GuildOne and Beatdapp Agree to Three-Year Blockchain Technology Partnership to Transform Music Streaming Royalty Payouts in India and Japan – Business…

CALGARY, Alberta--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Calgary-based blockchain developer GuildOne Inc. (GuildOne) and Vancouver-based Beatdapp Software Inc. (Beatdapp) are pleased to announce a three-year exclusive agreement to manage digital rights related to streaming media services in India and Japan using blockchain technologies.

Beatdapp tracks every music stream in real-time to create an immutable record secured by its proprietary blockchain, helping labels and artists identify missing music royalties. GuildOne acts on behalf of digital rights holders, such as artists, labels and producers, to identify when their digital assets have been streamed, calculate the royalties that are associated with those assets and execute the royalty transaction, ensuring all parties get paid what they are owed.

Under the terms of this agreement, GuildOne will use Beatdapps services, along with information provided by rights holders to identify entitlements owed to those rights holders, ensuring that they receive accurate royalty payouts. GuildOne will then use its patent-pending ConTracks smart contract technology on R3s Corda blockchain platform to execute the royalty payments.

James Graham, CEO of GuildOne, states that This is a transformative event for the streaming industry, bringing together two leaders in the blockchain space to meet the needs of artists, labels and other rights holders."

Variety reports that streaming media accounted for US$11.1 billion globally in 2019, nearly 80 percent of music sales, with that market share expected to increase in coming years. Goldman Sachs estimates that world-wide streaming music royalties will exceed US$34 billion by 2030. Currently, however, up to 15 percent of streaming play count reports are incorrect, leading to billions of dollars in unpaid royalties.

Beatdapp's technology ensures that labels and artists invoice correctly from the outset, and allows DSPs avoid costly, time consuming audits, said Andrew Batey Co-CEO of Beatdapp. To partner with a leading expert in the payment space to ensure our verified usage reports yield faster, more accurate payouts to artists and labels is a great outcome for everyone involved. After a year of hard work behind the scenes, were delighted that day has come!

We are excited to work with the team at Beatdapp and have mutual respect for each other's technology, said GuildOne co-founder and CTO Barry Kreiser. We are particularly looking forward to applying our ConTracks smart contract engine to the burgeoning music royalty market.

About Beatdapp: Beatdapp is a blockchain-enabled tracking technology that helps rights holders accurately track play counts for invoicing and collecting royalties, without disclosing the personally identifying information of streamers. For streaming services, they help identify streaming fraud, reduce audit costs, reduce the reporting burden for product teams, and help verify publishing market share for payouts in emerging markets.

http://www.beatdapp.com

About GuildOne: GuildOne is a pioneering technology company providing advanced data solutions and business intelligence to organizations to enhance their business performance. In 2018, GuildOne conducted the worlds first blockchain oil and gas royalty transaction on Energy Block Exchange (EBX), its energy blockchain business network built on R3s Corda platform. It has since launched ConTracks, its patent-pending smart contract engine, and developed new use cases across industries, including oil and gas, and entertainment.

http://www.guild1.com

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GuildOne and Beatdapp Agree to Three-Year Blockchain Technology Partnership to Transform Music Streaming Royalty Payouts in India and Japan - Business...

Combining Blockchain With NFC/RFID Technologies For Smarter Supply Chains – Supply Chain Digital – The Procurement & Supply Chain Platform

Modern-day supply chains are managed at a global scale, and continue to become increasingly complex. ST has published a whitepaper on how to build smarter end-to-end supply chains.

As the internalisation of flows and operations continues, the need for smarter end-to-end supply chain networks has never been so crucial. The ability to track product flows, share accurate information and data amongst stakeholders and integrate wide product portfolios is essential to supply chain leaders.

One way that supply chain complexity can be eliminated is by combining blockchain technology with RFID/NFC solutions. Near Field Communication (NFC) technology is a contactless solution based on a radio frequency field, designed to exchange data between two devices through a simple touch gesture. Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) uses electromagnetic fields to identify and track tags attached to objects.

Combining the two of these with blockchain solutions can lead to flows with increased transparency, more security and automated administrative operations through the use of smart contracts. NFC technology provides a safe connection to data about product origin, certifications, and the journey through the supply chain. These insights provide key benefits to all stakeholders, from suppliers through to consumers.

As Internet of Things (IoT) technologies, such as blockchain, become increasingly prominent in the supply chain, smarter networks assisted by digital and physical infrastructures are cropping up more and more. These networks contain objects that are capable of communicating and collaborating without human intervention.

Stakeholders abilities in supply chain management can shift from decision support to decision delegation through this increasing level of intelligence. Blockchain technology stands to be a true game-changer within the industry, with the capacity to enable predictive capabilities and improved tracing and tracking.

The authenticity and quality of physical assets can be verified by blockchain technology with a cost-efficient, two-party-only concept, therefore creating reliable, end-to-end visibility. This then helps build both company success and customer satisfaction, focusing on the four pillars, security, transparency, trust and speed.

IoT technology is bringing in more and more connected devices every day. Gartner estimated that there were 8.4bn IoT devices in 2017, and expects that figure to exceed 500bn by 2030. The digital pairing of NDC/RFID-enabled devices and blockchain solutions creates a reliable, concrete and permanent channel that users can collect, communicate and aggregate data from.

Supply chain entropy will be mitigated by the combined technologies, whilst visibility and transparency are significantly enhanced.

Learn more about the benefits of pairing NFC/RFID technology with blockchain here.

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Power Ledger to Help Thailand Increase Digital Renewable Business Through Blockchain – Mercom India

Australias Power Ledger, a blockchain-based renewable energy trader, has announced a partnership with Thai Digital Energy Development (TDED) to create a blockchain-based digital energy business developing peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading and environmental commodity trading solutions in Thailand.

Thai Digital Energy Development is a joint venture between the Thai governments PEA ENCOM International, which is a subsidiary of Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA), and BCPG Public Company Limited (BCPG), a Thailand-based company engaged in the production and sale of renewable energy.

According to the companys statement, the new partnership will expand Power Ledgers foothold in Thailand, which aims to generate 25% of its electricity from renewable energy sources by 2037.

Blockchain technology, a by-product of the cryptocurrency rush, is slowly being adopted across industries to promote operational and transactional transparency, thanks to its democratized and decentralized nature.Blockchain is an open, distributed ledger that can record transactions between two parties efficiently. Blockchain-based technology has been gaining increasing popularity in numerous business segments around the globe, including solar.

Blockchain-enabled transactive energy solutions, including peer-to-peer energy trading, virtual power projects, as well as renewable energy certificates. Carbon credits trading will be the key to establishing economically viable renewable energy markets. Our partnership with TDED will allow us to accelerate our efforts to promote distributed digital energy markets in Thailand, said Dr. Jemma Green, the co-founder of Power Ledger.

According to the company, one of the first projects that will be in focus will be on energy and carbon management at the 12 MW smart campus at Chiang Mai University in Thailands north.

Bundit Sapianchai, the president of BCPG and TDED, said that Power Ledger is among the very first pioneers to apply blockchain technology in peer-to-peer energy trading and trading renewable energy certificates (RECs).

Such expertise in the state-of-the-art technology will help materialize TDEDs goal in the development of digital energy products and services, as well as making clean energy more accessible to people, Sapianchai added.

