how we have the ability to operate."

There have been reports veteran Carter Camper could sign in Europe, leaving the Comets without a key center from the season.

"Carter and I have talked a few times and Ive said, Im in a holding pattern here. But if theres opportunity or something you dont want to pass up ..." Johnson said. "It is not just Carter. Many players say Im not going to sit (and wait)."

Johnson said hes challenged some players on both AHL and NHL contracts to help continue what the Comets have next season.

"They have to be torchbearers of this culture that weve built there," he said.

Contact reporter Ben Birnell at 315-792-5032 or follow him on Twitter @OD_Birnell.

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Utica Comets GM Johnson proud of team - Utica Observer Dispatch

ETH Miners Will Have Little Choice Once Ethereum 2.0 Launches With PoS – Cointelegraph

As Ethereum is finally set to launch its Ethereum 2.0 upgrade later this year, putting an end to a long streak of delays, the network will start moving toward a proof-of-stake model.

Consequently, the network will abandon the proof-of-work consensus algorithm, leaving Ether (ETH) miners with very few options. Since their equipment will become obsolete, they will be forced to start mining altcoins, or recertify as ETH stakers. So, what is the current state of ETH mining, and what exactly will happen to the industry as a result of the upcoming transition?

The Ethereum consensus is currently based on the PoW system, which is similar to that of Bitcoin (BTC). Therefore, the mining process is nearly identical for Ethereum, as miners use their computation resources to earn rewards for each block they manage to complete.

However, there is still a major difference between these processes. While Bitcoin mining has become almost entirely reliant on ASICs large, loud machines designed specifically for cryptocurrency mining that are mostly clustered in regions with cheap electricity Ethereums PoW hashing algorithm, called Ethash, has been designed to favor GPU units issued by global chipmakers like Nvidia and AMD. GPUs are much cheaper and more accessible than ASICs, as Thomas Heller, the global business director of cryptocurrency mining pool F2Pool, explained in a conversation with Cointelegraph:

Because ASICs are very specialized machines, when a new generation is released, its often a huge technology jump. So, their hash rate is much higher, and energy efficiency is better than the previous generation. That means that those manufacturers have spent a lot of money to research and develop it. Their machines are often quite expensive, while GPUs are a lot more affordable.

Heller added that those using GPU miners have much more flexibility in what you can mine. For instance, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 Ti card a popular choice can mine more than 15 different currencies, while ASIC units normally support just one currency.

Nevertheless, the Ethereum network is not entirely immune to ASIC miners at least, in its current state. In April 2018, Bitmain released the Antminer E3, an ASIC produced specifically for mining Ethereum. Despite being a widely successful model that boasts a hash rate of 180 megahashes per second and power consumption of 800 Watt, it has received mixed reactions from the Ethereum community. A substantial part of GPU rig owners seemed to have suffered from loss of profits once ASICs were plugged in, while some were even forced to switch over to different networks.

Its in the Whitepaper that ETH shall be ASIC resistant. I hope said whitepaper stands for something was one of the top comments in a r/EtherMining thread discussing the Antminer E3 around the time it was announced. 800 usd only for 180mh a different Reddit user argued. Hardfork or die eth.

Some Ethereum users went on to suggest that Bitmains mining device can lead to greater centralization and thereby increase the chance of a 51% attack. Soon, a group of developers proposed programmatic proof-of-work, or ProgPoW an extension of the current Ethereum algorithm, Ethash, designed to make GPUs more competitive, thereby promoting decentralization.

According to a March paper co-authored by Kristy-Leigh Minehan, a co-creator of the ProgPoW, around 40% of Ethereums hash rate is generated by Bitmain ASICs. Alejandro De La Torre, the vice president of Poolin the sixth-largest pool for ETH confirmed to Cointelegraph that GPU mining is still dominant for the Ethereum network, adding:

At present, the profit of ETH mining is not high, and the management threshold and cost of GPU devices are higher than that of Asic devices. Compared with Asic devices, however, GPU devices are more flexible as in, you can switch to other coins with different algos.

ProgPoW has not been integrated into Ethereum yet, and it is unclear when it will eventually happen in March, core Ethereum developers were debating whether ProgPoW would actually benefit the network for almost two hours and failed to reach a consensus. Notably, a Bitmain representative previously told Cointelegraph that the mining hardware giant doesnt plan to extend Antminer E3s lifespan to operate after October 2020: As far as we know, mining will approximately end during October or sometime after this.

Indeed, Ethereum will move away from mining in the future. Scheduled to launch later in 2020, Ethereum 2.0 is a major network upgrade on the blockchain that is designed to shift its current PoW consensus algorithm to PoS where miners are virtual and referred to as block validators.

More specifically, they are randomly selected with the consideration of users wealth in the network, or their stake. In other words, the more coins PoS validators choose to stake, the more coins they accumulate as a reward.

According to Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, the network will become more secure and costly to attack than Bitcoins as a result of the transition, although the debate over which consensus algorithm is better has been around for years in the crypto community. However, its still unclear when the launch of Ethereum 2.0 will take place, as numerous bugs and management problems are reportedly delaying the process.

