“What is the most important thing in a person's life?

You may have the highest IQ.

You may be the strongest person on earth.

You may have all the wisdom of life.

You may have all the money in the world.

You may be the most powerful ruler on earth.

Everything is worthless without health!

Are you taking care of your body?” -
Hector Quintanilla, Quora

Speaking on the issue of pastors owing private jets; Olu Johnson said that it was of necessity for some pastors to own such, as it was not to showoff but rather to propagate the gospel of the kingdom.

“Sincerely, I do not blame pastors that have private jet in our time and season. Pastor Adeboye is busier than the president of Nigeria – the president of Nigeria oversees only this nation, I don’t know if we can know how many nations Pastor Adeboye is overseeing from Redemption Camp.

“The man is overseeing 197 nations: I have missed some of our very important meetings where I am the host for flight schedules; if I had the means, maybe I would have hired a flight and wouldn’t have missed those programmes. Some institutions and individuals in this nation have their private jets; if the work of a pastor has become enormous like the work of Pastor Adeboye or Oyedepo, I sincerely subscribe that if they can afford it or the church can afford it; it is necessary.” – Rev. Olu Johnson

Question: Why is life so short?

Answer: Actually, it's not.

Do one experiment.

Close yourself in a room, keep all internet/computer/phone outside.

Just do nothing. Live like this for 5 days.

Your overstimulated mind will start to go crazy, and each hour will look like many hours looking at the seconds hand of the watch.

You will find out that life is extraordinarily long.

But you will want to immediately go back to your old life.

Compare the above to days when you go out with friends to watch movies etc, before you know the day ends.

Nowadays we live like this and before we know years have passed.

So right answer is we have found ways to spend time faster, the speed of life hasn't changed.

So, it's up to the person to make it fast or slow.

Author: Kanwalpal Singh Flora, Quora

Eliminate Social Media

Social media is THE #1 time waster in the 21st century.

It doesn’t add any value to your life, teach you anything useful, or even connect you with other people in a meaningful way.

Unless you’re using Facebook messenger to catch up with an old friend, avoid using social media for more than 60 minutes a day.

It increases depression, decreases life satisfaction, and generally isn’t a valuable use of your time.

You have better things to do. - Andrew Ferebee, Quora

An Appless Apple?

Here’s the bet:

Despite the company's current dominance in the app market, with its highly profitable App Store, Apple recognizes that the writing is on the wall…

And that a shift towards AI-driven, appless phones is inevitable. Apple is well-positioned to lead the charge and maintain its competitive edge.

Despite the potential challenges of replacing App Store revenue, Apple has opportunities to generate income in an appless future.

(For example, expanding subscription-based services to new features comes to mind.)

Ultimately, Apple’s focus on user experience and its commitment to privacy and security make it a strong contender in the appless market.

No less…

The tech giant’s ability to create seamless ecosystems and its loyal customer base will help ensure a smooth transition to this new paradigm. – Chris C.

That’s Just the Beginning

For the record…

James was bullish on Ethereum when it was $10. Now, we’re even more bullish.

What’s changed? AI agents are just one potential bullish catalyst.

Here are four more:

1.] Supply is decreasing.

2.] Ethereum is scaling.

3.] Developers are staying.

4.] Ethereum ETF coming?

We’ll run through them real quick…

Supply is decreasing: Ethereum went through a massive upgrade 1.5 years ago that made it a deflationary asset. Since, Ethereum has burnt (taken out of circulation) almost 350,000 ETH. That's almost a billion dollars worth. This trend will continue at the same time more and more users are staking (locking up) their ETH for the long-term.

Ethereum is scaling: There’s another upgrade coming soon -- called the Dencun upgrade -- that will pave the way for Ethereum to scale to 100,000 transactions per second. (Layer 2 protocols can handle the rest.)

Developers are staying: Developers build apps. Killer apps attract mainstream attention. Mainstream attention attracts mass-adoption. Point? The more developers the better. Electric Capital’s new Developer Report shows that 87% of all crypto developers work on at least 1 Ethereum compatible blockchain. ETH is dominant.

