Life

Lights Out: The Power of Sleep

bduval — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 19:49:15 +0000

Lights Out: The Power of Sleep bduval Mon, 02/05/2024 - 19:49

Lights Out: The Power of Sleep

2023-03-01

Bryan Fall

Sleep is one of the most important bodily processes for physical and mental health. But did you know better sleep can even affect your spiritual life?

The contrast between darkness and light holds a fascination for many, even the youngest among us. Turn a toddler loose on a light switch and you’ll see this clearly—or perhaps you won’t! And every day, we witness on a much grander scale the works of God’s hands found in the separation of light from dark.

If you were to look at planet Earth from space, you would see the shadows of its darkness slowly sliding east to west, caused by its rotation away from the Sun’s light. And as sunset advances, another wave of diurnal animals curls up and conks out to rest under the darkness of night. Natural light/dark cycles perceived through eyes (and possibly somewhat through skin) stimulate areas of the brain that control the sleep hormone melatonin and our brain’s natural sleep cycles. Your Creator moves heaven and earth, in part, to give His creation sleep (Genesis 1:18; Psalm 127:2).

Before electricity, that wave of sleep would also include human beings. Today, we might just as likely witness a wave of glowing smartphone screens illuminating human faces as a flurry of thumbs set the next morning’s alarms, open sleep-tracking apps, or search the Web with the keyword insomnia. According to the Centers for Disease Control, about one in three adults in the United States reports not getting enough rest or sleep, and consequences are alarming in their breadth. Sleep deficiency has been linked with increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, obesity, depression, vehicular accidents, and even deterioration in relationships and job performance. From textile innovator Richard Arkwright’s nonstop industrial production to Thomas Edison’s lighting up our nights, and from television to smartphones, a long war has been waged on our sleep.

SLEEP AND MENTAL HEALTH

Our masterful Creator designed sleep to fulfill important functions. Much like recharging your cellphone battery, sleep “recharges” several systems. The brain is one organ particularly responsive to the quality and duration of sleep. Nearly everyone has experienced the rejuvenating effect of a good night’s sleep—the whole world takes on a rosier appearance when we awaken from one. Toddlers and even adults are less cranky when better rested.

A 2020 study published in the Journal of Sleep Research demonstrated sleep’s effect on emotions. Subjects experienced five nights of deficient sleep followed by five nights of full sleep. Lead researcher Daniela Tempesta noted that subjects rated various images as more troubling when sleep-deprived than when fully rested. Further, when sleep deficiency is sustained over a period of several nights, connections between the “siren” portion of the brain, called the amygdala, and the prefrontal cortex—the willful, decision-making center of the brain—are weakened. This may reduce “top-down” regulation of our emotions by our will. Researchers using brain imaging find that sleeping reduces activity of the amygdala. When the lights go out, the alarm portion of our brain gets reset. Emotions are recalibrated and placed back under control of the logical, decision-making areas of our brain.

Most of us have had an electronic device bog down until we “clear the cache.” Likewise, the brain has been designed by our Creator with the capacity to flush itself of waste, and this process is enhanced by sleep. In 2013, researchers at University of Rochester Medical Center used imaging to look at the difference between sleeping and wakeful mice. In particular, they focused on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), a specialized fluid that cushions the brain and spine within the bony skull and vertebral column. Neuroscientist Maiken Nedergaard and her colleagues were surprised to find a dramatic surge in the amount of CSF in the brain of sleeping mice. The floodgates regulating flow of CSF were thrown wide open during sleep and closed when awake. Neuroscientists tell us that this flow of CSF into the brain and subsequent flush of CSF out of the brain, ultimately into the circulatory system, clears brain-eroding toxins such as the protein amyloid-beta. Mice cleared much more amyloid-beta from their brains when sleeping than when awake. Rhythms of optimal sleep and wake cycles are critical to flushing the brain of toxins and metabolic waste products.

REST FOR THE WEARY—MORE THAN JUST A PHYSICAL NEED

As various support groups teach those struggling with addiction, we should try not to get too hungry, angry, lonely, or tired (H.A.L.T.). And this is not just for the benefit of our physical health and life. Our spiritual walk and life choices can also be jeopardized if we fail to give attention to our basic human needs in a disciplined, accountable way. Without adequate sleep, our emotions are intensified, and critical thinking becomes diminished.

