175 - Settling in for a bit
🇬🇧 V and I are settling into Belfast for a while. We are staying next to the golf course - we have a fabulous view of the golf course and loads of wildlife around. It's nice to sit on our sunny terrace for those moments when the sun comes out too! We do also have a BBQ, so I am looking for some friends who know how to work it!
You might recognise the photo above. This is the barge at the Lock Keeper's cottage. I was last here 2 years ago. Since then it has opened as a museum (free to visit, staffed by volunteers - like the cottage). Highly recommended and the volunteers are interesting people to talk to. Photos below.
Tuesday evening was the regular Bitcoin meetup. Nice to catch up with the regulars again. Among other things we discussed Tom Scryleus' book "The Brutal Truth About Work" (a recommended read) - it's clearly dark but he does give some practical suggestions in line with what Techlead also says. In August the next meetup might be in the old bus station at Glengall street.
We have focussed on getting back into a healthy routine. We have summer subscriptions for the sports club and we are enjoying a good swim first thing every day. I also have my yoga mat and I think there are yoga classes that I can try as well.
Remember to consider these newsletters like a weekend magazine - you do not need to read and watch all the links in one go. Tip: open the links in new tabs and you can check them later. You can leave the newsletter in your inbox to check later as well and you can always find previous newsletters at https://rogerprice.me. Like any good magazine - you can also share with friends!
History lesson of the week
With all that has been happening in the last few weeks, you would do well to understand the real history of Iran that you have not been taught and what the mainstream propaganda will certainly not tell you. Once you see this, you cannot unsee it and what happened in Iran is just one part of the story. Wake up.
To help you follow along or revisit key moments, here’s the breakdown of the video’s structure:
00:00 – Why This Story Was Hidden for 64 Years
01:25 – The Rise of Mossadegh and Iran’s National Oil Plan
03:40 – Churchill’s Campaign to Stop Iran’s Independence
05:10 – The CIA’s First Coup: Operation Ajax Begins
07:00 – Street Chaos, Paid Mobs, and Media Manipulation
09:15 – The Shah Returns: A Puppet with Western Backing
10:20 – Long-Term Blowback: Revolution and Resentment
11:40 – Connecting the Dots: Why the Middle East Still Burns
13:20 – Final Thoughts from Dr. Ahmed Zaidi
All of the above is independently corroborated in a great interview by James Delingpole of EM Burlingame in which they go much wider and cover a whole gamut of topics on which you really should be better informed.
James is fairly chatty in this at the outset and it takes a while to get going but the content is good once they get to the heart of the matter - skip on or stick with it!
More in this issue
- Photo memories - Lock Keepers cottage and barge & Musgrave Park
- Project Updates - Stablecoins will be important as things progress
- Plenty of useful links - don't say nobody told you!
- Closing out - Sleep and Consciousness plus Old World America
Lock Keepers cottage and barge & Musgrave Park
🛠️ Project Updates
My focus for this week is Stablecoins. This might sound boring but the entire financial system is about to be transformed and this is technology that you want to understand. What are you doing?
Allen's explainer
What if the stablecoin boom isn't a threat to Bitcoin, but a stepping stone? Let's dive into Allen Farrington’s "A Half Baked Thesis on Stablecoins". At first sight they might seem like a betrayal of Bitcoin principles but they may very well be the Trojan horse for Bitcoin-native infrastructure. Consider what happens when fiat settles over Lightning and how eCash and Taproot Assets could reshape everything we thought we knew about digital money - listen below to understand how this may well play out.
There's a quiet revolution happening at the payments layer—and the stablecoin debate might just be the signal buried in the noise. Those of of who are working daily with Lightning and Cashu are well aware of this.
You may well prefer to read Allen's article - just click here below:
Although stablecoins are useful, their current blockchain-based implementation is flawed, creating technical debt, decreasing in utility as usage grows, and promoting a single monopoly issuer.
This tension will likely force a migration to Taproot Asset (TA) stablecoins, which have the opposite dynamic: they get cheaper with more use and encourage competition. Allen foresees this will eventually lead to stripping out the blockchain component entirely to use eCash. Once payments are rebuilt around Lightning and eCash, simply denominating funds in Bitcoin would provide a simple on-ramp to hyperbitcoinisation.
For a somewhat contrarian (and also well-informed) viewpoint check out Saifedean's position here. Keep in mind that these two different perspectives can be true simulaneously.
Meanwhile - don't get distracted
This is an excellent and very clear explainer by Heidi about what is happening and how the public is being misled and distracted while the walls are being built. Like Allen, Heidi correctly sees the significance of stablecoins and she comes at this from a different angle that you ought also to keep in mind.
For sure these are "interesting times" and it does seem like the Empire is betting on all the horses. Options and opportunities abound for those who see and take them.
