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Bitcoin price soars past $1060 as political worries intensify – MarketWatch

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

The price of a single bitcoin on Tuesday touched its highest level in more than a month as populists in the U.S. and Europe threaten the established political order, increasing the appeal of alternative investments like cryptocurrencies, market strategists said.

The price touched $1,060 US:BTCUSD on Tuesday, according to Coin Market Cap. Thats its highest level since Jan. 4, when bitcoin traded as high as $1,100, its highest level in more than three years.

A poll released over the weekend showed Marine Le Pen, the far-right candidate representing Frances National Front party in the April presidential election is poised to win the first round of balloting. The news sparked a selloff across European bond markets, and rattled stocks.

Read: Treasurys boosted; Europe election jitters set tone

Bitcoins valuable more than doubled in 2016, largely thanks to Chinese buyers who hoped to protect their wealth from a rapidly depreciating Chinese yuan USDCNY, +0.0015% by using bitcoin to circumvent stringent capital controls.

The U.K.s June vote to leave the European Union, U.S. President Donald Trumps unexpected electoral victory and the rising popularity of far-right candidates in France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands have made the political situation in the West appear increasingly precarious, market strategists said.

The dollar gained 0.3% to trade at 6.88 yuan on Tuesday.

Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss run a bitcoin exchange on which investors trade on average $1 million in bitcoin per day. But is this cryptocurrency safe or a fad?

Previously, the currencys valuation languished in 2015 and 2014 after the collapse of popular bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox effectively ended a speculative bubble that saw the price of a single coin climb to an all-time high around $1,2050 in late 2013.

Bitcoin weakened sharply in January after Chinese authorities announced they would investigate the countrys largest cryptocurrency exchanges to ensure compliance with local laws. Initially, investors feared this could signal a shift to a more aggressive approach by Chinese regulators who had previously left the cryptocurrency world more or less along.

Read: And 2016s best-performing commodity isbitcoin?

Also read: Bitcoin could soar if the Winklevoss ETF is approved

Check out: Grayscale Investments files to list its bitcoin trust on NYSE

Instead, Chinese authorities appear to have reached an understanding with local exchanges. Several exchanges adopted a 0.2% trading fee to cut down on market manipulation while strengthening controls to prevent money laundering, all in accordance with regulators wishes.

Others are betting that the U.S.s first bitcoin-focused exchange-traded fund now faces an easier path to approval thanks in part to the unexpected electoral victory of President Donald Trump, who has promised to scale back financial regulations. The Securities and Exchange Commission is expected to make a decision by March 11.

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Bitcoin price soars past $1060 as political worries intensify - MarketWatch

The First Government To Secure Land Titles On The Bitcoin Blockchain Expands Project – Forbes

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

Forbes

The First Government To Secure Land Titles On The Bitcoin Blockchain Expands Project
Forbes
In a vote of confidence for a fledgling technology, the Republic of Georgia committed in a signing ceremony in Tbilisi on Tuesday to use the bitcoin network to validate property-related government transactions. In April last year, the government and ...
Hawaii to Consider Bitcoin-Friendly Blockchain Bill to Boost TourismCryptoCoinsNews

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The First Government To Secure Land Titles On The Bitcoin Blockchain Expands Project - Forbes

Bitcoin Acceptance by Merchants & Retailers Crucial for Mainstream Adoption – CryptoCoinsNews

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

Bitcoin company executives and analysts including Irene Katzela, CEO of Chain of Points, firmly believe retailer and merchant adoption is the key to bitcoin mainstream adoption.

Since 2014, the bitcoin industry and market have seen a rapid emergence of bitcoin-accepting merchants. Companies like TigerDirect and Expedia have begun to offer bitcoin as one of their main payment methods.

Currently, bitcoin is perceived more as a store of value and a safe haven asset rather than an actual digital currency. Some bitcoin investors like Roger Ver argue that the development community of bitcoin must work towards transforming bitcoin into a settlement system and digital cash rather than digital gold.

While this approach isnt necessary as bitcoin can be used as both a store of value or settlement system depending on certain users, it is important to understand that limited merchant adoption is restricting the mainstream adoption of bitcoin.

With the integration of various scaling technologies like Segregated Witness (Segwit) that are currently on the verge of activation, bitcoin blocks are set to see at least a 2.1x increase. Considering the average blocksize of 1 mb, a 2.1x expansion of the bitcoin blockchain will appropriately scale the network.

In contrary to what many investors claim, the expansion of bitcoin blocksize will not abruptly bring hundreds of millions users into bitcoin. The user base of bitcoin is not growing at linear rate. Instead, it is demonstrating an exponential growth rate as the digital currency is still at an early stage of adoption.

As Katzela emphasizes, it is important to persuade the general population and consumer base to utilize bitcoin by introducing its benefits and advantages over cash or other traditional forms of payments in existence. Some bitcoin platforms like Purse.io are already targeting the general population or mainstream users by offering 20% discount on products. Some individual merchants also provide special discounts to bitcoin users, as bitcoin significantly decreases credit card fees or financial service fees handled by merchants.

When a user tries to utilize bitcoin for the first time and sees that it is secure, fast, and cheaper than credit card payments or bank transfers due to a merchants effort in providing a discount or a special promotion in appreciation of lowered fees, the adoption rate amongst beginner bitcoin users will drastically increase.

The savings on the merchant side are clear considering the fees incurred by using existing payment methods. An increasing number of merchants pass some of the cost savings onto consumers, in the form of discounts and incentives. As these cost savings continue, consumers will soon realize that virtual currency enables lower prices for goods and services, said Katzela.

An increasing number of merchants are beginning to accept bitcoin as theyre seeing a significant decline in the volatility rate of bitcoin. The digital currency has been demonstrating stability over the past 12 months.

As Katzela explains, the number of merchants accepting bitcoin is increasing but the mainstream user base of bitcoin isnt growing at a similar rate. Bitcoin-accepting merchants that arent taking a step further to convince mainstream users in using bitcoin will only appeal to existing consumer base of bitcoin.

Aiming only to increase the number of merchants that accept virtual currency is only half of the equation for wide consumer adoption. Achieving greater consumer adoption equates making consumers feel safe using virtual currency in their everyday lives, said Katzela.

Featured image from Shutterstock.

Comets go on offensive for seventh straight win – Linn County Leader – Linn County Leader

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

By The Examiner staff

ST. CHARLES, Mo. The Kansas City Comets completed a season sweep of their cross-state rivals, the St Louis Ambush, Saturday night and everyone got in on the act.

Seven different players scored with Vahid Assadpour, Guerrero Pino and Lucas Rodriguez each collecting two goals and Assadpour adding two assists in a convincing 10-4 victory that extended the Comets winning streak to seven games.

With four games left in the regular season, the 12-4 Comets now hold a one-game lead over the Cedar Rapids Rampage (11-5) in the Major Arena Soccer Leagues Central Division.

The Comets return to the Silverstein Eye Centers Arena at 7:05 p.m. Saturday to take on the Dallas Sidekicks.

Midway through the first quarter Saturday, Rodriguez scored off a John Sosa textbook restart from the top of the arc for the only goal of the opening quarter.

Pino scored his first goal 40 seconds into the second quarter, opening the floodgates as the Comets took a 8-1 lead into the fourth period. Pino added a second goal, Assadpour scored both of his goals and Brian Harris, Sosa and Ignacio Flores each added a goal in that stretch to make it 8-0.

St. Louis elected to play the entire final period with the sixth attacker to pressure the Comets defense. After an empty-net goal by Odaine Sinclair, Victor France scored two goals and Joao Pepe scored another to cut the Comets lead to 9-4 with five minutes to play.

Rodriguez added an empty net goal at the 12:27 mark of the fourth to secure the victory.

Assadpour and Sosa also finished with two assists each. Comets goalkeeper Stephen Paterson finished with seven saves.

