Vinod Khanna with son Rahul.

OnApril 27, 2017 when Vinod Khanna died in a Mumbai hospital, Indian cinema lost one of its most handsome and successful stars. Vinod was unlike any other in the Indian film firmament - a star who quit it all at the height of success only to return five years later to reclaim much of what had been lost. As a successful actor, handsome star, with a successful career in politics later on, Vinod had it all but nothing defined his life the way his association with Osho would. On his 3rd death anniversary, heres a look at how can be such a big part of his life.

Vinod as born in Peshawar in 1946 in undivided India. A year later, when Partition happened, his family comprising his parents, three sisters and a brother moved to Bombay (now Mumbai). His younger days - school and college - were spent in Mumbai, Delhi and Deolali, near Nashik in Maharashtra. Though Vinod made his film debut in 1968 with Sunil Dutt in Man Ka Meet, his heart truly was in cricket. He loved the game and played a fair bit of it while in Bombay. The public may think I am just another filmstar but there was a time when I played fair cricket with (test player) Budhi Kunderan. Later, I played with Eknath Solkar at the Hindu Gym. I used to bat at No 4 but settled for films the moment I realised I couldnt be Vishwanath! Even so cricket not films, is my first love, he had written in The Illustrated Weekly of India in 1979.

Yet films would be where he would earn name, fame and money. In the 70s era, he was one of the highest earning stars alogwith Amitabh Bachchan. Starting off playing the roles of villains, Vinod soon graduate to playing hero. Between the late 70s and early 80s, he had starred in a string of successful films such as Kuchhe Dhaage, Gaddaar, Imtihaan, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Inkaar, Amar Akbar Anthony, Rajput, The Burning Train, Qurbani, Kudrat, Parvarish and Khoon Pasina.

In his personal life too, life couldnt have been better - he married his college sweetheart, Gitanjali Taleyarkhan and a proud parent to two boys - Rahul and Akshaye - both of whom would go on to become actors. Life couldnt have been better and yet, in early 1980s he quit it all and moved into Rajneeshpuram with his spiritual guru Rajneesh. He had become his disciple in 1975. The developments shocked India.

Speaking about it, his younger son Akshaye in an interview to Mid Day had said how he was only about five or six years old when his father left them. At that time, it meant nothing to him. It was only when Akshaye turned 15 or 16 that he began to learn and listen about the man who influenced his father so much that he was willing to renunciate life and take sanyaas. Akshaye said, To not only leave his family, but to take sanyaas (renunciation). Sanyaas means giving up your life in totality family is [only] a part of it. Its a life-changing decision, which he felt that he needed to take at the time. As a five-year-old, it was impossible [for me] to understand it. I can understand it now.

It is indeed life coming a full circle when ones child, most impacted by ones decisions, turns empathetic. Akshaye went on to explain how he now understood what his father must have felt. In the sense that something must have moved him so deeply inside, that he felt that that kind of decision was worth it for him. Especially, when you have everything in life. And when life doesnt look as though theres much more that you can have.

A very basic fault-line/ earthquake has to occur within oneself to make that decision. But also stick by it. One can make the decision and say this doesnt suit me lets go back. But that didnt happen.

Akshaye explained how Vinods renunciation was complete and had it not been for the unfortunate developments vis-a-vis Rajneeshpuram and the US government then, Vinod would never have come back. And circumstances in America with Osho and the colony, friction with the US government that was the reason he came back.

There were constant murmurs that Vinod was disillusioned; Akshaye thought the contrary. He added, From whatever memories I have about my father talking about that time in his life, I dont think that was a reason at all. It was just the fact that the commune was disbanded, destroyed, and everybody had to find their own way. Thats when he came back. Otherwise I dont think he wouldve ever come back.

By the time Vinod returned to India, he and Gitanjali had divorced. He went back to working in Bollywood, working in films like Dayavan. Vinod married again, this time to Kavita Daftary, daughter of industrialist Sharayu Daftary and had two more children. He joined the Bharatiya Janata Party and won four Lok Sabha elections from Gurdaspur and remains the most successful Bollywood star in politics. He successfully launched his son Akshayes film career too. All his life, Oshos philosophy remained central to his existence.