Power Ledger has been working with BCPG in Thailand since 2018, when it launched a P2P energy trading trial in Bangkok across the T77 precinct, the company noted.

Further, the company added that Power Ledgers TraceX REC trading capabilities would be deployed in Thailand this year. It will provide a marketplace for renewable energy certificates and carbon credits trading between generators and buyers.

Last year, BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) partnered with Power Ledger to launch trials for a peer-to-peer energy trading platform. The idea was to enable participants easier and cheaper access to renewable energy and for solar installation owners to monetize power, which would otherwise be wasted.

Previously, it wasreportedthat Singapores SP Group, an energy utility group, launched one of the worlds first blockchain-powered renewable energy certificate marketplaces at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Energy Business Forum.

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5 Most-used Blockchain Tools In 2020 For Blockchain Development – Express Computer

With the ongoing pandemic, there is an expected rise in demand for blockchain as cybersecurity becomes vital. With people shifting their entire business to digital, this technology will soar as per the prediction that India will have the highest number of blockchain adoptions by 2023. To get a better perspective on how blockchain is developed, here are 5 tools that have been used persistently in 2020 for development.

2020 recorded that most companies have been using a BaaS model since having a full-fledged blockchain solution developed did not seem practical. For companies that are low on budget or lack of technical expertise, this form of service suits them best. Cloud infrastructure can be easily integrated with blockchain functions and apps to keep it operational. Microsoft Azure, SAP, and AWS are some of the companies that provide Blockchain as a service.

Popularly called a browser extension, Metamask is a wallet that connects the ethereum blockchain with the browser such as Firefox or Google Chrome. It has the ability to interact with different Ethereum test networks which can be useful for blockchain developers. The platform will let you other ERC-20 assets along with Ether on your browser.

The whole aim of a Truffle is to make the job of a developer much easier. It is a testing framework that comes with binary management, contract compilation, linking, and deployment. Adding to this, it also helps a developer perform custom builds by providing configurable pipeline.

The entire purpose of this tool is to give converted, readable scripts for Ethereum Virtual Machine. Solidity command line is written in C++ which needs to be converted to JavaScript so that the EVM can understand it. This tool can be used for compiling offline as well.

Like every other technology, blockchain development too needs to be tested. A Blockchain testnet gives you the freedom to test your dApps to see if they are functioning correctly. Since blockchains are unique, you need to find the right testnet for your solution before you make it live. By doing this, you will save a lot of costs and complaints since the bugs and errors in the code will show up.

Wrapping up

Blockchain is a relatively new concept and developers can spend time experimenting with it. One thing that is certain is that it is here to stay as it is ideal for security reasons as well as creating an entirely new horizon for finance management. You can delve deeper into the basics of blockchain here.

If you have an interesting article / experience / case study to share, please get in touch with us at [emailprotected]

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5 Most-used Blockchain Tools In 2020 For Blockchain Development - Express Computer

GE Aviation expands blockchain efforts, partners with food developer – Ledger Insights

Today TE-FOOD said it has partnered with GE Aviation for blockchain solutions. TE-FOOD is a track and trace company that, to date, has focused on the food sector. It has blockchain food traceability deals with some big names, including French retailerAuchan, Swiss retailerMigros,Vinamilkand others. GE Aviation confirmed the alliance on LinkedIn.

Last year GE Aviations Digital Group revealed it was starting to useblockchain to track the ancestry of partsused in aircraft engines as part of its TRUEngine offering. In terms of scale, GE has 64,000 engines installed in commercial and military aircraft.PwC estimates blockchaincould cut maintenance and repair costs globally by around 5% or $3.5 billion. Those savings will be sorely needed as the sector struggles to recover from the impact of COVID-19.

Historically the lineage of a part was tracked using paper and more recently, it involved tracing the history through multiple ERP systems. At the time, GE Aviations David Havera, said: Blockchain drives up to 50 percent higher residual value for used spares material, a faster resale process, easy portability and improved productivity for asset transfers.

TE-FOOD said its food traceability solution is being adapted to enable the tracking of both documents and events by aviation OEMs, the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) network, as well as airlines and lessors.

Asked how it relates to TRUEngine, a TE-FOOD spokesperson told Ledger Insights: the current offering builds on the experience GE Aviation gained with TRUEngine, combined with TE-FOODs experience in the food traceability and digital identification/verification of physical assets.

If you step back, there is a reasonable amount of overlap between the two supply chains. For example, with food there are inspections, as there are quality inspections for aero parts, and both have logistics. But the repair and overhaul process is quite different, although it may be a matter of attaching documents to the blockchain.

The blockchain solution will enable supply chain participants to connect information and sign and verify documents digitally. For a complete lineage, historical paper records can be integrated, and by using blockchain all the data is stored in a secure and reliable manner. Apart from having all the data organized, it can also be aggregated for reports.

Both TE-FOOD and GE Aviation have used Ethereum to date. In GE Aviations case, it has been an enterprise blockchain version, whereas TE-FOOD sometimes uses the public blockchain. Apart from TE-FOODs product traceability framework, GE Aviation will also used TE-FOODs BlockSeal signature and document verification solution.

Using blockchain to track aircraft parts through the maintenance, repair and overhaul process can bring significant efficiencies as others have recognized.Honeywelllaunched an online parts portal leveraging blockchain and Boeing recently added $1 billion of inventory to the store.

Four months ago, industry body SITA launched theMRO Blockchain Allianceto track, trace and record aircraft parts.

Six months ago,Rolls Royceran a Blockchain Innovation Challenge in Singapore focused on aircraft engine maintenance. And one of the first to look at the sector wasThales and Accentureback in 2018.

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GE Aviation expands blockchain efforts, partners with food developer - Ledger Insights

Colombia, Deloitte, ConsenSys Sign On to WEF’s ‘Blockchain Bill of Rights’ – CoinDesk – CoinDesk

The token economy just gained an organized structure for collaborating with world leaders.

The World Economic Forum revealed its Presidio Principles on Friday, a blockchain bill of rights, according to the nonprofit focused on fostering diplomacy and international business partnerships. The document includes signatories from the Government of Colombia, Deloitte Consulting LLP, ConsenSys, Electric Coin Company, CoinShares and the United Nations World Food Program, just to name a few.

We supported the creation of the Presidio Principles as well as guidelines and design principles for public institutions because we wanted to ensure that progress can continue rapidly and responsibly, ensuring that basic characteristics like security and data privacy are secured for our citizens, Victor Munoz, Colombias presidential advisor on economic affairs and digital transformation, said in a press statement.

The principles include a users right to manage consent of data stored in third-party systems, port data between interoperable systems and revoke consent for future data collection.

Ethereum co-founder Joe Lubin encouraged crypto startups to become signatories and join the WEFs open dialogue. In a press statement, he said he hopes all builders of Ethereum-based projects and across the blockchain landscape will sign on to demonstrate their commitment to the users of their systems and applications.

Indeed, Aya Miyaguchi of the Ethereum Foundation was involved. Greg Medcraft of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Delia Ferreira Rubio of Transparency International also contributed to the project.

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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Colombia, Deloitte, ConsenSys Sign On to WEF's 'Blockchain Bill of Rights' - CoinDesk - CoinDesk

Letter to editor: Spartz is advocate for Second Amendment – The Herald Bulletin

President Trump won by the narrowest of margins in 2016, and while I believe he will win in 2020, victory is far from certain. If Joe Biden wins and Nancy Pelosi remains in power, liberals are coming for our guns.

