Top 6 Adult Websites Accepting Bitcoin Payments – The Merkle

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Considering how the Internet is for porn, and Bitcoin is the internet of money, it is evident BTC and adult content mix well. Quite a few adult content platforms accept Bitcoin and cryptocurrency payments, for obvious reasons. We have taken a look at some of the top platforms accepting Bitcoin to date, which can be found below. Do keep in mind there are a lot more adult content companies who accept Bitcoin, though.

Everyone who has ever browsed the internet for adult content will have come across the Livejasmin platform. The company is famous for its live webcam stream of adult content, where users can pay to interact with the streamer. Over the past decade or so, Livejasmin has become a household name in the adult content industry. The company started accepting Bitcoin payments quite some time ago, and it appears they are doing quite well since making this switch.

One of the many popular adult websites to accept Bitcoin payments goes by the name of Chaturbate. The platform has been around since 2011 and built up a solid reputation in the industry due to their live streams of erotic and pornographic performances. It is a platform where people can chat with others and have a good time, so to speak. User spend Bitcoin in the form of tips to make streamers perform specific actions. It has proven to be quite a popular business model to date, and that will not come to change anytime soon.

When the Xotika platform launched, Bitcoin community members were quite impressed. It offers everything one would expect from an adult content platform, with a large focus on live interaction with streamers. Xotika started accepting cryptocurrency payments from day one and has quickly grown to become a big player in the cryptocurrency-adult content industry. Future improvements will be made to the platform over the coming years, as the company is only just getting started, by the look of things.

Although technically not your typical adult content website, Playboy Plus is quite popular among adult content enthusiasts. The company started accepting Bitcoin payments a few years ago, thanks to the integration of BitPay services. There are multiple membership plans to choose from, which include access to HD photos and videos. It is good to see such prominent companies pay attention to Bitcoin as well.

It is not entirely surprising to see Porn.com accept Bitcoin payments. This adult content service provider feels Bitcoin has a bright future in the adult sector, thus accepting it as a payment for their premium service makes a lot of sense. Using Bitcoin as a payment method gives users access to unlimited HD streaming, no advertisements, and a very large DVD archive library. Considering how the platform offers a vast library of adult content, Bitcoin users have taken a liking to this platform for obvious reasons.

If there is one major pornographic video content creator everyone knows, it has to be Naughty America. This particular company has been around since 2001 and continues to bring quality adult content to the industry as a whole. Knowing such a major player in the industry accepts Bitcoin payments is quite significant, to say the least. Bitcoin and the adult industry create a very powerful mix, that much no one can deny.

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Top 6 Adult Websites Accepting Bitcoin Payments - The Merkle

More donors give bitcoin and assets other than cash to charities – CNBC

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"Donor-advised funds are a great way to give nonpublicly traded assets. Some charities will accept such assets directly, but only if they have the requisite expertise in-house," said Juan Ros, a certified financial planner and vice president for financial planning and philanthropy at Lamia Financial Group in Thousand Oaks, California.

Gifting appreciated assets comes with a double tax benefit: "Not only do you get to deduct the fair market value of the gift as a charitable deduction, but you also get to avoid paying tax on the unrealized gain of the donated property," said Chad Hamilton, a CFP in Denver who specializes in philanthropy.

For example, let's say a business owner makes a deal to sell his company and gifts shares of his stock worth $50,000 to a donor-advised fund. The business owner would avoid taxation on that $50,000 when the company is sold.

Assuming a cost basis of zero and an effective tax rate of 30 percent, a combination of long-term capital gains, state income tax and Medicare surtax, that is a long-term capital gains tax savings of $15,000, Hamilton said. Plus, that $50,000 gift is available to be claimed as a itemized charitable tax deduction.

Or let's say you want to unload bitcoin after its rapid rise this year. If you donate the bitcoin instead of selling it, you can take a charitable deduction for the fair market value on the day you give it away.

Another bonus: You'll also avoid capital gains taxes on the increase in value over time, which you would pay if you sold the bitcoin and then gave the charity the cash from the sale.

You can only deduct the fair market value if you held the bitcoin for more than a year before giving it away. If you've held it for less than a year, your deduction is limited to your cost basis, or what you paid for the digital currency, not its current value.

"Often people have appreciated assets, like stock, business interest or real estate, but they don't think of gifting those and instead just give cash," Hamilton said.

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More donors give bitcoin and assets other than cash to charities - CNBC

Bizarro comet challenging researchers – Astrobiology Magazine (registration)

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Illustration of Echeclus. Credit: Florida Space Institute at UCF

Scientists pursue research through observation, experimentation and modeling. They strive for all of these pieces to fit together, but sometimes finding the unexpected is even more exciting. Thatswhat happened to University of Central Floridas astrophysicist Gal Sarid, who studies comets, asteroids and planetary formation and earlier this year was part of a team that published a studyfocused on the comet 174P/Echeclus. It didnt behave the way the team was expecting.

This is another clue that Echeclus is a bizarre solar system object, said University of South Florida physics research Professor Maria Womack, who leads the team.

Comets streak across the sky and as they get closer to the sun look like bright fuzz balls with extended luminous trails in their wake. However, comets are actually bulky spheres of mixed ice and rock, many of them also rich in other frozen volatile compounds, such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen cyanide and methanol.

Comets heat up as they get closer to the sun, losing their icy layers by sublimation and producing emission jets of water vapor, other gases and dust expelled from the comet nucleus, Sarid said. Once they move away from the sun, they cool off again. But some comets start showing emission activity while still very far from the sun, where heating is low.

Thats what Sarid and Womack research as they study these kinds of distantly active comets. Womack and graduate student Kacper Wierzchos used the Arizona Radio Observatory Submillimeter telescope to observe Echeclus last year as it approached the sun. This work will be part of Wierzchos doctoral dissertation in applied physics at USF. Sarid provided theoretical expertise for interpreting the observational results.

Echeclus is part of the population of objects called centaurs, which have orbits around the sun at distances between that of Jupiter and Neptune. It is also part of a special group within the centaurs, which sometimes exhibit comet-like activity. Previous research indicated that Echeclus might have been spewing carbon monoxide as its icy material changed phases.

The team found that the levels of carbon monoxide were nearly 40 times lower than typically expected from other comets at similar distances from the sun. This suggests that Echeclus and similar active Centaurs may be more fragile than other comets. Echeclus may have gone through a different physical process from most comets that caused it to lose a lot of its original carbon monoxide, or it may have had less of that substance to begin with.

Understanding the composition of comets and how they work will help researchers understand how our solar system was formed. It will also aid space explorers plan for their travels things to avoid and perhaps hidden resources found within the nucleus of comets that may be useful on deep space missions.

These are minor bodies that we are studying, but they can provide major insights, Sarid said. We believe they are rich in organics and could provide important hints of how life originated.

Sarid is determined to solve the puzzle. This week he hosts a group of comet experts at UCF to discuss the mysterious activity of Echeclus and other similar bodies. The idea for the workshop is to capitalize on the local expertise in observation, laboratory and theoretical work that is required to fully understand the mysteries of active comets at great distances from the sun. The inaugural Florida Distant Comets workshop was held a year ago at USF.

I guess Ive always liked challenges, Sarid said from his office at the Florida Space Institute at UCF, where he spends his days trying to decipher the models and mathematical equations related to his work.