With all the hurdles that modern life can throw at our sleep, statistics indicate that many of us will have sleep challenges. There are many ways in which we can and should work to resolve or compensate for those challenges—but even as we do, many of us continue to struggle, perhaps with the common, age-related decline in sleep quality.

God knows that we need rest. Jesus Christ, the Rock of Israel, fashioned and designed not just our sleep/wake cycles and our circadian rhythms; in His wisdom, He designed every cycle and rhythm woven into the fabric of the human body, mind, and heart. Each of us is the unhurried work of our Creator’s steady hands. By His deliberate voice, long ago He fashioned human lungs to draw in air and push it out. He spoke and designed your heart to autonomously pound out beats even while you are asleep and indifferent. Your Creator spoke every aspect of reality into existence, even the brain that dreams your dreams.

TRUE REST AND RESTORATION FOR ALL

Few if any human beings today will see more than 40,000 rotations of the Earth before they fall into the sleep of death—and some far less than that (Psalm 90:10; Hebrews 9:27). Death is a state where there is no heartbeat, no breath, no dreams, and no consciousness (Ecclesiastes 9:10; Psalm 6:5; 88:11–12). All the streaming social media posts, social justice and equality warriors’ protests, and feeble attempts at lasting meaning vainly pass (Psalm 115:17). Despite myths of zombies or immortal souls, when you are laid to rest in the grave or cremation urn, you are not “undead.” When you die, you are simply dead (Ecclesiastes 9:5). The “lights are out.”

Does God have a plan for a rest that is not corrupted by man and his contrived modern life? When will we get that rest? And who will awaken you after all goes dark?

Jesus Christ and God the Father have plans for you (Jeremiah 29:11). They plan to awaken you to a lasting rest (Matthew 11:28–29)—a rest to come that no human being has yet experienced (Hebrews 4:9). There is a time spoken of glowingly as a rest under the rule of God—a rule that will not end (Daniel 2:44).

You likely give some thought to waking up for work tomorrow. Why not give some thought to the possibility of awakening to eternity (James 4:14)? You owe it to yourself to study and understand the Bible without delay (2 Timothy 3:16–17); tomorrow may come more quickly than you planned (Romans 13:11).

Does Marriage Matter?

bduval — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 20:28:36 +0000

Does Marriage Matter?

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Does Marriage Matter?

bduval Thu, 01/04/2024 - 20:28

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Few aspects of life have undergone more change in both perception and behavior in recent decades than the institution of marriage. Behaviors that were once considered shameful are now considered normal. Isn't it time we ask: Is the direction we chose working? Has our new morality, or better yet, lack of morality, left us better or worse? Is it not time to re-evaluate? Does marriage matter?

Telecast Date

Thu, 02/14/2019 - 12:00

Telecast Presenter

Gerald E. Weston

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Life

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Sea Sponges and Unity

bduval — Tue, 29 Aug 2023 01:21:01 +0000

Sea Sponges and Unity

bduval Tue, 08/29/2023 - 01:21

2018-09-12

Gary Molnar

Sea sponges are considered to be some of the simplest of multi-cellular animals on earth. They have neither a central nervous system nor a brain yet the various types of cells within a sea sponge are able to perform the many different functions necessary for life. One amazing characteristic of sea sponges is their ability to regenerate. They are able to rebuild parts of their body structure that have been broken off, but it goes far beyond this. There is an interesting experiment that has been performed in laboratories around the world that demonstrates the remarkable regenerative ability of this simple creature.

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The Challenges of Dealing With Depression

bduval — Wed, 16 Aug 2023 01:09:26 +0000

The Challenges of Dealing With Depression

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The Challenges of Dealing With Depression

bduval Wed, 08/16/2023 - 01:09

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In the history of man, there have been times when great plagues have ravaged populations. Everyone has heard of the Black Death, which eliminated nearly half the population of Europe in the 14th century. Rich and poor fell to the disease; it made no distinction between classes.