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Originally posted here:
On Vinod Khannas 3rd death anniversary, a look at how joining Osho became the most defining moment... - Hindustan Times

Who is Amala Paul's new boyfriend? The name and photos of her Mr Right revealed

Amala Paul is reading 'The Book of Woman', written by Osho and the influence of the author can be seen on her as the actress has raised pertinent questions about love, marriage and notable about the women's treatment in the society.

Amala Paul.Instagram

Amala Paul's Bold Message on Social Media The 27-year old talks about how the women are subject to slavery and claims that pregnancy brings death to child in her. Amala Paul stated that the men uses women as an object of lust to fulfil his sexual desire.

The complete unedited text can be read below:

All the best questions in THE PROPHET are asked by women- about love, about marriage, about children, about pain-authentic, real. . Not about God, not about any philosophical system, but about life itself. Why has the question arisen in a woman and not in a man ? Because the woman has suffered slavery, the woman has suffered humiliation, the woman has suffered economic dependence, and, above all, she has suffered a constant state of pregnancy. . For centuries she has lived in pain and pain. The growing child in her does not allow her to eat. She is always feeling like throwing up, vomiting. .

He simply uses the woman as an object to fulfill his lust and sexuality

When child has grown to nine months, the birth of the child is almost the death of the woman. And when she is not even free of one pregnancy, the husband is ready to make her pregnant again. It seems that the woman's only function is to be a factory to produce crowds. . And what is man's function ? He does not participate in her pain. Nine months she suffers, the birth of the child she suffers- and what does the man do ?

As far as the man is concerned, he simply uses the woman as an object to fulfill his lust and sexuality. He is not concerned at all about what the consequence will be for the woman. . And still he goes on saying, 'I LOVE YOU'. If he had really loved her, the world would not have been over populated. His word 'love' is absolutely empty. He has treated her almost like cattle. . #osho #thebookofwoman #woman #slaverystillexists #ancestralhealing #powerfulwords

Amala Paul.PR Handout

Amala Paulon Work Front: On the work front, she is busy with South Indian version of Hindi web series Lust Stories. She is also part of Mahesh Bhatt's yesteryear actress Parveen Babhi's biopic.

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Amala Paul: 'When she is not even free of one pregnancy, the husband is ready to make her pregnant again' - International Business Times, India...

Charged and complex Edwin Morgan in 2003. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

Three poems from The New Divan

1.Hafiz, old nightingale, what fires there have been in the groves, white dust, wretchedness, how could you ever get your song together? Someone stands by your tomb, thinks as a shadow thinks: much, little, any? You swore youd be found shrouded in another grave-cloth of pure smoke from a heart as burning dead as beating but the names of cinders are thick where passions were. Whole cities could be ash. But not the song the Sufi says we have but our dying song, you knew, gives us our beings.

86.Not in Kings Regulations, to be in love. Cosgrove I gave the flower to, joking, jumping down the rocky terraces above Sidon, my heart bursting as a village twilight spread its tent over us and promontories swam far below through goat-bells into an unearthly red. He dribbled a ball through shrieking children and they laughed at our bad Arabic, and the flower. To tell the truth he knew no more of what I felt than of tomorrow. Gallus, he cared little for that. Ive not lost his photograph. Yesterday, tomorrow he slumbers in a word.

92.Angels with abacuses called their calculations once, in an ancient scene of souls. They shrug now, its not calculable, dive in pools, dry out half human with their wings on rocks and let computers mass the injuries let computers mess the injuries let computers miss the injuries let computers moss the injuries let computers muss the injuries of merely mortal times. Consequently waters break on earth but not for them. And those who see them in this labouring place have shadows watching them, not angels. It doesnt matter which. When was our ACHTUNG MINEN ever their concern, or the tears where our bodies were?

Edwin Morgan (1920-2010) considered his 100-poem sequence, The New Divan, his war poem.

A conscientious objector, Morgan served in a non-combatant role in the Royal Army Medical Corps in north Africa during the second world war. He wrote the sequence years after the experience, and published it in 1977, by which time his major collections, The Second Life (1968) and From Glasgow to Saturn (1973) had established his reputation. He chose the right moment for himself as a poet: its as if the poem had always been waiting for him to find his hail voice.