Sarid has a Ph.D. in geophysics and planetary Sciences from Tel Aviv University in Israel and completed postdoctoral work at the Institute for Astronomy and the NASA Astrobiology Institute in Hawaii, followed by a second postdoctoral research appointment at Harvard University. He was a part of a team that used the telescopes in Hawaii for several years chasing comets and asteroids for NASA observing campaigns and space missions before joining UCF in 2014.

He teamed up with Womack in 2016 and on this most recent study provided theoretical expertise for interpreting the observational results.The National Science Foundation funds the project, under a grant awarded to USF, with Womack as the principal investigator and Sarid as a co-investigator.

They will continue to look at centaur-type comets and measure the level of their carbon monoxide emission and related activity.

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Bizarro comet challenging researchers - Astrobiology Magazine (registration)

Florida Panthers sign Comets forward Valk – Utica Observer Dispatch

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OBSERVER-DISPATCH

Free agent forward Curtis Valk, the Utica Comets' second-leading scorer this past season, was signed Saturday by the Florida Panthers.

On the first day of National Hockey League free agency, the Panthers announced they had signed the 24-year-old Valk to a one-year, entry-level contract.

In his first full American Hockey League season with the Comets, Valk played in 75 games and scored 46 points - including 16 goals and a team-high 30 assists. The 5-foot-6, 166-pound native of Medicine Hat, Alberta, played one game with the Comets in 2014-15 and 12 more with Utica in 2015-16.

Valk has played in 88 AHL games and had 18 goals and 34 assists.

Two other former Utica Comets - left wing Tom Sestito of Rome and defenseman Frank Corrado - were resigned by the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Sestito played 13 NHL games this past season and had two assists and 48 penalty minutes. Also signing Saturday were former Comets Cal O'Reilly (Minnesota Wild) and Joe Cannata (Colorado Avalanche).

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Florida Panthers sign Comets forward Valk - Utica Observer Dispatch

Nail findings distinguish between psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis – Healio

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Nail findings distinguished patients with psoriatic arthritis from those with psoriasis without arthritis, with transverse grooves being a significant factor, according to recently published study results in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis between July 2003 and February 2015 at the dermatology department of St. Lukes International Hospital in Tokyo of 118 patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA; mean age at first visit, 47.7 years; 46.6% female) and 974 patients with psoriasis and without arthritis (mean age at first visit, 50.9 years; 36.2% female).

They used the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index to measure skin lesion severity, and evaluated nine nail characteristics.

Patients with PsA had a 67.6% incidence of nail involvement. Onocholysis (P < .01)), transverse grooves (P < .01), nail-plate crumbling (P = .04) and splinter hemorrhages (P < .01) were more frequent in patients with PsA compared with patients with just psoriasis.

Multivariate logistic regression analysis found that female sex (OR = 2.54; 95% CI, 1.53-4.22), presence of transverse grooves (OR = 5.01; 95% CI, 2.31=-10.8), onocholysis (OR = 2.37; 95% CI, 1.36-4.15) and splinter hemorrhages (OR = 3.51; 95% CI, 1.17-10.6) were associated with arthritis.

Transverse grooves were significantly associated with distal interphalangeal arthritis (P = .05) and enthesitis (P = .03).

Nail findings may be used to discriminate between patients with PsA and [psoriasis without arthritis], the researchers concluded. In particular, transverse grooves are significantly associated with PsA. These findings may be useful for making early diagnoses of PsA and they may contribute to improved treatment. We recommend that physicians note these findings in patients with psoriasis, as they may indicate [distal interphalangeal] arthritis or enthesitis. by Bruce Thiel

Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.

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Nail findings distinguish between psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis - Healio

Travel ban takes effect as State Department defines ‘close family’ – Washington Post

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After five months of bitter legal squabbling, the Trump administrations modified travel ban took effect Thursday night under new guidelines designed to avert the chaos of the original rollout. But the rules will still keep many families split and are likely to spawn a new round of court fights.

The State Department on Thursday announced new criteria to determine who will be allowed to enter the United States as a visitor or a refugee. The travel restrictions are temporary for now 90 days for visitors and 120 days for refugees coming from six Muslim-majority countries: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. But the administration took a particularly strict interpretation of a Supreme Court ruling Monday that only those with bona fide relationships, such as close family members, can enter the country.

The administrations new rules do not allow grandparents, grandchildren, uncles, aunts, cousins and fiances. They do allow sons-in-law, daughters-in-law and stepchildren.

Advocates and lawyers criticized the family list as capricious.

The president is supposed to protect American families, not rip them apart, said Shayan Modarres, a lawyer with the National Iranian American Council.

(Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

The effect of the travel ban this time may be more muted compared with the effort in January, but the restrictions are still broad. Citizens of the six targeted countries will be denied visas unless they can prove a close family relationship or a connection with a school or business.

Late Thursday, lawyers for the state of Hawaii asked a federal judge to stop the government from enforcing the ban.

In a court filing, the lawyers argued that fiances, grandparents, grandchildren, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins of those in the United States should be allowed to enter from the six affected countries, as they could credibly claim connections to America.

The lawyers also argued that the government should not be allowed to bar refugees who already have a documented agreement with a local sponsor and a place to live.

The Government does not have discretion to ignore the Courts injunction as it sees fit, the lawyers wrote. The State of Hawaii is entitled to the enforcement of the injunction that it has successfully defended, in large part, up to the Supreme Court one that protects the States residents and their loved ones from an illegal and unconstitutional Executive Order.

A long set of instructions was sent via cable Wednesday to diplomatic posts worldwide, and took effect at 8 p.m. Eastern time Thursday. Senior administration officials said the timing would allow everything to go smoothly without the turmoil that greeted the original travel ban, which was imposed with no notice in an executive order earlier this year, putting some travelers in limbo when the rules changed while they were in midflight. Nevertheless, some advocates and immigration lawyers were at airports on the East and West coasts to observe the bans implementation.

It will be business as usual for us, said a senior U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to outline the changes. We expect things to run smoothly, and our people are well-prepared for this and they will handle the entry of people with visas professionally, respectfully and responsibly, as they have always done, with an eye toward ensuring that the country is protected from persons looking to travel here to do harm.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert defended the restrictions as a way to assure Americans that foreign visitors and refugees are not coming to harm them.

The American public could have legitimate concerns about their safety when we open our doors, she said, and we open our doors to people who go through proper screening measures and who want to be here and be productive members of society.

Still, some administration officials struggled to explain why the ban was justified or how it will make Americans safer, because no visitors or refugees from any of the six countries listed in the travel ban have ever been arrested in connection with a terrorist attack on U.S. soil. When asked during a briefing with reporters, several officials said they were following the guidelines interpreted by lawyers from a Supreme Court decision allowing the travel ban to go ahead, with some limitations, until the case can be argued before the court in October.

Human rights groups criticized the ban and suggested that more legal battles are to come.

It remains clear that President Trumps purpose is to disparage and condemn Muslims, said Omar Jadwat, director of the American Civil Liberties Unions Immigrants Rights Project. The reported guidance does not comport with the Supreme Courts order, is arbitrary and is not tied to any legitimate government purpose.

The new rules apply to refugees as well as visitors. But the number of refugees who can be admitted is already nearing an end, three months short of the end of the fiscal year. Fewer than 1,000 spots are available before the 50,000 limit Trump set in January is reached. By comparison, the Obama administration had set the limit at 110,000. Refugees with flights booked by July6 should encounter no problems, and after that, the State Department hopes to have a better idea of how to proceed.

