46 - Back in Bangkok - what a week!
🇹🇭 Our plan for the first six months was tested right at the outset when, at 1720 Friday afternoon, we heard that Thailand government had decided to change their Covid rules restricting entry but with no information about enforcement date - obviously in relation to the Chinese dropping their restrictions (although it seems most of that flow is into China and not out - go figure). We had 30 minutes late in the afternoon to decide and expedite our travel to Sunday with all the inconvenience, stress and expense that it incurred and even no guarantee that we would be successful.
My diary entry for the day explains the details and my thoughts on the day...
Saturday was spent packing everything we wanted to keep and arranging transport and storage and arranging for disposal of the rest - as well as packing what we wanted to take with us. Fortunately most of the household items and furniture found good homes with our Philippino friends - they will use much here in HK and quite a few things will be heading to the Philippines - we are happy for that. Big thank-you to them for their invaluable help in the past week!
Sunday was our travel day - the experience was smoother than we feared. We did have contingency plans in case of problems; fortunately they were not needed and we arrived Sunday night in Bangkok - smooth transition through immigration and car to the hotel.
During the day on Monday the news broke that the government had "changed their mind" and decided not to enforce additional rules! This was due to the enormous outbreak of negative criticism, local and international, for what is clearly no benefit. This is a positive example of how you and those around do have and should use your power to push back on the nonsense. Remember this.
The cynic in me says this was all just a distraction to fill the news and prevent discussion on the more important thing that is being hidden from everyone - click below to read and understand what is being done out of sight and without your agreement or consent.
James Roguski
These new international rules will allow enforcement of arbitrary and unnecessary rules to restrict travel just like we suffered this past weekend - at any time in future when some unelected and unrepresentative, unaccountable politicians decide it is warranted to suit their agenda. You may think it does not affect you; maybe not immediately but like all so-called "emergency legislation" this will remove your rights and will be used against you at some future time.
Recall the lessons from WW2:
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.
— Martin Niemöller (source)
James provides you with a list of contacts of the so-called "responsible members" that you can and should contact and ask how they are representing your interests and why they are acting in conflict with the Consent of the Governed and the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights that states that "The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government".
Act now or forever hold your peace
No taxation without representation - recall when this was last used!
How much more evidence do you need?
I realise that the video of UK Dr John Campbell did not show in last week's email version of the newsletter (only on the website) - so I am re-posting it here. It ought to concern you and he has quite a few similar ones in subsequent days that you should watch. Spoiler alert - it only gets worse, day by day...
Next you might want to consider Steve Kirsch's latest discovery that is not being discussed in the corrupt mainstream media who were so quick to report on and exaggerate every "new case" of Covid at the outset. Remember too that many (if not most) of these were "asymptomatic" meaning that they did not even know they were supposedly ill - this does not seem to be a life threatening condition compared to all the real deaths that you can see and hear about happening around you now.
Soooo many coincidences - this should make you think...
The next one is hard reading. Hundreds of peoples lives have been ruined and no politician or mainstream media is the slightest bit interested. They only want to bury the news and pretend it didn't happen. Sadly it did happen and it will continue... It is past time that people wake up to this and push back on what is totally unacceptable.
Mike Halpern
Closing this section on a piece of encouraging news - thought I am not expecting rapid results. You will see how corrupt enterprise has blinded the public from the truth through corrupt funding of mainstream media that has become a propaganda orifice. Good that some are standing up for this - what are you doing?
Read on - more in this week's newsletter
- Walkabout - first days in Bangkok
- Bitcoin in Bangkok - quite a lively scene
- Podcasts of the week - a fascinating set of three
- Session is just "The Best"
- Closing thoughts.. The Social Dilemma...
Walkabout in Bangkok
Below a few memories from our first days back in Bangkok this year - we plan to be here for a bit and are absolutely making the most of it!
💰 Bitcoin in Bangkok
There is a lively Bitcoin scene here in Bangkok and I have been delighted to be able to join a few in-person meetings this week. It is so energising to meet together with like-minded and enthusiastic people and groups. Bangkok today has much the feel that Hong Kong seems to have lost - especially in recent years.
- Satoshi Square Monday is the oldest cryptocurrency meetup in Thailand, running since 2014. The group is free-form; there are no speakers or set agendas, and anyone is free to come and go at any time until the venue closes, usually no earlier than midnight. We are aiming to bring disparate groups with a shared interest in cryptocurrency and related topics together in an informal setting together to have casual discussions over a cold drink. Great opportunity to meet up with like-minded and interesting people - nice too to visit interesting locations around Bangkok.