The sequence is non-linear. There are narrative glimpses only. Many of the poems have a swift, strange jostle of images, like vivid dreams, almost surreal. Wars violence is more often hinted than described, part of the symbolism of red, a favourite colour in the swirling weave. Blood, roses, sunset, fire, wine, the eyes after drinking all shades and moods of red connect Morgans divan (the word means in Persian a collection of poems) to the original Divan by the 14th-century Sufi poet Hafiz.

Love, for Morgan as for Hafiz, is the major theme. In a context where homosexual relationships were officially forbidden, its a charged and complex business. As the second poem here affirms, to be in love was against Kings Regulations. It would not have been an easy subject for Morgan at the time of writing, either.

Sufi mysticism and carnal ecstasy merge for both poets. Of course, Morgans persona isnt seeking union with God, but the ecstatic union with the man he desires, Cosgrove, is a spiritual matter in that its a quest for the utmost personal authenticity. The shapes, colours and syntax of Morgans poems, so unlike Hafizs stately ghazals, make them seem to dance like whirling dervishes, the Sufi worshippers who seek divine connection through bodily movement. As the Indian mystic, Acharya Rajneesh, (Osho), explained, Sufis sing, they dont give sermons, because life is more like a song and less like a sermon. And they dance, and they dont talk about dogmas, because a dance is more alive, more like existence, more like the birds singing in the trees ... The whole life is a dance, vibrating, throbbing, with infinite life. Sufis like to dance; they are not interested in dogmas.

In Poem 1, Morgan addresses the old nightingale Hafiz himself, and refers to the text where Hafiz declares: Open my grave when I am dead, and thou shalt see a cloud of smoke rising out from it; then shalt thou know that the fire still burns in my dead heart; yea, it has set my very winding-sheet alight. (Gertrude Bells translation). Death in Morgans poem is retrospective transformation: But / not the song the Sufi says we have / but our dying song, you knew, gives us our beings. It seems likely that Morgan wrote the Divan after Cosgroves death; it was certainly written when the realisation of that love was no longer a possibility. But the love gives Morgan his song.

No 82 is a long way ahead in the sequence or would be if The New Divan were chronologically structured. This poem has a lighter, airier voice: insouciant as well as sad, it captures the character of Cosgrove, and the obligatory playfulness which both defuses and heightens the relationship. Gallus (line 10) is an adjective in Scots . The fact that Gallus is a proper noun in Latin creates an ambiguity: might it also be read as a reference to the Roman prefect-in-Egypt, Aelius Gallus, whose expedition was described by Strabo, among others?

No 92 laments the disunity jarring the heart of Morgans wartime experience. Angels are imperfect, or invisible. Capital letters shout, Beware Landmines. An excursion into concrete poetry results in a mechanical, anti-creation hymn . Mass, mess, miss, moss, muss: the hissing litany of words chancily formed by the sequence of vowels, recalls a device used humorously in The Computers First Christmas Card. Poem 92 is a cry of pain, but still a word-dance.

Edwin Morgans 100th birthday would have been on 27 April. Im delighted to have an excuse to return to his work, and for PotW to play a small part in his centenary celebrations. No 20th-century poetry has brought me more varied, intense and unfading pleasure than Morgans. His is the song of our time the living, not the dying, song which gives us our being.

See the rest here:
Poem of the week: The New Divan by Edwin Morgan - The Guardian

In an InstaLive interview, Elizabeth Osho had a chat with a renowned photographer, Seun O, one of the many COVID-19 survivors who got people talking after attending a high profile award event in Lagos.

Seun spoke about his experience, what happened, his time at the isolation centre, and how he overcame the virus.

Heres what we learned:

He left the UK on the 12th of March, and arrived Nigeria on the 13th of March. He was an official photographer for the award event which took place on Saturday, March 14. Carrying out his task during the event, he was all fine, in good spirit and felt no symptom of the virus. The next night after the event (Sunday night), he started to feel ill with symptoms of tiredness and fever.

When he suspected hed contracted the virus, he got in touch with people he was in close contact with, and one of his conversations with a trusted friend got leaked and made the rounds on social media. He was in isolation for five days, and later went to the hospital to get tested.

