On Being a Splinterlands Noob:

I’ve only been playing the game since last month and have yet to get any higher than Bronze II. Lately I’ve been battling in Bronze III because although I’ve bought enough Collection Power to advance from there, I’ve also started renting out cards which has lowered my CP.

All things being equal, I seem to do my best when using the Water Splinter. But of course things are rarely equal. For better or worse, I tend to use Death for very low mana battles and Fire for 99 mana battles. Situationally, I sometimes use Earth (with Mylor Crowling) for mid-mana battles where my opponent has used three or more splinters over the last five battles. I’m pretty much clueless about Life; even utilizing Lorna Shine, I’ve so far had little luck. But it might just be a small sample size. I haven’t used Drake of Arnak much so do not really have a feel for the Dragon splinter, one way or another. I haven’t played a lot so far at Bronze II but enough that I’m starting to get a feel for the various rule sets.

Overall though, Water is my go-to, particularly with highish mana so that I can use both Venari Wavesmith and Axemaster.

Any strategic advice, particularly about card purchases, would be appreciated.

Cryptocurrency, Investing, Money, Economy, and Debt:

Why Bitcoin Is Generational Wealth

Floor model $98K Nov close will probably be a first miss (after nailing Aug, Sep, Oct). S2F model not affected and indeed on track towards $100K. pic.twitter.com/QO3bRUoGo3

— PlanB (@100trillionUSD) November 25, 2021

El Salvador celebrates Black Friday, buys 100 BTC for 20% off

I’ve seen several several stories recently about organized gangs mass-shoplifting at retail locations in California. On Friday, it happened about 20 miles from where I live.

Coronavirus News, Analysis, and Opinion:

Claim that the COVID-19 vaccine is riskier than the disease for children is based on an economist’s incorrect calculation of the metric “number needed to vaccinate”

Butte County Town of Oroville Declares Itself a ‘Constitutional Republic’ in the Latest Anti-Vaccine Tantrum

Politics:

Trump Endorses Down the Ballot In Michigan

It’s unusual for a former president to endorse in races so deep down the ballot, especially nearly nine months before the Republican primary. But Trump has backed seven candidates for state House or Senate seats in Michigan, an electoral battleground that he lost narrowly to Joe Biden last year — more than anywhere else. Most of the endorsements, including Rocha’s, were announced in recent weeks. All of the candidates have one thing in common: They’ve made election administration and investigating last year’s vote central to their platforms.
Trump’s focus on the state illuminates just how driven he is to exact revenge on those who haven’t supported his baseless claim that the last election was stolen from him. It’s also a play to install allies who could be helpful should he run for president again in 2024 and find himself locked in another close race.

It Wasn’t a Hoax

The confirmed Trump-Russia record leaves many mysteries and uncertainties unresolved. Even now, the U.S. public still does not have a full and final picture of his business dealings with Russia before and even during his presidency.
The confirmed record may not add up to a criminal conspiracy either, not as that concept is defined by U.S. law. Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his team stated that they could not prove any such conspiracy. But the confirmed record suggests an impressive record of cooperation toward a common aim—even if the terms of the cooperation were not directly communicated by one party to the other.

Italy and France heal their rift with a treaty

North Korea bans leather coats after Kim starts new fashion trend

Great Leader and Dear Leader were bad enough but you’ve really got to wonder about the sanity of someone who expects to be referred to as the Highest Dignity.

Serendipity:

The lessons ‘Moby-Dick’ has for a warming world of rising waters

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