Frank Corva

Sure, cry for Paris, but don't forget about Gaza.

And be sure to take note of why so many people are immigrating from the "third world" to France in the first place.

Chin up.

“…it has become my firm conviction that it is not good to run public institutions on permanent funds. A permanent fund carries in itself the seed of the moral fall of the institution. A public institution means an institution conducted with the approval, and from the funds, of the public. When such an institution ceases to have public support, it forfeits its right to exist. Institutions maintained on permanent funds are often found to ignore public opinion, and are frequently responsible for acts contrary to it.” -Mahatma Gandhi

Bitcoin tends to attract people who are either looking for a way out of a tough situation or looking to make said type of situation better.

Kelvin Makini, founder of

, is this type of person.

As an alchemist of sorts, he's transforming waste into beautiful glassware and earning bitcoin in the process.

And his indefatigable spirit makes me believe he's just getting started in his journey as both an entrepreneur and a community leader.

It was an honor to help Kelvin tell his story on behalf of

.

Last month, the European Parliament voted to adopt Chat Control 1.0, which allows the government to surveil certain types of digital communication.

It did so in a underhanded manner, as the vote on the measure was scheduled just before summer recess and not all of the members of parliament (MPs) were present for it.

The measure passed but was met with significant backlash from MPs as well as cybersecurity experts and human rights defenders who felt the way in which the vote was conducted was unethical.

One of the human rights defenders who's been working diligently to stop Chat Control measures in the EU and who spoke out against the manner in which the Chat Control 1.0 vote was conducted was

, presidents of the Open Dialogue Foundation.

I recently caught up with Lyudmyla to discuss the details of what happened around the Chat Control 1.0 vote, what she is doing to stop the Chat Control 2.0 measure (the vote for which is scheduled for September), and why it's essential that we stop governments around the globe from implementing a digital ID system.

We also discussed a report on transnational financial repression that she recently published via the Hoover Institute with Jorge Jraissati, dangerous AI data sharing practices, and why it's essential that the good guys/white hats have access to the same frontier AI models that ill-intentioned hackers do.

Finally, Lyudmyla shares a number of ways you can help in the fight she's leading to help keep our digital data private.

Enjoy the interview, and please consider giving Lyudmyla a hand. I've included resources in the show notes.

NY gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman tells

crowd he’ll end the #BitLicense if elected governor and says New York will no longer be the financial capital of the world if it doesn’t embrace #Bitcoin and crypto.

More in my latest for Forbes Digital Assets

cc:

nostr:npub1xy6exlg37pw84cpyj05c2pdgv86hr25cxn0g7aa8g8a6v97mhduqeuhgpl

https://www.forbes.com/sites/frankcorva/2026/08/13/new-york-gubernatorial-candidate-blakeman-wants-to-end-the-bitlicense/

Akhona Mabuto Livingstone, better known as

in Mossel Bay, South Africa 🇿🇦, has his sights set on competing in an Ironman World Championship race.

The

community leader and instructor in the Surfer Kids project is looking to set an example for what someone who comes from a disadvantaged background can accomplish if they put their mind to it.

But Akhona also knows that he can't do it alone. Thus far, the Bitcoin Ekasi and broader South African Bitcoin community has supported him, but it's time for the global #Bitcoin and #triathlon communities to get behind him, as well.

So, in this interview, not only will you learn Akhona's story as well as the details of the efforts he's making to become a world-class athlete, but you'll also learn about the small but important things you can do to support him.

Enjoy the interview, and please help be the wind at Akhona's back as he takes on this heroic endeavor!

I crunched some numbers to get a sense of what a minimum wage income and the median family income in the U.S. would look like if they'd increased as much as the the price of gold has increased since the U.S. left the gold standard in 1971.

The results were both quite sobering and highly indicative of why the U.S. is facing such staggering wealth inequality today.

Many thanks to

for sharing a link to my recent newsletter on Freedom Tech in Southeast Asia!

In the newsletter, I wrote in detail about India's 🇮🇳 crackdown on Bitchat (as well as other private communication platforms) and shared a link to a recent piece I wrote for @fedibtc about the incredible work that Fai and

are doing with the Bitcoin Learning Center in Thailand 🇹🇭.

Link to the newsletter and to subscribe to the Financial Freedom Report in the comments.

nostr:nprofile1qqspcvwvmgnsnlrv7hds5zcgwdsnuftyd39fg3mem76734kthnfwu8qpp4mhxue69uhkummn9ekx7mqprpmhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuumwdae8gtnnda3kjctv92vrrj nostr:npub1dlkff8vcdwcty9hs3emc43yks8y7pr0tnn7jewvt63ph077sw48s4cc4qc

Block 961634 mined by

TIL that Brazil 🇧🇷 will soon become the third country in the world to implement “split payments,” which are digital payments in which taxes are automatically deducted the moment a payment is made to a merchant.

Quite a scary level of control.

When I started working on this multi-part piece on the Bitcoin Learning Center (BLC) in Chiang Mai, Thailand 🇹🇭, I hoped it might serve as a catalyst to snap people out of their bear market doldrums.

And then the Coldcard incident happened before I published the final part of the series, and sentiment in this space hit some of the lowest lows I've ever seen (for good reason).

While I know it's hard to see the light and to believe that things will get better right now, the work that BLC's team, led by Fai and

, is doing is a great reminder that many good things are happening around Bitcoin globally and that Bitcoin remains something worth fighting for.

So, if you need a break from the doomscrolling and/or a dose of inspiration, look no further.

Enjoy.

Still trying to get this to stream here on Nostr. Been dealing with some hiccups, though.

Please join us on X if you’re there, too.

NYHC legends Shelter performing live in Union Square, NYC today, Aug. 8, 2026

#tunestr #musicstr

Best AI model for making charts, graphs, visualizations, etc.?

#asknostr

I said it a few weeks back, and I’ll say it again: We’re not in a Nostr bear market.

Super cool stuff is happening.

It seems like the Indian government's recent attempt to shut down #Bitchat is part of a broader effort the government is making to hinder private messaging in the country.

Earlier this month, the government issued notices to Telegram and Signal asking them to explain why the apps allow users to post messages without providing their phone numbers.

The government also recently directed WhatsApp to freeze the rollout of a new username feature, citing that it could increase online fraud.

#India 🇮🇳 #privacy #opensource

https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-issues-notice-telegram-signal-concerns-over-usernames-source-says-2026-07-03/

I’m working on getting Fedi to broadcast these streams here on Nostr, as well.

Is this something you’d be interested in?

Bitcoin is about two thirds of the way to outlasting the average fiat currency.

👀 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

I’m not sure what to do with myself after watching season five of The Bear.

My father was committed to small business development and Main Street culture.

In advocating for Bitcoin, I hope to help fulfill his vision.

What might be the reason @primal won’t allow me to add a header image for an article I’d like to publish via the client?

#asknostr

I was buzzing for a few days after interviewing Fai and

, co-founders of the Bitcoin Learning Center, for this piece.

It was quite clear to me after speaking with them that they do the work they do in Chiang Mai, Thailand 🇹🇭 with open minds and open hearts and that they believe deeply in Bitcoin as a tool of empowerment, especially for vulnerable communities.

In this first part of a three-part series for

, I tell the story of how Fai and Kostro’s respective work in the food delivery business played a role in their finding one another, which ultimately led to them cooking together.

Enjoy!

Brutal.

C’mon, USMNT.