Even after the limit is reached, however, refugees with close family members in the United States will be allowed entry. More than half of all U.S.-bound refugees typically have some family members in the United States, although in some cases the relatives may be in the excluded category.

Senior administration officials said they drew up the list of close relationships based on the definition of family in the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965.

The relatives deemed sufficiently close family members to exempt people from the travel ban, whether as visitors or refugees, are: a parent, spouse, child, an adult son or daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law or sibling, as well as their stepfamily counterparts.

There may be some wiggle room to accommodate special cases, such as a grandmother or uncle who raised someone now living in the United States.

If they dont have the requisite family relationship, if they would like to articulate a reason that we should nevertheless waive the inadmissibility, they are certainly welcome to articulate that reason to us, a senior administration official said. And we will look at those cases case by case, but it wont be the relationship that will be the determining factor.

The administration insisted that it will reject any claims by resettlement agencies that they have a bona fide relationship with a refugee, as some have said they would do. The advisory cable sent to consular officials Wednesday said that any relationship must be formal, documented, and formed in the ordinary course, rather than for the purpose of evading the executive order.

Stephen Yale-Loehr, a professor at Cornell University Law School, who has written volumes of books on immigration law, said the travel ban would have barred many refugees who came to the United States years ago and have caused no problems. Among them are the Lost Boys of Sudan and children orphaned by famine and war.

Similarly, why can a stepsister visit the United States but not a grandmother? he asked. The State Department should vet visa applicants on a case-by-case basis for terrorism concerns, not impose overly broad categories that prevent innocent people from coming to this country, he said.

Amnesty International called on Congress to overturn the travel ban and said it dispatched monitors to airports to observe whether anyone was being denied entry.

Separating families based on these definitions is simply heartless, Naureen Shah, director of campaigns for Amnesty International USA, said in a statement. It further proves the callous and discriminatory nature of Trumps Muslim ban.

Matt Zapotosky contributed to this report.

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Travel ban takes effect as State Department defines 'close family' - Washington Post

Transhumanism just another ‘religion’ in which man seeks to become God – WND.com

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An intelligence so capable it can perceive every cause and effect. The promise of eternal life. The dawn of a new age in whichsuffering will be eliminated, every need will be met and the individual will find fulfillment by subordinating himself to something far greater than himself.

These are the promises of most great faiths. The capacityto understand and predict everything thatcould possibly occur is a characteristic most would ascribe toGod.

But today, thisrhetoric surrounds an ostensibly scientific and secular movement. Transhumanism, the attempt to overcome the bodys limitations through technology, and the hunt for artificial intelligence are promoted with evangelistic language.

Around the world, heavily funded by billionaire philanthropists, researchers are probing whether aging can be curbed or even prevented, just like any other disease.

Indeed, scientist Aubrey de Grey, chief science officer of the SENS Research Foundation, argues the biggest obstacle to immortality is simply a lack of funding to fuel research.

Even dissident and Wikileaks head Julian Assange confidently predicted de facto immortality would soon exist because people would upload their consciousness to an artificial intelligence and live forever as part of a simulation.

Its like a religion for atheists, Assange said.

Assange is not alone in identifying the fundamentally religious impulse behind the movement. In a recent piece at Aeon a digital magazine on science, philosophy, society and the arts Beth Singler of the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion pointed out how despite itsscorn for religion, the AI community often sounds like a group of believers in a coming god.

[B]elievers in a transhuman future in which AI will allow us to transcend the human condition once and for all draw constantly on prophetic and end-of-days narratives to understand what theyre striving for, she writes.

The community has also generated thought experiments in which the singularity, the creation of artificial intelligence thatwill spark runaway growth, is framed as something akin to the formation of a god. For example, Rokos Basilisk posits an AI which, because it would conceive of itself being able to provide the greatest good for the greatest number, would actually punish humans, even after death, who do not labor to bring it into existence.

Joseph Farah, founder of WND and author of The Restitution of All Things, argues secularists and scientists who seek to escape the need for God ultimately and inevitably find themselves groping back towards the divine.

Theres an old saying, If you dont believe in something, youll believe in anything,' he said. Theres an absolute, fundamental need for human beings to believe in something.

If its not the God, it will be a god. Transhumanists offer an alternative god. You can be like God, the old lie the serpent told Eve in the Garden. You can still have eternal life apart from serving God and obeying His commandments. Its as simple as that. Transhumanists are peddling that kind of lie, again, so naturally they would have their own doctrines, gospel story, creation story, etc.

Ultimately, Farah maintains transhumanism and the quest for immortality, despite its supposedly secular orientation, leads to anti-Christian spiritual and even demonic connotations.

Absolutely, I think thats implied in the way this plays out, he said. Its about living forever. We all know these bodies wear out over time. But you can conquer death. Thats a spiritual idea and it comes from Gods consistent message to us. Its hardwired into our fallen genetic material. And, I believe it is at least inspired by the father of lies.

Its the book that gives you tomorrows news today! Get your autographed copy of The Restitution of All Things: Israel, Christians and the End of the Age.

Mark Biltz, the discoverer of the Blood Moons phenomenon and the author of Gods Day Timer, pointed out the term transhuman ultimately came out of religious literature.

He pointed to an article in the London Guardian profiling how a former Christian fell into transhumanism.The very word first appeared not in a work of science or technology but in Henry Francis Careys 1814 translation of Dantes Paradiso, the final book of the Divine Comedy, Biltz noted.

Dante, in this passage, is dramatizing the resurrection, the moment when, according to Christian prophecies, the dead will rise from their graves and the living will be granted immortal flesh, he said.

The vast majority of Christians throughout the ages have believed that these prophecies would happen supernaturally God would bring them about, when the time came. But since the medieval period, there has also persisted a tradition of Christians who believed that humanity could enact the resurrection through science and technology.

Whats amazing to me is how transhumanists are not just made up of atheists exclusively but Christian involvement has been growing exponentially, he said.

It is hard to believe how this is coming into mainstream Christianity! Indeed, there is even a Christian Transhumanist Association, headed by a preachers kid who was saturated in the Bible and Christian thought but has identified as a transhumanist since the mid-90s. He states in an article in Vice that we may see the next wave of Christians embrace transhumanist technologies as part of a sacred duty to participate with God in the redemption of the world.'

Biltz says he is troubled by such theological innovations.

When I read this I see how the deception of Christians in these last days will be so persuasive, he said. Christians are like the proverbial frogs in the boiling water. Believers need to get on Gods calendar so they realize we are at the time in history were we really need to be looking up, for our redemption draws nigh. Man has always wanted to become god or at least create a god in their own image. This just demonstrates how close we are to the coming of the Messiah.

The Bible story is more miraculous and astounding than you could have imagined. See the incredible proof of the unchanging nature of God and the exciting clues to what awaits at the end of days in Gods Day Timer by Mark Biltz, available as a book or documentary now in the WND Superstore.

Joel Richardson, the New York Times bestselling author of The Islamic Antichrist and Mystery Babylon, believes what is occurring is part of an old pattern in human behavior.

Mankind is essentially religious, whether they will admit it or not, he explained. If someone claims to deny the one, true God of the Bible, and every other god, they will inevitably find another created object to worship, most often themselves.

Richard said the Silicon Valley techno-gods of our time are among the most arrogant and most overt of the self-worshippers.

Perhaps understandably so. Never before in human history has technology and particularly the kinds of technology that is just on the horizon, so deeply challenge not only the essence of what it means to be human, but also our very perception of what it means to be God, he said.