Related: Ethereum 2.0 Release Date Set for the Eleventh Hour as Issues Persist

Another supposed benefit of a PoS system is that its much more energy-efficient than PoW blockchains. According to data from Digiconomist, the cryptocurrencys annualized total footprint is 59.31 terawatts per hour, which is comparable to the power consumption of the entire country of Greece. However, Bitcoin might not be as bad for the environment as it seems thanks to a July 2019 report that estimated 74% of Bitcoin mining is done using renewable sources of energy.

What will happen to actual Ethereum miners? According to the documentation of the Casper upgrade that is part of the Ethereum 2.0 roadmap, the network will initially support a hybrid model that would involve both PoW and PoS, therefore, leaving some space for both block validators and GPU/ASIC miners. There will certainly be a transition period where both networks are running, Jack OHolleran, the CEO of the Skale Network a blockchain platform based on Ethereum told Cointelegraph, elaborating that this process will take some time:

It will certainly take time for the majority of ETH1 to transition into ETH2 potentially years not months. The good news about the slowness of this transition is that DApps and DeFi platforms will be able to move over at their leisure based on real-world evidence of viability, security and adoption. This is a net positive for the Ethereum ecosystem.

Once Ethereum runs fully on the PoS rails, miners will have two options. One is to sell the equipment and use that money to accumulate more ETH and start staking, while the other option, which is available exclusively for GPU miners, is to simply switch over to other Ethash networks and mine altcoins. Nick Foster, a representative for United States-based mining equipment dealer Kaboomracks, told Cointelegraph that most ETH miners will pick the latter option:

I would say most miners are not really into mining to get ETH or a specific coin. Yes, a certain number mine and hold, but I would argue against the notion that a large population of altcoin miners hold their coins for any amount of time.

Foster went on to describe how he switched to mining Ravencoin (RVN), an Ethash peer-to-peer blockchain asset, with his 3GB GPU unit once it became unprofitable to mine ETH: Its mining raven, and I sell to BTC instantly for stability sake and sell to USD to pay my power right after. I would say lots of people are employing a strategy like this.

As Foster summarized, he expects ETH miners to hop off the network, while new players those who didnt invest in the power infrastructure or the rigs will be staking ETH. He described the following scenario:

I cant imagine how much of a dork I would be if I found a five-year lease with $0.04 power, and I was mining ETH and I decided to sell everything and just keep paying my lease so I could stake ETH as a replacement.

Marc Fresa, the founder of mining firmware company Asic.to, agreed with that sentiment in a conversation with Cointelegraph: If youre invested into mining, you dont want staking since you have the buildout for it.

One of the major altcoins that might benefit from PoW miners leaving Ethereum is Ethereum Classic (ETC), a more conservative version of the blockchain that reportedly has no PoS-related plans. Since it also runs on the Ethash algorithm, its hash rate might experience a significant spike as a result of the potential miner migration caused by the Ethereum 2.0 launch.

Related: Ethereum 2.0 Staking, Explained

Larger mining pools for ETH are left with similar options. When asked about his companys post-PoW plans for Ethereum, Heller told Cointelegraph that F2Pool launched a sister company called stake.fish earlier in 2018, following the Ethereum PoS upgrade announcement. Because the switch has been delayed numerous times, stake.fish has started offering staking services for other PoS and delegated PoS projects like Tezos (XTZ), Cosmos (ATOM) and Cardano (ADA). As for Poolin, it may temporarily give up supporting ETH mining, as a result of the transition to PoS, De La Torre told Cointelegraph.

Other top ETH mining pools, namely Nanopool, Ethermine, Mining Pool Hub, SparkPool and SpiderPool, have not responded to Cointelegraphs requests for comment.

As for Ethereums ecosystem at large, experts reassure that the transition to PoS will be conducted in an uncomplicated fashion, and network participants casual users and decentralized applications built on top of Ethereum will hardly notice the change. Viktor Bunin, a protocol specialist at blockchain infrastructure firm and Libra Association member Bison Trails, echoed that sentiment in a conversation with Cointelegraph, adding:

The Ethereum mainnet we know today is expected to be added as a shard on ETH2 in Phase 1.5. All that will change is the consensus mechanism, so DApps and users shouldnt notice any change.

Bunin went on further stating that: Any concerns that the network will split, with some folks remaining on the PoW chain or that DApps will experience disruption, are overblown. Furthermore, OHolleran told Cointelegraph that ETH 2 is a new network that will run on a new token and a new inflation model, elaborating:

The connection is that it will all be composable and compatible with the Ethereum ecosystem and that tokens from the first network can be burned and replaced with tokens from the second network. What this means is that DApps and users will not be directly impacted until they manually switch networks. The indirect and immediate impact will be in relation to how the supply and perceived value impact the price of tokens on both networks.

As for now, it is clear that there shouldnt be a shortage of Ethereum block validators. According to a recent report by cryptocurrency analytics firm Arcane Research, the number of Ethereum wallet addresses that include or exceed 32 ETH the minimum amount required for staking is approaching 120,000.

