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The Narrative Imperative: Why Dr. Rod Berger’s The Narrative Edge Arrives at the Perfect Moment for Business Leadership

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As our global business environment speeds up toward digital-first, AI-powered, and data-driven operations, one core principle remains just as essential — if not more so — than ever: the power of storytelling. With the November release of Dr. Rod Berger’s The Narrative Edge: Authentic Storytelling That Meets The Moment (Wiley), leaders across all sectors, from corporate giants to start-up founders, are presented with a rich, paradigm-shifting exploration of why storytelling might be the most vital leadership skill of our time.

Having read an early copy of Dr. Berger’s manuscript, it’s clear this is no superficial handbook of tips and tricks. Instead, The Narrative Edge is a meditation, a how-to, a memoir, and a call to action for businesspeople ready to go beyond the elevator pitch to connect, inspire, and transform. 

Timed perfectly for a world eager for authentic engagement amid the noise of algorithmic content, Berger’s work demonstrates that the future belongs to those who master the art and science of narrative — for themselves, within their organizations, and across cultures.

A Book for This Moment

Storytelling, Dr. Berger reminds us, isn’t a luxury or a public relations tool for organizations. It’s, and always has been, “the currency of connection,” and in today’s fragmented media landscape, it stands out as the hallmark of the best leaders in global, multicultural companies. 

As Berger notes, “The role of stories is experiencing a rebirth in our society’s collective consciousness. Actively embedded into corporate strategy, educational curricula, and social media platforms, several generations are finding new ways to authentically communicate in an increasingly synthetic world driven by artificial intelligence.” Written in a time when workers and leaders alike must navigate both digital and in-person realities, his message — that stories define presence and authenticate experience — has never been more relevant.

Global Perspectives, Universal Insights

The Narrative Edge traverses more than borders of genre; it travels the physical world — from Norway’s climate-tech start-up stages to African refugee camps — to extract hard-won insights relevant to any business. Berger’s encounters, such as his explorations of the Law of Jante in the Nordics or the storytelling circles of Ugandan refugees, remind us that the most effective leaders are cultural translators, attuned to narrative nuance in every context.

By sharing stories of entrepreneurial setbacks, courtroom battles, and moments of advocacy, Berger highlights that storytelling is vital to genuine leadership. He argues that today’s leaders must not only analyze data but also create space for ambiguity, curiosity, and dialogue. 

His personal experiences — losing a business, advocating for literacy, interviewing icons from Magic Johnson to the civil rights leader and ‘grandmother of Juneteenth’ Opal Lee — show how a leader’s story offers meaning not just for their own journey but also for those they influence.

The Timeless Value of Vulnerability

One of Berger’s main theses is that business leadership no longer favors those who stick to old ideas of invulnerability and strict authority. Instead, as The Narrative Edge repeatedly shows, honesty about failure, doubt, and revision — what Berger calls “version control” — is now a superpower. He illustrates this not with clichés but with personal stories: honest letters to himself after setbacks, the catharsis of navigating legal challenges as a non-lawyer, and the bravery of sharing a business story publicly before the story is finished.

Those not yet convinced by corporate storytelling’s value will find the book’s lived analyses persuasive. Berger’s account of using storytelling to win vital contracts for a technology company is as instructive as his reflections on coaching youth sports or working with graduate students at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. In every domain, the leaders who shape the narrative — for a team, a board, or a marketplace — are those who motivate, connect, and ultimately succeed.

A Toolkit for Authentic Leadership

Yet, The Narrative Edge is more than a memoir. Berger’s reflections are organized and practical. Each chapter concludes with questions — not answers — designed to help readers unlock their own narrative power. For business leaders, these serve as prompts to rethink not just messaging and branding, but their own origin stories, vision statements, and daily interactions. Berger insists that the best narratives are never static: “Our retelling of the same story will reflect the impact the story had on us as an audience.”

He provides frameworks for personal and organizational storytelling, such as his quadrant model (Personal, Professional, Passions, Pursuits) and his practice of requiring two versions of a biography — one as a factual police report and another as a casual kitchen table conversation. These are not academic exercises but tools that promote deeper self-awareness and genuine connection, both key qualities of the most effective, lasting brands in any sector.