Because of technology, mankind is entering a very dangerous spiritual phase of its existence. The tower of Babel is once again being erected. Those who are at the vanguard of these technologies, though denying true religion, understand the fundamentally religious nature of their work. This is why you will find so much of their work enshrouded in such religious language.

Richardson argues all of this was foretold in the Bible.

As always, it is mankinds arrogance that is his undoing, he said. Ultimately, these are those who the apostle Paul spoke of long ago when he said, that though they self-profess to be wise, they become fools, darkened in their understanding. After all, we all know how the story of the Tower of Babel ends. There is only one true God. He is the one who once warned, Though you say you are gods, you will die like mere men.'

One of the greatest mysteries in Scripture solved at last! Discover the terrifying truth behind the shadowy identity of one of the greatest horrors of the end times. New York Times bestselling author Joel Richardson reveals the secret of Mystery Babylon, available now in the WND Superstore.

Jan Markell of Olive Tree Ministries suggests transhumanism is comparable to the theory of evolution in how it assertsknowledge will evolve to a higher level likely without God.

Man just has to play God or at least be godlike, she said. This advancement comes through cloning and genetic manipulation. Transhumanists look to the future and believe the human condition will see improvement in physical ability, lifespan, mental acuity and health. In addition, the world conditions can also be improved. Such technological advancements, some have said, would even redefine what it means to be human.

It says in the Bible that knowledge will increase. It doesnt suggest this knowledge will be used to good or evil, but I believe, like everything else today, man is trying to be like God. Man will abuse this increase in knowledge and understanding. Thus, transhumanism is almost a religion in itself.

An incredible story about finding Gods light in a time of darkness. Dont miss this testimony about faith in the midst of the Holocaust. Trapped In Hitlers Hell, now available as a book or documentary now in the WND Superstore.

Pastor Carl Gallups, who examines current headlines in the light of end times prophecy in his book When The Lion Roars, argues the reason transhumanism so closely resembles a religion is because it was predicted in the Bible itself.

From the Garden of Eden to the book of Revelation we watch the story unfold, and the prediction that humankind would eventually, near the return of Jesus Christ, accept the very same lies that started in the Garden, the pastor explained.

Those lies can be summarized as: Man can be God-like, man can live forever without obeying Gods morality code, and therefore man can create God, life and morality in his own image, rather than the other way around. This is exactly what the transhumanists imagine themselves doing. Thus they are in a constant dilemma of trying to explain exactly what it is they are up to without falling into biblical language and imagery. If this scenario wasnt so clearly predicted thousands of years ago, complete with the somber results that are soon to come, it would almost be comical.

Gallups warned transhumanists are pursuing something the Bible warned about in the last days.

Even the transhumanist prophets predict an ultimate and soon-coming intelligence that will surpass any human capability perhaps even leading to unthinkable brutality, the pastor said. They even admit that what they are up to is, ultimately, rebellion against human existence as it has been given. Again, exactly what the Bible predicted. Demonically, that intelligence, rebellious spirit and brutality will manifest itself in the personage of the Antichrist. Transhumanists are not only saying basically the same thing as the Bible but are actually working feverishly to usher in the same biblical predictions they mock.

Gallups said ultimately Christians have a choice: whether they will place their faith in the promises of technology or the prophecies of Scripture thatseem to be predicting exactly whats happening today.

Which came first, the Word of God and the lies of the Garden of Eden or the modern transhumanists pursuit that matches the Bibles description of the last days? The answer is so obvious that apparently even some of the transhumanists see it the Word of God and its prophecies came first. Therefore, Im sticking with the original source, Gods holy Word.

Extraordinary events predicted centuries in advance are unfolding now. Here is your guide to the incredible prophecies being fulfilled before our very eyes. Dont miss the bestselling sensation from one of Americas most prolific and beloved pastors. When the Lion Roars: Understanding the Implications of Ancient Prophecies for Our Time by Carl Gallups, available now in the WND Superstore.

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Transhumanism just another 'religion' in which man seeks to become God - WND.com

Chelyabinsk-Like Asteroid Gets Incinerated in Supercomputer Simulation (Video) – Space.com

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When a small asteroid fell to Earth over the city of Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013, the speeding space rock exploded midair and created a shock wave powerful enough to damage thousands of buildings and injure more than 1,200 people. The blast from the Chelyabinsk explosion shattered glass windows up to 58 miles (93 kilometers) away.

Just in time for Asteroid Day (June 30), NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination Officehas released a supercomputer simulation of a Chelyabinsk-like asteroid burning up in Earth's atmosphere. Simulations such as this one "help first responders and other agencies to identify and make better informed decisions for how best to defend against life-threatening asteroid events," NASA officials said in a statement.

Using the Pleiades supercomputer at NASA's Ames Research Facility in California's Silicon Valley, researchers are modeling hypothetical asteroid-impact scenarios like this one to learn more about how dangerous space rocks crumble into pieces after entering Earth's atmosphere. These supercomputer simulations harness NASA's Cart3D aerodynamic design software and the ALE3D modeling software developed by Lawrence Livermore National Lab. [Gallery: Chelyabinsk Explosion of 2013]

"The NASA team was able to run large-scale simulations of the Chelyabinsk asteroid event on Pleiades to produce many impact scenarios quickly, because Cart3D is dozens of times faster than typical 3-D numerical modeling used for aerodynamic analysis," NASA officials said in the statement. "The detailed simulations allowed the team to model the fluid flow that occurs when asteroids melt and vaporize as they break up in the atmosphere."

Experts with the Asteroid Threat Assessment Project at NASA's Ames Research Facility share this research with universities, national labs and government agencies around the world to help people come up with plans for dealing with the threat of asteroid impacts.

Learn more about the Chelyabinsk event from the Science@NASA video series:

Editor's Note:Space.com senior producerSteve Spaletacontributed to this report.

Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebookand Google+. Original article on Space.com.

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Chelyabinsk-Like Asteroid Gets Incinerated in Supercomputer Simulation (Video) - Space.com

SunLive – What’s On? Food Show & Spirituality – The Bay’s News First – SunLive

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Kia ora, and welcome to your midwinter Sunday.

It's starting to get fairly cold at night, and not too pleasant during the day, which means finding ways to stay entertained indoors can be a chore,

However, food fans can rejoice, because today is the second and final day of the Seriously Good Food Show.

Held at ASB Arena Baypark from 10am-5pm, the expo showcases all the best new foods to try and buy. Designed with good taste in mind, the Seriously Good Food Show hosts displays and exhibits from some of New Zealand's top food and drink producers with live cooking seminars, lots of tastings, and unique products. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for kids.

If feeding your soul is more your thing, then we have a range of spiritual events on, including A Course in Miracles, Bay Bible Fellowship, Bible Seminars, Quakers in Tauranga, Spiritual Healing, and the Tauranga Theosophical Society. They're on most weeks, discussing a range of spiritual and religious views, and will no doubt welcome any open-minded people to join them.

Check out the details of these and today's other events below:

WHAT'S ON Sunday, July 2:

A Course In Miracles

Loving solutions for unloving situations. Join a spirited discussion on the application of Miracle principles in the Backbenches Room, Grindz Cafe, 50 First Ave. 12:30 Coffee and chat. 1:00 Discussion: eft. healing the body by healing the mind.Trans religious. Donation appreciated.

