#trade analysis pro

[forex368]

Website: http://forex368.com/

Address: Limassol, Cyprus

Forex368 is a premier destination for forex signals, offering comprehensive market analysis and trading support. Specializing in real-time insights, forex368 is dedicated to empowering both novice and seasoned traders in the forex market. Their services include daily technical analysis, tailored mentorship, and ongoing educational resources, ensuring clients are well-equipped for informed trading decisions.

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Twitter: https://twitter.com/forex368

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[cryptonewscentral]

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[wise-life]

How to Invest in ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds): A Comprehensive Guide with KBWD as An Example

Investing can seem overwhelming, especially with the wide array of choices available to modern investors. Among these choices, ETFs, or Exchange-Traded Funds, have gained popularity due to their versatility and potential for high returns. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore how to invest in ETFs, covering essential topics such as ETF basics, investment strategies, and the specific pros…

[successful-trader]

Exploring Trend Following and Scalping in Trading: Strategies for Success

In the dynamic world of trading, there are various strategies that traders employ to navigate the complex markets and maximize their profits. Two popular approaches are trend following and scalping. Let’s delve into these strategies, understand how they work, and explore their pros and cons.

Understanding Trend Following: Riding the Wave

Trend following is a strategy where traders identify and capitalize on the directional movement of an asset. The basic premise is simple: follow the trend. If an asset is trending upwards, traders aim to buy and hold it until the trend reverses, capturing as much profit as possible along the way.

To Become a Great Trader Join Now

The key to successful trend following lies in identifying significant trends early and riding them for as long as they persist. Traders typically use technical analysis tools such as moving averages, trendlines, and momentum indicators to spot trends and determine entry and exit points.

One of the advantages of trend following is its potential for capturing large profits during strong trends. However, it also requires patience and discipline, as traders may experience periods of drawdown during sideways or choppy markets.

Exploring Scalping: Profiting from Small Moves

Scalping, on the other hand, is a strategy focused on making numerous small trades to capitalize on minor price movements. Scalpers aim to enter and exit positions quickly, often holding them for just a few seconds to a few minutes.

Scalping relies heavily on technical analysis and short-term indicators to identify fleeting opportunities in the market. Traders may look for patterns such as price spikes, breakouts, or reversals on short timeframes like one or five-minute charts.

To Become a Great Trader Join Now

The primary advantage of scalping is its ability to generate quick profits, as traders aim to capture small price fluctuations throughout the day. However, it requires keen attention, fast execution, and a high level of concentration, as the margin for error is minimal.

Comparing the Two Strategies: Pros and Cons

While both trend following and scalping are popular trading strategies, they have distinct characteristics and appeal to different types of traders.

Trend following offers the potential for significant profits by riding long-term trends, making it suitable for patient traders who can withstand periods of drawdown. However, it requires the ability to identify and stick with trends, which can be challenging in volatile markets.

Scalping, on the other hand, provides quick opportunities for profit but requires lightning-fast execution and disciplined risk management. It appeals to traders who thrive in fast-paced environments and excel at making split-second decisions.

In terms of risk, trend following tends to have lower transaction costs since trades are less frequent, while scalping can incur higher costs due to the sheer volume of trades executed.

Conclusion: Finding Your Trading Style

In the realm of exchanging, there is nobody size-fits-all methodology. Whether you prefer trend following or scalping depends on your personality, risk tolerance, and trading style. Some traders may even combine elements of both strategies to create a hybrid approach that suits their needs.

Ultimately, the key to success lies in understanding the principles behind each strategy, honing your skills through practice, and adapting your approach to changing market conditions. By mastering the art of trend following and scalping, you can increase your chances of success in the dynamic world of trading.

To Become a Great Trader Join Now

FAQs

Is trend following suitable for beginners?

While trend following can be profitable, it requires patience and discipline, which may be challenging for beginners.

How much capital do I need for scalping?

Scalping often requires larger capital due to the high volume of trades executed, but the exact amount varies based on your risk tolerance and trading style.

Can I use both strategies simultaneously?

Yes, some traders employ a hybrid approach, combining elements of trend following and scalping to diversify their trading strategies.

What markets are best for trend following?

Trend following can be applied to various markets, including stocks, forex, commodities, and cryptocurrencies.

How do I handle risk in scalping?

Risk management is crucial in scalping. Set strict stop-loss orders and adhere to them to minimize losses.