The Edge for Modern Leaders

What makes The Narrative Edge especially timely is its emphasis that the narrative advantage is truly a leadership advantage. In a marketplace flooded with data and “content,” only the story — authentic, context-aware, emotionally resonant — sets apart both individuals and organizations. Berger’s final point is that stories are the real renewable resource of our era, capable of illuminating strategy, inspiring teams, and bridging the digital divide between leader and audience.

He writes, “Choose stories that resonate in the moment—whether on a first date, during a job interview, while teaching a child, or when motivating your team during a timeout. That’s the magic of storytelling: fluid experiences brought to life through images, letters, words, scenes, and the canvases of our determination.”

A Book Business Needs Now

In a business world overwhelmed by numerous platforms, rapid change, and uncertain turbulence, The Narrative Edge emerges not just as another guide but as a timely declaration: to lead is to tell stories. For those in the C-suite, starting a new company, or exploring new territory in nonprofit, education, or creative fields, Dr. Rod Berger’s book acts as both a mirror and a map. Read it not for simple formulas but for an immersive experience into the art and urgency of narrative as your most powerful leadership tool—now more than ever.

REVIEW: Love Fast by Louise Bay

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B+ Reviews / Book Reviews / Recommended Reads / / / / / / 7 Comments

One runaway bride. One grumpy billionaire. One small town that changes everything.

Rosey

I never thought I’d be a runaway bride. But when it came down to it, I just couldn’t marry the wrong man.

So, I ran.

And somehow, I ended up in Star Falls, Colorado—stranded, no luggage, no plan—in a wedding dress with a past I’d rather forget.

Fate lands me in the only available rental in town, a cozy little cabin… right next door to Byron Miller, the brooding billionaire who wants nothing to do with me. Or this town.

Byron

I left Star Falls years ago, along with every mistake. Now I’m back, determined to build a legacy that might just rewrite my past.

The last thing I need is a distraction—especially not one like the runaway bride that moved in next door. She has too many secrets and a smile so wide, I just can’t look away.

But no matter how hard I try to keep my distance, there’s something about her, that refuses to be ignored.

Snow falls. Sparks fly. Late-night porch talks turn into something more, something neither of us expected. But Rosey’s past isn’t far behind, and my future here is hanging by a thread.

She’s just passing through. I’m trying not to put down roots. But Star Falls, Colorado has its own plan.

A standalone romance, perfect for fans of small-town romance, sizzling chemistry, and fresh starts.

TW – Cruelly manipulative parent. Parent who was addicted to gambling

Dear Ms. Bay,

One of our readers, LML, recommended this to me (in a discussion on Bettie Neels) and I’m delighted it worked so well for me. I think it’s part of a series, or a new series off-shoot, but that wasn’t a problem except maybe for the epilogue which turned into ‘reunion at the old home NYC penthouse.’ Readers can dive right in with this book.

There is a lot packed into this story. Years ago Byron fled and Rosey is now trying to flee from their pasts. Both had constricting childhoods and both realize they need to get past the past. Byron has become a self-made billionaire (no indication how and he’s only in his mid-ish thirties) while Rosey is actually a run-away bride complete with wedding dress who arrives in the small town where Byron grew up and has returned to open a lavish resort. Events keep shoving them together until they come to terms with what they need to come to terms with. Self-discovery and subtle humor, here they come. 

The book opens with Rosey on her wedding day, desperate to escape the life her manipulative mother (a true bitch) is forcing Rosey into. Mama has trained her daughters like the East German Stasi. Do what I say, hand over your paychecks, rat each other out to get back in my good graces, and don’t think of defying me. Except Rosey does and now finds herself having to make decisions in life for herself. When she reaches Star Falls and discovers that she’s almost out of money and all the local hotels have been rented, she does accept the offer from a local for a place to stay. She’s not a nitwit though and first thinks that if he’s a serial killer, enough people have seen them together that he’ll go to jail. 