Bay Bible Fellowship/Lord's Day

Join us for our Worship service at Welcome Bay Primary School Hall, 309 Welcome Bay road. 10.00am. 1 Peter 3:13-17. Pastor Lincoln Forlong. All welcome. Visit us at http://www.bbf.net.nz

Bible Seminars

Asa King of Israel - God can save Interactive, Q & A. All welcome. Refreshments provided. Sunday 1:45pm at Greerton Senior Citizen's Hall, Maitland St Vic 543 0504

Croquet

Every Sun, Tues & Fri at Tauranga Domain, Cameron Rd 12.45pm. Beginners welcome. Peter 571 0633

Czech and Slovak Club Tauranga

Czech School & Playgroup. Guests welcome! Tauranga Boys College, 10am - 12noon, Devonport Rd, More info: https://www.csclubtauranga.nz/en/

Papamoa Lions Club Market

Gordon Spratt Reserve, Parton Rd, Papamoa. Gates open 7am for stall holder entry. Wayne 027 974 5699

Quakers in Tauranga

In hall behind Brain Watkins House, cnr Elizabeth St/Cameron Rd 10am for an hour of mainly silent worship followed by tea/coffee & talk. 544 0448 http://www.quaker.org.nz

Radio Controlled Model Yachts

Meet Sun 1.30pm & Thurs 1.30pm at pond behind 24 Montego Drive, Papamoa to sail Electron & similar 3ft long yachts, for fun. Adult beginners welcome. Graham 572 5419

Spiritual Healing Centre

The Psychic Caf. Bringing you over 25 of the Bay's top Psychics, Healers and Spiritualists in a cafe style environment. One off fee of $10 and from there everything is FREE. Greerton Community Hall, Greerton Tga. Doors open 6.45pm for 7pm start. Ph 07 578 7205 or http://www.psychiccafe.nz

Sunday Funday

Games & activities for the whole family at Greerton Aquatic & Leisure Centre 12-3pm. Parents & caregivers are welcome & encouraged to participate. BBQ hire $15.

Tauranga Organ & Keyboard Society

Carmel Country Estate Social Centre, 11 Hollister Lane, Ohauiti, Tauranga at 1.30pm. Listen to, or play the Organ EL900, or the Clavinova 405. Contact June 574-2204.

Tauranga Theosophical Society.

Join us for a look at Krishnamurti & some of his messages. All welcome, entry by donation. Tauranga Yoga Center, 2pm. Phone 577 6042.

The Seriously Good Food Show

1 & 2 July 10am - 5pm, ASB Baypark Arena. Over 130 exhibitors, see where your food comes, meet the producers face-to-face, new and exciting products to try, gluten-free, nut-free, vegetarian, paleo or just hungry. Adults $10.00 Children 13 & Under $5.00

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SunLive - What's On? Food Show & Spirituality - The Bay's News First - SunLive

Dragon Spacecraft’s Historic Second Return to Earth: How to Watch … – Space.com

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SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft will depart the International Space Station July 2, bringing more than 4,100 lbs. of cargo back to Earth.

UPDATED 7/1 8:52 p.m. EDT: Due to weather conditions in the Pacific Ocean splashdown zone, the Dragon spacecraft's release will be delayed until Monday, July 3 at 2:28 a.m. EDT (0628 GMT).

On Monday (July 3), the crew of the International Space Station will bid farewell to a Dragon cargo spacecraft, which will head back to Earth with more than 4,100 lbs. (1,900 kilograms) of returning cargo in tow. It's this specific spacecraft's second splashdown: It brought cargo to the space station and safely returned to Earth in 2014 as well.

When the cargo craft launched to the space station in June on SpaceX's Falcon 9 spacecraft, it was the first-ever relaunch of a previously used Dragon.

Departure coverage will begin at 2 a.m. EDT (0600 GMT), and you canwatch it here on Space.com, courtesy of NASA TV. Flight controllers will detach the spacecraft using Canadarm2, the space station's robotic arm, and then NASA astronauts Jack Fischer and Peggy Whitson will command the arm to let go, NASA officials said in a statement.

The spacecraft will move away from the space station and then head out of orbit, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean after a 5.5 hour journey. The deorbit burn and splashdown won't be shown on NASA TV.

The spacecraft brought close to 6,000 lbs. (2,700 kg) of supplies, equipment and research experiments to the station. Its cargo included the Neutron star Interior Composition ExploreR (NICER) and the experimental Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA). After ROSA's experiment completed, the array was jettisoned from the space station because the ground team was unable to roll it back up to stow.

When Dragon splashes back down, SpaceX personnel will travel two days by sea with the spacecraft to return it to Southern California. From there, the craft's cargo will be shipped back to Houston, NASA officials said in a blog post.

Email Sarah Lewin at slewin@space.com or follow her @SarahExplains. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.

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Dragon Spacecraft's Historic Second Return to Earth: How to Watch ... - Space.com

Second launch of China’s Long March 5 heavy-lift rocket set for Sunday – Spaceflight Now

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Chinas Long March 5 rocket is counting down to liftoff Sunday from the countrys tropical island space center with a high-power, electrically-propelled communications satellite.

The heavy-lifter is scheduled to blast off from the Wenchang launch base on Hainan Island at around 1120 GMT (7:20 a.m. EDT; 7:20 p.m. Beijing time) Sunday, heading for an elliptical geostationary transfer orbit with the Shijian 18 communications satellite, the first in a new series of modern Chinese high-capacity relay stations.

Sundays launch will be the second flight of a Long March 5 rocket, Chinas most powerful launcher, which made a successful maiden mission in November 2016.

Chinese space officials will closely watch the performance of the Long March 5 rocket Sunday as engineers prepare to send Chinas Change 5 sample return mission to the moon in November on the third launch of the heavy-lifter.

Ten engines on the Long March 5s first stage and four strap-on boosters will send the launcher skyward on 2.4 million pounds of thrust. The 187-foot-tall (57-meter) Long March 5 will head east from the Hainan Island launch base, which will host its fourth launch Sunday after entering service last year.

Ground crews at Wenchang rolled the Long March 5 to its launch pad Monday.

Riding on a vertical launch table, the Long March 5 completed the trip in about two-and-a-half hours, according to the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology. Swing arms on the seaside launch pads 300-foot-tall (92-meter) service gantry enclosed the Long March 5 for final launch preparations.

Chinas state-run media has not said if they plan any live coverage of the launch.

The Long March 5s maiden test flight last year deployed an experimental satellite named Shijian 17 to test electric thrusters, technology that could give Chinese spacecraft improved maneuverability between different types of orbits around Earth.

The Shijian 18 satellite aboard Sundays flight is the first in an upgraded series of Chinese spacecraft called the DFH-5 platform. Developed by the China Academy of Space Technology, the DFH-5 design is bigger and more capable than Chinas existing satellites, providing more power for communications payloads and additional data throughput for Internet providers, television broadcasters and data networks.

Shijian 18 also hosts a laser communications instrument for even higher-speed data links, and ion thrusters will keep the spacecraft in geostationary orbit, a perch more than 22,000 miles (nearly 36,000 kilometers) over the equator.

China hopes to sell communications satellites based on the new DFH-5 design to international governments and commercial customers.

Ground controllers will run the Shijian 18 satellite through extensive testing to verify the new satellite design works as expected.

Chinese officials say the Long March 5 is a centerpiece of the countrys long-term space ambitions, allowing China to dispatch satellites to space that are twice as heavy as payloads that can fit on earlier Long March rockets.