That is why it is critical we have a staunch advocate of the Second Amendment in Congress. Thats Victoria Spartz. Spartz is the only candidate endorsed by the NRA because she is the only candidate with a record of defending our Second Amendment rights. Spartz understands the Second Amendment isnt just about hunting or home defense. Its a hedge against tyranny. She grew up in Sovet-occupied Ukraine and understands tyrants always begin their reign by disarming law-abiding people, and she wont stand for.

If you support the Second Amendment, Victoria Spartz is the clear choice for Congress on June 2.

Steve Nelson, Summitville

We are making critical coverage of the coronavirus available for free. Please consider subscribing so we can continue to bring you the latest news and information on this developing story.

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Letter to editor: Spartz is advocate for Second Amendment - The Herald Bulletin

Sam Johnson, former Texas congressman, dies at 89 – The Texas Tribune

Former U.S. Rep. Sam Johnson, a Texas congressman for more than 25 years and Vietnam War hero, died Wednesday in Plano, a family spokesperson said. He was 89.

First elected to Congress in 1991, Johnson gained a reputation as a strong conservative voice in the Texas delegation. In 2010, he was tied for the most conservative member of Congress, according to the National Journals rankings.

Johnson flew combat missions during the Korean and Vietnam wars as a fighter pilot. While flying over North Vietnam in 1966, his plane was struck down. He was held as a prisoner of war for nearly seven years, including a stint at the Hoa Lo Prison known as the Hanoi Hilton.

Born Oct. 11, 1930, in San Antonio, Johnson graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas. He then attended Southern Methodist University.

During his 29 years in the Air Force, Johnson flew 87 combat missions. He also had a stint as director of the Air Force Fighter Weapons School, the institution known among pilots as Top Gun.

Although he shared a cell at the Hanoi Hilton with U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, the two had a rocky political relationship. In 2000, Johnson backed Bush over his former cellmate for president.

In a July 2015 Politico Magazine article, Johnson criticized Donald Trump, then a presidential candidate, for comments disparaging McCain and other POWs for having been caught.

I hold the deep conviction that our country should respect the service of all our faithful troops and veterans, Johnson wrote. Diminishing the courage and patriotism it takes to leave your family, face the enemy and even God forbid endure wartime torture has no place in a post-Vietnam America.

He wrote more about his time as a POW in solitary confinement in his autobiography, "Captive Warriors."

Johnson is the recipient of two Silver Stars, two Legions of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, one Bronze Star with Valor, two Purple Hearts, four Air Medals and three Outstanding Unit Awards. Johnson accepted the Freedom of Flight award at the Living Legends of Aviation Awards, known colloquially as the Oscars of aviation, in 2011, according to his congressional biography.

After his service in Vietnam, Johnson returned to Texas, where he worked as a homebuilder. He served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1985 to 1991.

Johnson was first elected to Congress in 1991 during a special election in which he replaced Steve Bartlett, who resigned to become the mayor of Dallas. Although he placed second in the primary, he won in the runoff by emphasizing his wartime record in the deeply Republican district.

In the House, he was a founding member of the Conservative Action Team, now called the Republican Study Committee, a large GOP voting bloc. The groups goals include passing a balanced budget amendment, defunding the National Endowment for the Arts, advancing socially conservative legislation and supporting the Second Amendment.

Johnson continued to focus on military issues while in Congress. He pushed to enact the Military Family Tax Relief Act of 2003, which both doubled the death benefit for active service members and reduced their federal income taxes.

He spoke passionately on the House floor in 2007 against setting arbitrary troop withdrawal deadlines in the Middle East.

I know what its like to be far from home and hear that your country and your Congress dont care about you, he said in that speech.

Johnson defended the construction of the F-22 jet, which is produced in part at the Lockheed Martin plant in Fort Worth near his district. His north-of-Dallas district has seen a recent population boom and is home to companies like Texas Instruments, J.C. Penney and Dr Pepper.

Johnson announced his retirement from Congress in January 2017. His seat is currently held by U.S. Rep. Van Taylor, R-Plano, who was elected in November 2018.

Sam Johnson was a legend a real life legend, Taylor said in a tweet Wednesday evening. He spent nearly 7 years as a POW - but never broke and never wavered in his commitment to his country. He was the embodiment of an American hero and I'm blessed to have known Sam. Today, we mourn the passing of a true hero.

In 2017, SMU announced that it planned to use a $100,000 donation from Johnson to create a scholarship in his name for military veterans starting in the 2018-2019 school year. In addition, Johnson donated his archive to the university.

SMU helped shape me into the person I am today, and I cant think of a better way to say thank you to my alma mater than with this scholarship and library gift, Johnson said in an SMU statement. Im grateful to join SMU in making a commitment to the military and its families by helping these deserving individuals achieve their higher education.

Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday asked all Texans to remember Johnson, who he called "a true Texas icon."

"Sam Johnson was a fearless patriot and an American hero, and we are incredibly proud and fortunate to have called him a fellow Texan," Abbott said in a statement. "Congressman Johnson dedicated his life to our nation and the state of Texas. He bravely served as a fighter pilot in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and his profound sacrifice is something Texans will never forget. As a congressman, Sam Johnson served with integrity and was always guided by his principles and the needs of the Texans he served. Today, we mourn the loss of a great Texan, but we also remember his tremendous life and the legacy he leaves behind."

Disclosure: Southern Methodist University has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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Sam Johnson, former Texas congressman, dies at 89 - The Texas Tribune

Letter: McHugh best person to represent this area – nwestiowa.com

To The Mail-Sun:

I have known Mark McHugh for over 30 years. I have watched as he has instilled the deep values of service, faith, hard work, and life in Hayden and Aspyn his two children.

His views on education and after-school programs are on a personal level. It is not just cold numbers to him.

Mark has always had a passion for shooting sports from growing up on a farm in his early years in Clay County.

He has owned firearms as far back as I have known him, and he has always defended our Second Amendment.

It came as no surprise when Mark joined the National Guard in 1999. He always had a heart for service, and he wore his uniform proudly.

As Mark and I grew up, it was apparent that he was deep in his faith, and he always identified an unborn child not as a fetus, but as a baby. His beliefs in this area are extensively pro-life.

Mark has a strong understanding of mental health issues in Iowa. His own father struggled with depression while Mark was growing up, until he lost his father to suicide.

Mark can relate to the working class because he is a member of that group. Besides the military, Mark has worked at the local Hy-Vee, fast-food restaurants, retail stores and factories. Mark is currently employed with Rosenboom Machine & Tool in Sheldon, and just like a lot of others, he heads to work before sunrise and works hard to provide for his family.

To the citizens of Iowa House District 3, I cannot think of a better fit to represent you and your interests than one of your own.

An everyday Iowan that grew up with a passion for the Second Amendment, with years of service in the military.

An everyday Iowan who has been pro-life from the beginning.

An everyday Iowan with a wife and two kids that he serves and provides for every day.

Take my advice, and vote for Mark McHugh on June 2.

Matt Starkson,

Mayor,

Rossie

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New WIAA amendments to have far reaching impacts – Chinook Observer

RENTON The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Representative Assembly approved a slate of new amendments earlier this month, impacting middle and high school students alike.