[furryrun]

CRYPTOAİSİGNALS - PRO+

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[duckiemimi]

i’ve recently come across an insightful video analysis that was reposted on tiktok, explaining the Gaza situation in depth and touching on the geopolitical and economic motivations that background it, along with the potential impact from the ethnic cleansing and the active genocide of Palestinian people by zionists. here’s a summary with some links to more-reputable news articles:

-roughly around a month ago, netanyahu declared his plan for a “new middle east,” an economic corridor stretching from India to the European continent, through the UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and “israel.”

-due to the weakening of the US Dollar, this “new middle east” corridor serves as a hopeful (on their part) counter to China’s new ongoing “silk road.” it’s essentially a move for leverage on world economics, trade, and politics.

-Russia is the country with the largest proven reserves of natural gas. in 2022, Nord Stream 1 and 2 (Russia’s gas pipelines) were both blown up. sanction packages from EU ban Russian gas. no more Russian gas coming into Europe.

-Iran, the country with the second largest gas reserves, signs the Nuclear Deal in 2015-2016. the US backs out of the deal and reimpose harsh sanctions on Iran. Iran is barred from selling its gas and oil to Europe and others.

-with Russia and Iran out of the picture, “israel” (US-backed) proposes itself as a solution to EU’s gas shortages. in 2010, they find the Leviathan—a giant gas field in the middle east (Mediterranean Sea), off the coast of Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria.

-Syria initially declines offers over its gas reserves; the US now controls 1/3 of Syria and all its oil fields, and “israel” regularly bombs it’s most vital port (Latakia). another major port is in Beirut, which mysteriously exploded in 2020. both Syria and Lebanon’s maritime activity are limited, including in trade and gas exploration.

-Gaza, also having its own unexplored gas fields, has been under siege, under naval blockade since 2007. the only working port left in the coast is haifa port in “israel.” “israel” is now the only one able to explore gas and implement an economic corridor, like the proposed “new middle east.” what the US and “israel” have essentially done is killed off the competition, stole their goods, and cornered the market.

-in light of Europe’s gas shortages, to get them gas before winter, “israel” attempts to “stabilize” the region by solving “the Palestinian question”—more than displacement, they’ve resorted to ethnic cleansing and genocide. basically an acceleration of their plan.

-what Palestinian resistance groups have done in response was because they were backed into a corner. tooth and nail, life or death. it did not happen in a vacuum.

it has always been a move for natural resources; Palestine, Syria, Congo—every move for destabilization framed as intervention. it has always been greed for capital.

update:

it’s come to my attention that the video in question might have some more pro-Russian leaning stances, and so i’ve deleted the google drive link to the reposted tiktok and the link to the actual tiktok as i do not wish to platform the denial, partial or in whole, of the atrocities done to Ukrainian people. i will keep the summary up with some parts omitted because i still do think it is an insightful analysis in general and i do think the knowledge is still useful and relevant.

[gatheringbones]

[“Feminists’ discomfort with proximity to sex workers reached a fever pitch during the so-called ‘sex wars’ of the 1980s and 1990s. In this era, radical feminists locked horns with ‘pro-sex’ feminists over the issues of pornography and prostitution. The radical-feminist perspective on sex work holds that it reproduces (and is itself a product of) patriarchal violence against women. This analysis could extend to all heterosexual sexual behaviours, as well as public sex and kink (commonly known as BDSM, for ‘bondage, domination, submission/sadism, masochism’).

The focus in this era was on censoring porn and ‘raising awareness’ rather than addressing prostitution through criminal law directly, but a nonetheless vehement anti-prostitution stance became commonplace in the feminist movement. Writer Janice Raymond stated that ‘prostitution is rape that’s paid for’, while Kathleen Barry said buying and selling sex was ‘destructive of human life’.

The defence of porn and prostitution that followed in response was based on ideas of sexual liberation through nonconformist sexual expression, such as BDSM and the ‘queering’ of lesbian and gay identities. Many ‘pro-sex’ or ‘sex-radical’ feminists posited that not only could watching porn be gratifying and educational, it could upend patriarchal control over women’s sexual expression. Moreover, that the sex industry was sticking two fingers up at the institution of marriage, highlighting the hypocrisy of conservative, monogamous heteronormativity. While some people who fought for sexual liberation were sex workers – such as LGBTQ and AIDS activist Amber Hollibaugh – many sex radicals advanced their arguments from a non–sex worker perspective. Defending porn often meant defending watching it, rather than performing in it.

Radical feminists famously described sex radicals as ‘Uncle Toms’* pandering to the primacy of male sexuality, while they in turn were derided as ‘prudes’ invested in preserving sexual puritanism. Rather than focussing on the ‘work’ of sex work, both pro-sex feminists and anti-prostitution feminists concerned themselves with sex as symbol. Both groups questioned what the existence of the sex industry implied for their own positions as women; both groups prioritised those questions over what material improvements could be made in the lives of the sex workers in their communities. Stuck in the domain of sex and whether it is ‘good’ or ‘bad’ for women (and adamant that it could only be one or the other) it was all too easy for feminists to think of The Prostitute only in terms of what she represented to them. They claimed ownership of sex worker experiences in order to make sense of their own.