Ethereum ETF: Blackrock, the largest asset manager in the world, talking about tokenization and Ethereum ETFs. We have JP Morgan who sees the value of tokenization, which he says won’t happen on Bitcoin. (Though he’s wrong about a lot of crypto stuff, he’s right about this.)

Those are the catalysts that could make 2024 a banger year for Ethereum.

But even if ETH goes to $10,000… $50,000… $100,000(!)...

There’s more money to be made in early-stage cryptos.

Author: Chris Campbell

chigoziri2403:
The main thieves are hiding in government house

So that is the reason why you need to continue stealing people's property (phones, generators, etc.), causing more pains, stress and anguish to innocents people?

📁 Population in 2100, as projected by UN Population Division.

🇮🇳 India: 1,533 million
🇨🇳 China: 771 million
🇳🇬 Nigeria: 546 million
🇵🇰 Pakistan: 487 million
🇨🇩 Congo: 431 million
🇺🇸 US: 394 million
🇪🇹 Ethiopia: 323 million
🇮🇩 Indonesia: 297 million
🇹🇿 Tanzania: 244 million
🇪🇬 Egypt: 205 million
🇧🇷 Brazil: 185 million
🇵🇭 Philippines: 180 million
🇧🇩 Bangladesh: 177 million
🇳🇪 Niger: 166 million
🇸🇩 Sudan: 142 million
🇦🇴 Angola: 133 million
🇺🇬 Uganda: 132 million
🇲🇽 Mexico: 116 million
🇰🇪 Kenya: 113 million
🇷🇺 Russia: 112 million
🇮🇶 Iraq: 111 million
🇦🇫 Afghanistan: 110 million

@FinancialWorldUpdates

RichDad1:
Where is the statistic for Igbo land. We be jew too na.

Cele n tan yin.

Celestial dey deceive you.

Meet Our Latest NETELLER VIPs

Introduction
Every calendar year, we choose 2 customers to become our VIPs. They have permanently special status with us and they can fund/withdraw Neteller through us, at parallel market rates, whether they open brokerage accounts through us or not.

These are people who funded with the highest amount of Neteller, and who also withdrew the highest amount of Neteller through us. They would be announced in early part each year and added to our list of VIPs. Their status is permanent.

Our Latest NETELLER VIPs
Victor Matifo: Matifo is an avid buyer and seller of NETELLER. He buys and sells constantly, being a trader who makes profits, cashes out and trades more. We appreciate him for his patronage.

Ede S. Ankeli: He is also a constant buyer and seller of NETELLER. This is someone who likes to make profits and then buys more to make more profits. We are happy to have added him to our list of NETELLER VIPs.

Okoye Chuma: Mr. Okoye is a big buyer, who also doubles as a big seller of NETELLER. He transacts in large quantities. He’s been with us for a long time. Thus, he has become our VIP and he now has the power to buy from us at cheaper rates and also withdraw through us at higher rates than are displayed on our website.

NB: We now have 32 Neteller VIPs in the house. And we will announce more of them next year. Would you be among our next new Neteller VIPs?

The premise is simple…

All progress, theoretical and practical, has resulted from one single thing: good explanations.

Progress, says Deutsch, is not just about accumulating more facts or data; it's about developing better explanations that help us understand the world more profoundly and act more effectively within it.

In this way, he says, progress is virtually infinite.

There is no limit to the improvement of explanations. As our understandings deepen, it leads to new questions, new challenges, and new realms for exploration.

Since there’s always new things to understand, there’s always room for improvement.

Personally, I think this is where AI is going to shine the most. It’s going to help us articulate the unarticulated faster than ever before in history.

It’s also going to accelerate the “happy accidents” and synchronicities that sometimes lead to insane breakthroughs.

BUT, the caveat here is that progress is unpredictable. And AI probably won’t make things more predictable, especially not in the short run.

Probably the opposite.” – Chris C

Google used AI to optimize energy usage in its data centers, reducing cooling energy consumption by up to 40%.

40%!