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Comets go on offensive for seventh straight win - Linn County Leader - Linn County Leader

Comets’ late bid falls short in 59-43 loss to GW | Prep Sports | yourgv … – YourGV.com

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

DANVILLE For everything that went right for the Halifax County High School boys basketball team in the first quarter of Monday night's Piedmont District game against arch-rival GW, it all went wrong in the fourth quarter.

The Comets faltered down the stretch against GW's pressure defense and fast-paced transition game and fell to the Eagles 59-43, giving GW a sweep of the two regular-season meetings between the two teams.

James Smith Jr. led the Comets in scoring with 18 points. Zion Bailey and Tysean Dunkley chipped in seven points each, with Bailey scoring all of his points in the first half.

"I thought the effort was there," noted Comets Head Coach Sterling Williams.

"We just didn't execute down the stretch."

Monday night's loss by the Comets tightens the battle between the Comets and Patrick Henry-Roanoke for the second seed for next week's 5A North Region Conference 16 Tournament. The Comets now need to win Tuesday night's game against Tunstall High School in Dry Fork and Thursday night's game against Martinsville High School at Halifax County Middle School to still have a shot at earning the second seed.

The Comets were within five points of GW at halftime, but failed to score on their first five possessions of the second half, and fell behind by 11 points. Halifax County High School rallied to outscore GW 14-4 over the last 5:10 of the third quarter to get to within two points at 37-35 to start the fourth quarter, only to lose ground in the final period as GW scored on its first two possessions of the fourth quarter to get some breathing room.

The Comets had opportunities to score some key points at the charity stripe in the second half but were unable to convert, going 7-17 in the second half while making only four of 10 attempts in the fourth quarter.

GW hit 10 of 12 free throws in the second half, including a 6-8 effort in the fourth quarter, as they pulled away in the closing minutes.

Ultimately, GW's pressure defense and fast-paced transition-oriented offense took its toll on the Comets.

"That's a typical GW game for you," explained Williams.

"They want you to play fast. They want you to take those quick shots because that's what they do. They want you playing at their pace."

The Comets led virtually the entire first quarter, their biggest lead coming at 11-5 when Bailey was fouled while making a layup and completed a three-point play with 4:58 left in the period. Then they went dry.

Halifax County High School scored only once more over the last four minutes of the quarter, that coming on a 3-point shot by Smith as the buzzer sounded to end the quarter to give the Comets a slim 14-13 edge.

"Even in the first quarter, our shot selection wasn't the best," Williams said.

"That took us out of our rhythm. Yeah, the shots were open, but they were off one pass or two passes, and that's not the way we play offense."

GW scored the first six points of the second quarter to take a 19-14 lead, only to see the Comets' Tyliek Powell complete a three-point play to bring the Comets back to within two points at 19-17.

The Eagles boosted their lead back to six points, but the Comets got a basket from Bailey on a running layup, and Ford Morrison hit two free throws to bring the Comets back to within two points again at 23-21 with 3:03 left in the first half.

Halifax County High School did not score again the rest of the half, and fortunately for the Comets, the Eagles managed to scratch up only three more points to take a 26-21 lead at halftime.

The Comets struggled at the outset of the second half, failing to score on their first five possessions. GW took advantage, getting a 3-point shot from Caymen Wilson and four points from Patrick Robinson to take a 33-21 lead with 5:54 left in the third quarter.

Just as quickly as the Comets appeared to be out of the game, they got back in it.

A free throw from Dunkley and three straight baskets from Smith produced seven unanswered points, allowing the Comets to pull to within five points at 33-28 with 2:47 left in the third quarter.

GW's Cam Lewis broke the Comets' run with a pair of free throws, but the Comets produced a 7-2 run over the last 2:16 of the quarter, with the last basket in the run, a 3-point shot by Smith at the buzzer, bringing the Comets to within two points at 37-35.

The Comets missed their first two shots of the fourth quarter, and GW's Amardius Jones and Robinson connected to give GW a 41-35 edge. From there, GW gradually pulled away, advancing to a 10-point lead on a basket from Lewis with 2:21 left in the game.

With Halifax County High School struggling at the charity stripe and missing several shots deep in the paint over the last two and a half minutes, GW extended its lead to finish the game with a 16-point margin.

"We will learn from this," Williams pointed out.

"We play Tunstall High School tomorrow and Martinsville High School on Thursday. We still have some time to get some things together before the playoff run."

Robinson led GW in scoring with 16 points. Lewis followed with 14 points and Jones chipped in 13 points, 11 of which came in the fourth quarter.

Wildcats get their revenge on Comets – Indiana Gazette

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

Homer-Center's Emily Worcester (22) and Alexis Leysock defended against Penns Manor's Autumn Fennell during Monday night's Heritage Conference semifinals. (Teri Enciso/Gazette)

Click photo for gallery

Homer-Center coach Tom Lasher and the bench celebrated after the Wildcats secured the victory. (Teri Enciso/Gazette)

HOMER CITY Penns Manor came alive late, nabbed its first lead of the game with 1:49 left in the fourth quarter and appeared poised to seal a come-from-behind win over Homer-Center.

But just when it seemed the Comets would again end another Wildcats winning streak on their home court, Homer-Center stood its ground and finished the game the way it started it.

The Wildcats scored the games final seven points and avenged their last loss by gutting out a 54-48 win in the semifinal round of the Heritage Conference girls basketball playoffs Monday night at the HomerDome.

Homer-Center (19-2), the Heritage Conference South Division champion, faces North Division champ West Shamokin in the championship game Friday night at the KCAC. The Wildcats have won nine consecutive games since losing to Penns Manor, 58-40, on Jan. 12. Homer-Center dealt the Wolves their lone conference setback of the season, 51-50, on Jan.16.

The loss snapped a five-game winning streak for Penns Manor (15-7), which qualified for the District 6 Class 2A playoffs. The Comets will face a team to be announced at a date and location to be announced.

This wasnt just another game. We really wanted this one, Homer-Center coach Tom Lasher said. We didnt think we played our best game the first time we played them, but they played very well. We wanted another chance at them and we got it, and Im very proud at my team for the way they finished.

Theyve been down before many times and theyve come back. They never quit. I tell them they have a lot of heart, and I believe that. They just really believe in themselves.

Homer-Center raced to an early 9-0 lead and controlled the tempo for the entirety of the first half to take an 11-point halftime lead, 24-13.

The Wildcats continued to dictate the pace and maintained at least a nine-point lead until the Comets urgently began swarming the ball with a full-court press in the fourth quarter.

Penns Manors press created a chaotic pace that the Wildcats struggled to cope with for a span of three minutes. During that time, the Comets forced a handful of turnovers and mounted a 15-5 burst to momentarily seize the momentum.

Lauren Dumm scored six of her eight points to fuel the streak for the Comets.

The onslaught ended when Autumn Fennell banked in layups on back-to-back possessions, the second of which gave Penns Manor its lone lead of the game, 48-47, with 1:49 left on the clock.

Lasher called a timeout after Fennells second layup, and the Wildcats responded by tightening their defensive clamps to shut out the Comets the rest of the game.

Alexis Newhouse and Emily Worcester scored three points apiece and sparked a 7-0 surge that put the finishing touches on an important revenge win for the Wildcats.

They did a very good job of handling our pressure late, Penns Manor coach Jason Miloser said. We had a couple girls who fouled out, which took away from our pressure, but give Homer-Center credit: They executed, they made foul shots, and they made their bunnies and did everything they needed to win the game.

We talk to our girls all the time about wanting it a little more than the other team, and obviously Homer-Center played a tremendous game and they wanted it badly. We made the comeback in the fourth quarter. We just couldnt quite seal the deal.

Newhouse, who scored 12 of her game-high 24 points in the second half, expanded on how the Wildcats used their regular-season loss to Penns Manor as a motivator.