Link:

ETH Miners Will Have Little Choice Once Ethereum 2.0 Launches With PoS - Cointelegraph

Ethereum 2.0: The Choice Between Ones Own Node and a Staking Service – Cointelegraph

As the Ethereum 2.0 upgrade approaches, users have been showing an increasing interest in the staking process, which would allow them to make a passive income by validating the new network.

This is evidenced by the growing number of Ether (ETH) wallets and ETH deposits on cryptocurrency exchanges. According to a recent report published by analytical company Arcane Research, the number of Ethereum wallets containing 32 ETH or more the minimum amount of coins needed to run the staking node have increased by 13% over the year, and the number of Ethereum 2.0 Google search queries have grown by around six times since March.

While some users have already opted to run their own validator node, others are still choosing among becoming an independent validator, joining a staking pool or using staking provider services. But is there actually any difference?

The upgraded Ethereum network will switch from the proof-of-work to the proof-of-stake consensus algorithm, replacing miners with validators who will bet their coins to verify transactions. Once validators verify honest transactions, they will receive the rewards in the form of passive income this process is called staking.

At the moment, the exact size of an annual reward for Ethereum stakers is still unknown. However, according to the projects roadmap, this value will vary from 1.56% to 18.1% and will be inversely proportional to the total number of validators: When the network increases, rewards contract.

On the one hand, a staking model can be attractive to a wide range of crypto users because there is no need for expensive mining equipment or special technical skills and might look as simple as having a bank deposit. All that is needed to receive annual interest on staked funds is to store ETH on a hardware wallet.

However, an in-depth analysis of the requirements for becoming a validator on the Ethereum network has shown that not everything is as simple as it might seem at first glance. The minimum entry threshold of 32 ETH is just one of such requirements.

Related: Ethereum 2.0 Staking, Explained

For example, given the ETH exchange rate of $250, the user will need to invest $8,000 to become a validator on the Ethereum 2.0 blockchain. But what about the reward? Taking into account the cost of validation of $180 and an average reward of 5% suggested by Ethereum developer Justin Drake, the annual profit from staking 32 ETH can be around $190. So, given the possible risks of Ethers price experiencing volatility and users being unable to withdraw funds, this reward model is unlikely to allow an average staker to hit a big jackpot.

Another task users will have to deal with to be a full validator is running their own validator node. As evidenced by a survey published by Consensys, 33% of the ETH users are ready to perform this task. But thats not all. Additionally, validators would be required to ensure the uninterrupted functioning of the hardware wallet. If users disconnect, they lose all their daily income. Even worse, if at some point their stakes drop below 32 ETH, users will lose the right to be a validator.

The Ethereum staking entry threshold is not as high as the cost of running a master node on other blockchain networks, such as Dash, and for many users, high barriers to enter may be unaffordable. That same survey conducted by Consensys also showed that 33% of ETH owners do not intend to participate in network staking, and 71% of those who refused said that they do not hold enough Ether to become a validator.

The above-mentioned limitations can be circumvented if joining a so-called staking pool or staking-as-a-service providers. Such third-party services either decentralized or centralized offer staking on the users behalf and relieve them of the need to worry about launching special software or keeping the network online during the life of the staking deposit. And if launching ones own node can be compared to opening a deposit account at a bank, then staking providers act as brokers, taking on all the risks and maintenance expenses for a certain fee.

The biggest advantage of such solutions is the ability to earn on staking with any amount of ETH, which becomes a way out for many users who cannot afford to keep their own node. According to Consensys, at least 33% of Ethereum users plan to use third-party services and 20% of the respondents who previously revealed the intention to run their own validator nodes said they would consider using a staking service instead. This raises the question: Which is the better option a staking pool or a staking-as-a-service provider?

Today, many crypto exchanges offer staking services for PoS-based coin owners with daily income payments. For example, Poloniex does not impose any requirements on the terms of deposits the user can trade and withdraw funds at any time. For this, however, users are charged a 25% fee on their rewards, which is said to cover operating expenses and risks associated with the management of the service.

Bitfinex, another major crypto exchange, claims that it doesnt charge a fee for its current staking programs, holding a small portion of staking rewards instead. Additionally, asstated on Bitfinexs website, in some cases, its staking service provider can also take a portion of the rewards collected through the exchange. Meanwhile, staking services provided by Bitfinex are available for any category of users since its enough to have as little as $0.10 to start receiving rewards on the platform.

Paolo Ardoino, the chief technology officer at Bitfinex, revealed to Cointelegraph that the cryptocurrency exchange has the biggest Ethereum cold wallet and is planning to be a key part of Ethereum staking. According to him, Ethereum staking will be quite profitable for users who keep their funds on exchanges:

Exchanges like Bitfinex will charge a tiny fee to cover operation costs, but the large majority of rewards will go directly into the pockets of the users. Not all users want to go through the process of custodying their own assets and learning how to stake properly.

Changpeng Zhao, also known as CZ, the CEO of Binance crypto exchnage told Cointelegraph that users who actively stake via Binance will be able to earn higher interest rates than those who simply hold cryptocurrency in their accounts:

Binance will stake a fractional reserve of the Ethereum held by our users, as we still require some funds to be liquid for users to withdraw at any time, while automatically distributing proportionately the rewards to our users.