Upon visiting the hospital and providing the necessary information such as his symptoms and travel history, the hospital then contacted Lagos State and the NCDC about him. Describing how the COVID-19 test procedure went, he said a stick-like instrument goes up the nostrils, a very uncomfortable and painful process.

When the Lagos State Commissioner of Health, Akin Abayomi, contacted him about his COVID-19 positive status, he was scared. He said he felt like his world was crashing down because he had the virus that was killing people around the world.

Did anyone he came in contact with test positive for the virus? Seun O said, Not one single person has tested positive for the coronavirus.

The isolation centre: For Seun, it was an experience he will not regret. The people in his ward were exceptional characters, he said, and all 15 to 16 patients in his ward are now COVID-19 survivors.

His treatment: Everyone in his ward had different symptoms. The first time he got to his ward, after dinner, he had his first antiretroviral, antibiotics, calcium and paracetamol.

Stigmatization: It is a very serious issue for Seun. He met people in the isolation centres who didnt want their families, friends or colleagues to know they had coronavirus.

Watch the full interview here!

See the original post here:
Surviving COVID-19: What We Learned from Seun O's Interview with Elizabeth Osho - BellaNaija

Secret of everlasting happiness - how you can find the key! (Pic Credit: Pixbay)

Once speaking at the inauguration of a chair at Surat University dedicated to Osho, spiritual guru Morari Bapu expanded to give a different dynamic to the meaning of the acronym OSHO.He felt OSHO should mean, Own Silent, Happiness Own meaning our silence and peace should be internal and within us.

The great Adi Shankaracharya had said, Ekante Sukhamasyatam (There is happiness in solitude). Bapu felt that considering the Lockdown has naturally put us in a situation of solitude, we must use it for the purpose of introspection.

Is the peace that we feel really our own? Silence can be of many kinds. There is deep hush even in a graveyard. Sometimes we become quiet due to the compulsions of our circumstances. Sometimes a wicked man can force us into silence by showing us fear, Bapu said

He explained further, A child plays with toys and then discards them. He understands that toys are for meant him and he is not meant for the toy.

The same is true of materialistic objects in life. We need to analyse whether our happiness is based on some incident, object, person, country or time. A Buddhpurush (Self Realized soul) is in bliss all the time because he is the reason for his own happiness. The joy is neither borrowed or purchase or dependent on external factors. This is inner peace.

We could use this time when we are confined to our homes and with limited social mingling to thus internally analyse about these aspects and we might find new strength.

What is not yours and is borrowed is never permanent. It will break or be interrupted

The Ramayana says:

Nija sukha binu mana hoi ki thira, parasa ki hoi bihina sameera

(Can the mind be stilled without inner happiness? Just like there can be no touch without the existence of air.)

II Ram Charit Manas Uttara Kaand 90 (A) II

This brings us to the question whether we all have the capacity to find that calm within.

Morari Bapu feels that in actuality there is no difference between a Guru and the disciple except as a societal arrangement. They are the same in the spiritual realm, otherwise Adi Shankaracharya would not have said, Na Bandhur Na Mitram Guru Naiva Shishyah, Chidaananda Rupah Shivoham Shivoham. (I am not the relative, nor the friend, nor the guru, nor the disciple. I am indeed, that eternal knowing and bliss, Shiva, love and pure consciousness.)

Goswami Tulsidas also says Shrota Vakta Gyan Nidhi (Both the listener and narrator of Gods tale are full of knowledge) in truth both are on the same plane.

Guru only enters into disciple and lights the lamp of his soul and in the light of this lamp, all delusion is destroyed!

And what do we discover after such a stage?

God is all about acceptance and love. God is the joy within and the peace that emanates from within us. They are synonyms.

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The secret of everlasting happiness this is how you can find the key! - Times Now

Udaipur :Udaipur police has registered a case against a constable posted in the District Special Branch (DSB) here after a German national was found living in his cottage in Osho Dhyan Vihar at Seth ji ki Kundal under Goverdhan Vilas police station area of the city on Tuesday. There are many cottages in the center and one of those in which the foreigner lady had been living, is reportedly owned by the constable Sajjan Singh who did not report about her at the local police station or the administration even after a fortnight of her stay.