Of the 23 proposed amendments being voted on by the WIAA Representative Assembly the associations legislative body consisting of 53 school administrators across the state this year, 18 were approved with the minimum 60% approval necessary, the WIAA announced May 11. All but one of the amendments are going into effect either immediately or during the 2020-21 school year.

The amendment not going into effect until 2024 the beginning of the next classification cycle is a rule that allows 2B schools to utilize the free and reduced lunch enrollment count that went into effect for 1A, 2A, 3A and 4A schools this school year. The initial rule passed last January was what allowed Ilwaco High School to move down from the 1A to 2B classification beginning this school year.

By taking advantage of the rule, IHS went from being one of schools in 1A with the lowest enrollment counts to being one of the schools in 2B with the highest enrollment counts. Depending on how IHS enrollment level and its free and reduced lunch figure changes in the next several years, the school may not be given the option to remain in 2B.

One of the more eye-catching amendments approved by the WIAA Representative Assembly is the amendment that opens the door to allow sixth graders to participate in sports or activities alongside seventh and eighth graders except for football. The amendment was approved with 32 votes, the minimum number of votes needed to be passed.

In order for sixth graders to move up and play with seventh and eighth graders, approval from the schools principal, the school districts superintendent and the school board is required, as is the approval from the league and the WIAA District Board.

The rule is similar in nature to one that allows seventh and eighth graders to participate in a WIAA-sanctioned sport at the high school level if that sport isnt available for them to participate in at their middle school.

Two new amendments giving the WIAA more power to impose discipline upon athletes and coaches were easily approved by the assembly.

As it stands, the first ejection of the season results, at a minimum, in the ejected person athlete, coach or other school representative being ineligible for the following contest in that sport. The first newly approved amendment allows WIAA staff to increase a suspension based upon the aggressive conduct, inappropriate language and/or circumstances following an ejection.

The second amendment passed by the assembly this year allows the WIAA to review video submitted by an appealing school, and gives WIAA staff the authority to suspend a participant if they believe their behavior warranted an ejection but went unseen by the officials at the time of the contest.

Several amendments were also passed that affect just a single sport, including football, basketball and wrestling.

After changes made at the collegiate level several years ago, the WIAA is now following suit in utilizing a 30-second shot clock for both boys and girls basketball. Previously, boys basketball games were played using a 35-second shot clock while girls basketball games used a 30-second shot clock. Backcourt violations are also in effect for both boys and girls games now, after previously only being enforced in boys games.

In a continued effort to address player safety in football, a new amendment only allows teams to have one full-contact practice during a two-a-day workout. The other practice must be no-contact.

A new amendment will also permit 1B schools to field a six-person football team, rather than the typical eight-person team. The rule is designed to help teams with low-turnout numbers that otherwise may have a hard time fielding an eight-person team. Teams that opt for the six-person option will only be allowed to suit up a maximum of 16 players during a game. Naselle, state runner-ups last season, are expected to continue to field an eight-person team.

A new wrestling amendment increases the number of matches a wrestler can participate in during a single day, from five to six matches. The previous figure, five matches per day, is based off of the wrestling rule book from the National Federation of State High Schools.

Another wrestling amendment scraps a rule that previously required a wrestler to participate in a minimum of four sanctioned matches in order to participate in postseason tournaments. There is now no set number of matches a wrestler must compete in in order to qualify for entry into postseason competition.

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New WIAA amendments to have far reaching impacts - Chinook Observer

Letter: the second amendment | Letters to the Editor | tucson.com – Arizona Daily Star

I wish to take a few "shots" at all the people defending the right to bear arms.

1) It is necessary to protect the right to free speech. Really? Guns don't speak- they shoot or intimidate. What one needs to speak instead is intelligence!

2) To protect against the (Deep State?) government. Really? How do machine guns, automatics and what not, fare against fighter planes or army tanks?

3) Self defense is another talking point. It can be deadly for the victim as well as the attacker, or even an innocent bystander.

4) Hunting is usually a sport, as is target shooting. Both are legal and enjoyable. Standing in front of government buildings and proudly displaying your deadly weapons, really is no brains in my book.

Disclaimer: As submitted to the Arizona Daily Star.

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Letter: the second amendment | Letters to the Editor | tucson.com - Arizona Daily Star

KY politicians react to effigy of Gov. Beshear hung during protest – Grant County News Online

By Mark MaynardKentucky Today

Kentucky politicians were quick to react in condemnation to an effigy of Gov. Andy Beshear that was hung in a tree at the Capitol during a protest on May 24 that included protesters chanting Come out Andy! and Resign Andy! in front of the governors mansion.The Patriot Day Second Amendment Rally, which was supposed to be a celebration of constitutional rights on Memorial Day weekend, attracted about 100 people. They were protesting the coronavirus restrictions and Beshears administration.Pictures and videos taken by the Courier-Journal and others show an effigy of Beshear that was hung in a tree along with a sign that read Sic Semper Tyrannis.Politicians from both major parties reacted swiftly and spoke out against the effigy on their social media platforms.Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said in a tweet: This is sickening, and I condemn it. We have to learn to disagree without threats of violence.Senate Majority Leader Damon Thayer, R-Gerogetown, condemned what happened at the protest. These actions are reprehensible, he said on Twitter. I absolutely condemn violence and threats of violence. If you want to protest, do it peacefully & respectfully.Kentucky Secretary of State Michael G. Adams, a Republican, also reacted in a tweet. This is disgusting and I condemn it wholeheartedly. The words of John Wilkes Booth have no place in the Party of Lincoln.State Senate Minority Leader Morgan McGarvey, D-Louisville, called on elected officials to condemn the violent threats on Twitter.This is a new low and it is disgusting and wrong, he said in a tweet. I wish I were more surprised but this vitriol comes from the top. I hope Republican leaders join me in condemning violent threats against any elected official.Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Whitney Westerfield, R-Hopkinsville, said in a tweet, This awfulness has no place in civil society.House Democratic leadership also released a statement Sunday calling on elected officials to condemn the effigy.Hanging Governor Beshear in effigy is beyond reprehensible, and yet it is also the logical conclusion of the hateful rhetoric we saw touted on the Capitol grounds earlier this month that was implicitly condoned by elected representatives from the legislatures majority party, House Democratic leadership said in the statement. Doing this in front of our Capitol, just a short walk from where the Governor, First Lady, and their two young children live, is an act that reeks of hate and intimidation and does nothing but undermine our leading work to battle this deadly disease and restore our economy safely.The Republican Party of Kentucky also issued a statement:What occurred at todays rally was unacceptable and has no place in Kentuckys political discourse. The Republican Party of Kentucky strongly condemns the violent imagery against the Governor in todays protest.

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Did Three Percenters back Beshear effigy at rally? What to know about the Kentucky group – Courier Journal

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Armed women and men with patches on their arms showing the Three Percenter logo III surrounded by stars have been seenat Second Amendment rallies and other protests serving a security role.

Sunday's Second Amendment rally was no exception. Three Percenters who were stationed around the rally-goers and protesters got a shoutout from the organizer, Ben Kennedy, asbeing patriots.