Another convenience of centralized platforms and custodial services is that they undertake the conversion of the users ETH to ETH2. Cryptocurrency services provider Bitcoin Suisse, for instance,claims that it doesnt charge any commissions for such a conversion, however, it will take 15% from rewards received by its customers. The platform also promises to monitor the timely update of its own software so that the staking process remains uninterrupted and beneficial for the user.

However, according to some users, staking programs offered by crypto exchanges can lead to the centralization of the Ethereum blockchain. In a conversation with Cointelegraph, Sergey Zhdanov, the CEO of cryptocurrency exchange EXMO, explained that although the exchanges will definitely become the biggest network validators, the influence will be inseparable:

Data from Arcane Research and Nansen AI shows that Ethereum wallets with at least 32 ETH, the amount required for ETH 2.0 staking, have grown by 13% this year. The amount of these wallets are more than 120K, so the exchange wallets are taking just 1% of them.

Alongside the crypto exchanges, custodian services provided by some institutional players also appear to be willing to offer such services. According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers report, 42% of crypto hedge funds are also involved in cryptocurrency staking.

Related: ETH Miners Will Have Little Choice Once Ethereum 2.0 Launches With PoS

Zhdanov also pointed out that many big players will likely be staking ETH by themselves as a tool to hedge the risks of their portfolio and that the popularity of ETH among other altcoins working on PoS will help reduce the centralization risk.

Speaking about the probability of centralization, Bitfinexs Ardoino told Cointelegraph that this threat can be possible only in the early phases of the upgrade, adding: Education on the importance of staking from own wallets will be a key factor in order to reduce centralization.

Besides, according to CZ, staking is particularly effective in helping stabilize cryptocurrency prices, as it encourages users to make market buys when purchasing tokens, as well as rewards limit sell orders rather than market sell orders, as users continue to earn staking rewards while their order hasnt filled yet. He added:

Thus, during panics, users are incentivized to set limit orders to sell rather than dump on market, and during bullish periods, users are incentivized to get in faster.

Staking pools or decentralized exchanges can be an alternative for those who are concerned about possible centralization and penalties incurred, for example, for going offline. As the decentralized nature implies, everything from rewards to risks is shared among the members of such pools.

For example, decentralized staking pool Rocket Pool claims that a user deposit cannot be assigned to a bad node since all the pool members share the risk of nodes being slashed and, therefore, the size of the penalty. Thus, if one node fails, each pool member will lose a small number of funds. However, in the case of running a node, its the user whos at risk of losing everything.

In addition to so-called socialized losses, Rocket Pool introduced its native token that represents a tokenized staking deposit and allows stakers to instantly receive a reward and withdraw it at any time. In addition, the pool does not charge fees for staking. In order to join the pool, individual users will need to have a minimum of 0.01 ETH, while those who plan to run a Rocket Pool smart node software will require 16 ETH half as much of the minimum amount needed to run an individual validator node, but a lot more than what crypto exchanges would require.

The entry threshold to become an Ethereum validator has become the most discussed issue among users interested in staking. Many of themargue that 32 ETH is too much and noted that if the required amount was smaller, there would be many more validators on the new network.

Others said that they wouldnt lock up 32 ETH just to secure the Ethereum network unless the staking rewards were higher than 10% per year, given that the possible profit could be negligible compared to losses in the event of a coin price drop. Although the exact staking reward size still remains unknown, many users who have revealed their plans to use third-party provider services already said they would choose the platform that offered at least 7.6% in revenue.

There are also those in the crypto community who appeared to be concerned about the threat of Ethereum centralization, rather than the cost of staking. They, however, appeared to be in the minority. Notably, a significant part of users spoke out in defense of the entry threshold of 32 ETH, comparing this amount to tens of thousands of dollars needed to own master nodes in blockchain networks, such as Dash.

While the launch date for Ethereum 2.0 is still open, users have time to decide whether they want to participate in the stake or not and how exactly they want to do it. As the examples discussed in this article show, almost any crypto user can become a validator of the new network and receive passive income regardless of their financial and technical capabilities.

Excerpt from:

Ethereum 2.0: The Choice Between Ones Own Node and a Staking Service - Cointelegraph

EOS, Ethereum and Ripples XRP Daily Tech Analysis June 15th, 2020 – Yahoo Finance

EOS

EOS fell by 1.59% on Sunday. Reversing a 0.36% gain from Saturday, EOS ended the week down by 8.62% to $2.5691.

It was a bearish start to the day. EOS fell from an early morning intraday high $2.6105 to an early afternoon intraday low $2.5252.

EOS fell through the first major support level at $2.5672 and the second major support level at $2.5280.

Finding support late in the day, EOS broke back through the major support levels to wrap up the week at $2.569 levels.

At the time of writing, EOS was down by 0.22% to $2.5634. Another bearish start to the day saw EOS fall from an early morning high $2.5703 to a low $2.5615.

EOS left the major support and resistance levels untested early on.