Anti-prostitution activist Dorchen Leidholdt spoke to this feminist impulse; ‘this de-individualized, de-humanized being has the function of representing generic woman … She stands in for all of us, and she takes the abuse that we are beginning to resist.’ It was in this context that former prostitute Andrea Dworkin’s work became highly influential in the movement, and set a new tone for criticism of sex work. The Prostitute, she said

lives the literal reality of being the dirty woman. There is no metaphor. She is the woman covered in dirt, which is to say that every man who has ever been on top of her has left a piece of himself behind … She is perceived as, treated as – and I want you to remember this, this is real – vaginal slime.

Her confrontational writing style – and her experiences in the sex trade – helped to legitimise and normalise similar usage of graphic and misogynist language in ‘feminist’ discussions of sex workers and their bodies. Barry, a contemporary of Dworkin, likened prostitutes to blow-up dolls, ‘complete with orifices for penetration and ejaculation’, while Leidholdt wrote that ‘stranger after stranger use[s] her body as a seminal spittoon … What other job is so deeply gendered that one’s breasts, vagina and rectum constitute the working equipment?’ Academics Cecilie Høigård and Liv Finstad wrote of women who sell sex that ‘at the core they experience themselves as only cheap whores’.

Sex working feminists have long found themselves harshly excluded, and not only by de-humanising language in academia, but by explicit lack of invitation into spaces. Kate Millett recalls a feminist conference on prostitution, held in 1971. Disgruntled working women arrived to demand a seat at the table: An inadvertent masterpiece of tactless precipitance, the title of the day’s program was inscribed on leaflets for our benefit: ‘Towards the Elimination of Prostitution’. The panel of experts included everyone but prostitutes … all hell broke loose – between the prostitute and the movement. Because, against all likelihood, prostitutes did in fact attend the conference … They had a great deal to say about the presumption of straight women who fancied they could debate, decide or even discuss what was their situation and not ours.

Unlike the hostile environment of radical feminism, sex radicals were welcoming and supportive to sex workers. This influence helped shape the movement’s growth. In 1974, COYOTE hosted the first National Hookers’ Convention. The bright orange flyer nodded to the way prostitutes had been shunned from the women’s movement: emblazoned with a hand touching a vulva, it proclaimed, ‘Our Convention Is Different: We Want Everyone to Come’”]

molly smith, juno mac, from revolting prostitutes: the fight for sex workers’ rights, 2018

[odinsblog]

Executive summary

Since launching its brutal war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, the Russian Federation has been locked into a long and costly conflict. Russia has been diplomatically marginalized, subjected to sanctions, and shunned by most of the Western world. Many multinational companies have been forced by international pressure to shutter or sell their Russian operations, and profiting from cooperation with the Russian state is no longer considered acceptable. Russia has found itself in dire need of new allies and resources.

In this environment, the Kremlin-financed Private Military Company Wagner, or Wagner Group, has served as an increasingly important source of revenue for the Russian state. Founded in 2014 to support pro-Russian forces in Donbas, since then Wagner Group has evolved into a complex international network of private military contractors, disinformation campaign infrastruc-ture, and corporate front companies. It has deployed fighters, propaganda and disinformation campaigns, and financing as a proxy for the Russian state in numerous conflicts, from Syria and Libya to Mali, Central African Republic, and beyond

Wagner has most often been described as an independent mercenary group. This status has provided Russia with a thin veil of deniability, particularly in relation to the numerous plausible accusations of murder, rape, torture, and war crimes raised against Wagner fighters. But in reality, Wagner has always operated with the political and material backing of the Russian Federation to advance Russian state interests.

In Africa, Wagner has been deployed in a number of countries across the continent since 2017. In each country it enters, Wagner deploys military trainers, mercenary fighters, and propaganda experts to support anti-democratic regimes, drive instability, and commit human rights abuses. The mercenary group's ostensible provision of "security services" creates a framework for lucrative business contracts for the extraction of natural resources including diamonds, oil, timber, and especially gold.

This report focuses on the Kremlin's 'blood gold': Gold extracted from African countries and laundered into international markets that provides billions in revenue to the Russian state, thereby directly and indirectly financing Russia's war on Ukraine and global hybrid warfare infrastructure.