We knew they would have some extra confidence coming into this game, she said. We were talking about how we havent beaten them on this court in two years, because they beat us here last year, so we definitely expected a tough game. We knew we had to come out strong, and that gave us incentive to really work hard and come out and get this W.

But like Lasher and her teammates, Newhouse knows even more significant games lurk on the horizon.

Going to the KCAC is going to be the real icing on the cake, Newhouse said. Getting there has been our goal all year. We knew we could do it. We just had to redeem ourselves tonight.

Alexis Leysock chipped in 11 points for Homer-Center.

Fennell scored 18 points, and Abby Tomayko had 10.

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Wildcats get their revenge on Comets - Indiana Gazette

Prep roundup: Comets do their part, top Morgan – The Independent

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

WESTLIBERTY WestCarter finally put some distance between itself and MorganCounty on Monday night.

As a result, the Comets and Elliott County are neck-and-neck.

WestCarter forced a coin toss for the 62nd District Tournaments top seed by pulling away from a tight game late to win, 80-69, at Morgan County.

HadynRoe had 39 points and 18 rebounds and Ben Jordan dropped in 13 and 11 for the Comets (19-5, 5-1 district seeding). EthanAdkins notched 12 points and DaltonBrown pitched in 10.

Blake Evans collected 36 points, knocking down nine 3-pointers for the Cougars (8-18, 0-6 seeding), who lost their seventh straight game. Jake Helton added 12 points.

The coin toss to determine the tournaments top seed will be held Thursday.

W. CARTER 22 9 23 26 80

MORGANCO. 16 18 14 21 69

WestCarter (80) Jordan 13, Roark 3, Evans 3, Roe 39, Adkins 12, Brown 10, Johnson, Glancy. 3-Pt. FG:5 (Roe 3, Adkins, Brown). FT: 19-28. Fouls: 20.

MorganCounty (69) Evans 36, J. Fay 8, G. Adkins 7, Helton 12, Gullett 2, J. Adkins 4, Gilliam. 3-Pt. FG:(Evans 9). FT: 12-17. Fouls: 19.

Ashland 79, Rose Hill Christian 44

ASHLAND Chase Villers tallied 20 points and Devaunte Robinson put in 19 as Ashland rolled past Rose Hill on Monday.

Hunter Copley chipped in 11. Ashland (11-14) buried eight 3-pointers on the night, including four by Villers.

The Royals (9-18) got 12 points from Marcus Boyd.

ASHLAND 27 25 22 5 79

ROSE HILL 9 14 13 8 44

Ashland (79) Villers 20, Copley 11, Robinson 19, Lucas 8, Adkins 7, Mays 2, Dowdy 2, May 3, Hudson 5, Heaberlin 2, Rogers, Jordan, Hester. 3-Pt. FG:8 (Villers 4, May, Hudson, Lucas 2). FT:13-20. Fouls:16.

Rose Hill (44) Boyd 12, Barber 4, Hale 9, N. Hamilton 17, Dillon 2, Yates, Pennington, E. Hamilton, Frazier, McDaniel, Woods. 3-Pt. FG:3 (Boyd, Hale, N. Hamilton). FT:11-14. Fouls:12.

GIRLS

East Carter 57, RowanCo. 37

MOREHEADBailee Brainard dropped in 10 points and grabbed 20 rebounds, Milena Clarke scored 13 points and provided shutdown defense on the LadyVikings AllysonCallahan, and Haley Hall totaled 13 points as the LadyRaiders prevailed on the road.

Shelby Ricer led RowanCounty (10-15) with eight points. Callahan, averaging 20.3 points per game coming in, accounted for five points and was harried into going 2-for-22 from the field.

EastCarter improves to 18-7.

E. CARTER 19 18 5 15 57

ROWANCO. 12 8 2 15 37

EastCarter (57) Mayo 4, Brainard 10, Paynter 4, H. Hall 13, Clarke 13, T. Hall 5, Greene 4, Gallion 2, Gamsby 2. 3-Pt. FG:3 (Clarke, T. Hall, H. Hall). FT:4-5. Fouls: 20.

RowanCounty (37) Rogers 2, Rose 5, Cross 7, Callahan 5, Payton 3, Ricer 8, Purdy 7. 3-Pt. FG: 2 (Rose, Peyton). FT: 11-17. Fouls: 12.

Fairview 52, Hannan (W.Va.) 27

HANNAN, W.Va. Without top scorer Mackenzie Humphrey (ankle), Fairview still had no trouble with Hannan (West Virginia) on Monday.

Jordan Rakes tossed in a team-high 14 points. Madison Hanshaw had 10. Mamie Mullins netted 10.

Fairview (12-14)is going up against Greenup County at home on Saturday.

FAIRVIEW 12 16 11 13 52

HANNAN 4 9 11 3 27

Fairview (52)Mullins 10, Wilkes 9, Hanshaw 10, Meeks 4, Shaffer 5, Rakes 14, Renfroe, Hobbs, Malone. 3-Pt. FG: 3(Mullins, Rakes 2). FT:9-15. Fouls:20.

Hannan (27)Staggs 2, Waugh 6, Duffer 5, L. Holley 3, Tolliver 2, Cooper 2, Ocats 2, Frazier 4, S. Holley 1. 3-Pt. FG:1 (L. Holley). FT:10-20. Fouls:14.

Pikeville 65, Paintsville 63

PAINTSVILLE Down eight points entering the fourth quarter, the host LadyTigers got their deficit down to two by the final horn, but couldnt quite equalize.

Anna Keeton scored 24 points to lead Paintsville (22-3). PresleyChirico dropped in 11 andElizabethWilliams and Abby James each notched 10.

Grace Bartley led the LadyPanthers (15-7) with 21 points. Savanna Nunemaker collected 17 points as Pikevilles KristyOrem won in her first game as the visiting coach at her alma mater since returning to the 15thRegion this season.

PIKEVILLE 17 13 13 22 65

PAINTSVILLE 11 14 10 28 63

Pikeville (65) Bartley 21, Nunemaker 17, Stewart 9, Gearheart 8, Cole 6, Blackburn 2, Wilkerson 2. 3-Pt. FG:3 (Bartley 2, Nunemaker). FT: 18-22. Fouls: 12.

Paintsville (63) Keeton 24, Chirico 11, E. Williams 10, James 10, Lanzani 4, Fitch 2, S. Williams 2. 3-Pt.FG:6 (Keeton 4, E. Williams 2). FT: 7-13. Fouls: 17.

FROM SATURDAY

Fairview 62, Phelps 43

WESTWOOD Jordan Rakes poured in a game-high 25 points as the Lady Eagles crushed Phelps on Saturday afernoon.

Fairview also got 13 points from Mamie Mullins and 11 from Mackenzie Humphrey.

PHELPS 11 4 12 16 43

FAIRVIEW 12 17 11 22 62

Phelps (43) B. McCoy 6, Prater 21, Dotson 4, Smith 5, Tibbs 2, G. McCoy 1, Layne 5, Sierra 2. 3-Pt. FG:1 (Smith). FT:13-17. Fouls:17.

Fairview (62) Humphrey 11, Mullins 13, Wilkes 8, Hamilton 2, Hanshaw 3, Rakes 25, Meeks. 3-Pt. FG: 5(Mullins, Rakes 4). FT:21-31. Fouls:13.

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Prep roundup: Comets do their part, top Morgan - The Independent

My Life with Plaque Psoriasis and How I’m taking Control – The Killeen Daily Herald

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

(BPT) - Whitney was only 19 years old, home from college freshman year, when her mother noticed spots on her arms and elbows. As any parent would be, Whitneys mother was concerned and suggested her daughter see a dermatologist. That visit revealed her diagnosis of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Little did Whitney know, this would be a lifelong battle that would impact all aspects of her life.

