Stalemate is an interesting tactic. You avoid it when you're winning, but go for it when you're losing. It reminds me of life, where people sometimes settle for whatever they can get, either out of fear of losing more or a lack of belief in something better.

When it comes to global finance, countries often suffer when currencies clash with political instability and economic uncertainty. In the traditional economic system that has currency dominance or trade hegemony, when gov’ts struggle to defend currency pegs or manage foreign debts & investments, economies become fragile. A part of my interest is understanding at a deeper level how Bitcoin could play a role in creating a more equitable global financial system. In 1994, Mexico’s interest rate ballooned to nearly 100%. This was during the Tequila Crisis of 1994-1995, when Mexico's peso was pegged to the USD and was overvalued. The country’s economy was heavily dependent on foreign capital and was destabilized by the rising political unrest, especially after the assassination of Colosio (who vowed to eliminate corruption from all sectors and was often likened to JFK). In order to remain pegged, Mexico had to buy pesos on the open market whenever speculative pressures arose - but their foreign currency reserve was depleting. So they issued short term bonds (Tesobonos) to attract foreign investment, and these values reflected the huge amount of debts Mexico had. Foreign investors were getting nervous about repayment, so the Mexican government devalued the Peso by 15% from 2.9 pesos to 3.4 Pesos to a dollar. When it comes to devaluation, for foreign investors it should seem like Mexican assets are cheaper in terms of USD, and would produce higher returns once the economy stabilises so the Mexican govt was banking on a positive boost. But instead the devaluation signaled desperation and uncertainty about the government's ability to manage the crisis, causing a dramatic free fall of selling Peso in the open market. Peso lost 50% of its value within a few weeks. To attract investors back, the central bank drastically increased interest rates up to 80% - 100% . Borrowers, businesses and consumers, struggled to repay loans (as they had to pay 2x). Thousands of businesses went bankrupt and millions lost their jobs. Mexico went into severe recession with GDP contracting by 6.2%. Bill Clinton and the IMF sent a ~$40B loan to bailout Mexico. Today the exchange rate is at 20 Pesos to 1 US dollar. A high exchange rate like this makes it more expensive to buy in USD - hence making import harder, while increasing demand in exports for Mexico. This was something Mexico wasn't ready for and couldn't handle. But the reverse also holds true. I remember watching a documentary on China that came under scrutiny for "currency manipulation" , devaluing its Renminbi to boost exports to the US and reduce imports (which fosters internal circulation). While China gained massive trade advantages, many small businesses lost out, especially in SEA and globally. Devaluing currency or artificial currency was part of China’s economic strategy in the 90s and 2000s. It was also once pegged to the US from ‘94 - ‘05 but it has been a floating currency since and its ties with BRICS encourages more trades in RMB. The Mexican Peso crisis might sound very similar to the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. I remember George Soros was a key figure in making speculative attacks that SEA’s strong trade will collapse - we never will know if it's due to him that everyone pulled out or he was right, but the Thai baht, pegged to the USD, could not withstand these speculative pressures. The gov’t lacked sufficient foreign reserves and had high foreign debt, which led to the decision to float the baht, resulting in its massive devaluation. And then the collapse spread like dominoes. I also remember reading about the impact of the rise of interest rates by the US federal reserve which also played a key role in the 1997 Asian Financial crisis. As U.S. interest rates increased, foreign investors pulled out their capital from emerging markets like Thailand in hopes for returns in the U.S. This capital outflow created a vacuum, fueling speculative attacks on these countries' currencies. Defending currency pegs became increasingly expensive because of the higher interest rates. It was a loss-loss situation. Indonesia and the Philippines were also affected. Asian tigers - Korea and Malaysia were impacted with the loss of foreign investment, but Malaysia was originally not pegged. Maddy made the call to peg it to prevent further loss, as its reserve currency was in abundance (few things Maddy did right) When we go through all this global trade chaos and historical economic shocks, can Bitcoin make a difference in the future? In countries where currencies are manipulated or subject to gov’t instability, Bitcoin could serve as a hedge, independent of local gov’t or central bank policies. Given the growing acceptance and accessibility worldwide, businesses can continually operate within the global trade environment despite currency devaluation or capital controls. Small businesses globally will not succumb to unfair competitions like China's currency devaluation strategy to boost export resulting in loss of business to trade hegemony, if importers and exporters use Bitcoin for cross-border payments, layer 2 through lightning. Ultimately, Bitcoin could help provide the economic restart that countries need when they are in a limbo, shifting the power back to the people and away from governments that manipulate currencies for political gain.