The Blood Gold Report's analysis suggests that Wagner and Russia have earned more than US$2.5 billion from blood gold since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The report focuses on the case studies of Wagner's blood gold operations in the Central African Republic, Sudan, and Mali. In each of these coun-tries, Russia profits from the blood gold trade in different ways:

In CAR, the mercenary group has been granted exclusive extractive rights for the Ndassima mine, the country's largest gold mine, in return for propping up President Touadera's authoritarian regime. Wagner's Ndassima operations are understood to produce US$290 million of gold annually, while local miners have been pushed aside or murdered by the mercenary group.

In Sudan, through control of a major refinery, Wagner has become the dominant buyer of unprocessed Sudanese gold as well as a major smuggler of processed gold. Russian military transporter flights laden with gold have been identified by Sudanese customs officials. While tracking Sudan's unreported gold market is near impossible, estimates suggest that almost Us$2 billion in gold is smuggled out of the country unreported every year, with 'the Russian Company' in prime position to take advantage.

In Mali, Wagner is paid a monthly retainer - estimated at US $10.8 million per month - to prop up a brutal military junta Meanwhile the junta is in turn dependent on a small number of Western mining companies for the revenue it needs to pay Wagner. Mining companies contributed more than 50% of all tax revenues to the Malian state for 2022. Barrick Gold Corporation, a Canadian listed company and Mali's single biggest tax contributor, paid US$206 million in the first half of 2023 alone.

The junta is increasing its financial demands on gold mining companies. Meanwhile, the four largest gold mining companies (weighted by tax contribution) continue to plan further investments in the country, despite the well-documented abuses of the military junta and growing influence of the Wagner Group.

Wagner's blood gold operations in CAR and Sudan have been subject to sanctions, and the Kremlin-backed mercenaries have developed increasingly complex smuggling routes and corporate subterfuge tactics to move blood gold out of these countries and convert this gold into cash.

In contrast, the Malian blood gold system enables Wagner to remain one degree removed from gold production. Instead, legitimate multinational mining companies convert gold into cash for the Malian military junta without triggering international sanctions.

To secure its position in a target country's political and natural resource extraction landscape, Wagner's African playbook consists of a four-pronged attack on the host country's civic institutions and civilian population - suppressing political opposition, spreading disinformation, silencing free media and terrorising civilians.

The ultimate objective of Wagner's playbook is to increase its clients' dependence on Wagner forces to stay in power, thereby securing a long-term revenue stream for the Kremlin and fostering authoritarianism and instability throughout the region as part of Russia's wider geopolitical strategy to distract and bog down the democratic West.

Since the death of Wagner's leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, the mercenary group has formally come under the control of the Russian State. Yet the Kremlin's focus on Africa, and its blood gold operations, show no signs of changing.

(continue reading)

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Zack Beauchamp at Vox:

Throughout the entire Republican National Convention, I struggled with one big question: What is the Republican Party for? That it was for former President Donald Trump went almost without saying. Look at the way that solidarity ear bandages became the RNC’s must-have fashion accessory, or how long the audience managed to put up big cheers during his historically long and rambling acceptance speech on Thursday night. Beyond Trump worship, the RNC has been billed as proof that the populist takeover of the Republican Party is complete. On issues like trade, immigration, and foreign alliances, this analysis is surely correct; the Trumpian insurgency has gone head-to-head with the party old guard and defeated them. Yet elements of the old Republican Party remain thoroughly in place.

Unlike Europe’s far-right populist parties, the GOP remains unyieldingly opposed to the welfare state and progressive taxation. It remains committed to banning abortion, an issue where its actions at the state level speak for themselves. It remains deeply hostile to unions; vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance, allegedly the avatar of the party’s pro-worker populism, has a 0 percent score from the AFL-CIO. On foreign policy, it is by no means strictly isolationist: it seeks to ramp up military spending and aggressively confront China even as it tears down both military alliances and the American-led global trade regime. Ideologically, the GOP is a mess, a political party constructed less out of one cogent worldview than an assemblage of different parts, a zombie given life by the lightning of Donald John Trump. It is Frankenstein’s party. And while Trump and his loyalists are clearly our Shelleyian monster’s head, they do not (yet) have full control over all its limbs.

The Trump coalition is so new that it has yet to produce an equilibrium, a stable set of policy commitments that will endure as long as it aligns. It basically works by Trump getting his way on issues he really cares about — like democracy, trade, and immigration — while others claim what they can when they can claim it. The monied class is still calling the shots on taxes and regulation; the social conservatives are still in the driver’s seat when it comes to issues like abortion and LGBT rights.