Companies like John Deere and Blue River Technology use AI for precision farming, allowing farmers to apply the exact amount of water and fertilizers needed, thereby increasing yield and reducing waste.

How much of an increase in yields could this garner, you ask? 20-30%, a massive improvement over traditional farming techniques which saw only gradual improvements over decades.

Also…

Research reveals AI-based algorithms in the auto manufacturing sector can lead to more than an estimated 20% increase in equipment availability, up to 25% lower inspection costs, and up to 10% lower total annual maintenance costs.

This improvement is largely due to AI's ability to predict equipment failures and optimize maintenance planning.

(Siemens uses AI for predictive maintenance and to optimize production processes. General Electric uses AI to predict maintenance needs in its jet engines.)

In quality inspection processes, AI-based machines can detect defects up to 90% more accurately than humans. This not only improves the product quality but also operational efficiency.

What about supply chains?

AI is estimated to be able to reduce forecasting errors by 30 to 50% and overall inventories by 20 to 50%. This results in cost savings by eliminating the transport, warehousing, and administration of unneeded goods.

In areas like IT and finance, AI can automate tasks leading to an automation rate of approximately 30%. In specific cases like IT service-desk automation, a degree of automation of around 90% is possible. (!)

AI is widely used in telemedicine platforms for remote diagnosis and monitoring. For example, platforms like Babylon Health use AI for initial medical consultations.

Of course, companies like Tesla and Waymo have developed autonomous vehicles that are already on the roads, optimizing routes and fuel efficiency.

IBM's AI-powered system helps predict cloud movement to optimize solar energy harvesting.

Streaming services like Netflix and YouTube use AI to adjust video quality in real-time based on the user's internet bandwidth, optimizing data usage.

All of this is a perfect example of ephemeralization.

And this trend with AI is JUST BEGINNING. – Chris C

Still Here to Stay

In short…

If you’ve been in crypto long enough, you’ve survived flash crashes, exploits, explosions, implosions, hackers, phishers, worms, bugs, bank runs, and the like.

Crypto is one of the most incredible industries for accelerated evolution and experimentation. But it also means that failures and explosions will happen. And more quickly, too.

By pushing risk to the edges, DeFi aims to solve many of the systemic risks of traditional finance, which is perpetually one bank run away from collapse.

And though there’s no shortage of talking heads dancing on its grave today…

Crypto’s still here to stay.” – Chris C.

Geoeconomics – great power competition using economics as a goal and a weapon – is an excellent tool for analyzing the two critical hotspots in the world today. These are Russia’s role in Ukraine and China’s threat to Taiwan.

The Western narrative that Putin is the bad guy bent on conquering Ukraine is false. Putin had warned the West about not pushing its advantage in Ukraine for over 20 years. While Putin was amenable to NATO expansion, he always drew the line at Lithuania, Ukraine and Georgia. In 2004, NATO crossed Russia’s red line by admitting Lithuania to membership, but there was little Putin could do to stop it.

The 2008 nomination of Ukraine to NATO was an unforced error. Putin had been content to leave Ukraine as a neutral buffer state. The West was not and pushed Putin too hard. Now Putin has pushed back.

Why is Ukraine so important to Russia?

A quick glance at a map shows that Ukraine in NATO or even a pro-Western Ukraine is an existential threat to Moscow. The line from Estonia in the north to Ukraine in the south forms the letter “C” that encircles Moscow from the north, west and south.

Parts of Ukraine actually lie east of Moscow, opening that region to attack from the west, something that has not happened since the Mongol Empire of Genghis Khan in the 13th century. If Ukraine will not become neutral, then Putin must control it, at least the eastern half, by force if necessary.

This has obviously happened.

But conquering Ukraine was not and is not Putin’s main goal. What he wanted the whole time was a Ukraine that would not join NATO, neutrality in the Ukrainian government and full operation of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany under the Baltic Sea (too bad the U.S. blew it up!).

If Putin could have gotten all or most of that through negotiations, there was no reason to invade Ukraine. The threat to do so will have served its purpose.