Goverdhan Vilas SHO Chena Ram Pachar told Udaipur Kiran The lady, Kyara Marki had come to India on February 5 and after visiting several places had reached Udaipur on March 18. She had been living in the Osho Ashram since then however, Sajjan Singh didnot report about her arrival to the local police or the SP office , which is mandatory and more importantly ahead of the present lockdown situation. Germany has over 1 lakh people infected of coronavirus and 1810 residents have died till now. The police was tipped off about few foreigners residing in the ashram and when they cross verified the register, they came to know about the German woman.

The police has confiscated her passport, got her screened and medically examined while a case has been registered against the constable under the Foreigners Act,1946. Under the act, any hotel, guest house , institute, hotel or others who provide accomodation to foreigners must submit the details of the residing foreigner in Form C to the registration authorities within 24 hours of the arrival of the person at their premises. This is to help the registration authorities in locating and tracking the foreigners.

More here:
German woman found living in cop's cottage without information, FIR registered - Udaipur Kiran

Radhika Madan made her debut with Vishal Bharadwajs Pataakha and was seen in Homi Adajanias Angrezi Medium recently. The film had to be pulled out of theaters due to the lockdnwn to combat the spread of COVID--19. Now the movie is available on the OTT platform. And the actress is getting rave reviews for her performance. This has excited her. She says she wants to explore new sides to her on screen. The journey has just started for this newcomer. And she's gung ho about the journey ahead.

How are you staying positive in this difficult hour with so much negativity around?

Its important to take care of your mental health as well as your physical health. What we don't realise is that our immunity is related to our mental health. Of course, we should be aware about whats happening around. But I also keep myself disconnected. I make sure that I learn something everyday. I am thankful for things that I have like food, health... I just keeping myself busy learning something everyday. Thats how I keep myself on the positive side.

What are you enjoying the most about this quarantine period ?

We keep saying we dont have time. Now we have the time, still we dont do the stuff we want to do. I always said that I wanted to learn tap dancing, I'm learning it online. I'm learning to play the piano. I'm cooking, writing, reading and doing yoga.

One movie or show, you've been binge watching all day at home.

I saw Parasite. And now Angrezi Medium is out, I was watching it with my house help yesterday.

If this lockdown extends, who are the two people you'd want by your side?

I'd want to meet my family. I want to just hug my parents. I'm here and my parents are in Delhi. As soon as the lockdown is over, I will go to meet them.

What have you learnt from this critical period?

I've learnt to just be thankful for the things I have. We want money... people behave as if they have all the power in the world. At the end of the day, it just comes down to washing your hands and sitting at home. No matter how rich or powerful you are. Everybody is at home doing nothing, just making sure they 're eating well and washing their hands. It makes you think about a lot of things. This time teaches you to realise the value of your family and friends.

Which is the one book/webseries/ film, you'd like to recommend to your fans?

I'm reading The Goose Is Out by Osho. Its a lovely book.

With Angrezi Medium going on digital platform, what kind of response are you expecting from the film?

Angrezi had released and unfortunately the lockdown happened. The film is far bigger than our personal interest in it. At the end of the day, it all comes down to why you make a film, right? You make a film to entertain the audience. So our main motto was not just to release it in theatres... its about entertaining the people.Thats the reason we released it digitally. We want people to see the film with their family. We just want to put a smile on their faces The response I am getting is humbling. Its positive and so encouraging.

What kinds of roles/scripts are you looking forward to do in the near future.

I just want to do whatever excites me. I dont want to live the same character twice. Thats the reason Angrezi was different from Patakha. Shiddat is going to be different from Angrezi. I just want to explore different shades of me.

Tell me something about your next film Shiddat with Sunny Kaushal.

Its a love story and I am a swimmer in it. Its gonna be different from whatever I have done before.

Lastly, what do you think lies in store for Bollywood, post the novel coronavirus pandemic?

I cant say whats going to happen after the pandemic. But I hope we will realise the value of the important things in our lives. And we get out of this as better people, more aware about things.