You can see this at work in documents like the RNC platform and Project 2025, which together help us understand the GOP’s ambitions going forward. Some of the most notable policies in them, like Project 2025’s proposal to end the Justice Department’s independence or the platform’s call for “the largest Deportation Program in history,” is pure Trump (right down to the random capitalization). But in issue areas where other elements of the right prevail, things sound a bit more old Republican. Project 2025’s chapter on the EPA is about as old-school business friendly as it gets; the GOP platform promises to “slash Regulations” and “pursue additional Tax Cuts.” Project 2025 calls on the next president to “rescind regulations prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, and sex characteristics.” When there’s tension between Trump’s instincts and the old Republican agenda, the result is not always clear.

[...] Post-World War II American conservatism was a “three-legged stool” formed of three groups: free market libertarians, social conservatives, and foreign policy hawks. These groups often disagreed with each other on matters of both principle and policy. Hence an ideology contradiction: a “small government” conservatism that aimed to build the world’s largest army and police consenting adults in their homes. There was nothing natural about this alliance, no reflecting of an enduring and transhistorical American tradition. “Movement conservatism,” as it was called, was a movement — one built, like any other political faction, by people molded by a specific time and place (Cold War America) in response to its particular challenges.

Vox takes a look at how the GOP has changed to a Trumpian right-wing populist party in several key policy areas such as trade, foreign policy to some extent, the role of democracy, and immigration. There are still areas in policy, however, in where the pre-Trump GOP positions still remain: taxation, regulatory powers, unions, Israel, and abortion.

Read the full story at Vox.

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

OMG RTA, what an absolutely BRILLIANT rebuttal filled with facts and evidences to the "wishful thinking " anon, I take my hat off for you!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 The anon definitely FAAFO 😂😂😂 That person better stick to pro Harold blogs after this, definitely no way to recover from your fantabulous reply!

Thanks, anon.

Something I didn't put in the analysis (I think y'all could see I was getting cranky towards the end there) is that per the 2022 financial report, any profit made from IG's trading company is automatically donated back to the charity. It's a normal practice and not something worth pointing out; however, it does question just how much trading profit they're making and what percentage of "donations and legacies" that makes up. If it's nominal - just 1 or 2%, for instance - then it's not a big deal. But if it's excessive (like 25% or higher), then it really reflects poorly on Harry. He can't bring any money in, and the company is literally keeping themselves afloat without him.

Interesting dynamics.

[cyberstudious]

Tools of the Trade for Learning Cybersecurity

I created this post for the Studyblr Masterpost Jam, check out the tag for more cool masterposts from folks in the studyblr community!

Cybersecurity professionals use a lot of different tools to get the job done. There are plenty of fancy and expensive tools that enterprise security teams use, but luckily there are also lots of brilliant people writing free and open-source software. In this post, I'm going to list some popular free tools that you can download right now to practice and learn with.

In my opinion, one of the most important tools you can learn how to use is a virtual machine. If you're not already familiar with Linux, this is a great way to learn. VMs are helpful for separating all your security tools from your everyday OS, isolating potentially malicious files, and just generally experimenting. You'll need to use something like VirtualBox or VMWare Workstation (Workstation Pro is now free for personal use, but they make you jump through hoops to download it).

Below is a list of some popular cybersecurity-focused Linux distributions that come with lots of tools pre-installed:

Kali is a popular distro that comes loaded with tools for penetration testing

REMnux is a distro built for malware analysis

honorable mention for FLARE-VM, which is not a VM on its own, but a set of scripts for setting up a malware analysis workstation & installing tools on a Windows VM.

SANS maintains several different distros that are used in their courses. You'll need to create an account to download them, but they're all free:

Slingshot is built for penetration testing

SIFT Workstation is a distro that comes with lots of tools for digital forensics

These distros can be kind of overwhelming if you don't know how to use most of the pre-installed software yet, so just starting with a regular Linux distribution and installing tools as you want to learn them is another good choice for learning.

Free Software

Wireshark: sniff packets and explore network protocols

Ghidra and the free version of IDA Pro are the top picks for reverse engineering

for digital forensics, check out Eric Zimmerman's tools - there are many different ones for exploring & analyzing different forensic artifacts

pwntools is a super useful Python library for solving binary exploitation CTF challenges

CyberChef is a tool that makes it easy to manipulate data - encryption & decryption, encoding & decoding, formatting, conversions… CyberChef gives you a lot to work with (and there's a web version - no installation required!).

Burp Suite is a handy tool for web security testing that has a free community edition

Metasploit is a popular penetration testing framework, check out Metasploitable if you want a target to practice with

SANS also has a list of free tools that's worth checking out.