Today medical authorities frequently pronounce dire warnings of what might be coming as a result of growing resistance to antibiotics on the part of numerous dangerous strains of bacteria. Indeed this is a real threat and significant resources are invested to try and stay ahead of these pathogens.

Yet as you are watching this program, another malady is marauding in our midst, one that costs our economy billions of dollars a year, and that claims victims from skid row to the corporate boardroom. Across the world a new plague is eroding health, wealth and happiness in a manner that is more pervasive than most realize.

The dark cloud of depression is affecting individuals, young and old, at all levels of society. It is quite possible you or people close to you are affected. There is a way to help overcome the challenge of depression.

Telecast Date

Wed, 01/20/2021 - 12:00

Telecast Presenter

Stuart Wachowicz

Telecast Category

Life

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#mentalhealth

#defeatdepression

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Would You Give Up On Your Dreams To Save A Life?

bduval — Tue, 15 Aug 2023 18:05:54 +0000

Would You Give Up On Your Dreams To Save A Life?

bduval Tue, 08/15/2023 - 18:05

2020-12-11

Jonathan Riley

We aren't all climbing Everest. But what are you willing to sacrifice for your neighbor, mate, or family members in need?

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The Spider's Woven Web

bduval — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 14:47:19 +0000

The Spider's Woven Web bduval Tue, 08/01/2023 - 14:47

The Spider's Woven Web

2022-03-01

Wallace G. Smith

What can the web weavers of the world teach us about a Designer whose skill surpasses the best science and technology of mankind?

Though they are marvels of God’s design, that probably isn’t your first thought when you suddenly notice one dangling from the ceiling only a few inches from your face.

Beware: We’re about to talk about spiders.

While they tend to give people the “creepy crawlies,” spiders really do reveal the magnificence of their Designer’s intelligence and engineering skills. And that thread from which they dangle—a silken fiber that seems almost impossibly thin—is one of the most remarkable materials in the natural world, earning intense scientific interest and the attention of researchers hoping to duplicate God’s handiwork.

Let’s allow ourselves, just for a moment, to become wrapped up in the spider’s web and see what we can learn of its Creator.

USED IN MANY WAYS

When visualizing a spider’s web, it is easy to think only of the beautiful and seemingly delicate cobwebs we commonly notice. But, as we’ll see, spiders create a silk that is a virtual "miracle material" capable of many uses, and the world’s spiders use it in an astonishing variety of ways.

For instance, some spiders in the Cyclosa family use debris in their webs to create crude spider-shaped decoys, larger than themselves—then shake the web to make the spider facsimile seem all the more like a larger and more dangerous threat to potential predators.

Bolas spiders get their name from weighted and roped weapons, thrown by South American gauchos, which capture animals by tangling their feet—an association that becomes clear when you watch these spiders in action. Hanging under a leaf or twig, the bolas spider will dangle from one of its legs a single silken thread, weighted at its end by a drop of specialized sticky fluid. Upon the approach of a moth, the spider will swing its thread like a lasso, hoping to latch the sticky droplet onto the moth. Once captured, the spider reels in its prey and dinnertime commences.

Even more ordinary webs may surprise us with the inventive ways in which spiders apply them. For instance, the “triangle weaver” spider has a remarkable way of taking full advantage of its web’s remarkable elasticity and tensile strength. The spider anchors itself on, say, a nearby twig, then pulls its webbed net back tightly—the way a human archer would pull back the string of a bow to launch an arrow. Once prey is within the spider’s range, it lets go of its anchor, shooting both spider and web toward the doomed insect.

There are so many ways in which different species use their webs. Spiders deploy their unique webs to build trap doors, create funnels that signal when prey has arrived, bind leaves together to create a hideaway home, craft a net they can grasp with the tips of their legs to snare their victims unawares, or even perform “ballooning”—a means of locomotion in which some spiders use threads of their webbing to take advantage of gentle wind currents and atmospheric electricity to “fly” for hundreds of miles. It seems that with every species of spider comes another application of spiderweb.