Byron high-tailed it out of Star Falls after his gambling addict father mortgaged and lost the farm. Despite building a billionaire focused resort here, he’s wary of going into town because it’s a small town and everyone knows everyone’s business and no one can have forgotten what happened and how he left. He’s providing local jobs but he needs to make good with the locals who seem standoff-ish. Then this bewildered bride arrives and he finds himself feeling responsible for renting out every local accommodation for his work staff so he offers her a (separate) place to stay. 

Soon these two are thrown together even more when Rosey gets a job but needs to stay in these accommodations.

“I have a favor to ask you, actually,” I say. “Well, at least, I think it’s you I need to ask.”

“I see. The hot chocolate is a bribe, is it?”

I snap my head around, horrified. “No!” Of course not,” I say.

He smiles at me. “It would take more than a mug of hot chocolate to bribe me.”  

I narrow my eyes, thinking what I could add to sweeten the deal. “What if I told you I have marshmallows?”

“Damn,” he says, fisting his hands. “I thought I could resist. Whatever you need, Rosey. It’s yours.”

The two begin talking early on and several things that in other books would be the cause of a third act break-up are taken care of early. Byron learns that Rosey was set to marry a man she didn’t love just because he was rich but also learns that Rosey didn’t want to, that she called off the wedding because she knew it was a mistake, and that it was her mother who wanted the security the marriage would have brought. It quickly becomes clear that Rosey has never been allowed the chance to make her own decisions but that this is something she wants and needs to do. 

“It sounds like you escaped a future you didn’t want. That’s not selfish. It’s self-preservation.” 

“You say that like you know how that feels, too.”

Meanwhile, Byron is still flustered trying to get the town on his side but discovers that Rosey’s got great ideas to help with that. And he’s willing to help take on the care of a stray cat that Rosey’s “adopted” when Athena deigns to allow it. 

Yay that none of their issues are resolved too fast. These are lifelong things and to completely work them out will take time. Rosey begins to live the life she wants, makes her own decisions, and faces her past to resolve it and put it behind her. She tries to help her sisters but is wise enough to see that she can’t take over and tell them what to do or she’d just be a kinder version of her mother. She makes her past wrongs right before moving on with her future. She also doesn’t try to latch onto wealthy Byron as she’s lived with a rich man making the choices and doesn’t plan to let that happen again.  

Byron slowly comes to see that this small town he ditched hasn’t ditched him. He’s one of them and they will welcome him back while also noting everything he does, especially with Rosey who they also adopt. Byron’s friends also give him good advice about laying his past ghosts to rest so he can move forward with his life.

Something passes between us. Maybe it’s an understanding that we’re not whoever’s hurt us in the past.”

One thing I wasn’t expecting is for Byron and Rosey to start having smoking hot sex so early in their relationship given Rosey’s past and the fact that Byron is her boss. They do try and maintain a distance in public but come on, small towns and workplaces catch onto things quickly. Still it’s Rosey who makes the first move on Byron so she is taking charge of her choices. 

What I really love overall is that the book shows adult people thinking their way through their problems and making considered decisions and choices. Plus the humor. I didn’t roll my eyes or think here comes that trope again. Let me tell you, it was pleasant. B+

~Jayne

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Jayne

Another long time reader who read romance novels in her teens, then took a long break before started back again about 25 years ago. She enjoys historical romance/fiction best, likes contemporaries, action- adventure and mysteries, will read suspense if there’s no TSTL characters and is currently reading more fantasy and SciFi.

Cliffhangers in the books what purpose do they serve?

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Essays23 Comments

Dear Readers,

I wanted to talk about cliffhangers. According to the site literary devices.com/cliffhanger/

“A cliffhanger is a plot device in which a character or characters are left with a difficult dilemma or a shocking revelation at the end of a chapter or section. Authors use cliffhangers in order to encourage the reader to keep turning pages to find out what happens, or to buy the next book in a series.”

If you go to the site, you will see some example of famous cliffhangers in books and on TV. I understand if an author is using cliffhangers on the pages of a book to ramp up dramatic tension in that book and as the definition states to “encourage the reader to keep turning pages to find out what happens,” – I get that. I am not talking here about the cliffhangers at the end of the season of a show on TV. At least the reader knows that if the show won’t be cancelled in three four months they will see the resolution of the cliffhanger one way or another.