EOS would need to move through the $2.57 pivot level to take bring the first major resistance level at $2.6113 into play.

Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for EOS to break out from Sundays high $2.6105.

Barring an extended crypto rally, the first major resistance level at $2.6113 would likely limit any upside.

Failure to move through the $2.5680 pivot could see EOS in the red for a 2nd consecutive day.

A fall through to sub-$2.55 levels would bring the first major support level at $2.5260 into play.

Barring another crypto sell-off, however, EOS should steer well clear of the second major support level at $2.4830.

Major Support Level: $2.5260

Major Resistance Level: $2.6113

23.6% FIB Retracement Level: $6.62

38% FIB Retracement Level: $9.76

62% FIB Retracement Level: $14.82

Ethereum fell by 2.87% on Sunday. Reversing a 0.25% gain from Saturday, Ethereum ended the week down by 5.49% to $231.34.

A mixed start to the day saw Ethereum rise to an early morning intraday high $238.59 before hitting reverse.

Falling short of the first major resistance level at $239.94, Ethereum slid to a late intraday low $229.75.

The reversal saw Ethereum fall through the first major support level at $235.25 and the second major support level at $232.34.

Finding late support, Ethereum moved back through to $231 levels to reduce the deficit on the day.

At the time of writing, Ethereum was down by 0.51% to $230.15. A bearish start to the day saw Ethereum fall from an early morning high $231.34 to a low $229.95.

Ethereum left the major support and resistance levels untested early on.

Story continues

Ethereum would need to move through to $233.20 levels to support a run at the first major resistance level at $236.70.

Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Ethereum to break out from $235 levels.

Barring an extended crypto rally, the first major resistance level and Sundays high $238.59 should cap any upside.

Failure to move through the $233.20 pivot could see Ethereum take a hit on the day.

A fall back through to sub-$230 would bring the first major support level at $227.86 into play.

Barring an extended crypto sell-off, however, Ethereum should steer clear of the second major support level at $224.39.

Major Support Level: $227.86

Major Resistance Level: $236.70

23.6% FIB Retracement Level: $257

38.2% FIB Retracement Level: $367

62% FIB Retracement Level: $543

Ripples XRP fell by 1.07% on Sunday. Following on from a 0.30% decline on Saturday, Ripples XRP ended the week down by 6.41% to $0.19040.

It was a bearish start to the day. Ripples XRP slid from an early morning intraday high $0.19263 to a late intraday low $0.18875.

Ripples XRP fell through the first major support level at $0.1909 and the second major support level at $0.1894.

Finding late support, Ripples XRP briefly revisited $0.191 levels before falling back through the first major support level.

At the time of writing, Ripples XRP was down by 0.13% to $0.19015. A bearish start to the day saw Ripples XRP fall from an early morning high $0.19041 to a low $0.18988.

Ripples XRP left the major support and resistance levels untested early on.

Ripples XRP will need to move through to $0.1910 levels to support a run at the first major resistance level at $0.1924.

Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Ripples XRP to break out from the morning high $0.19041.

Barring a broad-based crypto rally, the first major resistance level and Sundays high $0.19263 would likely cap any upside.

Failure to move through the $0.1910 pivot could see Ripples XRP spend a 3rd day in the red.

A fall back through the morning low $0.18988 would bring the first major support level at $0.1886 into play.

In the event of extended crypto sell-off, the second major support level at $0.1867 would likely come into play.

Major Support Level: $0.1886

Major Resistance Level: $0.1924

23.6% FIB Retracement Level: $0.3638

38.2% FIB Retracement Level: $0.4800

62% FIB Retracement Level: $0.6678

Please let us know what you think in the comments below.

Thanks, Bob

This article was originally posted on FX Empire

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EOS, Ethereum and Ripples XRP Daily Tech Analysis June 15th, 2020 - Yahoo Finance

Visa And The Digital Dollar On Ethereum – Seeking Alpha

Introduction

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has recently published that Visa (V) has filed a patent application for a digital fiat currency. The application mentions Ethereum (ETH-USD) several times, suggesting that the Ethereum blockchain could be the one used for the project. Should the project go through, its implications are significant for both parties.

Source

The patent describes techniques for the generation of a digital currency and the subsequent removal of the physical currency from circulation in the standard fiat (government-issued) currency system. The application abstract states:

Techniques are disclosed which include receiving, by a central entity computer, a request for digital currency. The request includes a serial number and a denomination of a physical currency. The central entity computer generates the digital currency for the denomination and linked to the serial number. The generating includes recording the digital currency on a blockchain. The central entity computer transmits a notification of the generation of the digital currency. The central entity computer causes removal of the physical currency from circulation in a fiat currency system."

The patent refers to the generic term "digital fiat currency". It can be assumed that its first application will be to the US dollar, but other international currencies could soon follow.

Figure 1 - Process Architecture - Source

The whole process will be recorded on a blockchain. For those who are not familiar with the technology, a blockchain is decentralized, distributed ledger that records the provenance and exchange of digital assets through a transparent and secure process. In its first application, bitcoin (BTC-USD), blockchain technology allowed to perform financial transactions without relying on a central trusted third party. Removing the need for a centralised third party has been shown to, ultimately, improve efficiency, security, and reliability processes. In this specific application, it would solve the need of creating an immutable record of transactions while achieving efficiencies and cost-saving on several aspects.