A MATERIAL LIKE NO OTHER

None of these amazing and creative accomplishments would be achieved were it not for the ingenious materials made possible by the spider’s versatile silk. While the thin threads of a spider’s web may seem fragile and flimsy, they are quite the opposite. Spider silk is the toughest fiber scientists have found in nature—lighter than cotton, yet stronger than steel. The Darwin’s bark spider, which creates the strongest silk ever discovered, produces strands with ten times the strength of Kevlar. Scientists are still plumbing spider silk’s properties and studying its design, hoping to learn how to create new materials and technologies to benefit human life.

The spider’s silk starts out as a liquid in an abdominal gland. Spiders actually have multiple glands, each responsible for creating a different kind of silk designed for a different range of purposes. For instance, an orb-weaver spider—creator of the spoked, spiraled kind of web we often see in our gardens—uses multiple silks depending on the task at hand. One kind of silk creates the temporary scaffolding of its web, while another, stronger silk creates the web’s spokes and outer supports. “Rungs” between the spokes are made with another more elastic kind of silk, resulting in threads that can stretch to more than twice their length without breaking. Another silk is used for creating egg sacs, and yet another to wrap its captured prey. Each task requires a different mixture of strength and flexibility, and a different kind of silk specifically engineered to best complement the spider’s goal.

Each variety of silk is created when liquid is pressed through valves and spigots that arrange protein molecules into solid strands before leaving the spider’s body. These microscopic spigots sit on the ends of small, finger-like organs, called spinnerets, protruding from the end of the spider’s abdomen. These spinnerets expertly wind the strands together to create the silk threads we associate with spider webs.

By varying multiple elements—say, the thickness of the threads that come out of the spigots, the combinations of the silk types that are woven by the spinnerets, or the specific manner in which the strands are combined—the fibers of the spider’s web can be assembled in a remarkable variety, each designed to serve a different purpose.

AMAZING POTENTIAL

Of course, the current big-screen incarnation of comic-book hero Spider-Man has teenaged Peter Parker manufacturing “web shooters” he can use to produce webs at whim. But in the real world, scientists aren’t quite as successful as young Mr. Parker.

Not that they aren’t motivated! Spider silk has an impressive array of uses for humans, but such webs are not easily manufactured. So far, mankind has generally been able to do so only by borrowing the spider’s own secrets. Silkworms and bacteria—and, perhaps surprisingly, even goats—have been genetically engineered to produce spider-silk proteins for human manufacturing purposes. But the effort is expensive and produces only small quantities—not nearly the levels of production needed to power wind turbines or tailor mass-produced clothing.

Still, the potential is huge, and researchers continue to pursue this wonder material. The medical industry in particular is intrigued by the fact that spider-silk is biodegradable and does not provoke an immune or allergic response in humans. The prospects of regenerating ligaments and creating better skin grafts for burn victims have doctors intrigued.

But for all our best human efforts, we still cannot produce in mass quantities what a single spider generates effortlessly on a daily basis. The spider occupying a quiet corner of your home is, in a real sense, a materials engineer beyond compare.

So, the next time a spider startles you—and after you’ve had a moment to catch your breath—you might step back and appreciate what that spider represents: a testament to an ingenious Creator who gives to even the smallest of His creations some abilities mankind cannot yet achieve, asking us to examine the works of His hands and to see His greatness, ingenuity, goodness, and providence.

Consider the Beaver

bduval — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 13:44:03 +0000

Consider the Beaver

bduval Tue, 08/01/2023 - 13:44

2017-11-29

Stuart Wachowicz

The beaver is second only to man in its ability to permanently alter the environment to meet its needs. It modifies landscapes and brings water back to previously dry areas. Much research is now being done in putting the beaver to work, perhaps impacting the planet’s water supply. Beavers are designed for their role: teeth that never stop growing and cannot be worn out, bodies perfectly designed for swimming, eyes with built-in swimming goggles and the ability to stay submerged for 15 minutes. They are built to lift many times their own weight, pulling heavy logs to the water. They could not have been better engineered for their role.