What actually caused me to want to talk about it is the use of the cliffhanger at the end of the book in a series when the next book is not even close to being written yet. I know the author wants me to be hooked enough to buy the next book, but almost any series which has a cliffhanger at the end of one of the books in the series won’t be the series I want to continue. Especially if the cliffhanger is the plot turn that has the main character’s lives in physical danger.

Of course, cliffhangers can be very different from one another. For example I had no problems with the cliffhanger at the end of “Fourth Wing.” I was surprised, but the revelation did not make me worry about the main characters staying alive in the next books.

I did not mind the cliffhanger at the end of the first book of Ginn Hale’s Price of a Thousand Blessings series that I recently reviewed here. The character was in a dangerous situation, but the book two was coming a month later after the first one so I knew that the wait was not long, you know?

Of course, of course authors should write their books the way they want to, but I just do not understand why the last chapter should end at the precise moment when it seems that the character may die on the next page? By all means kill the character if you want to, all I am asking, not even asking – wishing, is for the book to let me know whether it will happen or the danger will pass at the end.

Again, I understand that you wish to hook the reader into waiting for the next book, but for the reader like me in the 99 percent of the situations the effect will be the exact opposite of what you (hypothetical author) may have intended. I am not likely to bother picking up the second book.

And honestly, this is a big part why I am not really reading any long series these days.

I had been singing praises of Ilona Andrews’ works (especially the Kate Daniels series of course) in the past a lot and when I am typing this I am once again reminded how they somehow managed to write ten books full of danger and adventure and fun and avoid the darn cliffhangers somehow for which I want to wholeheartedly thank them :).

What do you think about cliffhangers in the books? Do you like them, hate them, none of the above?

Sirius

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Sirius

Sirius started reading books when she was four and reading and discussing books is still her favorite hobby. One of her very favorite gay romances is Tamara Allen’s Whistling in the Dark. In fact, she loves every book written by Tamara Allen. Amongst her other favorite romance writers are Ginn Hale, Nicole Kimberling, Josephine Myles, Taylor V. Donovan and many others. Sirius’ other favorite genres are scifi, mystery and Russian classics. Sirius also loves travelling, watching movies and long slow walks.

Tennessee Air National Guardsman applied to be a hitman online, the FBI says. It was a spoof website and now he’s facing charges

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CNN  — 

A Tennessee Air National Guardsman is facing charges after applying to be a hitman on a spoof “rent-a-hitman” website, according to the Department of Justice.

Josiah Ernesto Garcia, 21, was charged Thursday after submitting an employment inquiry to the website rentahitman.com, which is a parody site that includes “testimonials” from purportedly satisfied hit-man customers.

The website was originally created in 2005 to “advertise a cyber security startup company,” the Justice Department said in a news release. “The company failed and over the next decade it received many inquiries about murder-for-hire services.”

Garcia indicated in February that he had “military experience, and rifle expertise” and requested an “in depth job description,” according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday.

“Garcia followed up on this initial request and submitted other identification documents and a resume, indicating he was an expert marksman and employed in the Air National Guard since July 2021. The resume also indicated that Garcia was nicknamed “Reaper,” which was earned from his military experience and marksmanship, the Department of Justice said in the news release.

Garcia sent another follow-up email days later, saying he didn’t hear back after submitting a resume, according to the complaint.

According to investigators, Garcia wrote in the email, “Why I want this Job* Im looking for a job, that pays well, related to my military experience (Shooting and Killing the marked target) so I can support my kid on the way. What can I say, I enjoy doing what I do, so if I can find a job that is similar to it, (such as this one) put me in coach!”

After Garcia sent more follow-up emails, the website owner – at the direction of the FBI – responded with an email saying, “Josiah, a Field Coordinator will be in touch in the near future. You will receive a message when they are ready. Timing is based on client needs,” according to the complaint.

On April 5, an FBI undercover agent contacted Garcia for a phone interview, during which he asked, “How soon can I start?” and “What do the payments look like?” according to the complaint.