Significant cost reduction is achievable through the adoption of the technology. Reconciliation expenses are the first thing to consider. "In accounting, reconciliation is the process of ensuring that two sets of records are in agreement. Reconciliation is used to ensure that the money leaving an account matches the actual money spent. This is done by making sure the balances match at the end of a particular accounting period."

Across almost all financial services, reconciliation is an expensive and time-consuming process. The lack of transaction transparency and inefficient information sharing across organisations lead to delays and extra expenses. Examples of this can be found in the workflows of trade settlement and trade finance, cross-border and domestic payments, credit letters settlement, and many more. Using blockchain, the time and cost of these reconciliation efforts could be drastically reduced since all parties get instant visibility of transaction and information, maintaining high security and immutability of records.

Audit costs could also be reduced since each transaction is recorded sequentially and indefinitely, providing an audit trail for all assets and transactions that have been successfully executed.

Other examples include information sharing between parties, such as KYC (Know-Your-Customer) and AML (Anti-Money-Laundering) data, an all kinds of workflows automation, such as using smart contracts for accounts payable/receivable and data validation.

In this particular application, Visa aims at receiving physical fiat currency and replace it into the system with digital currency recorded on a blockchain. Therefore, this would slowly absorb physical currency from the current system, potentially achieving a gradual shift to a cashless society. For Visa, dealing with digital currencies will provide a frictionless environment that will significantly increase efficiency and allow it to achieve all the above-mentioned cost-saving benefits.

The blockchain use by the project could be the Ethereum blockchain, as it is mentioned several times in the patent application, such as:

In some embodiments, Ethereum may be used to implement various aspects described herein.

In some embodiments, digital fiat currency may be implemented using Ethereum as illustrated in FIGS. 9A-9D."

The Ethereum blockchain seems, therefore, a valid candidate for the project. If you are not aware of the Ethereum network or you want to know more about it, I highly suggest you read my previous article, "The Present and Future of The Ethereum Network". Currently, due to scalability issues, such a high volume of transactions is probably not feasible on Ethereum or any other pure decentralised blockchain network. However, scalability is set to improve significantly due to the series of updates known as Ethereum 2.0. Developers are also working on other solutions to improve Ethereum scalability, such as Matic, a sidechain scaling solution that is now live on the Ethereum main-net. As an alternative, Visa could decide to settle with a centralised, less-secure second layer on top of the Ethereum blockchain, with only periodic synchronisations with the Ethereum main-net.

The filing of a patent application does not necessarily mean they have any intention of actually rolling it out. Competitors could be working on the same lines, and patenting the technology could be a way to kill the competition.

However, I believe this specific patent has huge potential since it is tied with the figure of a central authority or central bank. The patent states that these central authorities could be entities "responsible for the production and distribution of money and credit in a region (e.g., a nation)" and would have "exclusive permission to transform physical currency into digital currency in order to regulate the value of the digital currency". To ensure that this digital coin value is stabilized, for every time a dollar worth of digital fiat currency is generated, the central entity ensures that a corresponding physical dollar bill is removed from circulation, in order to regulate the value of the digital fiat currency.

This central entity would have control of the timing and quantity of the digital currency issuance and would manage "the destruction of units of physical currency in connection with the generation of corresponding units of digital fiat currency". To me, this seems like the only way in which the government could complete the switch to a cashless society in the never-so-near future completely digital world. It would be no surprise since many governments are embracing digital currencies. China already stated to be close to the release of its own digital currency, Singapore is testing blockchain digital currency system for banks, while Ghana is about to start testing an actual central bank digital currency, with Deputy Governor Maxwell Opoku-Afari stating:

Individuals, businesses, and government have shown a strong preference for digital payments for reasons of convenience, efficiency, speed, affordability, round the clock availability and robust audit trail."

Recently, Americans got an exposure to the idea of a sovereign digital currency when a digital dollar bill was included in the proposed solutions for distributing federal handouts during the COVID-19 crisis. While this proposal was eventually left by the wayside, on June 11th, the US congress devoted an entire hearing to the subject, demonstrating that the idea is now closer than ever to becoming reality.

Should the government go ahead with the transition, Visa could find itself in a very strong position, having patented the most straightforward system to do exactly what the government would be needing to do. In that case, the government would not be seen as a patent "infringer" but it would probably agree to offer compensation for the use of someone else's patent. In any way, Visa could have just cemented its position as the main government partner in the shift to monetary digitalisation that is bound to happen in the future.

I rate VISA a strong BUY.

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Disclosure: I am/we are long V, ETH-USD, BTC-USD. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Additional disclosure: I am not a financial advisor. All articles are my opinion - they are not suggestions to buy or sell any securities. Perform your own due diligence and consult a financial professional before investing or trading.