Read more here:
Exclusive- Radhika Madan on quarantine, upcoming projects and more - Filmfare

Everything about Netflixs new documentary series Tiger King is out of the ordinary. Its not only the crazy plot or the animals in captivity but also the larger than life characters that make it a compelling watch. So whats this most-watched show on Netflix all about? Tiger King captures the life of private zoo owner Joe Exotic as he takes you into the wilderness of Oklahoma where he lives. With a murder-for-hire charge against him, things only start to spiral downwards. You also get to see his story unfold with his three husbands and a constant sense of hatred he shares foranimal rights activist and sanctuary owner, Carole Baskin.

The seriesalso tackles topics like suicide and drug abuse and make them look trivial in comparison to the other aspects of the show. And for all the above reasons, we believe this show should be the one you should watch, especially if true crime documentaries are your thing. But if you are done watching the series and are on a lookout for more, allow us to present shows that will promise a crazy ride like Tiger King. Scroll through for a list of shows on Netflix that will help you get over the Tiger King hangover.

Wild Wild Country is the first series that struck my mind after watching Tiger King, for its wild plot and wildest characters. Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh a.k.a Osho sets out to establish Rajneeshpuram in Wasco County, Oregon, for his cult. Things start to go haywire when Ma Anand Sheela along with Osho gets involved in a national scandal with the local community. Theres plenty of sex, scandal and money in this series to keep you hooked.

If Tiger King has unleashed your longing for watching true crime docu-series, let this be your pick. The series revolves around a video circulated on the internet showing the ruthless murder of two cats by an anonymous person. Deanna Thompson from Las Vegas and John Green from Los Angeles start an online manhunt to find the killer. Theres also the common reference of dont fuck with the cats in both the shows.

Making A Murderer is the most popular among the true-crime docu-series for many reasons. The plot is based on Steven Avery who is wrongfully convicted of sexual assault and murder of Penny Beerntsen. The show is two seasons long and can take up your entire weekend if you have no other plans in place.

Season one of this true-crime series revolves around the murder trial of O.J Simpson giving you an up-close into what went behind the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. A gripping tale with many twists and turns, this one is followed by a season two where the anthology takes on the murder of famous personality Gianni Versace.

Another true crime docu-series to complete this list is Evil Genius, a story of Americas most diabolical bank heist in 2018. With four episodes, this series in its short span talks about the murder of Brian Wells. No shortage of crime and thrill on this one for sure.

Featuring:Ma Anand Sheela,Osho,Philip Toelkes

Release date: March 16, 2018

Platform: Netflix

Featuring:Ann Smith

Release date: May 10, 2018

Platform: Netflix

More here:
Loved Tiger King? Watch these 5 similar shows on Netflix to keep the momentum going - GQ India

Apr 2, 2020 at 08:00 UTCUpdated Apr 6, 2020 at 06:07 UTC

Lime image via Shutterstock

Osho Jha is an investor, data scientist and tech company executive who enjoys finding and analyzing unique data sets for investing in both public and private markets.

Many bullish investment theses for bitcoin are grounded in expectations that the upcoming halving of block rewards will cause the bitcoin (BTC) price to increase. Previous supply constrictions, from 50 BTC to 25 BTC and 25 BTC to, where we currently stand, at 12.5 BTC, have had that effect. Still, given the rare nature of these events, our data points are limited and increase the anticipation and speculation around upcoming halving some time in May 2020.

There are many great pieces on the mechanics of a BTC halving and how they were described in the original white paper and subsequently coded into the structure of bitcoin. So I will assume familiarity with these concepts going forward as we try to understand the supply constriction narrative of the halving thesis.

Unfortunately, many investors are pointing to the halving as a catalyst for a price increase in the face of a difficult bitcoin market, which has had three straight quarters of negative returns, and have set sky high expectations for what sort of price action we may see after. I certainly believe that the halving will have a positive impact on price, but I am concerned by investors expecting parabolic gains in the fashion of 2017.

As it currently stands, the bullish thesis around the halving is that as block rewards get cut in half, the number of miners able to sustain their operations will decline. Since fewer BTC are being brought into circulation, there should also be some reduced sell pressure as miners often sell BTC to fund operations in their local currency. One could then conclude that the supply constriction will allow the price to appreciate.