Here's what we know about the group:

The name comes from the idea that 3% of people fought in the Revolutionary Waragainst England. The Three Percenters - Original Facebook page states that it is a "national organization made up of patriotic citizens who love their country, their freedoms, and their liberty. We are committed to standing against and exposing corruption and injustice."

The Kentucky 3 Percenters, an incorporated organization,is "Pro 2A, Pro life and have faith in the brotherhood we have established," according to an informational packet.

More: Audubon police chief names officer who had Three Percenter decal on cruiser

No. Various chapters, incorporated organizations and groups have adopted the Three Percenter "way,"said Patsy Kays Bush, the state secretary for the Kentucky 3 Percenters.

The state's group isn't part of any national group, she added."That's not us," she said, adding that people confuse different groups with the same name.

In Kentucky, the Three Percenters disagree withGov. Andy Beshear's measures to stemthe coronavirus pandemic.

Bush said the governor hasn't heard people's complaints and is too removed from citizens' problems, like not being able to get their unemployment or book a haircut soon enough. She also said the governor makes too many orders as opposed to recommendations.

Bush said that the Three Percenters weren't behind the hanging of Beshear in effigy and that she didn't think it was a good idea, though a man wearing a Three Percenter patch on his arm helped hang it.

"I was against it from day one," Bush said. She said the effigy was not her group's idea and it was meant as a statement and nothing more. She said it was "spur of the moment" and the group had nothing to do with it.

"We don't condone violence of any kind," she said, adding that if she had known about it ahead of time, she would have tried to stop it.

An effigy of Gov. Andy Beshear was hanged from a tree outside the Kentucky state Capitol during a Memorial Day weekend protest. Louisville Courier Journal

The Three Percenters do not consider themselves a militia, according to thethreepercenters.org, a national Facebook page and Bush.

"We identify as a prepper group because that's mostly what we do," Bush said."However, if we were called upon to become a militia, at any time, we'd be ready in a heartbeat."

The Southern Poverty Law Centercalls Three Percenters part of the "antigovernment militia movement, along with the Oath Keepers and traditional militia groups."

Bush said the Kentucky group isn't a militia or close to it. Shesaid the group is peaceful andspends its meetings learning skills such assnaring animals and learning how to prepare meat. The groupis also involved in charity work, she said.

As for the Three Percenter security at the rally, she said the group'spresence wasn't a threat to anyone.

"They're here to show that they can, not that they will. They can carry those guns if they want to. It's legal. That's their right, that's what they're here for," Bush said. "That's what they'reshowing peopleto try and get the message out to people. They're not here to kill anybody."

Related: Republicans and Democrats alike condemn effigy of Beshear that was hanged at state Capitol

USA Today has previously reportedthatmembers of the group were involved in theviolent protests following a deadly neo-Nazi rally in 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia, but the national group issued a stand-down order. The Washington Post alsoreportedthe group took steps to disassociate itself fromtheracismat the rally.

The Three Percenters are known to use a version of the "OK" hand sign, which gained popularity as a hoax but was then adopted by white supremacists to mean "white power," according to the Anti-Defamation League.

Bush said the version she uses is a sign with three fingers extended across the chest to honor the people who fought in the Revolutionary War.

"Wehave blacks in our group,we have gays in our group," Bush said, adding the group welcomes diversity. "We want everybody we can get."

Since the rally, she said people have reached out to call her and other Three Percenters terrorists and racists.

"We don't have a racist bone in our body between us," she said. "We are a diverse group."

Opinion: Andy Beshear is just fine after 'symbolic' lynching by white supremacists

Reach breaking news reporter Sarah Ladd at sladd@courier-journal.com. Follow her on Twitter at@ladd_sarah.Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/subscribe."

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Did Three Percenters back Beshear effigy at rally? What to know about the Kentucky group - Courier Journal

It Wouldn’t Be an American Reopening Without an Unfortunate Exercise of Second Amendment Freedom – Esquire

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It wouldnt be a truly American Reopening if it didnt include some unfortunate exercises of Second Amendment freedoms. How could we ever Transition to Greatness without adding to the price we pay in blood for those freedoms? From AzCentral:

So we sleep for a few hours only to awaken to more celebration in honor of our well-regulated militias, this one at a naval base in Texas. From the Corpus Christi Caller-Times:

The tree of liberty is in full bloom.

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It Wouldn't Be an American Reopening Without an Unfortunate Exercise of Second Amendment Freedom - Esquire

STAR bond project focus of special council meeting – The Derby Informer

The Derby City Council will hold a special meeting May 28 specifically to address further development of the STAR bond project.

Expanding on the original project plan that featured the creation of Field Station: Dinosaurs, as well as the recently approved Derby Sports Zone (the first amendment to the STAR bond project), Derby Destination Development LLC will present a second amendment to the council on Thursday. The proposed amendment would include the addition of an indoor rock-climbing gym and outdoor covered BMX park on the north tract of the STAR bond district, to the east of Field Station: Dinosaurs. Installation of said features is in line with the original project plan to create other family recreational tourism activities.

Further details of the second amendment to the STAR bond project, including feasibility, estimated costs and additional features, will be discussed at the special council meeting at 6:30 p.m. May 28 at Derby City Hall.

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STAR bond project focus of special council meeting - The Derby Informer

Justice Kavanaugh: Friend or Foe to the Second Amendment? – AmmoLand Shooting Sports News

Justice Brett Kavanaugh was among the SCOTUS judges that shot down the NY gun case.

U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)- Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. ~ Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from the Birmingham Jail; often miscited in abbreviated form as: Justice delayed is justice denied. Various renditions of the quotation have come down through the ages, recited by many learned and famous men. The origin of the quotation likely came from William Penn (1644 to 1718), who asserted, To delay Justice is injustice.

Blacks Law Dictionary says this about the concept, justice: In jurisprudence. The constant and perpetual disposition to render every man his due. . . . In the most extensive sense of the word it differs little from virtue; for it includes within itself the whole circle of virtues. . . . But justice, being in itself a part of virtue, is continued to things simply good or evil, and consists in a mans taking such a proportion of them as he ought. Bouvier. Commutative justice is that which should govern contracts. It consists in rendering to every man the exact measure of his dues, without regard to his personal worth or merits, i. e., placing all men on an equality. . . .

Some good Americans think the principal Petitioner, the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association (NYSRPA) prevailed in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc., vs. Petitioners V. City Of New York, 590 U.S ____ (2020), simply because New York Cityevidently fearing loss if the case were decided on the meritscapitulated, redrafting New York City regulations and New York State Statute, permitting New York City holders of restricted handgun premise licenses to lawfully take their firearms out of the City. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the mootness issue and found for the City against NYSRPA.

Nonetheless, can this case legitimately be considered a win for NYSRPA? Holders of such New York City restricted handgun licenses are not permitted to use the firearm for self-defense outside of the residence or business to which the license confers or deigns a right (more a privilege) of use for self-defense? And questions remain as to limitations on the import of travel to and from the residence or business establishmentquestions that could only have been resolved were the case to be decided on the merits.

Some Second Amendment scholars with whom AQ has since spoken believed the New York City case was not a good Second Amendment case to be decided by the Court, not least of all because it allowed the City to exploit the problems, predictably. These scholars believe that Kavanaugh, having urged, in his concurring opinion, for another Second Amendment caseamong those presently pending on a writ of certiorarito be taken up by the Court means that the Court will, shortly, take up another Second Amendment case. The idea, then, is that the NYC case was important for that reason alone.