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Visa And The Digital Dollar On Ethereum - Seeking Alpha

Ethereum (ETH) Might Not have Quantum Resistance on its Roadmap, the QRL Team Reveals – Crowdfund Insider

The developers at Quantum Resistant Ledger (QRL), an externally audited enterprise-grade blockchain platform that claims to be secure against a potential (future) attack from quantum computers, stated that Ethereum (ETH) could go quantum computer resistant through a unique smart-contract.

The QRL team said that a project called EnQlave helps users secure their computers against a quantum computer attack. They pointed out that the Ethereum 2.0 fork will bring many improvements like sharding, zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs), enhancing overall blockchain efficiency, and lower transaction fees.

They noted:

One of the biggest hindrances to blockchains right now thats affecting its adoption is its ability to scale. [We] think [the Ethereum 2.0 related upgrades] will help out quite a bitProof of stake, Ethereum is going there, and so are we [at QRL.] Transparency, trust, immutability, pseudonymity, security all these things are core tenets of blockchain.

They added:

When it comes to Ether, [Ethereums native token,] were soon going to have another option. And that option is to make it quantum secure, or not. But why quantum? Quantum computers are quite cool [even literally.] In 2016, the NIST or National Institute of Standards and Technology (in the US) initiated a process to solicit, evaluate, and standardize one or more quantum resistant public key cryptographic algorithms.

They explained that this was basically the NIST calling upon academics and the general public to write and propose new asymmetric or public key algorithms to be used in the post-quantum era (i.e. when quantum computers powerful enough to threaten or practically outperform existing binary computers have arrived).

The QRL team revealed that so far there have been 60 submissions, out of which 12 were reportedly broken and there were five withdrawals from the competition. There are currently two quantum-secure protocols in draft recommended state, the team revealed. One of these is called XMSS which is the underlying protocol used by QRL.

They confirmed that quantum computers are available right now. For instance, D-Wave has been manufacturing them since 1999, the team said. IBM has also been releasing more and more powerful quantum computers.

The QRL team noted that, in 2019, Google announced Quantum Supremacy which is defined as the construction of a device that can solve a problem or perform a function that would be unfeasible for any classical computer. Google was able to carry out a function in 200 seconds and based on their calculations, it would take a supercomputer 10,000 years to complete the same function, the QRL team revealed.

They added:

It appears that quantum resistance is not on the Ethereum roadmap, so this is where I think the QRL team can help. Project EnQlave is an Ethereum smart contract that creates a quantum secure safe to store your Ethereum cryptocurrency.[this means, that] using your browser, you can access your Ethereum and transfer funds into a quantum secure safe, all while staying on the Ethereum blockchain.

However, the cost associated with doing this is that every time a smart contract is called or invoked for this purpose (moving funds in and out of your EnQlave wallet), you would incur a gas (fee) charge from the Ethereum network, The gas charge price is set by ETH miners who are processing transactions on the worlds largest smart contract development platform.

Gas fees are a financial incentive for Ether miners to process users transactions.

The QRL team recommended:

Due to gas costs, EnQlave works best as a long-term, post-quantum secure storage solution. Its not something youd want to move your funds in and out of every day.

As of June 2020, EnQlave has been running on an internal test network (testnet) and the code is being audited.

As previously reported, many experts believe quantum computers could completely shatter the current Internet security systems protecting the Bitcoin (BTC) network, digital payments, and IoT devices.

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Ethereum (ETH) Might Not have Quantum Resistance on its Roadmap, the QRL Team Reveals - Crowdfund Insider

EOS, Ethereum and Ripples XRP Daily Tech Analysis June 14th, 2020 – Yahoo Finance

EOS

EOS rose by 0.36% on Saturday. Following on from a 3.38% gain on Friday, EOS ended the day at $2.6063.

A bearish start to the day saw EOS fall to an early morning intraday low $2.5549 before making a move.

Steering clear of the first major support level at $2.5182, EOS rallied to a late intraday high $2.6209 before easing back.

Falling short of the first major resistance level at $2.6490, EOS fell back to sub-$2.58 levels before wrapping up the day at $2.60 levels.

At the time of writing, EOS was down by 0.36% to $2.5970. A bearish start to the day saw EOS fall from an early morning high $2.6105 to a low $2.5944.

EOS left the major support and resistance levels untested early on.

EOS would need to avoid sub-$2.5940 levels to take bring the first major resistance level at $2.6332 into play.

Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for EOS to break out from Saturdays high $2.6209.

Barring an extended crypto rally, the first major resistance level at $2.6332 would likely limit any upside.

Failure to avoid a fall through the $2.5940 pivot could see EOS struggle on the day.

A fall through the $2.5940 pivot would bring the first major support level at $2.5672 into play.

Barring an extended crypto sell-off, however, EOS should steer well clear of the second major support level at $2.5280.

Major Support Level: $2.5672

Major Resistance Level: $2.6332

23.6% FIB Retracement Level: $6.62

38% FIB Retracement Level: $9.76

62% FIB Retracement Level: $14.82

Ethereum rose by 0.25% on Saturday. Following on from a 3.21% rally on Friday, Ethereum ended the day at $238.17.

It was a choppy start to the day. Ethereum fell to a late morning intraday low $234.11 before finding support.