The undercover agent asked Garcia if he was comfortable with taking fingers or ears as trophies or performing torture at a client’s request.

“If it’s possible and in my means to do so, I’m more than capable,” Garcia said, according to the complaint.

In an in-person meeting with the undercover agent on Wednesday, Garcia “was presented with a ‘target package’ consisting of photographs and a description of a fictional target’s name, weight, age, height, address, and employment information,” the complaint said.

Garcia was told the target was the client’s husband, who was abusive to her, and that the client was paying $5,000 for the job with a down payment of $2,500, the complaint said.

“After agreeing to the terms of the murder arrangement, Garcia asked the agent if he needed to provide a photograph of the dead body,” according to the Justice Department release. “Garcia was then arrested by FBI agents, who in a subsequent search of his home, recovered an AR style rifle.”

Garcia is charged with the use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted, the Justice Department said.

CNN has been unable to reach Garcia’s attorney for comment. Garcia is set to appear in court on Tuesday afternoon.

CNN has reached out to the Air National Guard for comment.

Even when wives make as much as husbands, they still do more at home

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New York CNN  — 

Few women will be surprised to learn that even when wives earn about the same as their husbands or more, a new Pew Research Center study finds that they still spend more time on housework and child care, while their husbands spend more time on paid work and leisure.

“Even as financial contributions have become more equal in marriages, the way couples divide their time between paid work and home life remains unbalanced,” Pew noted.

So who’s earning what?

Pew found that in 29% of heterosexual marriages today, women and men earn about the same (roughly $60,000 each). “Husbands in egalitarian marriages spend about 3.5 hours more per week on leisure activities than wives do. Wives in these marriages spend roughly 2 hours more per week on caregiving than husbands do and about 2.5 hours more on housework,” the study notes.

In 55% of opposite-sex marriages, men are the primary or sole breadwinners, earning a median of $96,000 to their wives’ $30,000.

Meanwhile, in 16% of marriages the wives outearn their husbands as the primary (10%) or sole breadwinner (6%). In these marriages women earn a median of $88,000 to their husbands’ $35,000.

Of all of these categories, the only one in which men are reported to spend more time caregiving than their wives is when the woman is the sole breadwinner. And the time spent per week on household chores in those marriages is split evenly between husbands and wives.

In all instances, it’s a big change from 50 years ago — when, for instance, husbands were the primary breadwinner in 85% of marriages.

Today, which women are most likely to be the primary or sole breadwinners can vary by age, family status, education and race.

For instance, Pew found Black women are “significantly more likely” than other women to earn more than their husbands. For instance, 26% of Black women bring home more than their husbands, while only 17% of White women and 13% of Hispanic women do.

But Black women with a college degree or higher and few children at home are also among the most likely to earn about the same as their husbands.

These numbers are reported against a backdrop of society’s attitudes about who should earn more and how caregiving should be divvied up between spouses.

Nearly half of Americans (48%) in Pew’s survey said husbands prefer to earn more than their wives, while 13% said men would prefer their wives earn about the same as them.

What do women want? Twenty-two percent of Americans said most women want a husband who earns more, while 26% said most would want a man who earns about the same.

Meanwhile, when it comes to having a family, 77% said that children are better off when both parents focus equally on their job and on taking care of the kids. Only 19% said children are better off when their mother focuses more on home life and their father focuses more on his job.

The Pew study is based on three data sources: earnings data from the US Census’ Current Population Survey; data from the American Time Use Survey and a nationally representative survey of public attitudes among 5,152 US adults conducted in January.

EU pledges to maintain Russian sanctions

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An earlier report claimed Ukraine’s European backers had been weighing a phased rollback of restrictions if a ceasefire is reached

The EU has reaffirmed its commitment to keeping sanctions on Russia, rejecting a media report that they could be eased in exchange for a ceasefire deal in the Ukraine conflict.

The West has imposed an unprecedented number of sanctions on Moscow over the Ukraine conflict. The EU adopted its 18th package last month after weeks of debate among member states. However, Sky News reported earlier this week that discussions had been held about easing the measures.