The heavy-duty rocket can haul about the same amount of weight into space as United Launch Alliances Delta 4-Heavy, the worlds other leader in space lift capability. The Long March 5 bests the capacity of the European Ariane 5 and Russian Proton launchers.

The Long March 5 is one of three new launch vehicles China has debuted in the last two years.

The Long March 6 is the smallest of the three, tailored to deliver small satellites into low-altitude orbits. The medium-lift Long March 7 is designed to carry resupply ships, and eventually crews, to Chinas future space station.

The Long March 5 will haul three 20-ton modules to low Earth orbit for the Chinese space station, beginning next year with the launch of the Tianhe 1 core module. The Long March 5 is also slated to launch the robotic Change 5 mission to the moon later this year to scoop up surface samples for return to Earth, and Chinas first Mars rover will ride a Long March 5 rocket when it blasts off in mid-2020.

The new family of launchers will eventually replace Chinas Long March 2, 3 and 4 rockets, which burn toxic liquid propellants and launch from inland space centers, requiring them to drop spent stages on land.

The Long March 5 rocket, when flown from Wenchang, jettisons its boosters over the South China Sea. Its engines also consume a more environmentally-friendly mixture of liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen and kerosene.

Email the author.

Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.

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Second launch of China's Long March 5 heavy-lift rocket set for Sunday - Spaceflight Now

Go potty on the patio: Alan Titchmarsh’s tips for container flowers – Express.co.uk

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PH

Alstroemeria Compact strains of these glamorous border perennials developed specially for containers have a long flowering season and come in a range of colours and sizes look for princess lilies. Regular deadheading is essential simply tug out the spent stems.

Ginger lily is another name for the exotic Hedychium gardnerianum and is perfect in large tubs. It produces 4ft-high (1 metre) stems with strap-like leaves and heads of showy yellow flowers with long, spiky, red stamens.

Heliotrope

This compact shrub with its wide heads of many violet-purple, deep-blue or white florets was an Edwardian favourite known as cherry pie thanks to its intense scent. Seed-raised plants rarely have as strong a scent as traditional varieties grown from cuttings.

Argyranthemum Marguerites are always a great summer favourite and have masses of daisy flowers from June to late September. Among the most popular varieties are the pale yellow Jamaica primrose and white Chelsea girl, with its delicate grey-green leaves.

Petunia One of our most popular annuals in tubs and hanging baskets, petunias are ideal in sheltered, semi-shaded positions. Team single, double and striped varieties for magnificent displays or fill a large hanging basket with one type to create giant balls of bloom. Surfina petunias have a scent that builds up when grown in confined spaces such as a gazebo or porch.

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The Tardis Shed owned by Paul Foden from Stoke on Trent

Ultimate shrubs

Plumbago Handsome and semi-tender, this shrub with its large heads of blue flowers is best grown in a large tub with a trellis for support.

Move it on to the patio in summer and back inside for winter. Roses New English roses have it all old-fashioned shapes, scents and colours combined with repeat flowering.

Try the shell-pink Eglantyne or for scent go for the peachy-pink hybrid tea Paul Shirville or white floribunda Margaret Merril.

Buddleja Old favourite Buddleja davidii attracts clouds of butterflies and among several superb varieties are the dark purple black knight, white cloud and harlequin, which has mauve-purple flowers and variegated foliage. Buddleja needs sun and well-drained soil.

Bottlebrush This 7ft (2 metre) exotic displays spectacular, spiky red heads. Callistemon citrinus is hardy in much of southern England and is great elsewhere in tubs that can be moved into a conservatory in winter. It needs well-drained soil, shelter and sun.

Tree anemone Carpenteria californica is a semi-tender 6ft (1 metre) evergreen with large, white flowers try the prolific Ladhams variety. It is a good wall shrub in a sheltered spot and well-drained soil in southern gardens.

Hardy fuchsias Breeding has seen an influx of stunning new varieties of fuchsias that are tough enough to grow outside all year round. They need well-drained fertile soil and sun for at least half the day.

Hebe Attractive tall varieties of hebe include the pale pink Great Orme, raspberry gauntletti and the purple midsummer beauty.

Hebe attracts bees and butterflies and grows best in a well-drained sunny spot.

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Go potty on the patio: Alan Titchmarsh's tips for container flowers - Express.co.uk

NASA unveils plan to test asteroid defense technique – CNN

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On Friday, the space agency announced plans to redirect the course of a small asteroid approaching Earth, as part of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), according to a NASA press release.

The release notes that asteroids hit Earth nearly every day, but most are small enough to burn up in the atmosphere.

But the DART project -- a joint effort between NASA and the John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland -- is for the asteroids that are too big to break up -- those that could have severe consequences for the Earth if they hit.

"DART would be NASA's first mission to demonstrate what's known as the kinetic impactor technique -- striking the asteroid to shift its orbit -- to defend against a potential future asteroid impact," said Lindley Johnson, NASA's planetary defense officer in Washington, in the press release.

"This approval step advances the project toward an historic test with a non-threatening small asteroid."

The target of the test is an asteroid system called Didymos, the release said. Didymos -- Greek for "twin" -- is a binary asteroid system, made up of one asteroid, Didymos A, and a smaller one, Didymos B, which orbits its larger neighbor.

In October 2022, as Didymos makes an approach near Earth, NASA will launch a refrigerator-sized spacecraft towards the asteroids, aimed at Didymos B, the release said. When the DART spacecraft and the asteroid collide, the spacecraft will be traveling at a staggering 3.7 miles per second.

"The kinetic impact technique works by changing the speed of a threatening asteroid by a small fraction of its total velocity," the release says, "but by doing it well before the predicted impact so that this small nudge will add up over time to a big shift of the asteroid's path away from Earth."

Back home, scientists will study the impact and the effect is has on Didymos B's orbit around Didymos A, to determine whether this technique is a feasible method for saving the planet from asteroids that could otherwise have devastating impacts.

"DART is a critical step in demonstrating we can protect our planet from a future asteroid impact," said Andy Cheng, one of the leaders of the Johns Hopkins team. "With DART, we can show how to protect Earth from an asteroid strike with a kinetic impactor by knocking the hazardous object into a different flight path that would not threaten the planet."

CNN's Ashley Strickland contributed to this report.

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NASA unveils plan to test asteroid defense technique - CNN

NASA’s Artificial Clouds Are More Beautiful Than Any Fireworks – GOOD Magazine

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If you were to look up at the sky early in the morning in Virginia on Thursday, you mightve seen a cluster of floating green orbs and deduced they must be alien life-forms descending on Earth to wreak havoc. In actuality, it was NASA launching a Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

Though no one would blame you for thinking otherwise, it was a spectacular sight.The rocket shot 10 soda can-sized canisters filled with colorful vapors into space, which, once released, formed beautiful artificial clouds. Spectators from as far as New York could see the clouds, which scientists used to better understand how particles move through space. (Though Im sure they enjoyed the viewas well.)

Prior to Thursdays launch, the mission had been delayed several times with the initial launch set to happen earlier in June. Luckily for us, we got a pre-Fourth of July light show of cosmic proportions. According to NASA, the facility received nearly 2,000 messages and photos from people who were up at 4 a.m. to watch the launch. You can check out NASAs photo from the evening below, but beware, it may ruin whatever fireworks show you had planned for next week.