Steering clear of the first major support level at $234.4, Ethereum rallied to a late intraday high $238.8.

Falling short of the first major resistance level at $242.1, Ethereum fell back to sub-$236 levels before finding late support.

A late move back through to $238 levels delivered the upside on the day.

At the time of writing, Ethereum was down by 0.22% to $237.64. A bearish start to the day saw Ethereum fall from an early morning high $238.22 to a low $237.33.

Ethereum left the major support and resistance levels untested early on.

Story continues

Ethereum would need to avoid sub-$237 levels to support a run at the first major resistance level at $239.94.

Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Ethereum to break out from Saturdays high $238.8.

Barring an extended crypto rally, the first major resistance level at $239.94 should cap any upside.

Failure to avoid sub-$237 levels could see Ethereum take a hit on the day.

A fall through the $237 pivot would bring the first major support level at $235.25 into play.

Barring an extended crypto sell-off, however, Ethereum should steer clear of sub-$230 levels. The second major support level at $232.34 should limit any downside.

Major Support Level: $235.25

Major Resistance Level: $239.94

23.6% FIB Retracement Level: $257

38.2% FIB Retracement Level: $367

62% FIB Retracement Level: $543

Ripples XRP fell by 0.30% on Saturday. Following a 2.66% gain on Friday, Ripples XRP ended the day at $0.19246.

A bearish start to the day saw Ripples XRP fall to a late morning intraday low $0.19087 before making a move.

Steering clear of the first major support level at $0.1883, Ripples XRP rallied to an early afternoon intraday high $0.19385.

Coming up short of the first major resistance level at $0.1964, Ripples XRP fell back to a low $0.19183 before finding support.

In spite of the late support, Ripples XRP was unable to move back through to $0.1930 levels and into the green.

At the time of writing, Ripples XRP was down by 0.12% to $0.19222. A mixed start to the day saw Ripples XRP fall to an early morning low $0.19214 before rising to a high $0.19263.

Ripples XRP left the major support and resistance levels untested early on.

Ripples XRP will need to move through to $0.1924 levels to support a run at the first major resistance level at $0.1939.

Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Ripples XRP to break out from Saturdays high $0.19385.

Barring a broad-based crypto rally, the first major resistance level and Saturdays high would likely cap any upside.

Failure to move through the $0.1924 pivot could see Ripples XRP spend a 2nd day in the red.

A fall through sub-$0.1920 levels would bring the first major support level at $0.1909 into play.

Barring another extended crypto sell-off, Ripples XRP should avoid the second major support level at $0.1894.

Major Support Level: $0.1909

Major Resistance Level: $0.1939

23.6% FIB Retracement Level: $0.3638

38.2% FIB Retracement Level: $0.4800

62% FIB Retracement Level: $0.6678

Please let us know what you think in the comments below.

Thanks, Bob

This article was originally posted on FX Empire

Continued here:

EOS, Ethereum and Ripples XRP Daily Tech Analysis June 14th, 2020 - Yahoo Finance

Tether becomes second largest altcoin behind Ethereum tokens – HedgeWeek

Tether, a blockchain-enabled platform that powers the largest stablecoin by market capitalisation, has eclipsed Ripples XRP to become the second largest altcoin behind Ethereum tokens (ETH).

USD Tether (USDt) has made a rapid ascent in 2020, amid challenging market conditions and, at times, extreme levels of market volatility. USDt is also playing an increasingly important role as a valuable source of liquidity in the nascent DeFi space, which has spawned innovative financial products such as flash loans that form part of an alternative financial system.

USD Tether (USDt) has grown to a market capitalisation of USD9.6 billion, dwarfing the size of rival stablecoins by market capitalisation, trading volume and number of users. USDts market capitalisation has eclipsed that of XRP, which currently stands at US$8.5 billion, according to data from CoinMarketCap, a provider of cryptocurrency market data.Tether is manifestly growing in popularity as the most liquid, stable and trusted stablecoin, says Paolo Ardoino, CTO at Tether. Tethers ascent to become the third biggest cryptocurrency underlines the pivotal role USDt plays in the cryptocurrency ecosystem. The march of USDt is gathering momentum amid growing recognition that stablecoins will play an important role in the future of finance as a trusted and robust form of digital money.

As of 12 May, 2020, USDt has a market share of 77.84 per cent among Ethereum-based stablecoins, according to recent research by The Block. USDts outstanding Ethereum-based supply has grown by about 113 per cent year-to-date to from USD2.3 billion to USD4.9 billion. The aggregate Ethereum-based stablecoin market capitalisation has increased 95.38 per cent year-to-date to USD6.25 billion, research from The Block found.

Tether functions as the reserve currency for the crypto market, says Ardoino. The recent market instability has demonstrated that there is a huge need for this asset. Investors want a safe haven to reduce the risk in their portfolios.

In addition to its Ethereum-based version of USDt, there are versions of USDt that work on Algorand, Ethereum, EOS, Liquid Network, Omni and Tron. Tether is driven to support and empower growing ventures and innovation in the blockchain space.

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Tether becomes second largest altcoin behind Ethereum tokens - HedgeWeek