Be that as it may, it still does not explain why, if Justice Kavanaugh agreed with Chief Justice Roberts and the liberal wing of the U.S. Supreme Court in ruling in favor of New York City, against the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association (NYSRPA) in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association, Inc., vs. Petitioners V. City Of New York, 590 U.S ____ (2020), on the mootness issue.

Why didnt Justice Kavanaugh just add his name to that of the liberal wing of the Court and to that of Chief Justice Roberts, in deciding in favor of the City, and leave it at that?

Did Justice Kavanaugh feel a jurisprudential need to write a concurring opinion, knowing that going along with the liberal wing is not what would be expected of him, given his past deference to the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights, in his well-reasoned, comprehensive dissent in Heller II?

Did Associate Justice Kavanaugh feel he needed to write a concurring opinion, knowing that siding with Chief Justice Roberts and the liberal wing of the High Court, against the conservative wing, comprising, Justices, Alito, Thomas, and Gorsuch, would lead the American public, to infer, not unreasonably, legal and logical inconsistency and incongruous intellectual dishonesty on Kavanaughs partsomething impossible for him to hide? Perhaps. But no one really knows because no reporter or commentator has even bothered to hazard a guess as to Justice Kavanaughs motives or motivation for drafting a concurring at all.

Does Justice Kavanaugh know for a certainty the High Court will in fact take up for review another and more significant Second Amendment case and did he intend to use a concurring opinion specifically to inform the legal community and the public of that fact?

No commentator, to date, to our knowledge, has explored these questions and that leaves us in a quandary as to Kavanaugh's intentions.

For example, on April 27, 2020, Amy Howe, independent contractor, and reporter, who writes regularly for the SCOTUS blog, simply reiterated the simple fact that:

Justice Brett Kavanaugh filed a concurring opinion in which he explained that he agreed with the majority that the gun owners original claims are moot and that the new claims should be addressed first by the lower courts. But Kavanaugh also indicated that he agreed with Alitos general analysis of Heller and McDonald v. City of Chicago, in which the court made clear that the Second Amendment applies fully to the states, and that he shares Alitos concern that some federal and state courts may not be properly applying Heller and McDonald. Kavanaugh posited that the Supreme Court should address that issue soon, perhaps in one of the several Second Amendment cases with petitions for certiorari now pending before the Court.

In her follow-up article, dated April 28, 2020, on SCOTUS blog, Amy Howe, reiterated the fact that:

The courts electronic docket reveals that Kavanaughs suggestion may come to fruition soon: By the end of the day yesterday, the Supreme Court had distributed for consideration at Fridays conference 10 cases that had apparently been on hold for the New York case.

Is this a cause for rejoicing simply because writs of certiorari in several Second Amendment cases have been filed with the Supreme Court and are pending a vote? The idea that the Supreme Court should address the issue whether Courts are properly applying Heller and McDonald doesnt mean that the Supreme Court will address that issue.

Possibility is not the same thing as probability, and even less, certainty. And, if the Court does agree to hear another Second Amendment case, when might that be? And, if soon, will the Court actually address the issue whether Appellate Courts had properly applied Heller and McDonald? Lastly, how would such a case be decided? These are not spurious questions. They are serious ones and unsettling ones, worthy of speculation. And the point of this speculation is that the New York City gun transport case was the first case to come down the pike ten years after McDonald, involving a core Second Amendment issue (with the exception of the seeming quasi Second Amendment Voisine case)

Keep in mind, there have been many Second Amendment cases that came before the High Court on writs of certiorari, in the intervening years between the seminal rulings in Heller and McDonald and the negative decision in the New York City gun transport case. Each of those cases should have been reviewed but were not reviewed. What happened to those petitions?

Those cases the Supreme Court failed to review reflect, to a one, the fact that U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal, around the Country, blatantly and defiantly ignored case precedent clearly and categorically laid down in Heller and McDonald.

In future segments, we will begin our comprehensive analysis of what to our mind is Justice Kavanaughs bizarre concurring opinion in the New York City gun transport case, and we will address the mootness issue head-on.

We will strive to decipher Kavanaughs concurring to ascertain if Kavanaughs decision, siding with the Chief Justice Roberts and the liberal wing of the Court, is merely an anomaly or if it portends something ominous: an entire rethinking of Kavanaughs philosophy pertaining to the Second Amendment? Our aim, in forthcoming articles, will be to determine whether Americans can trust Brett Kavanaugh to remain true to his Oath to preserve and defend the Constitution of the United States.

About The Arbalest Quarrel:

Arbalest Group created `The Arbalest Quarrel' website for a special purpose. That purpose is to educate the American public about recent Federal and State firearms control legislation. No other website, to our knowledge, provides as deep an analysis or as thorough an analysis. Arbalest Group offers this information free.

For more information, visit:www.arbalestquarrel.com.

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Justice Kavanaugh: Friend or Foe to the Second Amendment? - AmmoLand Shooting Sports News

Flanked from the right – Montana Free Press

House District 35, which aligns with Richland County along the Montana-North Dakota state line, is in political terms about as red as Montana gets.

Voters in the district gave President Donald Trump 81% of their votes in the 2016 election, more than all but one other House district in the state. The last legislative candidate to run in the district as a Democrat, Chris Trumpower in 2016, won less than one vote in five.

Even so, as the districts incumbent state representative, Joel Krautter of Sidney, asks voters for a second term in the Montana House Krautter is emphasizing bipartisanship. His campaign website features a railroad bridge across the Missouri River.

Thats a deliberate message, Krautter said in an interview last week. As he sees it, eastern Montanas sparse population and correspondingly small legislative delegation requires its representatives to be coalition builders.

For us to be able to get anything done in Helena, we have to be able to work together with other legislators, he said.

Krautter, 32, is one of several centrist Solutions Caucus Republicans in the Montana Legislature facing challengers from the hard-right wing of the party in this springs primary election. As a young lawmaker who earned a reputation as an aisle-crosser during the 2019 session by hobnobbing with Democrats and voting with the Solutions Caucus to pass bipartisan legislation like the renewal of Montanas expanded Medicaid program, hes among the most vulnerable.

His challenger in the June 2 GOP primary, Savage Public School trustee and Double L Fencing owner Brandon Ler, has seized on Krautters record to argue the district isnt getting the representation its conservative voters deserve. In addition to the Medicaid renewal vote, a sore spot for limited-government conservatives across the state, Ler has cited bipartisan legislation that raised some taxes and authorized public debt for infrastructure projects.

I believe that Richland Countys true values have not been accurately represented in the statehouse, Ler said at a May 14 candidate forum hosted by the Sidney Chamber of Commerce.

Ler, who didnt respond to calls and messages requesting an interview for this article, has campaigned on being less a bridge builder and more a reliably conservative vote in Helena.

While every representative should vote their conscience, we need a representative whose conscience is consistently conservative. And thats me, he told attendees at a GOP Lincoln-Reagan dinner in Sidney, according to a video of a stump speech posted to his campaign Facebook page in February.

You can count on me not giving two pennies for what Democrat legislators across the state care about. I care about what you think, he said.

Krautter, on the other hand, says his bridge-building has delivered results for his district. He says he supported the Medicaid bill, authored by Solutions Caucus Republican Ed Buttrey, because it was supported by the rural hospital in his district.