European Commission Deputy Chief Spokesperson Arianna Podesta dismissed the report as “pure speculation,” telling a press briefing on Thursday the bloc “will maintain pressure on Russia.” She said work was already underway on a 19th package, expected to be adopted next month.

According to the Sky News report, citing sources close to the EU Council presidency, Kiev’s European backers were considering a phased rollback of sanctions if a complete ceasefire can be agreed upon.

The Kremlin has called Western sanctions a “double-edged sword,” warning that each new package “adds a negative effect for the countries joining it.” Moscow says it has developed “a certain immunity” to what it describes as “illegal” sanctions.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has urged more pressure on Moscow ahead of Friday’s summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, in Alaska. The Ukraine conflict is expected to be the central topic of the talks.

Vladimir Zelensky, who earlier called the Alaska summit a “personal victory” for Putin, traveled to Berlin on Wednesday to join German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for a video call between European leaders and Trump.

Russia has repeatedly stated that it is open to reaching a deal to end the hostilities but has stressed that any agreement would have to address the root causes of the conflict and reflect the realities on the ground. This includes the status of the former Ukrainian territories that have joined Russia.

China hits back at EU over Russia sanctions

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Beijing has sanctioned two Lithuanian banks, fulfilling a promise to retaliate after the bloc targeted Chinese lenders over the Ukraine conflict

Beijing has announced that it has blacklisted two banks in the EU, in response to the bloc targeting Chinese lenders as part of the latest package of Ukraine-related sanctions against Russia.

Brussels introduced its 18th package of measures against Moscow last month, focusing on Russia’s energy and banking sectors. It included restrictions against several entities and financial institutions based in China, India, the UAE, and Turkey, among other measures.

According to a statement released by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce on Wednesday, Beijing has included Lithuania-based UAB Urbo and AB Mano in its countermeasure list, immediately banning Chinese organizations and individuals from transactions, cooperation, and other activities with them.

It emphasized that the move taken by the EU authorities against the Chinese Suifenhe Rural Commercial Bank and Heihe Rural Commercial Bank is “a serious violation of international law” that “has caused significant harm to the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese companies.”

The European Commission has pledged to review the measures introduced by Beijing in detail before taking further steps. The bloc “is open to identifying a mutually acceptable solution that could ultimately lead to the de-listing of the banks,” Olof Gill, a spokesman at the European Commission, said on Wednesday, as cited by Bloomberg.

Both Lithuanian banks released statements insisting that China’s sanctions won’t affect their operations. Urbo Bank said it has no business ties in China, while Mano Bank stated that China has never been a target market and that it does not operate there. Both banks said they had contacted Lithuanian authorities after the announcement.

Beijing has refused to join the Western sanctions imposed on Moscow after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. China has maintained close economic ties with Russia while repeatedly calling for a diplomatic resolution. In recent months, the West has stepped up efforts to target Russia’s trading partners, including China, in an effort to isolate Russia and reduce its export revenues.

Moscow has repeatedly condemned the Western sanctions as illegal and counterproductive, calling them a “double-edged sword,” while stressing that Russia has developed a “certain immunity” to them.

Solana hits 100K TPS milestone with stress test transaction spike

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Solana throughput briefly spiked to six figures under a high load of program call transactions over the weekend, according to a developer. 

Mert Mumtaz, the co-founder of the Solana developer tooling firm Helius, said on Sunday that Solana became the “first major blockchain” to record 100,000 transactions per second (TPS) on its mainnet.

He shared that a Solana block late on Sunday saw 43,016 successful transactions and 50 failed ones, claiming the total TPS reached 107,540.

However, most transactions were not token exchanges or trades but no-operation or “noop” program calls, an instruction that doesn’t perform meaningful computation or state changes. 

Solana transactions must include at least one instruction, so for transactions that don’t need to perform any meaningful operations, the noop program provides a way to satisfy this requirement. These lightweight program calls stress-test network capacity but don’t directly reflect everyday payment or complex application use.

Solana block with noop program call transaction spike. Source: Mert Mumtaz

Mumtaz said that even though most of the transactions were program calls, developers could still “deduce that you can also theoretically do about 80-100k tps in transfers, oracle updates, and similar [operations].”