Programming Languages

Knowing how to write code isn't a hard requirement for learning cybersecurity, but it's incredibly useful. Any programming language will do, especially since learning one will make it easy to pick up others, but these are some common ones that security folks use:

Python is quick to write, easy to learn, and since it's so popular, there are lots of helpful libraries out there.

PowerShell is useful for automating things in the Windows world. It's built on .NET, so you can practically dip into writing C# if you need a bit more power.

Go is a relatively new language, but it's popular and there are some security tools written in it.

Rust is another new-ish language that's designed for memory safety and it has a wonderful community. There's a bit of a steep learning curve, but learning Rust makes you understand how memory bugs work and I think that's neat.

If you want to get into reverse engineering or malware analysis, you'll want to have a good grasp of C and C++.

Other Tools for Cybersecurity

There are lots of things you'll need that aren't specific to cybersecurity, like:

a good system for taking notes, whether that's pen & paper or software-based. I recommend using something that lets you work in plain text or close to it.

general command line familiarity + basic knowledge of CLI text editors (nano is great, but what if you have to work with a system that only has vi?)

familiarity with git and docker will be helpful

There are countless scripts and programs out there, but the most important thing is understanding what your tools do and how they work. There is no magic "hack this system" or "solve this forensics case" button. Tools are great for speeding up the process, but you have to know what the process is. Definitely take some time to learn how to use them, but don't base your entire understanding of security on code that someone else wrote. That's how you end up as a "script kiddie", and your skills and knowledge will be limited.

Feel free to send me an ask if you have questions about any specific tool or something you found that I haven't listed. I have approximate knowledge of many things, and if I don't have an answer I can at least help point you in the right direction.

[endlingmusings]

[ Several captive Southern white rhinoceroses. ]

“John Hume, the owner of the world’s largest private rhino herd, is auctioning off his rhino farm, the starting bid being US$10 million. The question is, what are Hume’s rhinos really worth?

In recent weeks there have been quite a few emotional appeals from John Hume and his supporters to ‘see the value’ in what is being offered. I get that many people believe that this is John Hume’s life’s work, but the US$150 million the one-time billionaire reportedly spent on this enterprise is, in business terms, the project’s sunk cost. It is a business risk he chose to take, as he farmed rhinos with a view to selling the horn.

When he started, over a decade ago, the international sale of rhino horn was already banned and the domestic trade was banned in South Africa for a number of years until John Hume and Johan Kruger launched legal action, saying it is their constitutional right to sell rhino horn. Izak du Toit, the lawyer who represented the rhino owners to overturn the domestic trade ban, and who appears to be Hume’s legal representative in the current auction, said at the time, [If the domestic trade ban was overturned] “We would sell [rhino horn] to the poachers to prevent them from killing rhinos,”.

With all the effort to overturn rhino horn trade sanctions, both domestically and international, there was always an inherent risk in Hume’s strategy that the trade ban would remain, and he accepted this risk as legalising the trade in rhino horn was the only way to recuperate his investment. Hume has said that his 10-tonne of stockpile of rhino horns is negotiable as part of the current auction, adding that it is worth more than US$500 million on the black market. A curious message to give out.

The fact that there is still a ban on the international trade of rhino horn doesn’t change the lack of trying by Hume and other South African private rhino owners. Over the years they put forward models for a ‘regulated’, international legal trade in rhino horn. The business plans have loopholes big enough for a Mack truck to drive through and, in all this time, they have never invested in a consumer analysis. The pro-trade supporters have previously stated that, “What they [rhino horns] are used for is hardly relevant. The fact is that people are willing to pay.”. Even now, after more than a decade of pushing to legalise the international trade, the response to the FAQ page question, “Does anyone know what the demand for rhino horn is?” is, “There is no reliable data on the size of the market. The best way to determine the characteristics of a market is to engage in legal trade.”. Mmm, quite a risky approach if your goal is to save rhinos from poaching.

At least now they acknowledge that an international trade won’t stop rhino poaching, the response to the FAQ page question, “Doesn’t the market value ‘wild’ horn more than harvested?” is, “Possibly, yes. If there is a preference for ‘wild’ or whole horn, this will be reflected in the price buyers are willing to pay.”. A far cry from their earlier, evidence free, assertions that the supply from the privately owned rhinos in South Africa could satisfy demand in Viet Nam and China and that consumers would be willing to substitute farmed horn for horn from wild rhinos.

Legalising the trade in ivory for two massive one-off sales did not stop elephant poaching, it made it worse. There is every reason to believe the same would happen with rhino horn – as soon as you can legalise advertise you can create new demand; something else they have never been willing to factor into their pro-trade push. Further, those who can afford genuine rhino horn will pay for a ‘wild’ product. Consumers have been known to ask for the tail/ears of the rhino to be presented with the horn to show it was killed in the process and the horn didn’t come from a stockpile.