As Ler points out, Richland County did vote down a 2018 ballot measure that would have permanently renewed the Medicaid expansion and funded the states share of its cost by raising tobacco taxes a defeat Medicaid expansion opponents point to as evidence local voters didnt care for the program. Krautter argues the Buttrey bill was a significantly different proposal, tapping other funding sources and renewing the program with several provisions Krautter considered reforms. Renewing Medicaid expansion, he says, has helped keep rural hospitals afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Krautter also points to his House Bill 656, which tweaks the distribution of Montana oil and gas tax revenue to direct more money to municipal governments during oil booms. Long-term, the Montana League of Cities and Towns estimated it could mean that Sidney and other municipalities in counties with oil production could see an extra $1 million to $5 million a year.

It was something people told me they wanted me to work on, and I got it accomplished, Krautter said.

HB 656 passed the Montana Senate unanimously and the Montana House on an 89-11 vote, with opposition from some hard-line Republicans. It was signed into law by Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock May 9.

If hed taken a partisan approach to that legislation, Krautter said, it wouldnt have made it past Bullocks veto pen.

I dont think a hardline approach would have been as effective for my district, he said.

Among the entities leveling attacks against Krautter this election cycle, according to political practices filings, is the Kalispell-based political action committee Doctors for a Healthy Montana, managed by Rep. Matt Regier, R-Columbia Falls, and Dr. Annie Bukacek, a vaccine-skeptic Flathead County Board of Health member who has questioned official COVID-19 death tolls to suggest that public health responses are designed to subjugate citizens. The committee, which describes itself as pro-life and claims Medicaid expansion has expanded abortion access, has reported spending against several Solutions Caucus Republicans in disputed GOP primaries including Krautter, Senate District 44 candidate Nancy Ballance and Rep. Eric Moore, who represents several rural counties in southeastern Montana.

In Sidney, the groups filings indicate it plans to spend a total of $1,500 on a billboard Explaining Rep. Joel Krautters vote for taxpayer-funded abortions through HB658.

On April 7, Krautter filed a political practice complaint alleging the name of the committee is misleading, given that three of its four initial donors were sitting legislators and not physicians, contrary to state law that requires political committee names to reflect the economic interests of a majority of their backers. Commissioner of Political Practices Jeff Mangan ruled in Krautters favor May 15.

Krautter also said hes firmly pro-life and pointed to his perfect marks on the conservative Montana Family Foundations 2019 legislative score card. The foundation commissioned a legal analysis concluding that Montanas expansion program does in fact make abortions more accessible because enrollees can be eligible for family planning services through Planned Parenthood, but didnt factor the expansion renewal bill into its 2019 legislative scores.

Ler and Krautter, both of whom say theyre gun owners, have also traded barbs over gun rights. In a May 20 Facebook post, Ler responded to a mailer apparently questioning his second amendment bona fides by posting a photo to his campaign Facebook posing with his young children and a kitchen table filled with firearms.

Joel Krautter is shaking in his penny loafers that Im going to win this election, Ler wrote.

During the 2019 session, Krautter was one of the Capitols more visible bipartisans. At one point, Montana Historical Society photographer Tom Ferris snapped a picture of Krautter and Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney, now a Democratic candidate for governor, showing off Montana flag socks in the governors office, their dress pants pulled up and their shoes propped on a conference table.

Krautter said last week that he saw the exchange as a moment of light-hearted camaraderie across party lines.

Im always glad to be trying to bring back some of that collegiality that I think is missing from politics today, he said. You hear about all the time as far as back in the good old days where Republicans and Democrats could disagree on policy and still get a drink after the floor debate ended. Now, it seems like theres so much toxicity in politics that you cant even sit down with someone of the other party without being accused of compromising something.

Krautter bristled at the suggestion that he may be cozier with Democrats than some of his constituents might prefer, saying he thinks they just want an effective advocate in Helena.

It just seems like theres a hyper-sensitivity going on right now about whos a true Republican, he said. Its all of this suspicion and all of these accusations of traitors among us, and its just totally toxic to the Republican Party and getting things done for my district and for Montana.

He continued: Its very much like the John Birch Society, when in the 1950s they were accusing President Eisenhower of being a communist.

Republican-In-Name-Only attacks on conservatives with a bipartisan streak are nothing new in Montana politics. In Krautters case, however, they carry extra punch because he was in fact a Democrat briefly in his youth a piece of personal history some of his critics have used to make political hay.

A University of Montana law graduate who moved to Sidney to take a job at a local law firm in 2014, Krautter completed his undergraduate studies at Liberty University, the evangelical Christian university in Virginia founded by televangelist Jerry Falwell Sr.

During his sophomore year at Liberty, Krautter helped found a college Democrats chapter there. A 2008 election night story from Lynchburgs News & Advance newspaper described him and a classmate celebrating President Barack Obamas victory.

The Montana Daily Gazette, a right-wing media site run by Sidney pastor Jordan Hall, seized on that anecdote and a Washington, D.C. internship with former Montana Sen. Max Baucus to attack Krautter as insufficiently loyal to the Republican cause, producing a post titled A Documented Timeline of Rep. Joel Krautters Service to the Democratic Party.

It was just kind of a time when I was exploring my political beliefs but still wanted to be active in the political process, Krautter said. He was hanging out with the college Republicans by his senior year, he said, and volunteered for Mitt Romneys campaign in 2012.

His change in perspective, he said, was driven by his conclusion that liberal social welfare programs are less effective at helping low-income people live more prosperous lives than business-minded proposals favored by Republicans.

I want to help people have the best lives possible, he said, and I just saw that Democrat policies I didnt think were doing a good job of that.

Krautters time at Liberty also saw him elected its class president in 2011 and produced what he describes as an ongoing friendship with the universitys current president, Jerry Falwell Jr., who wrote a letter endorsing Krautter while he was campaigning for the Montana House in 2018.

Ive known Joel for over a decade since he was a student at Liberty University and have been able to see his leadership in action on many occasions, Falwell wrote. Joel is an effective leader because he excels at building relationships, which is an essential asset to have in a legislator.

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Flanked from the right - Montana Free Press

Analyst Is ‘Surprised There Hasnt Been a Large-Scale Attack on Bitcoin Cash Yet – Cointelegraph

Yassine Elmandjra, a crypto asset analyst at ARK Invest, said in a May 24 tweet that the Bitcoin Cash (BCH) hashrate fell by 30% since its halving event, and only accounts for about 2% of the SHA-256 hashrate. Elmandjra now thinks its only a question of time before somebody takes advantage of the network:

Surprised we haven't seen a large scale attack yet.

According to data from BitInfoCharts, the Bitcoin Cash average daily hashrate fell by nearly 25.6% since its April 8 halving. Still, Elmandjra presumably did his calculations based on May 23 data, where the hashrate was down by about 33.52%. It is worth noting that the hashrate is currently much higher than where it initially was, after falling by over 61%.

As Cointelegraph reported earlier this month, Bitcoins hashrate has shed around 25%-40%, new blocks are generated remarkably slowly speed and fees significantly higher since the halving.

Hayden Otto is a Bitcoin Cash event organizer and founder of BitcoinBCH, a BCH-based development firm. Otto argues that Elmandjra was misled by the Bitcoin (BTC) narrative that Bitcoin Cash can be easily hacked by a 51% attack.