A-Z: Lyn explains...
For those who prefer or need the bigger picture, this is an excellent interview with Lyn. She covers all the key points in her superb and recommended book - Broken Money.
Get the book for the complete A-Z of how money works and all the bad choices that governments can (did and still does) make. You will also understand how money really should work for a peaceful and prosperous society.
🔗 Links for your edification
The following are links from my NetNewswire feeds - learn, enjoy and share.
Do you read enough (or at all?)
People often ask me how do I find time to read so much. I don't see myself as reading lots, rather reading widely and selectively. You may well want to listen to Jared's perspective. He certainly does read lots and widely and he shares a few useful tips.
00:39 Why Adults Don't Read, 09:18 Picking the Right Books For You,
14:46 Moving Forward, 17:48 Slowing Down
Sam nails it
Sam has such a great sense of humour. Here he does an excellent job of describing Apple's current product line and how they really ought to clean it up.
If you have been following along this should not surprise you. Remember how Apple became IBM.
He is likely right
Another provocative but likely correct set of insights from Techlead. He does know and understand that of which he speaks.
Meanwhile in Thailand
There is a lot happening in Thailand these days. Firstly you see the Sovereign Individual thesis playing out. With captured Western Democracies failing the Sovereign nations are competing with eachother to attract intelligent people and capital and the failing democracies are busy putting sticks in their wheels.
There are also dark forces at play - the recent episode of the Prime Minister's leaked phone call with Cambodia is but one piece of the puzzle and it all smells rather like HK in 2019 - not to mention Belfast in 1970s.
ICYMI: In a leaked phone call on June 15, 2025, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra spoke with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen about a border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia. In the 17-minute conversation, she addressed Hun Sen as "uncle," reflecting their families' long-standing friendship, and appeared to criticise a Thai military commander, Lieutenant-General Boonsin Padklang, who was handling the dispute. She referred to him as someone who "just wants to look cool" and urged Hun Sen not to listen to "the other side" in Thailand, suggesting the commander's actions were not beneficial to national interests. Paetongtarn pressed for a peaceful resolution to the border conflict, which had escalated after a clash on May 28, 2025.
And things escalate quickly - we have seen this playbook before - open your eyes.
Alex shares many useful insights
I think Alex is right in much of what he says though he does not (yet?) see or suspect what Simon has been explaining - namely that the GCC will become the next international center for the Empire. In any case, transition is in progress.
Alex does make an important point that banking is not inherently evil - rather it has been captured by the Empire and made so by the monopoly it obtained by claiming the unique right to create money. This is why money needs to be separate from the state and its creation needs to be out of their control.
Mario is a "gold bug" and he is certainly right about the need for "hard money" and "free banking" - he has yet to understand and appreciate how Bitcoin is better than gold and addresses the numerous weaknesses of gold (lack of portability and divisibility and difficulty to validate and verify). Like everyone - he will learn eventually. In any case he is right that:
"The State is the great fiction by which everyone endeavours to live at the expense of everyone else."
~ Frederique Bastia - "The State" (1848)
The book that Mario recommends is here - The Empire of 'The City".
The book that Alex recommends is here - "The Great Red Dragon".
🤔 Closing Thoughts
A couple of closing thoughts this week. Recently I have been sleeping rather well and this opens up all sorts of opportunity to experience new insights - Dan has been doing likewise and shares some of his. Lastly, just one of Jon's weekly updates - it ought to give you plenty to think about.
What happens when you sleep?
Have you ever thought where your consciousness goes when you fall asleep? It’s one of the greatest mysteries of the human experience, and the answer might be more fascinating than you think. In this video, Dan explores the science, spirituality, and hidden truths about what happens to your mind when you sleep.
From the brain’s activity during different sleep stages to theories about astral projection and parallel realities, Dan dives into his experiences. Is your consciousness simply “turned off,” or does it travel to other dimensions? Ancient beliefs, modern research and even declassified studies that suggest there’s more to sleep than meets the eye.
By the end of this video, you’ll have a deeper understanding of the mysteries of sleep and consciousness. Whether you’re a skeptic or a believer, this exploration will challenge everything you thought you knew about where your mind goes at night.
Then, in similar vein - consider this next one. AI-produced but it is a good summary of much that you really ought to be aware of and I have showed you before how you can obtain and research the original texts via Anna's Archive.
Don't take my (or Dan's) word for it. This is something that you can certainly try yourself and get first hand experience. Perhaps you already have? Let me know.
The truth is not what they have told you
This last one is but one of Jon's weekly updates. He lives out in the desert South West of USA and I have previously recommended his book. He still shares these weekly thoughts and insights as he continues to research further.
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- Morpheus to Neo in The Matrix
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- The Architect
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