such a beautiful piece, so much of deep emotions channeled through this. Charles Lloyd's tribute to Billie Holiday

I was reading this book (‘The world for sale’ by Javier Blas and Jack Farchy) which started off on how this oil and gas trading company called Vitol provided fuel for the rebels during the Arab Spring with the protection of NATO and funding from Qatar, and it piqued my curiosity on Libya’s rebel support. Qatar was an intermediary between Western governments and Libyan rebels. It facilitated the provision of arms and fuel through commodity traders. Vitol was a commodity trader. Some backstory on Libya. Libya was governed by Gaddafi for a very very long time - 42 years. (I’ve written some bits on the political states of North Africa over the last few decades somewhere along these posts). But Gaddafi’s leadership is often commented from opposite ends - One side calls him a ruthless dictator. The other side calls him the most democratic leader in Africa. Muhammad Ali stated in his autobiography that the US and Gaddafi did not see eye to eye because of the political influence on religion. But more importantly Gaddafi controlled Libya’s oil by nationalizing it. Nationalization swept the countries in the middle east and africa in the 70s which loosened the clutches of the global oil dominance by the infamous “Seven Sisters” . In this case, nationalizing it allowed for free trade to happen? (and in the process - petrostate was formed). Libya is in the top 10 crude oil producers in the world. Many wanted their hands on it but it was hard when Gaddafi was controlling it. During the Arab Spring which was a wave of uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa, including Libya, rebel factions rose against Gaddafi's regime. I think when you run for 42 years, even if you were a good person, it prevents strong and decent opponents to rise, and instead creates a vacuum that extremist are quick to fill in. But this period marked a turning point, as both internal dissent and external interventions, including CIA’s and NATO’s involvement, led to Gaddafi's fall and the subsequent struggle for control over Libya’s oil wealth. Back to Vitol and Qatar and funding the rebels - the only way rebels can win the war in Libya is with more fuel (if you remember the Desert Fox incident during WW2- never run out of fuel in the deserts of Africa). And the only way for global powerhouses to control oil in Libya is to fund the rebels to bring down Gaddafi. There was a lot of competition among commodity traders to work with rebels as they barter trade fuel for crude oil through the pipelines. But nothing beats Vitol’s founder Ian Taylor who was a leading donor for the Tories party who won the project. Also ironically Washington sanctioned Gaddafi from buying fuel or selling crude oil, but waived sanction for anyone buying from Vitol’s company. Benghazi, a key city in Libya and a hub for the oil industry, became a battleground during the civil war between rebels and Gaddafi’s government forces. It became a lawless militant state with rising death rates and poorly managed hospitals, food supply etc and people were suffering. Heavily armed youths patrolled the city (a few years down the road, a mob would break into the US consulate and murder the ambassador). Unfortunately Gaddafi was murdered during the NATO-led intervention during the Arab Spring. I read that he was sodomised brutally by rebels with a bayonet and was beaten to death. His gruesome murder was apparently recorded on phone and broadcasted globally. Libya grew from the poorest country - to the richest country in the continent under Gaddafi. And now it’s back to a poor and struggling country controlled by rebels. Gaddafi also had billions of dollars frozen in Western bank accounts. In September 2011, $300 million in Libyan assets in the West was unfrozen - not to aid Libyan citizens, but to settle payments owed to Vitol for supplying fuel to the rebels. Many of these large commodity traders apparently have their offices in sleepy towns in Switzerland or New England. And they work for profit hence supporting whichever rebels or gov’ts that benefited them. From the book, it states "Their numbers have remained relatively small: a large share of the world’s traded resources is handled by just a few companies, many of them owned by just a few people." I am attaching here another piece of article on Libya's governance under Gaddafi. It talks about how Gaddafi promoted direct democracy and was not a dictator because many of his proposals were countered by congress like him wanting home schooling, abolishing capital punishment, to give all oil profits back to the people and even wanting to eliminate the central government. Things he managed to push forth was free schooling, free hospitalisation and free electricity. The combination of socialism and capitalism in Libya can be expanded to a topic of its own (Someday if i have the time, I will write on the historical bridges of socialism and capitalism around the world). This article also talks about CIA interventions and how it advocated the rise of extremist militant Muslims around the world from Muslim brotherhood in Egypt to Sarekat Islam in indonesia to Jamar Al islami in Pakistan to al Qaeda and ISIS over the last 4-5 decades. Will this be the year the CIA is abolished ? Only time would tell. The story of Libya has always saddened me. Makes me hope more than ever for the liberalizations of people in situations like this