That outcome would have been a perfect illustration of Luttwak’s geoeconomics definition. The goals were commercial (dependence of Western Europe on Russian natural gas), and the tools were commercial (pipelines) even though the players were sovereign states (Russia and the U.S.).

The U.S. has imposed severe economic sanctions on Russia for invading Ukraine. But these sanctions have had little impact on Russia, as I predicted before the war. Sanctions were imposed on Russia after the 2014 annexation of Crimea and have had no material impact on Russian behavior.

Before the war, Russia already moved over 20% of its reserves into physical gold bullion stored in Moscow. This gold is worth about $140 billion at current market prices. Because the gold is physical, not digital, it cannot be hacked, frozen or seized.

Importantly, U.S. sanctions have not affected exports of Russian oil or natural gas. Russia provides about 10% of all the oil produced in the world. It’s simply impossible to sanction Russian oil sales.

We still hope that Russia and the U.S. avoid direct armed conflict in Ukraine, although they keep climbing the escalation ladder.. Energy prices will probably go higher, which helps Russia. The losers are Ukraine and global energy users.

The second critical hotspot today is the potential for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Will it happen? The case against such a war is basically in the scenarios described above.

Events would likely escalate and spin out of control, resulting in a large-scale conflict. Gains are possible for China, especially if the U.S. does not come to the aid of Taiwan. Still, the risks are too high, and the costs are too great. Instead of an invasion, China could continue its rhetoric and its military readiness, but otherwise bide its time.

This is where Luttwak’s definition of geoeconomics casts a new light. In a pre-globalized world, China might well attack. In the post-globalized world, China might refrain militarily while continuing its progress in technology, natural resources and value-added manufacturing. This path requires cooperation, not confrontation, with the U.S. and Western Europe.

My estimate is that China will refrain from an invasion consistent with the geoeconomic thesis. At the same time, Xi Jinping will continue threats and economic confrontation with the West.

Investors should expect the following from this unstable confrontation: The U.S. and China will continue to decouple economically. Supply chain disruptions will grow worse before they get better. A new supply chain configuration will emerge involving more onshoring and shorter transportation lanes.

China’s growth will lag and it will be unable to make the technological leaps it needs to escape the middle-income trap and become a high-income developed economy. Over time, excessive debt and adverse demographics will overtake China’s ambitions and leave it an aging and low-productivity shell.

China’s economic problems will sustain its demand for energy and put a floor under energy prices. Manufacturing costs will rise as China’s labor pool evaporates. Investors should not rule out a financial crisis in China that would spread to a global collapse in capital markets, probably worse than those of 2008 and 2020.

But geopolitical tensions will disrupt global supply chains, which will result in higher input prices and transportation costs. That’s a receipt for sustained inflation, and higher interest rates. And any form of uncertainty is a plus for the one safe-haven investment that never fails — gold.

While Americans are preoccupied with balloons and other stories that are mostly for show, more serious thinkers are applying themselves to oil, natural gas, gold, the dollar, technology and other geoeconomic benchmarks.

Regards,

Jim Rickards

NB: In the 5-part articles in this series, we would explain the strategies used to trade Forex, stocks, indices, crypto pairs, and other cryptocurrencies, for our VIP followers, because they are interested in making profits with us.

Seun A. is one of our signals strategists in the VIP Group. His strategy is described below.

Seun A’s Strategy:
As a day trader, I trade mainly the short-term swings of the market either to the up or down as the price presents itself during the New York A.M. session.

I trade indices so I intentionally allow any high-impact news at 1:30 pm Nigerian time for the day if there is any to play out and wait it out till the New York exchange opens equities at 2:30 pm Nigerian time.

As soon as the 2:30 PM time strikes, I compare the London session high and low of the day in order to make a decision on which short-term high or low I should ride with the price to tag.

However, I base my decision on what the daily candle is showing me to likely expand to judging from whatever the previous daily has done.

If the current daily candle shows a willingness to move up, then I enter a buy position during a temporary retracement down at 61.8% retracement level on the Fibonacci tool and target the London session high as the short-term swing high.