Plaque psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune skin disease that speeds up the growth cycle of skin cells, causing patches of thick red skin and silvery scales affecting approximately 6 million Americans.1

When I was younger and my psoriasis was flaring, it was very embarrassing and shameful, Whitney said. People didnt understand that I was not contagious. I can remember being turned away by hair stylists who didnt want to cut my hair and being refused a pedicure. My friends and boyfriends didnt understand what was going on with me and I could feel them pulling away at times.

After talking with her doctor about her symptoms, she prescribed a biologic treatment called STELARA (ustekinumab).

I went through some very challenging times with my psoriasis symptoms. Starting treatment with STELARA helped me to take control of my disease and start to create new memories with my family and friends, said Whitney. With clearer skin, I was able to walk down the aisle in a strapless wedding dress, and it was amazing!

Eventually, Whitney would also be diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, an inflammatory arthritis causing joint pain, stiffness and swelling that affects approximately 30 percent of people with psoriasis.2 STELARA (ustekinumab) also is approved to treat psoriatic arthritis and, over time, Whitneys joint pain and swelling have diminished significantly.

Visit http://www.STELARAINFO.com to learn more about STELARA

WHAT IS STELARA?

STELARA is a prescription medicine approved to treat adults 18 years and older with moderate or severe plaque psoriasis that involves large areas or many areas of their body, who may benefit from taking injections or pills (systemic therapy) or phototherapy (treatment using ultraviolet light alone or with pills).

STELARA is a prescription medicine approved to treat adults 18 years and older with active psoriatic arthritis, either alone or with methotrexate.

STELARA (ustekinumab) works by targeting an underlying cause of plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis an overactive immune system. It blocks two proteins called IL-12 and IL-23 that may play a role in plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

STELARA (ustekinumab) is a prescription medicine that affects your immune system. STELARA can increase your chance of having serious side effects including:

Serious Infections

STELARA may lower your ability to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections. While taking STELARA, some people have serious infections, which may require hospitalization, including tuberculosis (TB), and infections caused by bacteria, fungi, or viruses.

Your doctor should check you for TB before starting STELARA and watch you closely for signs and symptoms of TB during treatment with STELARA.

If your doctor feels that you are at risk for TB, you may be treated for TB before and during treatment with STELARA.

You should not start taking STELARA if you have any kind of infection unless your doctor says it is okay.

Before starting STELARA, tell your doctor if you:

think you have an infection or have symptoms of an infection such as:

After starting STELARA, call your doctor right away if you have any symptoms of an infection (see above).

STELARA can make you more likely to get infections or make an infection that you have worse. People who have a genetic problem where the body does not make any of the proteins interleukin 12 (IL-12) and interleukin 23 (IL-23) are at a higher risk for certain serious infections that can spread throughout the body and cause death. People who take STELARA may also be more likely to get these infections.

Cancers

STELARA may decrease the activity of your immune system and increase your risk for certain types of cancer. Tell your doctor if you have ever had any type of cancer. Some people who had risk factors for skin cancer developed certain types of skin cancers while receiving STELARA. Tell your doctor if you have any new skin growths.

Reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome (RPLS)

RPLS is a rare condition that affects the brain and can cause death. The cause of RPLS is not known. If RPLS is found early and treated, most people recover. Tell your doctor right away if you have any new or worsening medical problems including: headache, seizures, confusion, and vision problems.

Serious Allergic Reactions

Serious allergic reactions can occur. Stop using STELARA and get medical help right away if you have any symptoms such as: feeling faint, swelling of your face, eyelids, tongue, or throat, chest tightness, or skin rash.

Before receiving STELARA, tell your doctor if you:

have any of the conditions or symptoms listed above for serious infections, cancers, or RPLS.

ever had an allergic reaction to STELARA or any of its ingredients. Ask your doctor if you are not sure.

are allergic to latex. The needle cover on the prefilled syringe contains latex.

have recently received or are scheduled to receive an immunization (vaccine). People who take STELARA should not receive live vaccines. Tell your doctor if anyone in your house needs a vaccine. The viruses used in some types of vaccines can spread to people with a weakened immune system, and can cause serious problems. You should not receive the BCG vaccine during the one year before taking STELARA or one year after you stop taking STELARA.

have any new or changing lesions within psoriasis areas or on normal skin.

are receiving or have received allergy shots, especially for serious allergic reactions.

receive or have received phototherapy for your psoriasis.

have any other medical conditions.

are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if STELARA will harm your unborn baby. You and your doctor should decide if you will take STELARA.

are breast-feeding or plan to breast-feed. It is thought that STELARA passes into your breast milk. Talk to your doctor about the best way to feed your baby if you take STELARA.

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them to show your doctor and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.

When prescribed STELARA:

Use STELARA exactly as prescribed by your doctor.

If your doctor decides that you or a caregiver may give your injections of STELARA at home, you should receive training on the right way to prepare and inject STELARA. Do not try to inject STELARA yourself until you or your caregiver has been shown how to inject STELARA by your doctor or nurse.

Common side effects of STELARA include: upper respiratory infections, headache, and tiredness in psoriasis patients; joint pain and nausea in psoriatic arthritis patients; and upper respiratory infections, redness at the injection site, vaginal yeast infections, itching, urinary tract infections, and vomiting in Crohns disease patients. These are not all of the possible side effects with STELARA. Tell your doctor about any side effect that you experience. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Please read the full Prescribing Information and Medication Guide for STELARA and discuss any questions you have with your doctor.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA.

Visit http://www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

061408-161010

References

1. About the National Psoriasis Foundation. (n.d.) https://www.psoriasis.org/about-us. Accessed July 24, 2016.

2. National Psoriasis Foundation. About Psoriatic Arthritis. https://www.psoriasis.org/psoriatic-arthritis. Accessed November 3, 2016.

My Life with Plaque Psoriasis and How I'm taking Control - The Killeen Daily Herald

How This Makeup Artist Transforms Her Psoriasis-Riddled Skin Is Insane – StyleCaster

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

This makeup artist, who suffers from sever psoriasis, completely transforms her flaky red skin. See the insanebefore-and-after. [Daily Mail]

A Beauty and the Beast makeup collection is coming! [Allure]

Melania Trump refiled her lawsuit against the Daily Mail for that time they published allegations from a Slovenian magazine that basically said she was an escort. [The Cut]

In her first post-election press hit, Hillary Clinton declares the future is female because hell yea it is. [Elle]

Kanye West got kicked out of fashion week for bad behavior. [Mic]

Speaking of Fashion Week, heres why everyone will be wearing this pin all week long. [Refinery29]

Christie Brinkley is staging a comebackwith her daughters? See the Sports Illustrated cover here. [People]

Oh thank goodness: That viral video of the dog being abused on the set of A Dogs Purpose was fake. [Teen Vogue]

NastyGal confirms that its been acquired by Boohoo. [Yahoo Style]

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How This Makeup Artist Transforms Her Psoriasis-Riddled Skin Is Insane - StyleCaster

Biologics for psoriasis may increase risk of squamous cell carcinoma – Healio

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

Biologics for psoriasis may increase risk of squamous cell carcinoma
Healio
Patients with psoriasis who were treated with biologics had an increased incidence of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, according to study results recently published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

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Biologics for psoriasis may increase risk of squamous cell carcinoma - Healio

Now You Can Travel the World with an Architect as Your Guide – Architectural Digest

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

No one knows the ins and outs of a city quite like a local, be it the food, art, or nightlife. With Architectural Adventures, a travel program recently launched by the American Institute of Architects, travelers with a passion for culture, history, and particularly architecture can embark on trips expertly curated by those who know the cityscape best: local architects. The first trip, Havana Revealedkicking off in Cuba on March 10features a walking tour through the vibrant streets of Old Havana, a closer look at a 16th-century stone fortress, and a visit to a historic architecture restoration factory. Other trips for 2017 include tours of Chicago, Northern Italy, and China. AD spoke with Luke Diorio, a managing director at AIA, on what travelers can look forward to when booking with Architectural Adventures.