CounterPunch.org

Libya: From Africa's Wealthiest Democracy Under Gaddafi to Terrorist Haven After US Intervention

Tuesday marks the four-year anniversary of the US-backed assassination of Libya’s former leader, Muammar Gaddafi, and the decline into chaos of o...

2024 was a lot to handle but losing my boy was my breaking point. To anyone who have lost any form of love, I wish peace fills your heart and that you find the courage to keep moving forward. Let 2025 be a year of healing and recovery. Thinking of my boy always makes me smile. Fido was so kind in his own way. I can only hope that in everything we do, we do it with that deep level of kindness and genuine love, and have fun while at it. And I hope that the goodness that we give out to the world finds its way back to us. Happy New Year everyone.

a Hemingway kinda wrap to the year

"You make money in free software exactly the same way you do it in proprietary software: by building a great product, marketing it with skill and imagination, looking after your customers, and thereby building a brand that stands for quality and customer service." "You can’t compete with a monopoly by playing the game by the monopolist’s rules. The monopoly has the resources, the distribution channels, the R&D resources; in short, they just have too many strengths. You compete with a monopoly by changing the rules of the game into a set that favors your strengths." https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/open-sources/1565925823/ch10.html

Open source devs are like jazz musicians. There’s a shared framework, but they are free to interpret it in their own and create what they want. They thrive on spontaneous creativity with no rigid plans. They take risk with unexpected ‘notes’ and ‘rythms’. They contribute individually but complement each other. Like open source devs, jazz musicians have their own decentralised collaboration where musicians listen to each other and adapt in real-time. By doing this, they both create something greater, a sum of their efforts. And, like a good jazz jam session, anyone with the skills or understanding can join in and contribute.

Lessons from Fido 1. Love with all your heart and let others love you back. Fido did everything with love. His big sloppy kisses, his tail wags, that proud look when you called him a good boy. He hated goodbyes but gave the best welcomes. When you have genuine love, it's easy to be loved. 2. The little things bring the most joy. Morning sunbathing, belly rubs, sharing meals by my side, rolling in the sand, playing with the cats and chasing birds, Fido found happiness in the simplest things. He had a knack for reminding me that happiness didn't have to be fancy or a set goal to be achieved, it’s in the beauty of everyday life. 3. Keep going, even when things are hard. He loved his walks, and even in his final days, he insisted on one last stroll in the park. We did it slowly and steadily, just watching him sniff every corner and wagging his tail a happy boy. Hold on to what you love, no matter how hard it gets. 4. Don’t let fear run your life. Thunderstorms and fireworks were his worst enemies. We managed his anxiety together with hugs, music (mostly Jazz), and all the soothing I could give, but it wasn't easy. Fear is hard, but it doesn’t have to win. 5. Every day is a fresh start. No matter what happened the day before, Fido always woke up ready for a new adventure. That’s an energy my dog and I shared over the last 12 years. 6. Live in the moment Fido was a master of being present. Whether he was with my twin nephews, playing with his toys, or just lying by my feet, he gave all his attention to whatever made him happy in that moment. 7. Take breaks and ask for what you need. He had the best way of pulling me out of work - stretching under my desk or nudging my chair until I noticed him. And if that didn’t work, he’d climb onto the little table beside mine and stare at me until I laughed. He always got his belly rubs, and I got my reminder to pause and breathe. 8. Be strong, no matter what. Even with CKD, liver issues, cancer and more, he found reasons to live fully every single day. On his last morning, he even walked outside to bask in the sun. His strength was subtle but unshakable. 9. Stay close to the ones you love. Fido was my shadow, always needing to be by my side. In his last moments, he kept reaching out to me, making sure I was there. It broke my heart, but it also fills it, knowing I was with him till the very end. 10. Let go when it’s time, but do it your way. I didn’t want to make the decision for him. I wanted him to leave when he was ready, and he did. He was surrounded by love and in his safe place. Letting him go was the hardest thing, but it was also the most loving thing I could do. My dog taught me how to live fully, love unconditionally, and let go with grace. Goodbye my precious boy. You will always be loved 🤍