While I generally believe this thesis to be sound, I think it hinges on the assumption that a drop in block rewards will force miners offline, and that demand for bitcoin will not decline and this merits further analysis.

Mining is a difficult game of balancing BTC inflows with fixed cost outflows of hard dollars. Their most prevalent cost is electricity. In order to cover this cost, miners sell BTC, creating a consistent sell pressure in the market.

Next-gen miners are more efficient on a hashes-to-electricity-consumption basis helping alleviate some of concerns around electricity cost. According to recent research piece by BlockWare Solutions, a large distributor of mining rigs in North America, roughly 62 percent of miners are using new-gen miners (the Bitmain S17 and up) and 38 percent are using old-gen miners (the Bitmain S9 and below). The table below, from BlockWare Solutions, shows a breakdown of the mining landscape based on their internal data, which has insight into 20 percent of the total hash rate on the network.

I believe the recent downward price action has already caused a miner capitulation, which is reflected in the recent drop in hash rate and the compensating downward adjustment of difficulty. At current bitcoin prices (roughly $6200), 19 percent of bitcoin miners are operating at a loss. With the halving being a doubling of break-even price, we can see that roughly an additional 38 percent of miners will join them. Thats roughly 57 percent of the market in. And while that constitutes a majority of the hash power, the reality is that miners can and often do operate below break-even prices. To sustain themselves, they sell bitcoin from their own treasury, adding to the selling pressure.

While the halving will certainly take miners offline, I believe this will be a gradual change as opposed to an instantaneous change. It will likely be preceded by additional selling pressure from miners operating below break-even costs, unless there is a substantial spike in price or consistent decline in difficulty allowing these miners to stay online.

Isnt it priced in? is the most common question I hear from both short term traders and long term investors. I find this question to be shallow because it is nearly impossible to answer for any asset, let alone one as nascent as bitcoin. Despite the steady press coverage, I feel that the true impact of the halving is not priced in certainly not outside the core long term BTC holders.

Investing is a matter of patience. The halving will bring a positive impact to price but we should be measured in our expectations.

Current futures price would suggest market participants are unaware of a halving or do not expect it to have a big impact on price with post halving expiry contracts trading in line with pre halving expiry contracts.

Historically, bitcoin has had large run-ups in the year leading into the halving followed by parabolic gains in the year after.

While this narrative was certainly compelling in the summer of 2019 with bitcoin peaking around $13k, bitcoin is currently up 20 percent on a year over year (Y/Y) basis. This is still a phenomenal return, especially compared to the -13 percent Y/Y return in SPY the exchange-traded fund tracking the S&P 500. Since the returns leading into the 2020 halving are compressed compared to the parabolic returns leading into the past two halvings, the returns after the 2020 halving should be positive but more constrained.

A measured response is in no way a condemnation of the halving thesis. It is the natural evolution of an asset class that is becoming understood by a broader market. Recent price action has been encouraging as the market has been able to absorb the selling pressure created by miners in the face of a large price decline due to a global flight to USD. While the price decline was substantial and primarily driven by short-term holders, the ensuing stability in the $6,000 range is positive and shows that demand for bitcoin has remained strong. With stablecoin capitalizations at an all time high, there is plenty of capital on the sidelines, but as markets mature, a singular, well broadcast event rarely causes outsized impact on price after the fact certainly not one as talked about as BTCs halving.

Early in its life BTC traded like a venture investment. Even in 2017, the crypto boom was fueled by a belief that distributed ledger technology would revolutionize all industries and that adoption of digital cash was close. But bitcoin is unique in being both a technology and a representation of strong money principles digital gold.Its strong money principles are encompassed in a self correcting system incentivizing miners while slowing the rate at which this fixed supply asset is trickled out. I believe we will look back at bitcoins third halving and instead of parabolic gains see bitcoin come into its own during a period of global macro distress.

Quick gains usually turn into quick losses. Investing is a matter of patience. The halving will bring a positive impact to price but we should be measured in our expectations. Current actions by central banks around the world have given more positive catalysts to bitcoin than a singular event. Macro trends (such as the debasement of the U.S. dollar by the Federal Reserve) occur slowly and we have yet to see the impact of these events in traditional markets, let alone bitcoin. Patience and measured expectations are key in this market. After all, no asset has rewarded those two principles as handsomely as bitcoin.