Architectural Digest: How did the concept for Architectural Adventures develop?

Luke Diorio: For years the AIA has led trips for its members to various parts of the world to examine and promote knowledge of design issues and to encourage a global dialogue on the art of building and design. Architectural Adventures provides these travelers distinctive and exclusive opportunities to engage with the past, present, and future of building and design in the worlds greatest sites and cities through a full series of immersive, architecture-centered travel experiences featuring knowledgeable and engaging experts. This means both a world-class vacation and a unique opportunity to learn about the built environment in breathtaking settings around the globe.

AD: Who are you hoping will travel with Architectural Adventures?

LD: Architectural Adventures is a special program of the American Institute of Architects, and while we hope that many of our 90,000-plus members choose to travel with our program, it is not just for our members. The program is open to anyoneespecially those who are architecture enthusiasts and world travelers.

The boldly colored buildings in Cuba's Old Havana.

AD: How were the destinations and architectural sites chosen?

LD: First and foremost, we started by considering global destinations that would offer a rich architectural experience for our travelers. We then surveyed prospective travelers to gain an understanding of how this matched their interests. Once our destinations were selected and an expert was identified, the team worked with the expert, the tour operator, and often the local AIA chapter to develop the trip itinerary and details.

The canals of Northern Italy will eventually be included on the AIA-sponsored tours.

AD: What do you hope for travelers to take away from their trip with Architectural Adventures?

LD: It is our hope that travelers experience something unique at each of our destinations, providing a deeper appreciation of the culture, history, and architectureespecially through special excursions and exclusive behind-the-scenes access to popular sites. Our program manages every detail of the trip, allowing travelers to focus on the culture and architecture in a small group atmosphere with like-minded travelers.

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Now You Can Travel the World with an Architect as Your Guide - Architectural Digest

Travel ban could mean layoffs at Lancaster’s Church World Service – LancasterOnline

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

Church World Service Lancaster, which has resettled hundreds of refugees in the county, may have to lay off a fourth of its staff as a result of President Donald Trumps executive order on immigration.

Stephanie Gromek, the organizations local community resource coordinator, said Friday that it was trying to find alternatives, but up to 10 of the 38 Lancaster staffers might have to be laid off until the refugee resettlement program resumes.

RELATED: A Resettlement Mission Upended by the Sweep of a President's Pen

RELATED: Church World Service asks supporters to speak up in support of refugees

The faith-based nonprofits funding for the division that resettles refugees is tied to refugees coming through, she said.

However, she said, if it finds a way to support those positions through the stoppage, What they would be doing is advocacy, trying to help.

Refugees, immigrants, local resettlement officers are all in a state of great uncertainty, Gromek said Tuesday. We are preparing for the worst and the best, simultaneously. We are really looking to the community for support and understanding through this time of transition.

The presidents Jan. 27 order suspended resettlement for four months and limited it to 50,000 admissions in 2017 less than half of the previous limit.

It also halted admission of Syrian refugees indefinitely, and suspended entry to the U.S. for most travelers, except U.S. citizens, on passports from seven majority-Muslim countries for 90 days.

However, U.S. District Judge James Robart in Seattle issued a ruling late Friday that temporarily blocked the order, and as of Monday afternoon that block was still in place as legal wrangling continued.

Last year Church World Service Lancaster helped 407 refugees resettle here. That includes some 70 Syrian refugees resettled here since September 2015. (Some 11.5 million Syrians have fled the violence and civil war in their country.)

Nearly 70 percent of the national organizations funding $61 million of $88 million came from the U.S. government, with another 20 percent ($18 million) coming from the public.

Even as the nonprofit struggles with its main source of funding, it has seen the community coming together to support its mission.

Last month, nearly 2,000 people attended a fundraising event organized in the city to benefit Church World Service. Together they donated some $28,000 more than 10 times raised during a similar event in 2015.

Similarly, during last years Extraordinary Give charity event, Church World Service received $77,655 from 603 donors, a sevenfold increase from the $11,100 it got from 80 donors in 2014.

This story was updated at 11:15 p.m. Feb. 7, 2017, to add a quote from Gromek that reflects context not included in the original.

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Travel ban could mean layoffs at Lancaster's Church World Service - LancasterOnline

This Travel Photographer Sees The World In An Array Of Vivid Colors – UPROXX

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

Christian Watson

Portrait of Garrett Cornelison

Garrett Cornelisons Instagram name is also his philosophy in life. He believes despite everything that the world is Really Kind Of Amazing. And whether hes traveling to all 50 states taking portraits of people, or finding the beauty in his own backyard, his eyes are open to amazingness all around him.

Cornelisons photographs are bright, warm, and filled with the vibrant colors. They have a certain magnetic quality that leave you feeling like you too would see beauty everywhere if only you could just take slow down a little.

Last week, Garrett and I spoke about his work and what struck me about him was how genuinely he loves what he does and the people he gets to meet. Hes incredibly easy going, letting the journey guide him to the subjects and places that he captures. We talked about about his start in photography, his wild trip documenting all of the United States, and his feelings of wanting to do more since the election.

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This Travel Photographer Sees The World In An Array Of Vivid Colors - UPROXX

The Hottest Eco-Lodges, Co-Living Spaces, And Hotels For Your 2017 Travel List – UPROXX

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

Unsplash

A few weeks ago, we covered the hot travel trends for 2017. A few days later, we featured the Top Ten Hostels of the Year. Now were looking at hotels, eco-resorts, and co-living spaces with a focus on properties so special that they become a cornerstone of your adventure.

Some of these properties are pricey. Some are very pricey. Thats not really the issue here. What were concerned with is value-per-dollar and thats where these 10 spaces shine. You might sleep in the jungle for two weeks then break the bank Kardashian-style at Villa Manzu. Or maybe you sail the world on the cheap, before holing up at the Brando with Leo. Its your dream, were just here to facilitate.

So check out our 2017 top 10, follow up with some research, and pin a few new spots on your travel vision board. This is your year.

Steve Bramucci, Travel Editor

The Hottest Eco-Lodges, Co-Living Spaces, And Hotels For Your 2017 Travel List - UPROXX

Wrangler Supercomputer at TACC Supports Information Retrieval Projects – HPCwire

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

Feb. 7 Much of the data of the World Wide Web hides like an iceberg below the surface. The so-called deep web has beenestimatedto be 500 times bigger than the surface web seen through search engines like Google. For scientists and others, the deep web holds important computer code and its licensing agreements. Nestled further inside the deep web, one finds the dark web, a place where images and video are used by traders in illicit drugs, weapons, and human trafficking. A new data-intensive supercomputer called Wrangler is helping researchers obtain meaningful answers from the hidden data of the public web.

TheWranglersupercomputer got its start in response to the question, can a computer be built to handle massive amounts of I/O (input and output)? TheNational Science Foundation(NSF) in 2013 got behind this effort andawardedthe Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC), Indiana University, and the University of Chicago $11.2 million to build a first-of-its-kind data-intensive supercomputer. Wranglers 600 terabytes of lightning-fast flash storage enabled the speedy reads and writes of files needed to fly past big data bottlenecks that can slow down even the fastest computers. It was built to work in tandem with number crunchers such as TACCsStampede, which in 2013 was the sixth fastest computer in the world.

While Wrangler was being built, a separate project came together headed by theDefense Advanced Research Projects Agency(DARPA) of the U.S. Department of Defense. Back in 1969, DARPA had built theARPANET, which eventually grew to become the Internet, as a way to exchange files and share information. In 2014, DARPA wanted something new a search engine for the deep web. They were motivated to uncover the deep webs hidden and illegal activity, according toChris Mattmann, chief architect in the Instrument and Science Data Systems Section of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at the California Institute of Technology.