Solana’s real TPS much lower 

Solana’s actual throughput is much lower than these anomalous spikes caused by no-action program calls. 

Total TPS is currently around 3,700 according to Solscan, but even that figure is spurious because around two-thirds of the transactions are voting transactions. 

Solana validators must regularly submit vote transactions to participate in consensus, and hundreds of them voting multiple times per slot inflates the network’s true TPS figures. 

Real throughput on Solana is around 1,050 transactions per second, according to Solscan and around 1,004 TPS, according to Chainspect. 

Real Solana TPS is much lower than the total figures. Source: Chainspect

Memecoins still dominate 

Solana derives the majority of its activity from memecoins. The most popular platform on the network, with a 62% share of the total value locked, is the memecoin minting and trading platform Pump.fun, according to Solscan.

Related: Base briefly nears 1,000 TPS, making it speed competitive with Solana

The value of Solana’s decentralized finance apps has climbed over the past few months, reaching $10.7 billion, close it its January all-time high, according to DefiLlama. 

Solana (SOL), the blockchain’s token, dipped over the weekend as crypto markets cooled, falling back to $187 from last week’s high of $208.

The token remains down 36% from its January all-time high of $293, according to CoinGecko. 

Magazine: Coinbase calls for ‘full-scale’ alt season, Ether eyes $6K: Hodler’s Digest, Aug. 10 – 16

Thailand plans launch of a crypto payment sandbox for tourists

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Thailand is reportedly planning a nationwide regulatory sandbox allowing foreign visitors to convert crypto into local currency for electronic payments in a bid to boost tourism.

Known as TouristDigiPay, the scheme is expected to go live on Monday and allow users to exchange cryptocurrencies for Thai baht and make electronic payments through e-money service providers, according to a report on Saturday from local newspaper The Nation.

Only tourists in Thailand will be eligible to use the service after undergoing Know Your Customer due diligence checks and opening an account with a digital asset business and an e-money provider regulated by the Bank of Thailand and the country’s Securities and Exchange Commission.

There will also be safeguards such as monthly spending limits and a block on direct cash withdrawals. However, full details on the TouristDigiPay initiative will reportedly be released on Monday by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira.

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira is expected to release the full details of the TouristDigiPay on Monday. Source: Pichai Chunhavajira

Officials hope crypto can boost tourism

The TouristDigiPay scheme is an attempt to breathe new life into Thailand’s tourism industry, and a direct response to the slowdown in foreign visitors, especially from China, which has long been considered a cornerstone of the industry, The Nation reported.

Thailand welcomed around 16.8 million tourists in the first half of 2025, down from 17.7 million the same time last year, with a 24% drop in tourists from East Asia and a 34% fall in visitor numbers from China, think tank The World Tourism Institute said in a July 10 report. 

The report said tourists are eyeing other countries in the region, such as Japan with its weaker Japanese yen making it more affordable, and the comparatively cheaper Vietnam.

“Thailand’s 5% tourism decline in 2025 underlines the urgent need for diversification, market repositioning, and enhanced visitor experiences to compete in a changing regional landscape,” the report said.

Thailand still experimenting with crypto

Using crypto to stimulate tourism has been under review by the Thai government, with the country’s SEC completing a public consultation on the use of financial innovation and digital assets to support economic and tourism growth on Aug. 13.

Chunhavajira first announced the TouristDigiPay initiative during an investment seminar in Bangkok on May 26.

Related: Thailand to block Bybit, OKX and other crypto exchanges on June 28

It followed an announcement in January about a trial to allow foreign visitors to pay for goods and services using cryptocurrencies in Phuket, one of Thailand’s most popular tourist destinations. The trial is still in the works. 

Countries and businesses adopting crypto to attract tourists

The Kingdom of Bhutan in South Asia has also taken steps to integrate crypto payments into its tourism infrastructure, such as the partnership between Binance Pay and local bank DK Bank to let users pay for their expenses using crypto.

Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin inked a deal with Shift4 Payments on Aug. 11, offering customers the option to pay for outer space trips in Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), Solana (SOL) and Stablecoins such as USDT (USDT) and USDC (USDC).

Meanwhile, in July, the United Arab Emirates signed an agreement with Crypto.com to allow passengers to pay for flights and in-flight purchases using crypto. 

Magazine: Coinbase calls for ‘full-scale’ alt season, Ether eyes $6K: Hodler’s Digest, Aug. 10 – 16

REVIEW: Lisa and Lottie by Erich Kastner

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In the book that spawned the beloved movie The Parent Trap, nine-year-old Lisa from Vienna bold, with a head of curls, meets Munich’s buttoned-up Lottie at summer camp. Soon, a newspaper clipping tells the tale: they’re identical twins, Lisa living a colorful, big-city life with her father while Lottie keeps house with their gentle mother. Why have their parents separated? And how can they get to the bottom of the mystery? They decide to switch hairstyles, manners, and addresses, and that is where the adventure begins.

Review

I love the original version of “The Parent Trap” movie (I’ve never tried any of the updates) but had never put any thought into what inspired it. Then Janine told me that she’d found a wonderful translation of the original book. I finally have time in my reading schedule and agree with her that it’s wonderful.

For Lisa, everything connected with her mother was terribly important. And Lottie longed to know everything—any little thing—that her sister could tell her about her father. For days on end they talked of nothing else.

At a girls camp on a lake – which like any girls camp is full of laughter, swimming, and sometimes tears at night when thoughts turn to home – two little girls discover each other. First comes confusion, then anger, then gradual getting to know each other. The camp director has known from the beginning, after she compared notes about the two, but the girls only slowly realize they are twins, separated when their parents divorced. Now what will they do?

In short, a conspiracy was afoot. . . .

If you’ve seen the 1961 movie or (after looking at the IMDB notes) the 1998 one you will discover that there are some changes from the book but the basic gist of it is the same. Lisa and Lottie meet, decide they want to experience the other parent, exchange copious notes about the other twin’s life, then pull off the scheme for a while.

Yes, there is an Evil Other Woman who wants to get her claws into Mr. Palfy – who is a famous conductor – and Mrs. Horn (Mrs. Palfy as was) works which I thought interesting for a book written in 1949. There’s also an inventive scene of a dream that Lottie has which mixes together her separation from her sister with an opera which her father conducted that seems very late 40s avant garde.

Her teachers thought Lisa had changed, Lottie knew that Rosa and Peterkin had changed, and her father began to see that the apartment in Rotenturm Street had changed. What a lot of changes!

The reason for the divorce is silly but of course that’s needed in order to have readers believe in the reconciliation and HEA. I grew up in an era when it was not unusual for children to go places in town on their own but the freedom allowed to Lisa and Lottie to roam at will might be startling. The twins are also nine when the book starts rather than the young teens in the films. One thing that lowers my grade just slightly is the fact that Lisa slaps a young classmate who is a terrible bully. One thing I was glad to see is that some of the characters in Munich and Vienna note that something seems different about Lisa or Lottie even if these things are puzzled over but allowed to slide. The different daughters also begin to work subtle changes in their (new to them) parents as well.

“You’re a pair of conspiring females,” he growled. “A fine couple of contriving minxes! You’ve even led my Peterkin up the garden path.”

He put out his two massive hands and gently stroked the girls’ heads. Then he gave a tremendous cough and got up. “Come, Peterkin! If you can tear yourself away from those frauds.”

Sure Mr. Palfy is a bit ridiculous as a composer so in need of quiet that he not only gets another apartment in which to do so but spends so much time there to the despair of his young bride. The EOW is a sly piece but Lottie sees right through her and even though she’s only ten, she masterfully maneuvers the situation. And watch out for Peterkin who is a dog who knows who he’s dealing with even if the humans don’t seem to have a clue. A-

~Jayne

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Jayne

Another long time reader who read romance novels in her teens, then took a long break before started back again about 25 years ago. She enjoys historical romance/fiction best, likes contemporaries, action- adventure and mysteries, will read suspense if there’s no TSTL characters and is currently reading more fantasy and SciFi.