- BOB Space - Bitcoin in the Garden - aims to bridge the gap between the Thai and Expat Bitcoin community. BOB stands for Build on Bitcoin. They're hoping to build and develop a solid Bitcoin community expat and Thai alike. One of the key attractions is that they claim to be the first Bitcoin-only event in Bangkok where Bitcoiners can network without all the noise from the shitcoin world. You can join their Telegram group to discuss any Bitcoin-related topic. This is a super interesting group and am most interested in the planning for the coming months - hoping to be involved in some interesting things.
- Thursday evening - Cryptos and Beer - claims to be « the friendliest Crypto Event in Bangkok » 🚀🍺. You can relax and grab a Singha in W District. They cover Cryptocurrency projects, Cryptotrading, Cryptogaming, DeFi, NFTs and more. They have a Line Group, for chat and exact location details. This was a super evening - lots of interesting people to meet with and a great location. Many thanks!
It's great to be in close face-to-face contact with interesting and motivated people, projects and developers. I am looking forward to the coming months and will be sharing updates. If you are interested to know more do reach out to the groups directly or I am happy to refer interest - comment below.
🎙️ Podcasts of the week
I picked three related podcasts for you to enjoy this week. The first two explain Bitcoin and why it is important as well as helping to remove a few misunderstandings. The third one should help you see how deep the corruption goes in the traditional finance world and how this cancer has metastasised into Academia and many other parts of society - you will already be aware how the medical and pharmaceutical industries (not to mention politicians) have been corrupted at our expense.
- The Rediscovery of Money by Der Gigi
Bitcoin is the rediscovery of money. It is money reconsidered. It is the removal of counterparty risk. It is the purest, fastest, soundest money, re-imagined from the ground up. It is computational proof of historical events, building up an incorruptible history without relying on trust.
Most people haven't understood yet that Bitcoin is different. It is not a company. It can't go bankrupt. It has no CEO that can be influenced, arrested, or corrupted. It is a force of nature, like the tide coming in and out, like the sun rising in the east. You can have an opinion on it, but your opinion won't influence it in any way. Every 10 minutes, Bitcoin re-asserts itself. Every 10 minutes, it cements a message in its timechain: "you shall not steal."
- Bitcoin is Not a Hedge - by Parker Lewis
Bitcoin is often described as a hedge, or more specifically, a hedge against inflation. While it may meet the classical definition, any view of bitcoin as a hedge or as insurance, in the traditional sense, misses the most fundamental aspect of bitcoin on a wholesale basis. Bitcoin is not a hedge against inflation; it is the permanent solution to inflation, and those are two very different things. Bitcoin may not be widely or well understood yet, but it is more knowable than it is uncertain. The gap is one of knowledge rather than risk.
- Superabundance - Prof Gale Pooley with Saifedean Ammous
Is humanity running out of resources, or are resources more abundant than ever? Gale Pooley is the co-author of Superabdundance, a fascinating and optimistic exploration of how economic progress has made life better for humanity. He joins us to explain why goods continue to become more abundant, why fears of overpopulation and resource depletion continue to be refuted forcefully by reality, and why human time keeps getting more valuable.
You will understand how the US University administration has grown to outnumber the teaching staff and students combined. Just like the corrupt governments around the world who grow fat on their own "printed money" that they require you to use and pay taxes in the universities are a microcosm of society. Recall too this discussion.
🎓 Reading, listening and learning
- I have to recommend Lex Fridman's reading list - click below for his full list and motivations. I have read quite a few of these but he will be ahead of me by the end AND he will have done a video of key takeways on each! For example his summary of Orwell's 1984.
- For high quality, no nonsense advice on Privacy and Security I do recommend Rob Braxman. You can follow him on YT - also on Odyssee where he is one of the most popular presenters. Watch and listen to his review of Session Messenger - my preferred messenger of choice (alternative to WhatsApp, Signal, FB Messenger etc) - click below.
For anyone who wants to reach out to me on Session - use this SessionID: 0515ee78354ba5369bd5bc78034e2012d0f257360b230cd1ed266f199ead3c2245
Among other things this is interesting due to the underlying technology part of which is Monero-based. Whilst I do believe that Bitcoin is the true digital money there are valid use cases for other crypto-currencies and I think Oxen is an interesting example. That said I also think that there can be benefits for such services if and when they adopt micropayments over Lightning - this discussion is certainly to be continued!
🤔 Are you living in the Real World?
You may have heard people talk about "living in a simulation" (plugged into the Matrix) and thought "what a load of nonsense" - but watch this next one and look around you. Do you see it yet?
If you have not seen it yet - you should watch The Social Dilemma on Netflix - you can also watch it here on LookMovie. Eyeopening or what?
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