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NASA's Artificial Clouds Are More Beautiful Than Any Fireworks - GOOD Magazine

Senate follows House lead in criticizing NASA budget cuts – SpaceNews

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Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), chairman of the Senate CJS appropriations subcommittee, warned that proposed NASA budget cuts would disrupt ongoing missions and delay future exploration for years to come. Credit: American Association for Cancer Research

WASHINGTON As House appropriators approved a spending bill that rolled back some of the proposed cuts in the administrations 2018 budget request for NASA, Senate colleagues raised similar concerns about cuts to agency programs.

The commerce, justice and science (CJS) subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee approved on a voice vote June 29 a spending bill that includes $19.872 billion for NASA in fiscal year 2018. Members made no changes to the bill, which the committee released the day before the markup.

NASA has had far too much on its plate for too long, and too little funding, Rep. John Culberson (R-Texas), chairman of the subcommittee, said in remarks at the markup. Im determined to see that turned around.

The bill provides nearly $780 million more for NASA than the administrations request, including an increase of more than $615 million for exploration programs, such as the Space Launch System and Orion. We made sure the Space Launch System is fully funded, and that astronauts will have the ability to go beyond low Earth orbit in the Orion crew vehicle, Culberson said.

The bill restores funding for NASAs Office of Education, which was slated to be closed in the budget proposal. The bill provides $90 million for the office, including funds for two programs in that office, Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) and National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program, that would have been shut down.

The bill largely rejects effort to cut funding for the education efforts at both NSF and NASA, which help inspire and train our next generation of scientists, said Rep. Jos Serrano (D-N.Y.), ranking member of the subcommittee.

He criticized, though, cuts to NASAs Earth science program, saying the bill provides $50 million less than what the administration requested, which was already a cut of $167 million from 2017 levels. The result is that we will jeopardize our ability to improve our scientific understanding of our planet and its changes, he said.

The bill does not include specific funding levels for the divisions within NASAs Science Mission Directorate, or other breakouts for NASA programs. Such details are typically included in the report accompanying the bill, which will be released prior to the markup by the full appropriations committee after the July 4 recess.

Senate criticism about NASA cuts

The House subcommittee markup took place a few hours after the Senate Appropriations Committees CJS subcommittee held a hearing on the NASA budget request. Members there raised similar concerns about cuts to education, Earth science, exploration and other NASA programs in the administrations request.

While this overall cut is less than what many other agencies experienced in the presidents budget request, it still reflects a significant reduction of $561 million, said Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), chairman of the subcommittee, in his opening remarks. This budget request attempts to navigate a challenging fiscal environment, but would disrupt ongoing missions and delay future exploration for years to come.

Shelby raised concerns about cuts in human exploration programs, notably SLS and Orion, that he feared would delay future missions. The current administration picks up where the previous administration left off, by projecting a lofty vision for space while providing a budget that keeps the vision from leaving Earth, he said.

NASA Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot, the sole witness at the hearing, said the agency was still working on a revised schedule for the first SLS/Orion mission as it deals with welding issues with the SLS and delays with the European-provided Orion service module. Were in the middle of a relook at the schedule, he said. Were trying to get an understanding of where those are before we come back with a full-up plan. He added he expected a report by the end of August on the schedule for that initial mission.

Several other senators raised questions about cuts to NASA education programs. While Lightfoot said that outreach programs would continue within NASAs mission directorates, some senators signaled their intent to reverse the closure of other education programs.

EPSCoR is another one that is important in our state as well, to a lot of our educational institutions, said Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.) after Lightfoot said that program would be shut down in the budget request. So I think we need to rethink this strategy, and Im going to be working on that across the aisle and with the chair.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), ranking member of the subcommittee, opposed the education cuts as well. I certainly disagree with the idea that were going to zero out the education program and EPSCoR, and I hope that this committee will be persuaded that thats not the right direction to go in, she said.

Shaheen and others also criticized Earth science cuts, including plans to cancel several missions. That includes the Earth imaging part of the ongoing Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) mission, launched in 2015. I dont understand the justification is. Why does that make sense? she asked.

We believe we have 20 spacecraft already on orbit that give us the same data, if not better data, based on the sensors that we have, Lightfoot said, and wed rather put our research and analysis efforts around those spacecraft rather than DSCOVR.

Another issue at the hearing was the plan to end funding for the Restore-L satellite servicing mission, putting instead a smaller amount of funding into a more general satellite servicing technology demonstration effort. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) said he was perplexed by the request, noting that Restore-L was on schedule for a 2020 launch to refuel the Landsat-7 spacecraft.

Lightfoot told Manchin and other senators that NASAs approach will emphasize partnerships with industry. Were still going to develop the technologies that will allow us to do satellite servicing, Lightfoot said. We think this is a great opportunity for public private partnerships, to allow commercial folks to take our technologies we develop and build the systems youre talking about.

Manchin was not convinced. I would respectfully ask you to reconsider, he said. Im not sure the private sector is going to step in with so much left undone.

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Senate follows House lead in criticizing NASA budget cuts - SpaceNews

Sunday conversation with Laura Brod, CEO or RoverMed BioSciences – Minneapolis Star Tribune

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Aaron Lavinsky, Star Tribune Laura Brod, CEO, RoverMed BioSciences, oversees development of cutting-edge nanotechnology that promises to deliver drugs on a cellular level to fight cancer. A former state legislator and University of Minnesota regent, she uses her leadership and networking skills in the new venture.

Laura Brod has trod an unusual path into biotech, so perhaps its not surprising that the company she leads is charting an unorthodox route for its ultrasmall precision-medicine technology. Several years ago Brod nearly entered the race for governor following a stint in the Legislature, but she changed course, serving as a regent for the University of Minnesota and becoming CEO of a Minnetonka company called GeneSegues Therapeutics, which was developing medical nanotechnology for cancer. Today Brod is also CEO of a spinoff company based in St. Cloud called RoverMed BioSciences, which is working to apply GeneSegues technology to a broader array of diseases.

Q: Tell me about your companys technology.

A: RoverMed has developed a nanotechnology that aims to deliver the next generation of drugs. There are a number of therapeutics being developed by pharmaceutical companies that will never actually impact humans unless they have a precision-targeted delivery technology that is able to bring them directly to the disease cell. And that is what RoverMed does.

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Sunday conversation with Laura Brod, CEO or RoverMed BioSciences - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Real prosperity comes through innovation: Prakash Javadekar – Times of India

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BENGALURU: If the legacies of Nalanda and Takshashila had continued, by now India would have been on top in terms of education, Union minister Prakash Javadekar told students at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) on Saturday. Javadekar was at the premier institution on a follow-up visit to CeNSE (Centre for Nano Science and Engineering), set up in 2010.CeNSE students enthralled the minister with several innovative projects, including portable and affordable lab-on-a-chip devices and LED lights used for water purification, among others. "Real prosperity comes through innovation," he said. "In the next two decades, nanotechnology, internet of things (IOT) and related fields will become key areas for research in the country." "The only area for improvement is to expand further. Institutions like IISc are truly promoting the Make in India initiative. We are already in the process of setting up 20 world-class institutions, and the interaction with CeNSE students has given much-needed confidence to us," the minister said.

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Real prosperity comes through innovation: Prakash Javadekar - Times of India

ClassicEtherWallet Domain Hijacked Through Social Engineering by an Unknown Assailant – The Merkle

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It is never a good sign when a popular online wallet service provider gets hijacked. Ethereum Classic enthusiasts may have heard about what happened to ClassicEtherWallet. It appears cybercriminals successfully hijacked the website, which means users could risk losing funds. For the time being, those who run the software client on their computer should not be affected by this problem.