At this point, if the price is climbing up with more momentum, then I'll target the previous day high if it has not been tagged yet during the London session of the same day. And vice versa for a Sell setup.

My risk control is dependent on the short-term retracement on the Fibonacci tool when my entry decision has been made. I usually put my Stop Loss at the price level which tallies with the 0% level of the Fibonacci tool.

Hello Traders:

Every year we choose a few people among our customers to become our NETELLER VIPs. They are among the customers that have bought the highest quantities of Neteller from us and/or sold highest quantities to us. Some of them did not buy or sell highest quantities, but they were so consistent in their transactions and also persistent, that they eventually qualify.

Our NETELLER VIP status is a permanent status.

Our latest Neteller VIPs
ONE
Olufemi Omoare Olusola: Olufemi came to our office in the year 2016 to make sure that we were not a group of 419 scammers, before he started doing transactions with us. He came to our office after then, and also sent people. He has been doing transactions with us online since then (Neteller only). He buys and sells Neteller.

TWO
Alex Abalaka Edwin.: He sent his brother to our office, about 6 years ago, to verify us, before he sold Neteller to us in the presence of his brother. We connected via Skype video, and he sent Neteller as his brother was with us, witnessing the transaction. He doesn’t buy Neteller – he only sells. He is a huge quantity seller.

THREE
Soile Adekunle Oladipo: Our Ibadan-based customer. He does not only do Neteller, but he also does other e-currencies like Perfect Money, etc. He is someone that likes to remind us of his rights as a customer. And he is correct; customers are always right. We are happy to announce him as our VIP, owing to his consistency.

The U.S. occupies a special place in the global economy. We hold the world’s reserve currency. The dollar dominates because the dollar denominates.

Everybody accepts U.S. dollars; everyone wants U.S. dollars. This gives the U.S. many advantages like lowered exchange rate risk and increased buying power, but this won’t last forever.

Historically, one country has held the dominant reserve currency for about 100 years (give or take 20 years). Although the U.S. was formally declared the reserve currency after World War II, it was informally used as the reserve currency since the 1920s after World War I.

That’s 100 years...

Again, these things don’t happen overnight. It’s a slow-moving transition that’s obvious only after a few decades have passed, but I think the days of the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency are coming to an end.

This shouldn't be cause for fear or alarm as we're resilient. We'll tiptoe through these troubled times, and we'll emerge stronger as a result.

What’s more, I think we can do better.

The positive aspect of holding the world reserve currency is that the U.S. has been able to help provide stability and confidence in the financial system.

The negative aspect is that it concentrates power and influence in the U.S., sometimes at the expense of smaller and weaker nations.

Moreover, when the U.S. financial system looks shaky (as it has the past few days), it causes reverberations throughout the world.

I believe we’ll look back on the days of reserve currencies as a kind of “financial colonialism,” where one country had outsized power to exercise its will on smaller, weaker nations. I suspect we'll be ashamed of this period of U.S. history. We may even try to make reparations, but that day is likely far into the future.

Of one thing we can be sure... The days of the U.S. dollar's dominance will eventually come to an end. History shows us it's not a question of if, but when.

When the U.S. dollar is dethroned, what will replace it?” - John Hargrave

Crypto Tax Principles
“While crypto taxes can be complicated, the key principles are not. Fix these ideas in your head:

These are taxable events:
Selling crypto.
Trading crypto.
Buying stuff with crypto.
Receiving crypto from airdrops, hard forks, staking rewards, and the like.

These are not taxable events:
Buying crypto.
Donating crypto to a tax-exempt organization.
Gifting cryptocurrency (though large gifts may trigger a gift tax)
Transferring crypto from one account to another.” - John Hargrave

The Five-Year Crypto Plan

It goes without saying that understanding blockchain is incredibly complicated. As comedian John Oliver put it, “Cryptocurrency combines everything you don’t understand about money, with everything you don’t understand about computers.”

For most people, it's good enough to understand things at a high level.

Of course, there’s lots of money to be made from understanding all of the tiny details and the opportunities they create.