NOTE: This article has been changed to reflect that currently post-halving futures are trading in line with pre-halving expiries.

The leader in blockchain news, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups.

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Looking for a Bitcoin Halving Payday? Tamp Expectations - CoinDesk

NEW YORK CITY: Town Stages has announced the recipients of the third annual Sokoloff Creative Arts Fellowship and its inaugural Residency Program. The fellows will receive approximately 400 hours of available weekly workspace in Towns venue to work, rehearse, write, meet, organize, connect, and collaborate. With support and guidance from Towns leadership and board, the cohort will work in community for a full year.

This years cohort consists ofAdam Odsess-Rubin (National Queer Theater), Adefolakunmi Adenugba (ISE-DA), Adrianna Mateo, Aime Sophie Garcia, Alie B. Gorrie, Amy Jo Jackson, Andi Lee Carter, Andrea Prestinario (Ring of Keys), AriDy Nox, Arpita Mukherjee (Hypokrit Theater Company), Brandon Powers, Bryanna Bradley, Darlene Arrington, Denitia Odigie, Diana Oh, Dustin H. Chinn, Florencia Iriondo, Hester Li (LAUNCH), Janelle Lawrence, Jasmin Richardson, Jolaubi Osho (HERoines Inc.),Julian Hernandez, Julin Mesri, Kate Douglas, Kristin Yancy (MinuteZero), Laura Winters, Lili Torre, Matthew J. Schneider, Mei Ann Teo, Mika Kauffman (Trans Theatre Alliance), Nancy Sun, November Christine, Rachel Gita Karp, Rebecca Louise Miller, Shakina Nayfack (Savage Godx), Sugar Vendil, Sydney Baloue, Tia DeShazor, Tiff McFierce, Trevor Latez Hayes, Troy Anthony, Zachariah Ezer, Zach Infante, Althea Stevens and Amoy Barnes, Emily Hartford and Ned Massey, Jacob Jarrett & Nina Roy, Julia Cavagna and Kate Bell (Theater to the People), Iyvon Edebiri and Katy Donnelly (The Parsnip Ship), Larissa Marten and Leia Squillace (Herd).

The inaugural resident artists were selected from the 2019 fellowship class and will receive a second year consisting of expanded fellowship resources and extended evening hours. Additionally, the residents will operate as community leaders, providing another layer of guidance for the 2020 fellows.

The 2020 Resident Artists areCharlotte Arnoux, amon Boylan, Molly Powers Gallagher, Tess Howsam, Rachel Lin, Anna Lubina, Benjamin Moniz, Marina Montesanti, Zach Morris, Tara OCon, Alex Parrish, Tidtaya Sinutoke, Jeff Tang, Will Thomason, Rebecca Vineyard, Vanessa Walters, Emma Rosa Went, and Jamila Youngstedt.

Just four weeks ago, we were celebrating how far weve comehaving grown our operation to expand the size of this vital program, said Town founder and CEO Robin Sokoloff in a statement. Then three weeks ago, we welcomed our new class of fellows in. There is so much we dont know about COVID-19. This unfolding health and labor crisis is sending shockwaves through our industry. While we cant be together at Town at this time, we are going digital and supporting folks from there.

Over the past two years, Town Stages has supported more than 600 events, created more than 1,000 local jobs, and subsidized over 5,200 hours of arts programming to the public. This is all in addition to a fellowship program geared toward artists whose work is accessible, ethical, pioneering, enterprising, and inclusive.

Affordable and accessible space should not be a privilege, it is a human right, Sokoloff said in her statement. Making space for todays community leaders who are building a more compassionate and inclusive world is our business.

Opened in 2017 in partnership with Sokoloff Arts, Town Stages is a cultural space and institution located in Tribeca. With its goal of advancing equity for arts, hospitality, civic, and social justice workers, the organization centers the voices of women, people of color, LGBTQIA+, immigrants, and people of all abilities.

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Town Stages Announces 2020 Fellows and Residents - American Theatre