Behind forms and logins, there are bad things. Behind the dynamic portions of the web like AJAX and Javascript, people are doing nefarious things, said Mattmann. Theyre not indexed because the web crawlers of Google and others ignore most images, video, and audio files. People are going on a forum site and theyre posting a picture of a woman that theyre trafficking. And theyre asking for payment for that. People are going to a different site and theyre posting illicit drugs, or weapons, guns, or things like that to sell, he said.

Mattmann added that an even more inaccessible portion of the deep web called the dark web can only be reached through a special browser client and protocol called TOR, The Onion Router. On the dark web, said Mattmann, theyre doing even more nefarious things. They traffic in guns and human organs, he explained. Theyre basically doing these activities and then theyre tying them back to terrorism.

In response, DARPA started a program calledMemex. Its name blends memory with index and has roots to an influential 1945 Atlantic magazine article penned by U.S. engineer and Raytheon founder Vannevar Bush. His futuristic essay imagined making all of a persons communications books, records, and even all spoken and written words in fingertip reach. The DARPA Memex program sought to make the deep web accessible. The goal of Memex was to provide search engines the information retrieval capacity to deal with those situations and to help defense and law enforcement go after the bad guys there, Mattmann said.

Karanjeet Singh is a University of Southern California graduate student who works with Chris Mattmann on Memex and other projects. The objective is to get more and more domain-specific (specialized) information from the Internet and try to make facts from that information, said Singh said. He added that agencies such as law enforcement continue to tailor their questions to the limitations of search engines. In some ways the cart leads the horse in deep web search. Although we have a lot of search-based queries through different search engines like Google, Singh said, its still a challenge to query the system in way that answers your questions directly.

Once the Memex user extracts the information they need, they can apply tools such as named entity recognizer, sentiment analysis, and topic summarization. This canhelp law enforcement agencieslike the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations find links between different activities, such as illegal weapon sales and human trafficking, Singh explained.

Lets say that we have one system directly in front of us, and there is some crime going on, Singh said. The FBI comes in and they have some set of questions or some specific information, such as a person with such hair color, this much age. Probably the best thing would be to mention a user ID on the Internet that the person is using. So with all three pieces of information, if you feed it into the Memex system, Memex would search in the database it has collected and would yield the web pages that match that information. It would yield the statistics, like where this person has been or where it has been sited in geolocation and also in the form of graphs and others.

What JPL is trying to do is trying to automate all of these processes into a system where you can just feed in the questions and and we get the answers, Singh said. For that he worked with an open source web crawler calledApache Nutch. It retrieves and collects web page and domain information of the deep web. TheMapReduceframework powers those crawls with a divide-and-conquer approach to big data that breaks it up into small pieces that run simultaneously. The problem is that even the fastest computers like Stampede werent designed to handle the input and output of millions of files needed for the Memex project.

The Wrangler data-intensive supercomputer avoids data overload by virtue of its 600 terabytes of speedy flash storage. Whats more, Wrangler supports theHadoopframework, which runs using MapReduce. Wrangler, as a platform, can run very large Hadoop-based and Spark-based crawling jobs, Mattmann said. Its a fantastic resource that we didnt have before as a mechanism to do research; to go out and test our algorithms and our new search engines and our crawlers on these sites; and to evaluate the extractions and analytics and things like that afterwards. Wrangler has been an amazing resource to help us do that, to run these large-scale crawls, to do these type of evaluations, to help develop techniques that are helping save people, stop crime, and stop terrorism around the world.

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Source: Jorge Salazar, TACC

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Wrangler Supercomputer at TACC Supports Information Retrieval Projects - HPCwire

Spirituality, recognizing privilege themes at 2017 LGBT Connect Conference in Athens – The Georgia Voice

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

Attendees at the UGA Connect Conference pick up free resources between sessions. (Photo by Dallas Duncan)

More than 200 LGBT students, faculty and allies joined together at the University of Georgias third annual Connect Conference this year, the largest the event has been.

Meg Evans, director of the UGA LGBT Resource Center, said its been exciting to see the conference grow, not just in the number of guests and topics, but in partnerships and buy-in from the greater UGA and Athens communities.

Its just grown and grown in a pretty remarkable time span and I think thats a testament to the great work that our students are doing, she said.

The conferences theme this year was Existence as Resilience, inspiring attendees to focus on bettering all aspects of themselves as a way to thrive. The keynote speaker, Grace Nichols, took the conference title to heart in their speech.

Our role is to be present with ourselves, in connection with one another, so that we can find ways to move forward together as well, Nichols said. That takes being very real about, very intentional about, the difficult conditions in which we live.

Keynote speaker Grace Nichols shares a graphic that helps individuals recognize in what areas of their lives they may experience privilege or oppression. (Photo by Dallas Duncan)

Nichols spoke about the importance of being intersectional, being transparent and recognizing privilege. They also said it was important to be intentional about creating from a place of power.

To me, art not only has a responsibility, but a capability, of revealing the things that we are unconscious to; the things that are really difficult to address, Nichols said. The things that we are going to create are going to be beautiful and libratory.

They said its vital to realize in this political climate, the deep love that we need to express isnt a comic, lovey-dovey love, but rather a courageous love that will call you out on your shit. That type of love is more likely to lead to changes in policy.

Evans said the team of conference chairs selected Nichols as the keynote speaker partially because of their Georgia roots, and because of their identity.

We thought Grace had just a really dope story to tell and would connect really, really well with our students and bring to light some identities that arent often centered. So we wanted to make sure that today was a space that those identities, and really Graces story, could be heard, Evans said.

Nichols identity includes being a gender queer trans-racial, trans-national, adopted Southerner, just to name a few.

Before and after lunch, attendees could pick and choose talks focused on four tracks heart, body, mind and soul. The topics were chosen based on proposals gathered last fall, Evans said.

We looked at all our proposals of folks who wanted to do workshops and we happened to see that we had four really incredible folks that had put through proposals to do conversations about LGBT communities and faith, she said. People want to talk about it. Its all over the country, and especially in the South, people want to talk about it and we want to provide a space.

Justin Landry, a UGA senior and member of the LGBT Resource Centers ambassador program, was excited to hear different perspectives on sexuality and spirituality.

I think I can learn a lot, get more familiarized with the queer community, because I just kind of came out, Landry said. What I just came from was Queering Spirituality. I thought that was a little bit cool. A lot of times the clobber passages, thats the source of a lot of peoples pain in the queer community. Its interesting to get a queer perspective on spirituality.

The Connect Conference started out as a program from Lambda Alliance, one of UGAs student groups, but has always been open to individuals of all identities, Evans said.

Right now, especially with the political climate were in, if the people who are actually within the LGBT community are the only ones doing the work, then thats a lot of emotional labor on us, said Nat Truszczynski, a UGA student who attended the conference. If more people than just LGBT people come to these conferences, they really expand their horizons and learn what they can do to help us instead of us just serving ourselves and not seeing as much forward momentum.

athensconnect conferencegaygay atlantalambda alliancelgbtlgbt atlantalgbt resource centerUGAuniversity of georgia

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Spirituality, recognizing privilege themes at 2017 LGBT Connect Conference in Athens - The Georgia Voice

Christ Consciousness: Why You Have The Same Capabilities As Jesus – Collective Evolution

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

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Religion tends toencourage hierarchy and praise. Christians, for example, look up topriests and they pray to Jesus Christ and God. Now, dont get me wrong prayer can be a wonderful tool forfurther connecting with ourselves, and it can provide us withcomfort and guidance. However, seekinganswers outside the Self and froman external God is notnecessarilyempowering yourself.