But unless you’re a software developer working on blockchain full-time, chances are slim that you’ll get to this level of complexity.

Fortunately, blockchain is so intimidating and complex, that most people don’t understand it even at a high level. This creates an opportunity to make money that 99% of people aren’t even aware of.

One of the biggest opportunities coming in the next 5 years will be staking.” –

“Safe and Simple Strategy.

Here’s the harsh truth.

When most people calculate their returns after a year of trading…

They discover they would’ve done much better just to buy Bitcoin and Ethereum and do nothing.

The wisest strategy for most people is to just allocate:

50% to Bitcoin

50% to Ethereum.” – James A.

How does a hen lay eggs without mating?

You understand (I hope) that human women ovulate once (at least) every month, whether they are having sex or not, right? And that ovulation means ‘releasing an egg’ (which in humans is a tiny single cell)? A human egg cell is shed out along with the uterine lining, in a process called ‘menstruation’. UNLESS it is fertilized by ‘mating’, in which case it stays inside the woman’s uterus, and begins to replicate (or divide and grow).

Well chickens ovulate about every DAY, and they just drop that egg on the ground, or in a nest wherever they are. It is a big egg with a shell - but it is still just an unfertilized egg being released from a chicken’s ovaries, but chickens don’t HAVE a uterus, instead, they produce eggs out into the world, and if they have never met a rooster, those eggs are not fertilized, and will never become a chick.

If the hen mates with a rooster, however, her eggs may be fertilized, in which case she STILL drops that egg on the ground or in a nest, where she can sit on it for a month or so (I should look that up) while the yolk inside the shell - being fertlized - divides and grows into a chick, which eventually hatches.

Source: Quora

By age 30, you should be smart enough to never do this in your life:

1. Don't share everything
It's important to maintain some privacy, even with close friends and family.

2. Don't rely solely on your 9-5
Having multiple streams of income is a smart financial strategy. Don't put all your eggs in one basket.

3. Don't neglect your health
Take care of your body by eating well, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep. Remember, you only have one body.

4. Don't do what your friends do
If your friends' activities (such as using drugs or drinking excessively) don't align with your values, it's okay to choose different activities.

5. Don't just blame your parents
It's important to take responsibility for your own life and not blame your parents for everything.

6. Don't wait for the "right time"
The right time to take action is now. Don't let your ambitions remain a dream.

7. Don't take criticism personally
Try not to get too caught up in what others think of you. Remember to prioritize your mental health.

8. Don't take advice from everyone
Be selective about who you take advice from. Look for guidance from people who have achieved what you want to achieve.

9. Don't blindly follow books
Books can be helpful, but it's important to think for yourself and not blindly follow their advice.

10. Don't try to impress others
Focus on impressing yourself and let the right people be drawn to you. Don't go broke trying to impress others.

11. Don't depend on others
It's important to be self-sufficient and capable of tackling your own problems.

12. Don't lie to yourself
It's important to be honest with yourself. People may believe your excuses, but you won't be able to fool yourself.

13. Don't wait for opportunities
Create your own opportunities. Don't wait for them to come to you.

14. Don't argue with people
Don't waste your time trying to win arguments or prove a point to those who are unwilling to listen.

15. Don't fear rejection
Rejection is a normal part of life. Remember that "no" is just the start of a constructive conversation.

Author: Sheikh Irfan, Quora

I’m not a financial adviser, so I can’t tell you what to do. I can only tell you what I do in the form of these ten guidelines:

1. Keep working the day job.

2. Auto-invest money each month.

3. Stay focused on simple strategies.

4. Set it and forget it (avoid fees and taxes).

5. Look for opportunities in times of crisis.

6. Say “no” to most investments and “yes” to a few big ones.

7. Talk with smart people to improve your ideas (preferably in person).

8. Be confident, but humble (have the strength of your convictions while staying open to being wrong).

9. Educate yourself to Read and Grow Rich.

10. Give back both in money and in what you’ve learned.

This is the middle way: not too conservative and not too cuckoo. It’s a path we can all follow.” – BMJ