According to Otto, the formulas they use to determine the cost of a 51% attack does not consider important factors such as the incentives of miners. He believes that such an attack could not be executed as easily as many suggest, and this is why no such attack took place on the Bitcoin Cash network.

Otto added that Bitcoin Cashs hashrate is currently about 3.5% of Bitcoins and has remained there for years. According to Cointelegraphs calculations using CoinMetrics hashrate comparison chart data, BCHs hashrate is currently equivalent to 3% of BTCs. Furthermore, BCHs hashrate was equivalent to about 4% on May 20, 2019. This data seems to generally back Ottos point of view. He claims that an attack on Bitcoin Cash isnt realistic:

Bitcoin Cash is currently about 3.5% of BTCs hashrate and has been around this level for more than a year. Despite this there has been no attack because miners are profit-seeking and there is no incentive to attack. Any attacker will be challenged by honest miners defending the chain, and the 10-block reorg protection neuters any attempt to secretly mine a longer chain. The risk of losing money far outweighs any potential reward, which ultimately makes any attempt to 51% attack Bitcoin Cash unviable.

Still, as Otto himself pointed out Bitcoin Cashs hash rate is usually just about 3.5% of what Bitcoins hashrate is. Because of this, BCH arguably needs such block reorganization prevention measures more than Bitcoin, where the computing power needed to attempt such an attack would be prohibitively expensive.

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Analyst Is 'Surprised There Hasnt Been a Large-Scale Attack on Bitcoin Cash Yet - Cointelegraph

$9M and Over 4,500 Fusions – Bitcoin Cash Supporters Anticipate the Cashfusion Audit | Technology Bitcoin News – Bitcoin News

Since November 28, 2019, the Cashfusion protocol has helped facilitate 4,583 fusions to-date with roughly 40,564 bitcoin cash ($9.1M). Cashfusion is an extension of the Cashshuffle platform and the protocol has been deemed far more practical than other coinjoin protocols. Bitcoin Cash proponents are now waiting for the completion of the codebase audit, as the protocol will undergo a security audit from the well known firm Kudelski Security.

Cashfusion is a popular privacy-enhancing platform that is used for obfuscating bitcoin cash (BCH) transactions. The protocol has become very popular after many BCH supporter leveraged the previous platform called Cashshuffle. Cashfusion is an extension of Cashshuffle and makes transaction privacy even more enhanced.

The protocol has been reviewed by a number of people including the data analyst James Waugh. The analyst tested thousands of BCH transactions and combed through a number of inputs and outputs. Waugh realized that its not possible to establish a concrete link between fused transactions and he explained that Cashfusion is far more practical than other coinjoin protocols. Since then a great number of BCH supporters have been utilizing the privacy-enhancing software.

Since the end of November last year, BCH supporters have fused $9.1M worth of BCH or 40,564 BCH total. The 40,000 BCH was fused in 4,583 fusions with 266,752 inputs and 260,385 outputs. Users can see Cashfusion stats by leveraging Acidsploits stats.devzero.be/#/fusion website but also the web portal stats.cash is recording fusions as well.

The previous platform Cashshuffle still gets a lot of use and traction and since March 27, 2019 theres been 52,123 shuffles. Approximately 247,387 bitcoin cash has been shuffled since then as well or $55.8 million at todays exchange rates. On Fridays BCH fans celebrate Fusion Friday, as they gather together that day to produce a number of fusions. This trend was taken from Shuffle Saturdays, which sees participants shuffle more BCH every weekend.

Right now, BCH proponents are waiting for the security audit from Kudelski Security who will review the Cashfusion codebase and operations. Bitcoin.com and the grassroots BCH community raised $50,000 for the Kudelski audit and $50,000 for Cashfusion developer expenses.

After the Kudelski review of Cashshuffle, the developers launched the official version of the protocol. The Cashshuffle Kudelski review was positive and many BCH supporters look forward to the outcome of Cashfusions audit. The conclusion of the Cashshuffle audit explained that the protocol showed no significant deviations.

We further believe that the Cashshuffle codebase that we reviewed is implementing the Coinshuffle protocol with no significant deviations, and we did not find any evidence of malicious intent, flawed logic, or potential backdoor in the codebase, the security researchers at Kudelski said.

As governments and law enforcement officials worldwide continue to wreak havoc on financial privacy, Cashfusion is anticipated immensely for that reason. Further, blockchain analysis and surveillance have grown very large since the early days, and a better privacy option for bitcoin cash transactions that surpasses traditional coinjoin techniques, would be welcomed by the community. Lately, a number of BCH fans using the Reddit forum r/btc have been showing off their successful fusions and inputs and outputs.

What do you think about the $9.1 million worth of bitcoin cash fused so far? Let us know in the comments below.

Image Credits: Shutterstock, Pixabay, Wiki Commons

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$9M and Over 4,500 Fusions - Bitcoin Cash Supporters Anticipate the Cashfusion Audit | Technology Bitcoin News - Bitcoin News

New DeFi protocol brings Bitcoin Cash, Zcash swaps to Ethereum – Decrypt

A new liquidity protocol is bringing Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash and Zcash to the Ethereum ecosystem.

Ren announced today their decentralized finance (DeFi) product RenVM is live on the Ethereum mainnet. RenVM enables private, permissionless value swaps between blockchains, using a decentralized set of programmatic custodians to transfer assets without a centralized authority.

RenVM will initially bring BTC, BCH, and ZEC to the Ethereum blockchain, providing groundbreaking liquidity between blockchains using smart contract technology.

In a next-generation financial system where cryptocurrencies are mainstream, blockchains must enable cross-chain value transfer across their respective protocols, and Ren is setting out to provide this catch-all utility, said Loong Wang, CTO and co-founder of Ren.

Ren raised over $33 million in a 2018 ICO led by Polychain Capital, FGB, and Huobi Capital for a trade order management product that eventually evolved into work on RenVM. RenVM is also supported by the Ren Alliance, a group of more than 50 organizations contributing to the security, utility, and development of RenVM. Prominent members of the Ren Alliance include IDEX, Kyber, bZx, Aave, and more. Members of the Ren Alliance represent thousands of potential users for the new protocol.

DeFi is all about removing the need for trusted intermediaries, and RenVM provides core infrastructure for DeFi to live up its founding ethos, said decentralized exchange IDEX CEO Alex Wearn. Our vision at IDEX is to enable our customers to trade any cryptocurrency without having to trust anyone else with custody of their funds, and RenVM brings us one step closer to that goal.

RenVM launched today on the Ethereum mainnet, but the protocol is designed to be applied to other blockchains like Tezos or Polkadot. The project uses a similar technique of wrapping and burning tokens on different blockchains to that used to create WBTC. However, RenVM is a fully decentralized protocol for performing these types of value transfer as opposed to the WBTC implementation that relies on trusted third parties.

Our goal is for RenVM to function as a bridge between not only Bitcoin and Ethereum, but any imaginable pair of blockchain-based tokens, including stablecoins like Libra and Chinas digital yuan, Wang said.

The views and opinions expressed by the author are for informational purposes only and do not constitute financial, investment, or other advice.

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New DeFi protocol brings Bitcoin Cash, Zcash swaps to Ethereum - Decrypt