What if I told you that you have the exact same powers within you as the character in the Bible Jesus Christ once did? If youlook at his teachings carefully, youll see that Jesus was in fact a Son of God and channelled God through himself. However, many Christians believe Jesus was theonlyson of God, which isnt true.

God is simply all that is, consciousness, source, oneness etc. Its what everything is made up of. Its not a higher power, it IS us. Thus, you too possess the same God-like capabilities as Jesus, and everyone else.

Christ consciousness is essentially another term for enlightenment. Itis the state of finding the universal truth by completing the Ascension process, in the same way Jesus Christ once did. While the biblical version of Jesus is likely not true to form, since many of the stories were copied from thousand year old stories,its likely he still existed, and was a great teacher for people.

According to the teachings ofPatanjali, Christ consciousness, or Samadhi, is the final step of the eightlimbs of yoga. It can be achieved through the other sevenlimbs, including meditation and complete withdrawal from the senses, which is referred to as Pratyahara.

If youve never meditated before, withdrawing from your senses may seem impossible. You may be thinking, We live in a three-dimensional world where we use our senses to function; theyre what make usus.

Well, Descartes once said, I think therefore I am, but I promise, if you silence your mind, you still exist. We know that our thoughts dont make us who we are, so couldnt the same be said for our senses?If youre blind or deaf, are you still you? The senses dont make youyoubecause its what lies within that truly defines us.

Simply put, the true essence of your being cannot be seen, touched, heard, tasted, or smelled because these are all third dimensional qualities. Youre a soul that incarnated into your body to have a human experience. Jesus Christ realized this and tried to share it with the masses.

However, the thirddimensional reality has numerous distractions that encourage us to look anywhere but withinfor our answers, which is exactly what many people did when they discovered Jesus powers, the same way that many people still do with religion. People started to praise him and still do, considering him somewhat of a deity and referring to him as the Son of God.

This isnt wrong; Jesus is God because we are all God. Yes, you were created by God, but for that same reason you are God. You dont need to look upwards to pray, but rather inwards. Jesus discovered this by connecting with the Divine, the same way we all can, too.

Numerous spiritual teachers today, likeEckhart Tolle, Deepak Chopra, and so on, encourage us torecognize the truth about religions. Theyre not as different as they seem, as they all encourage us to look inward and find the universal truth of our inherent divinity.

As Eckhart Tolle wrote, All religions are equally false and equally true, depending on how you use them. You can use them in the service of the ego, or you can use them in the service of the Truth. If you believe only your religion is the Truth, you are using it in the service of the ego. Used in such a way, religion becomes ideology and creates an illusory sense of superiority as well as division and conflict between people. In the service of the Truth, religious teachings represent signposts or maps left behind by awakened humans to assist you in spiritual awakening, that is to say, in becoming free of identification with form.

Recommended:The Christ Blueprint: 13 Keys To Christ Consciousness

Religions clearly provethat most of the global population want to believetheres something more than what we see in the thirddimension. Religion can provide people with hope that theres divinity outside this realm, and thats beautiful; however, real divinity also lies within us. Its when we start to let go of rigidity and disempowerment within religion that creates division and superiority that often feeds our egos, and instead recognize the basic teachings in all religions that can assist us in connecting.

Well get into some interesting notes about the Bible below, but first lets jump into some quotes.

This can be seen throughout christianity, as numerous devoted Christiansdont understand much of what the Bible says. For example, lets look at the following quote by Jesus: I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

The me Jesus referred to isnt himself, but rather the Self within you. You dont find God through Jesus, you find Godwithin yourself. This is precisely what Jesus Christ did and what you can do, too, and this theme can be found all throughout the Bible.

John 10:30 reads: I and the Father are one. Ephesians 4:6 reads: One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. You are one with Source and one with all of your surroundings.

In Matthew 16: 24, Jesus says: If anyone wants to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. When Jesus told the people to deny themselves, he was referring to the illusion of the Self, or the ego. You are not your physical body, but rather the soul within. By denying it, you can access the real Self, the Christ consciousness.

St. Pauls understanding of the image of the cross in Galatians 2:20 reads: I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. St. Paul probablygrasped Christ consciousness, understanding that once enlightenment occurs there is no divisive sense of selfbut rather an intense connection to all beings and the Divine. The cross is merely asymbol of the human experience, one that is usedin many religions, of the figurative death we endure when we abandon the ego, which thenresurrects us and awakens us to our true Self, the Divine within.

Its important to note that its been speculated that a lot of information wasdeliberately omitted from the Bible or influenced by higher ups in the church. Its difficult to verify whether or not some of the quotes in the Bible were even from Jesus himself or if they were strategically added or edited by leaders at the time, specifically the Council of Nicea, to disempower their followers.

After all, if people realized that Jesus was simply preaching unconditional love andencouraging others to access the divine powers we hold within, how could the church continue to rule the people? Many believe that much of the language within the Bible that refers to the nature of Jesus relationship to God was actually created byConstantine, who took power over the Roman Empire in A.D. 306, and the Council of Nicea.

The Council of Nicea essentially decided to call Jesus THE son of God as opposed to simply a song of God. It was the council that decided tocreate this divide, not Jesus himself.

When you take a look at some of the overarching systems that influence society, like religion and government, its clear we wish to be led. Theres nothing necessarily wrong with this, as a good leader or mentor can help us accomplish great things. But when it comes to spirituality, I think that many of ususe leaders to distract usfrom our true spiritual nature.

This obviously plays a huge role in the Christian faith, as practitioners look to anillusory Godfigure for the answers instead of within. However, this can be seen throughout all religions and even within New Age spirituality.

Many people look up to monksand enlightened beings, seeking answers through them rather than through the Self. Within the New Age community, many people who feel that theyre on the path toward enlightenment may use spirituality to create division between themselves and those they feel are less spiritual than them.

Its clear that the true enemy here is division, that which we are not. Division plays such a prominent role in society, whether that be as a result ofpolitics,the media, religion, the ego, or whatever else. If we want to reach Christ consciousness, we need to see through the illusion of separatism.

Another way to help trigger the Ascension process is through information disclosure and knowledge. It is said that our DNA is like a library full of information waiting to be unlocked, whichcan be obtained through meditation or through the physical realm. Being fully conscious of your surroundings and yourselfwill raise your vibration and, through the law of attraction, allow you to come into knowledge when youre ready for it.

Many of us may have different definitions of enlightenment and Christ consciousness and thats perfectly fine. Using Earthly words to describe something so divine is a tall order anyway. Not everyone will attain Christ consciousness during this lifetime either, and thats okay, too. We all incarnate here for different purposes. Theres no one path toward enlightenment, so theres no point in worrying whether or not youll experience enlightenment during this lifetime. However, odds are that if youre reading this article, youre already on your way!

One of the biggest problems cancer patients face is that their doctors aren't telling them everything they need to know and patients don't know the right questions to ask.

Our friend (and 13-year cancer survivor) Chris Wark just finished creating a free guide for cancer patients and their loved ones called 20 Questions For Your Oncologist.

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Christ Consciousness: Why You Have The Same Capabilities As Jesus - Collective Evolution

The truth about whether fads like goat and beer yoga are as daft as they sound – The Independent

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

Naked yoga. Yoga with goats and dogs. Yoga with beer. Yoga in a room so hot that parts of you that you didnt know existed are sweating. Before you feel like you have seen every variation on this ancient practice, another bizarre combination surfaces.

Yoga originated in North India some 5,000 years ago. So one might be excused for wondering how introducing a dog or a goat of a can of lager into the fold is necessary. Some would even argue that, particularly among Western teachers, turning yoga into a commercialised fad is culturally offensive.

But while yoga seems like a relatively simple practice, focused around breathing exercises and sturdily holding postures, its has a highly complex and varied history, explains Dr James Mallinson, a senior lecturer in Sanskrit and Classical Indian Civilisation at SOAS University of London, who recently co-write a book on the topic entitled Roots of Yoga.