I lost my good boy today. My heart is beyond broken. His spirit was strong and he tried so hard to stay on, but his organs started failing him. Up until yesterday I refused to let emotions get the better of me and was trying so many different things to bring his toxic level down. But last night as I was taking a shower, Fido had a surge of anxiety and tried to go up the stairs to look for me. He has been so weak that I have been camping in the hall with him and we have not gone up to the room this week. That’s when I knew. They said when it's time, they will look for their person - and he came looking for me. After that he went on rapid decline. We had his home administration of sub cut infusion, his gastric concoction, various liquid food, even vanilla ice cream to soothe his throat, his vet has been on back to back house calls - but he was no longer responding. All I could do was to give him his belly rubs and gentle massages but emotions came rolling in. I told him to take his time and I think he didn't want to let me go just as much as I wanted him to stay. Even until his last breath he wanted me to pet him. He has been my happy moments even when times were hard, and a constant joy. He is my shadow and side kick in everything I do and I cannot imagine a day without him in it. Last lesson from Fido - when you love, just love.

Today we did many many advance test to find out why Fido is struggling so much. Unfortunately beyond his chronic kidney disease, he also has rapid liver decompensation combined with underlying cancers. We now go on full palliative care to make sure he has no pain, no nausea, eats well and do everything he loves - the park, sunshine, chase birds, play with the cats and be happy for as long as he can. He has a few days to a few weeks. If I’m lucky, he celebrates my bday with me on 31/12. If I am luckier, I celebrate his with him on 16/2. He has been my little boy and my best friend for 12 years and made my house a home. I can only hope he has had a great time with me as I have with him.

This has now become my personal journal of Fido’s survival journey as I stay up at unearthly hours watching my boy sleep. Today was quite the episode. His regular vet was close and he could not recover from his fatigues until evening so I made the call to head to any nearby vet for a dose of IV. The closest was a 30 mins drive and the journey was stressful for him. We did met a good looking vet who was super gentle and careful with him (I wish I had at least combed my hair but he give a 50% discount nevertheless). My boy was better after we got back but 30 mins in he started vomiting, convulsing and could not control his pee. My mom broke down crying, I really thought I was going to lose him. The only thing I could do was to keep him warm until he stopped shivering and administered 1.5ml dose of antacid and anti nausea, and 3ml fluid every 30 mins. About 2 hours later he stopped shivering, and 5 hours later he finally stood up and went out to pee. I administered another 1.5ml dose as a precaution to prevent vomiting. He started getting his thirst back. I mixed half a mug of chamomile tea (caffeine free) with 1 litre of water and gave it to him sparingly. It apparently reduces nausea and anxiety. He is still weak but better than he was the whole day and is finally asleep. Tonight we camp in the hall. The goal of IV is to mimic dialysis to flush out toxins but he can’t take more than 100ml as it will cause fluid retention in his lungs. Tmr’s goal is to work out a plan with his doctor to reduce his nausea - that seems to be the only thing holding him back from getting his system cleared up. For now, I have to just ensure no more vomiting. He has lost 4 kg over the last 2 weeks 💔 Fido has a very generic dog name - my mom named him after her grandpa’s dog. It was also Abraham Lincoln’s dog name. My boy’s spirit is strong but his body is weak. For as long as he is going to keep fighting, I am going to fight for him

Focusing too much on competitors drains time and focus better spent advancing your own goals.

