Structural Adjustment: How The IMF And World Bank Repress Poor Countries And Funnel Their Resources To Rich Ones
By Alex Gladstein

While the IMF claims to have the ultimate goal of ending poverty, their actions consistently limit the financial freedoms and opportunities of the less fortunate. Many decisions made by the IMF have underlying political motivations, especially motivations to help enrich Western countries. 

Bitcoin builds an alternative system that doesn't favor a singular group of powerful individuals, nor does it subtly draw wealth out of impoverished nations. Instead, it provides an objective scale for countries with no central bank to enter global trade. 

This epic by Alex Gladstein illustrates these ideas perfectly by vividly detailing the IMF's global involvement throughout history.

⚡️ Lightning's Evolution

Maturation Of The Lightning Network: Growing Up By Going Vertical
By Roy Sheinfeld

Roy Sheinfeld, CEO of Breeze, a Lightning services company, incorporates a variety of historical examples of sophistication and specialization leading to advancements in human technology and ability. 

The Lightning Network is no different — at its creation, the entities involved were rather generalized, with basic frameworks needing to be developed.

But as time went on, Lightning development grew to encompass various sub-technologies, use cases and businesses. As for the future, Sheinfeld says, "...the current, expected and vital trend in Lightning is that companies are specializing in ever-smaller niches to provide ever-better user experiences."

📰 The Daily Bits

🇸🇻 El Salvador's Progress

Visiting El Salvador, It's Clear That Bukele's Bitcoin Country Is Neither Utopian, Nor Totalitarian
By Shinobi

Bitcoin and Lightning educator and advocate Shinobi recently spent a week in El Salvador for the Adopting Bitcoin conference. Shinobi takes an objective stance here, weighing the viewpoint of a Bitcoiner who understands the technology and reasonably cheers it on, with the experiences of people who actually live in the South American country. 

There has been great criticism of the Bukele regime since the president took power, much of it centering around his steps to heighten the safety of the country. However, Shinobi notes that a local who has lived in the country for more than decade described how "It was completely unbridled anarchy."

The author does acknowledge that not all is perfect about the solutions. He notes, "Have there been cases of false arrests? Yes. Is there an existential issue in sweeping aside due process to deal with the problem of violence in the country? Yes. But what would be the alternative solution anyone else would offer?"

El Salvador has a long road ahead of it, both in terms of societal politics and bitcoin adoption. 

MEME OF THE DAY 

By TheBTCTherapist