Late last night, the ClassicEtherwallet domain and website were successfully hijacked by an unknown attacker. A new piece of code had been implemented on the website, which is a clear attempt to steal users private keys. It is unclear who is behind this attack, but it is evident a lot of Ethereum Classic enthusiasts had funds at risk. Rest assured there will be a fair bit of speculation regarding this attack over the coming days.

It is important to note this hijacking never affected the API on MyEtherWallet, the projects GitHub page or the associated Chrome extension. This particular issue only affects the ClassicEtherWallet website, and anyone who was unfortunate enough to pass their wallets private key on the platform during the time of this attack. There are still a lot of uncertainties regarding whether or not the issue has been rectified so far, although a cautious approach remains more than warranted for now.

According to various sources, someone successfully hijacked the ClassicEtherWallet domain name through social engineering. This means someone has been in contact with the domain registrar and successfully provided enough information to gain ownership of the domain name. No one knows for sure what information has been provided or how it was obtained in the first place, though. Social engineering attacks are not all that uncommon, unfortunately.

All of this highlights the importance of using a proper cryptocurrency wallet at all times. We recently highlighted different Ethereum Classic wallet solutions, including ClassicEtherWallet. All of the other alternatives are still safe from harm for the time being. A hardware wallet solution, such as the Ledger Nano S, will always be the best option, though. It keeps private keys and funds safe from harm at any given time.

Additionally, the upcoming Ethereum Classic Emerald Wallet may alleviate a lot of these concerns as well. We will know more once the beta version of the wallet is released, which is expected to take place in the coming weeks. Secure solutions are in high demand, that much is evident. Anyone who keeps funds in ClassicEtherWallet is still safe, as long as they have not logged in by pasting their private key over the past 24 hours. For now, it is anybodys guess if and how much ETC may have been stolen due to this hijacking attack.

Thankfully, the Classic Ether Wallet team has gotten some help from Cloudflare to resolve this issue. More specifically, the ClassicEtherWallet.com website is now marked as a suspected phishing site, until the platform is fully operational again. It is always better to warn people about a potential phishing site even if the threat has subsided. For now, the ETC community is anxiously waiting to see how this situation will develop.

If you liked this article, follow us on Twitter @themerklenews and make sure to subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest bitcoin, cryptocurrency, and technology news.

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ClassicEtherWallet Domain Hijacked Through Social Engineering by an Unknown Assailant - The Merkle

Speaker Applications Now Being Accepted for the 25th International Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference – Markets Insider

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NEEDHAM, MA--(Marketwired - June 30, 2017) - Cambridge Healthtech Institute, a division of Cambridge Innovation Institute, announces the opening of the call for speakers for the 25th International Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference, taking place February 11-16, 2018 at the Moscone South Convention Center in San Francisco, CA.

Since its debut in 1993, the annual Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference has become one of the world's leading international events in the field of drug discovery, development and diagnostics. The Tri-Conference unites an ecosystem of 3,700 innovative thinkers and thought leaders throughout biotech, pharma and academia from around the world.

Spanning five days, the 2018 meeting includes 16 parallel conference tracks, 7 Symposia, Training Seminars, and 25 in-depth short courses. Compelling talks, including best practice case studies and joint partner presentations, will feature over 500 industry and academic colleagues discussing themes of cancer research, big data, molecular diagnostics, precision medicine, data science, human microbiome, point-of-care diagnostics, infectious diseases, and more.

Showcase your research and work at this influential meeting and help your colleagues and peers stay abreast of important updates and advances in the field.

Submit a speaking proposal online at http://www.TriConference.com/speaker-proposal -- deadline for submission is July 7th.

For more information about the event, including pricing, exhibiting and sponsoring, visit: http://www.TriConference.com

About Cambridge Healthtech Institute (www.healthtech.com)Cambridge Healthtech Institute (CHI), a division of Cambridge Innovation Institute, is the preeminent life science network for leading researchers and business experts from top pharmaceutical, biotech, CROs, academia, and niche service providers. CHI is renowned for its vast conference portfolio held worldwide including PepTalk, Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference, SCOPE Summit, Bio-IT World Conference & Expo, PEGS Summit, Drug Discovery Chemistry, Biomarker World Congress, World Preclinical Congress, Next Generation Dx Summit and Discovery on Target. CHI's portfolio of products includes Cambridge Healthtech Institute Conferences, Barnett International, Insight Pharma Reports, Cambridge Marketing Consultants, Cambridge Meeting Planners, Knowledge Foundation, Bio-IT World, Clinical Informatics News and Diagnostics World.

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Speaker Applications Now Being Accepted for the 25th International Molecular Medicine Tri-Conference - Markets Insider

Here comes India’s data behemoth: GSTN will handle 320 crore transactions a month – Economic Times

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Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN), the information-technology backbone of India's new tax regime, is a data-storage behemoth. Nearly 80 lakh businesses will upload details and carry out transactions on the network. After Aadhaar, India has seen such a large scale of IT operations in GSTN.

GSTN, a not-for-profit private limited company, has 51 per cent equity of five private institutions -- HDFC Bank Ltd (10 per cent), HDFC Ltd (10 per cent), ICICI Bank Ltd (10 per cent), NSE Strategic Investment Corporation Ltd (10 per cent) and LIC Housing Finance Limited (11 per cent).

The central government has 24.5 per cent equity in the GSTN, whereas state governments, two Union territories and empowered committee of state finance ministers together hold another 24.5 per cent stake in it. India's leading IT company Infosys is managed service provider of GSTN.

With nearly 80 lakh users, 1.2 lakh transactions in a second and 320 crore transactions in a month, GSTN needs to have a mind-boggling capacity. It has designed its system so that it can handle 60,000 users per second. It can increase the capacity if the traffic increases.

"To size the system, looking at an average of 127, we took 3 times that, 400, as the average number of invoices. Multiplied by 80 lakh tax payers, it gives you 320 crore invoices per month. We planned for storage which was double of this requirement," GSTN chairman Navin Kumar said in an interview to a business magazine.

GSTN is opening the facility for upload of invoice data from July 16. To facilitate uploading, it has given an an Excel-based offline utility. "They can download this on their computer and they can keep adding the invoice data on that Excel and this tool will import this upload this to our system. The tool can handle 19,000 invoices in one go. It takes 17 seconds. For a medium enterprise with 50,000 invoices in a month, we are going to suggest that you upload every week," Kumar said.

Won't a system that receives so much traffic remain down often? Kumar says out of nearly 80 lakh taxpayers, 66 lakh have been able to come on the website, register and submit the application and get their provisional IDs. This has proved that the system is efficient enough to handle mega traffic.

GSTN is prepared to handle increase in traffic. At present, the capacity is for nearly 80 lakh users but it can be expanded about 5% every year, considering that the number of taxpayers might increase at that rate.

With such a mammoth user base and so many transactions in a month, GSTN needs to have robust technological infrastructure to handle billions of transactions. Even small glitches can mean major disruptions.

When it opened its portal to taxpayer registration in November, it suffered a cyber attack aimed at disrupting services and bringing down the host system. It suffered another cyber attack in which a malware creates a Trojan, which can execute unwanted actions from the user's end. GSTN has put in place systems to prevent malware attacks. It is setting up a hi-tech security monitoring and analytics centre to forewarn on cyber threats and secure the IT system handling over 300 crore invoices a month.

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Here comes India's data behemoth: GSTN will handle 320 crore transactions a month - Economic Times