This rhino sale mess is a perfect demonstration of the misguided obsession with the commercialisation of wild species. John Hume and the other private rhino owners managed to overturn the ban on domestic trade in South Africa, but that did not create a market for a product nobody needs. Hume’s rhino horn auction in 2017 was a flop, as was his later attempt to launch a cryptocurrency backed by rhino horn.

John Hume’s 2,000 rhinos and his reported 10 tonne stockpile of rhino horn have zero commercial value as long as the international trade remains closed. Reinstating the South African domestic trade in rhino horn was seen a precursor to overturning the international trade ban, providing hope for the pro-trade rhino owners. The result was they were happy to devalue rhino horn from a poaching perspective but they have never wanted to devalue horn from a consumer perspective, as they didn’t want to undermine the potential for future profits.”

- Excerpt from “What Are John Hume’s Rhinos Really Worth?” by Lynn Johnson.

[theambitiouswoman]

How do you make a decision especially when the circumstances are challenging and you feel that you are running out of time? 💓

First, it's important to realize that you are not running out of time. Do not worry about living up to anyone else's expectations, or comparing yourself to others. This is honestly half the battle. Once you take that stress off your shoulders, you can better think and create a plan of action.

The more challenging, the better you are going to feel once you achieve it. I look at challenges as a test. They are not meant to hold us back, but to help us decide how bad we want it. Growth, along with everything you need to learn to accomplish your goals as well as being able to handle and live in the results you are trying to obtain.

Start by identifying the most important factors that are directly related to your decision. What truly matters to you in this situation? Narrow down your focus so you can save time and energy.

Figure out your objectives and what you hope to achieve through this decision. This will help you evaluate your available options.

Gather as much information as you can within the time you have. Look for reliable sources and prioritize information that directly impacts your decision. This is why I started off with having peace of mind. You need to be clear and focused.

Figure out the pros and cons of each option you listed as well as the potential advantages and disadvantages. Think about the risks, benefits, and potential outcomes associated with each choice. This analysis will help you weigh the options and make better decisions.

In challenging situations with limited time, trust your intuition. Sometimes, your gut feelings and instincts can guide you toward the right decision, even when you have limited time for in depth analysis.

Break down your decision into actionable steps and prioritize them based on urgency and importance. Taking a structured approach will help you make progress, even with limited time.

Set a realistic deadline for when you need to make your decision. Having a clear timeframe can create a sense of urgency and prevent unnecessary delay.

Remember, it's okay to make trade offs and choose the best available option under the circumstances. Do not be afraid to take risks. Trust yourself and the decision you make. Understand that no decision is perfect, but by following a thoughtful process and taking action, you can move forward and adapt as necessary. You won't have it all figured out. But your sense of commitment and determination will inspire you to accept when you need to pivot or make changes to your plan.

We put a lot of pressure on ourselves before we start something worrying about the wrong things. But once you are fully focused on your mission, you will be less worried about running out of time, because you will be too busy and focused.

[sundayswiththeilluminati]

Hey let’s talk about some of the dungeon lore w/r/t Rasputin and other AIs. Cut for spoilers for the new Spire of the Watchers dungeon.

So turns out back during the Golden Age Ishtar Collective and CB Corp did a brief collaboration on creating an “Augurmind,” Soteria, an AI equipped with Vex time-manipulation tech that allowed it to do very accurate observations/simulations over stretches of space that it otherwise takes light (and hence causality) millions of years to traverse. Soteria needed these abilities to plan intergalactic colony ventures that would take tens of thousands of years - but when she tried to crunch the numbers on habitable worlds in nearby galaxies, she detected destructive “anomalies" (the Pyramid Fleet). Soteria summarized what she saw in a burst message to Rasputin, which is probably how he caught the Fleet inbound to our system as well. 

All of which is cool but not what I want to talk about. What I want to talk about is like five lines of text:

[Soteria]: R. Access provided data points and analysis. Confirm potential EGYPTIAN [attached].

[Rasputin]: I concur, S. Anomalous masses demonstrate independent movement. Consider timeline escalation under TWILIGHT to preserve [H]. Warwatch to monitor Sol border/anomalous intersection based on received data.

This is Rasputin talking. Rasputin, whose every other message is either a) dense highly-formatted military-style flash traffic orders; b) cryptic-mystic stream of consciousness; or c) sad, just...sad. This is Rasputin tossing off an email like he’s scheduling a meeting about the tarp budget. It is impossibly normal, and that tells us some significant information.