It’s all a work in progress

My dog has been throwing up everyday but we are getting a hang of understanding his body better. I’m still hoping we can reverse his CKD end stage. 2 days back his arteries were too shrunk, foot swollen, we had to skip IV for 2 days which caused toxin buildup. His stool has blood, his prostate swollen, his pee was leaking. i started cutting back on some meds and gave him more homemade electrolytes (1 litre water, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon sugar) which balanced him up. Today his legs were great for an IV fix, and he took it like a champ. But I got carried away and went back to his full dosage of meds only for him to throw up again. Tonight it’s gonna be syringing in electrolytes every hour to balance him. And start over tmr. I’m sleeping down with him. Despite him feeling awful. He can still paw you for a belly rub lol. Lessons from Fido - never miss any opportunity for a good time no matter how bad you feel My only hope is that there is no thunderstorm tonight. In my attempts to soundproof the room, I’ve managed to block heavy sound of rain by sealing window and door gaps, and adding thick sponges, but thunders have higher decibels and these days they are just nasty. I’ve purchased some sound insulation used for cars, and some dry walls that i'll drill to the wall for added mass. And place sound absorbent foams on it.. hopefully it works My dog has a private nurse, driver, poop collector, personal chef, maid and passive income. I am working double job and sleep deprived. If you’ll need financial advice, look him up.

Will the JFK files be released this round ?

Was looking at some family pictures last night and it brought back so many memories. There’s this pic of my mom and dad where my dad would stare at her lovingly while she looks at the camera. I grew up in a family where my parent’s were each other’s support mechanism and sidekick. They both trusted and depended on each other entirely and had a sense of adventure in their routine. They were each other’s pen pals for a few years before they actually met. And some 40 years later they still celebrated the day they went on their first date. My dad said he had very little money on their first date but because my mom spilled a drink on her pants, he bought her a pair of Levi’s with everything he had - well it worked for them lol. They definitely didn’t have it easy raising us up as we grew up in extreme poverty, but my dad wouldn’t have advanced his career or upward mobility without my mom and my mom wouldn’t have realized she can do everything her heart desires without my dad. She picked up piano at 50 among many other skills she wanted to acquire. I love that they were always honest with each other although that meant you can’t ever get one parent to hide your mischief from the other lol. And they had their deeply rooted passion and commonality in their love towards helping people. But most of all, they were each other's best friend. I think love like that is rare and precious.

This week’s favorite captions - Live with intention and gratitude When the chase ends, the routine begins Once you start seeing results, the grind becomes addictive It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving Set aside some time everyday to daydream and see how effective the week is. Never reply when you are angry, never make a promise when you are happy and never make a decision when you are sad

My boy is feeling much better today. His creatinine was off the roof at 910 umol/ (ideal range at 60-150) His urea was 48.9 umol/L (ideal range 3.6 - 8.9). He needs his IV every day this week alongside phosphate binders, probiotics, calcium carbonate, vitamin B complex. And gastric and anti nausea meds in the morning. I’ve got a mini apothecary going on, crushing all his meds and mixing it with either honey, baby food (fruit puree) or blended carrot and cucumber juice to syringe it in. The hope is to bring his CKD stage down, from end stage - stage 4 to a stage 2 level which gives him a few more months. Whether his body is reacting positively we will know at the end of the week. But thus far he is much better. If and when my dog no longer responds to the meds, I won't stress him up anymore. Until then we do what we can to make him feel better. But the fact that he trust me entirely with his life puts one in a diff state of mind. We went to the park yesterday. I drove over and although he walked a short distance of 30m walk, he was a happy boy. Lessons from my dog this week - can’t let fear control you. His fear of thunderstorms messed him up badly. And because the heart, gut, kidneys are all interrelated, hypertension has a domino effect. I’m building a mini wearable to measure his stats daily and halfway through soundproofing the room. Lesson no 2 - Find joy even in toughest moments. I love how even the simplest thing like going out for his morning sun puts a smile on his face despite everything he is feeling. As for this girl, weekends are when all the tiredness from the week comes crashing in and your body shuts down. But this weekend is going to be a ‘catch up on work’ weekend. My routine now is to be up by 3am to work while the boy sleeps. I’ve got 6 days to several major datelines so it’s going to be quite a mad week ahead. Hope everyone has a good rest and a great week ahead. Take it easy you’ll ❤️

One of the biggest challenge for my dog is overcoming the fear of thunder and fireworks. I always have Jazz on but it is no longer enough. I've started sound proofing the room. From what i read, seal all gaps first - windows and doors. I've got sound absorbents for the doors (2" thick) and additional thick sponges for the windows. And then I'm going to work on the walls and ceiling. If anyone has any tips and tricks, would love to know more.