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Disrupting The Supply Chain

bduval — Thu, 04 May 2023 18:01:54 +0000

Disrupting The Supply Chain bduval Thu, 05/04/2023 - 18:01

Disrupting The Supply Chain

2022-03-01

Dexter B. Wakefield

Are the COVID-19 outbreaks and resulting economic troubles signs of “sudden disaster” as described in the Bible? What else can the world expect if we are living in the prophesied end times?

Recently, a water main had to be repaired near my home. As a result, the water supply was cut off for a day or so. We expect these disruptions to happen from time to time, so everyone took it in stride. After the water service resumed, we turned our faucets on and some water came out right away—but then the faucets began to sputter and blow out air. Why? Because of the repair, an extended section of the main water pipe was left with no water in it. But as soon as the air cleared out, fresh water again flowed into our home, as normal service was restored.

Our modern world has many pipelines of various sorts, and many products reach their destinations through a combination of freighters on the water, cargo carriers in the air, railroad cars and trucks on land—together creating a figurative “supply chain pipeline” bringing items from manufacturers to consumers. Raw materials begin at one end of the pipeline and go through complex patterns of transportation to be manufactured, assembled, sorted, processed, and delivered at various points along the pipeline before reaching consumers at the other end.

Companies seeking to keep costs down have made the supply chain both fragile and complex, with each step interdependent on the others. This makes the supply chain pipeline vulnerable even to small disruptions. And when disruptions reach the levels we have seen since the COVID pandemic began, the many factors complicating our modern global supply chain become clear.

Consider:

Many of the world’s supply lines have a lack of redundancies, and few secondary options are available if the supply line of a particular component is interrupted.
When there are reliable supply chains, “just-in-time” inventory can achieve efficiencies and lower costs, but—with inadequate stockpiling of essential parts—manufacturing processes become vulnerable to disruption.
Government policies adopted in the throes of a crisis can make planning difficult for manufacturers, who must respond to large swings in consumer demand and sometimes even to shortages caused by hastily crafted policies.

Each link in the supply chain depends on the previous link. When one supplier cannot do its part, others down the chain cannot do their parts, as they cannot get the necessary components. Ultimately, consumers end up paying more for the fewer items the chain is able to supply. And—like the water pipeline in my neighborhood—once shortages are over and supply is restored, it takes time before goods will reach their destination.

THE COVID PANDEMIC

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world in early 2020, many hospitals’ intensive care units filled up quickly, and governments around the world implemented lockdowns meant to slow the spread of the disease. Production of many goods and services simply stopped, and demand for some products—such as automobiles, useless to locked-down populations—declined precipitously.

This created numerous interacting disruptions in global supply chains. For instance, computer microchip manufacturers in Taiwan and South Korea account for 83 percent of world microprocessor production and 70 percent of memory chip output (“Global chip shortage: Everything you need to know,” TechRepublic.com, November 22, 2021). Those microchips are a critical component of many products, including automobiles. When demand for automobiles fell sharply in 2020, semiconductor manufacturers shifted their production to meet other consumer needs. As a result, when demand for automobiles bounced back in 2021, automobile manufacturers could not purchase enough semiconductors to resume enough production to meet the revived demand. This meant shortages of automobiles—and higher prices—for consumers.

And there were shortages of many types of products. According to a November 2021 report from Adobe Digital Insights, online shoppers were met with more than two billion out-of-stock messages in October 2021 alone (“Adobe: Shoppers have seen over 2 billion out-of-stock messages online,” Adobe Blog, Blog.Adobe.com, November 11, 2021). To recall the analogy of the broken water main, there was “air in the pipeline.”

Worldwide production is ramping up again, and chastened industrial managers hope to implement measures to minimize inventory disruptions in the future. For instance, China is reported to be stockpiling semiconductors ahead of anticipated U.S. sanctions, pushing its annual purchases to $380 billion—adding to the semiconductor shortage worldwide. Economists hope that the pipeline will restore much of its capacity by late 2022, but some sectors may not be restored until 2023 or 2024.