For one thing, it turns out Red can hold a regular conversation, just not with a human. For another, we've seen other AIs reference him or orders from him, but this is the first direct conversation we have, and amazingly it bears out the old "first among equals" description. Soteria has no qualms about forwarding him what might be a false alarm, and Rasputin renders an opinion with equal casual civility. Despite the seriousness of the situation he doesn’t issue orders but rather makes a few suggestions and leaves the rest to Soteria’s judgement. His attitude is that of an expert consulted by a colleague on a specialist matter, and while many AI probably treated his “suggestions” with the force of orders, he doesn’t seem to intend them as such. He really did have familiar and friendly relationships with other AI pre-Collapse. It explains why e.g. Firewall, monitoring the lunar anomaly, responded to evidence of dangerous activity by trying to contact Rasputin. It explains why the dying Exodus Red says they’d like to talk to Rasputin except he just seems so busy right now (fighting an interplanetary war). He was the authority of last resort. Rasputin would listen to your problem, and then he would tell you what to do. Rasputin would always know What To Do. Right up until he didn’t, and it all came crashing down.

I’m a Magic player, so the closest analogy I’ve got to Rasputin’s status among the other AI is that of a pro player hanging out at his local store with the casual crowd. He’s friendly, trades fairly, happy to look at your deck tech, but always that little bit set apart. When he comes in others treat it as an event even if he doesn’t. He’ll play with anyone, even lose a couple rounds, but no one is ever in doubt about whose house this is. If there’s a hard judge call to make, he’s there; if there’s unsportsmanlike behavior on display, he’s there too, and a brief conversation is enough to set that straight. He takes responsibility. And everyone’s happy to let him. You’re glad, even proud, that he hangs out at your store, even if it’s scary as hell when he comes to look over your shoulder in person. You might even think of him as a friend. And he thinks of you as a friend, too. He likes hanging out with you. He likes hanging out with everyone. 

But he also knows he’s always, always, going to be that little bit apart.

[elkkiel]

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hello friend!

u can call me elkkie / ki ("kee") / yours ;3

multifandom + personal interests, including:

sleep token

dream team (benevolent dteamolo)

fandom culture, theory, and analysis

queer + feminist theory

cats!!

omegaverse (occasional brainrot frenzies)

fine arts and design

asks are always open and appreciated! <3

i am always down for art reqs/art trades! pop into my ask box anytime if you have a cute idea or wanna swap doodles :3

♡ art requests — info post ♡

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⚠ BYF: you may encounter untagged spoilers, nsfw, fandom discourse/neg, religious talk (I am Christian, please be respectful) and more on this blog. I'm also pro-RPF (when done correctly) and supportive of "dark" kink and media — please feel free to block if needed. Curate your own online experience and stay safe <3

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tags below the cut!

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#elkk.txt

text posts

#elkk.art

my art! usually fully rendered/refined work

#elkkie doodles

sketches, wips, + doodles I don't want to have in the main art tag 

#cat nap

sleep token as cats art collection :3

#elkkitty

my cat!

#askkiel

asks, including chains and ask games

#elkk.recs

fanfic recs (usually reblogs, potentially independent rec posts in the future) 

#elkk.lore

sleep token lore, lyrical, or otherwise musical interpretations related to "canon" theorizing

#elkkie brainrots

other headcanons, ideas, aus, etc. that don't fit in the lore tag (ex. single dad IV discussions)

#elkkie is in heat

I am in heat #justomegathings ✌️ horny posting, from silly goofs to creaming myself on the dash

#elkkie is an opinionated little shit

your local pink cat gets Intellectual 🧐

thoughts + discussion on topics like religion, sex, love, social issues, etc. May or may not be fandom-adjacent i.e. fandom issues, broader fandom theory/discourse, etc.

#elkkie's music recs

songs I like, that you may or may not also like

[readingsquotes]

"As universities turn their back on their own students, these students have also become increasingly vulnerable to Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian attacks from external organizations, political leaders, corporate leaders, and even fellow classmates, staff, and faculty at their own institutions who have sought to justify the Israeli government’s actions and suppress their advocacy. In 2023, CAIR received a total of 921 education-related complaints, which includes bullying and education discrimination, a 219% increase over the previous year. In 2024, 84% of Muslim students in higher education or in a trade/vocational program reported experiencing religious discrimination in the last year, according to a new report by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding. A vast majority of Muslim students (68%) reported facing discrimination for their religion by people in authority. In other words, many university campuses have, with the support of university officials themselves, become utterly hostile for Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims, and others in support of Palestinian rights and opposed to genocide in Gaza."