SUPPLY SHORTAGE AND NATIONAL SECURITY

Logistics, supply lines, and raw materials can be serious national security issues. Nations will go to war to secure resources critical to their economies. Of particular concern is petroleum, as the world saw in the years before World War II. The U.S. at the time was a major petroleum exporter, but embargoed supplies of crude oil to Japan. Many today do not remember that supply chain issues were a major factor in Japan’s decision to attack Pearl Harbor, Malaysia, and Thailand to secure the resources and supply lines critical to its imperial ambitions. Similarly, one key motivation behind Hitler’s decision to attack the U.S.S.R. during World War II was the German war machine’s need for a stable source of petroleum from the Caucasus.

In more recent times, European leaders are concerned that Russia is “weaponizing” the supply of natural gas to Europe by demanding economic and political concessions. Also of concern is that approximately a third of the world’s shipping passes through the South China Sea. China continues to militarize and expand its claims in that region, in what are currently recognized as international waters. By gaining military control over those shipping lanes, China would have a powerful economic and political lever over world trade. While China ramps up its naval forces, the U.S. is losing control of the world’s sea gates, increasing concerns about strategic supplies.

WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS

Shortly before His crucifixion, Jesus Christ took His disciples up to the Mount of Olives, which is about a kilometer east of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount across Kidron Valley. Today, that area can be visited by tourists, and if you were to look westward across the valley at the Temple Mount, you might remember the prophecy by Zechariah that stated, “For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem…. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east” (Zechariah 14:2–4).

When the disciples looked out across Kidron Valley at the Temple, perhaps they also remembered this prophecy given through Zechariah. They asked Jesus, “‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’ And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, [that] “I am the Christ,” and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows’” (Matthew 24:3–8).

In the last book of the Bible, Christ further describes world conditions just prior to the cataclysmic events that will proceed His return. First, He reveals a white horse, picturing false Christianity that will deceive the world. Next will come wars, pictured as “another horse, fiery red…. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another; and there was given to him a great sword.” Food will become unaffordable during famine—“[a] black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.’” Finally come disease pandemics and widespread death, as the text continues, “behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades [the grave] followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth” (Revelation 6:1–8).

A few years ago, our world could not have imagined a global pandemic—a “pestilence”—transforming our way of life in just a few months. Few could have imagined the food shortages, disruption of supplies, and international tensions we now see. We are hearing of wars and rumors of wars almost daily in the news, and the possibility of war is a major international concern in Europe, the Middle East, Taiwan, and the South China Sea. These difficulties are not necessarily the beginning of the Great Tribulation—which the Bible says will occur just prior to Christ’s coming—but they give us an idea of what can happen in a very short time in our interconnected world.

Jesus was very clear in His instructions to those living in the end times, when all this would come to pass. He said, “Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” (Mark 13:35–37).

What are we to watch? Biblical prophecy viewed in the context of current events! In the parable of the fig tree, which was given at the same time on the Mount of Olives, Jesus said, “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender, and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near—at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (v. 28–31). Christ’s instructions are sure.

Tomorrow’s World is dedicated to helping you watch by putting world events into the biblical narrative. To learn more about imminent, prophesied events, request free copies of Prophecy Fulfilled: God’s Hand in World Affairs and Fourteen Signs Announcing Christ’s Return, or read them online at TomorrowsWorld.org.

Depression and Social Unrest in Hong Kong

bduval — Thu, 04 May 2023 16:57:21 +0000

Depression and Social Unrest in Hong Kong

bduval Thu, 05/04/2023 - 16:57

2023-05-01

Bruno Duval

The end of the decade 2010–2019 has been marked by numerous demonstrations, protests, and social movements around the world. Whether it is the protests in Barcelona for the independence of Catalonia, the yellow vest movement in France or the protests in Hong Kong against the amendment of the extradition law, people all over the world want their voices to be heard and they wish to express their opinions in a loud, clear and ongoing manner.

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Could There Be A New Reserve Currency?

bduval — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 17:21:17 +0000

Could There Be A New Reserve Currency?

bduval Mon, 04/03/2023 - 17:21

2022-09-09

Michael Heykoop

Could the Euro, Yuan, Bitcoin or some new currency we’ve never even heard of become the next “world reserve currency?” Who decided that the US Dollars would be the reserve currency anyways and what does it actually do in that role? Does it matter and what would happen if the world found a new reserve currency?

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