As yoga is used by a range of cultures and religions, from Hindus to Buddhists and Jainists, there is no one correct or pure form of the exercise, he says. Although he is sceptical about modern updates.

What often gets lost is that the exercise was used as a means to an end. The moves prepare the body for being still and meditating for long periods of time. The ultimate goal is reaching enlightenment and nirvana. Some highly spiritual traditions of yoga claim that, along the way, a person can gain magical powers such as flying, shrinking and growing into a giant.

Other forms of yoga dont involve any postures at all.

The foundational texts of yoga, the yoga sutras, only mention seated postures for meditation. And even texts that list lots of postures find the one that works best are ones you must hold for hourson end so you can still your mind. Its not really about the body but about the mind," explains Dr Mallinson.

"Its such a big multifarious tradition you can find precedence for almost anything,"he adds.

Ritualistic traditions of the 6th century did include alcohol, to enable the mostadvanced and devoted yogis to become possessed by a super-powerful goddess. You should watch out. With beer yoga, you might get more than you bargained for, jokes Dr Mallinson.

However, most mainstream traditional Indian yoga prohibits alcohol, he adds, and combining the two could be viewed as offensive.

As for the involvement of four-legged friends, Dr Mallinson points to how master yogis were believed to have power over animals, and were depicted in the jungle peacefully beside lions and tigers. But thats not because animalsmakeyou feel good or because they are fluffy, he adds sarcastically.

There are other more esoteric physical techniques about stilling the breath and vital fluids of the body. For example khecari mudra involves putting your tongue above your palate and to taste the nectar of your immortality.

The most notable way that modern yoga has branched from its ancient roots is the focus on sculpting and preen the body.

Its not all about postures that are difficult and bendy, he stresses.

Asked whether yoga has been commercialised beyond all recognition, Dr Mallinson says he is open-minded to how people want to follow the tradition. But he adds he purposefully distances himself from new-fangledclasses. He predicts teachers in the future will go back to basics.

I think over the last 20 years yogahas mushroomed and people are becoming more self aware, particularly in America where it is growing faster. One valid criticism is that its currentlyrather selfishand narcissistic so people are adding a sociallycompassionatedimension and trying to combine it with social work.That would be a nice development: its not all about you, but trying to use a practice to develop compassion rather than make yourself beautiful.

Im wary of condemning things that make people relaxed, happy and peaceful. Yoga has acquired its own globalised momentum and nothing can be done to put that genie back in the bottle."

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The truth about whether fads like goat and beer yoga are as daft as they sound - The Independent

Human spirit triumphs in ‘Tommy’ at the Warner – Connecticut Post – CT Post

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

Photo: Mandi Martini / Contributed Photo

Tommy will be performed at the Warner Theatre in Torrington, Saturday, Feb. 4, through Sunday, Feb. 12.

Human spirit triumphs in Tommy at the Warner

Its a good thing it was the 1960s before video games when The Who was working on its iconic album, Tommy. The English rock bands famous tune, Pinball Wizard, just wouldnt have had the same ring to it, if it had been called Video Game Wizard.

Tommy, mostly composed by guitarist Pete Townshend, tells the tale of a deaf, dumb and blind boy who discovers hes a phenomenal pinball player. But it actually goes much deeper; Townshend has said he was inspired to write it by the teachings of Meher Baba, a spiritual leader who preached love and kindness.

That 1969 album went on to inspire a 1975 film and a 1992 Broadway musical. The stage show remains popular and will be performed at the Warner Theatre in Torrington Saturday, Feb. 4, through Sunday, Feb. 12. Sharon Wilcox is the shows director and choreographer.

Peter Townshends tale of a young boys journey from pain to triumph is the most electrifying evening of rock n roll ever to play in a theater, she said. After witnessing the accidental murder of his mothers lover by his father, who just returned from a German prisoner-of-war camp, Tommy is traumatized into catatonia, and as he grows, he suffers abuse at the hands of his sadistic relatives and neighbors.

Warner Theatre, 68 Main St., Torrington. Saturday, Feb.4-Sunday, Feb. 12. Friday, Saturday 8 p.m.; Sunday 2 p.m. 860-489-7180, warnertheatre.org

As an adolescent, hes discovered to have an uncanny knack for playing pinball, and when his mother finally breaks through his catatonia, he becomes an international pinball superstar.

Wilcox said Tommy eventually succeeds in casting off his emotionally imposed handicaps, yet finds himself just as isolated, in the role of messianic hero to the youth of Britain and the world.

Tommy seeks to teach his fans about the revelations he had when he was blind revelations of spiritual enlightenment. He tells them they cant achieve it through drinking and getting high, but they want a quick fix. So the zillions who worshipped him, turn against him.

Tommy faces a hard but profound truth. He learns that only through himself not through his parents or his fans can he uncover his own value and purpose in life.

Wilcox said she considers herself very lucky because this is her second time directing Tommy. The first was at Thomaston Opera House back in 2005.

I had such a wonderful experience that first time, after gaining more directing experience over the past 12 years, I thought it was time to try my hand at it again and put what I have learned to good use, she said.

Discussing the challenges of this production, Wilcox said if theres one thing shes learned as a director, its, You are only as good as the cast you assemble. If you cast a show correctly, thats 90 percent of your job right there. In this case they needed three people to play Tommy at different ages, as well as ensemble members.

Our (present-day) Tommy is played by Noel Roberge, who incidentally was Drew Boley in Rock of Ages last February. He is an incredible singer and performer, and I think this music is suited perfectly to his voice. He shares the role with Brendan Harris, who plays Tommy at age 4, and Trevor Rinaldi, who plays Tommy at age 10.

Wilcox said anyone who is a fan of The Who and of classic rock music will enjoy this show. And anyone who loves musicals in general should see it because its a spectacle of lights, sound, dance, great music and fantastic singing voices.

However, she said, Tommy is not a show for kids because there are some exceptionally brutal scenes, such as Fiddle About (in which Tommy is molested by his Uncle Ernie), as well as a scene with Cousin Kevin (Tommys sadistic relative).

But they have to happen to Tommy in his journey, she said. He has to overcome them. Thats what makes great drama.

lkoonz@newstimes.com; Twitter: @LindaTKoonz

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Human spirit triumphs in 'Tommy' at the Warner - Connecticut Post - CT Post

Progress Underway for First Commercial Airlock on Space Station – Space Daily

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Danzig

The International Space Station allows NASA to conduct cutting-edge research and technology demonstrations for the next giant leap in human exploration and supports an emerging space economy in low-Earth orbit.

Deployment of CubeSats and other small satellite payloads from the orbiting laboratory by commercial customers and NASA has increased in recent years. To support demand, NASA has accepted a proposal from NanoRacks to develop the first commercially funded airlock on the space station.

"We want to utilize the space station to expose the commercial sector to new and novel uses of space, ultimately creating a new economy in low-Earth orbit for scientific research, technology development and human and cargo transportation," said Sam Scimemi, director, ISS Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

"We hope this new airlock will allow a diverse community to experiment and develop opportunities in space for the commercial sector."

In addition to the large number of CubeSats and small satellites NanoRacks wants to deploy from station, their proposed airlock will also be capable of supporting multiple external payloads.

Signaling a significant step forward in their airlock plans, NanoRacks announced an independent partnership with Boeing on Feb.

6, 2017, to develop the airlock. Once NanoRacks successfully completes the phases outlined in a Space Act Agreement NanoRacks signed with NASA in 2016, the agency has committed to install the airlock for commercial use, research, and technology demonstrations from the International Space Station.

Payloads, including commercial payloads, deployed via the airlock will be coordinated through the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), NASA's manager of the U.S. National Laboratory on the space station. All non-NASA funded payloads for the U.S. National Lab are subject to the vetting process CASIS has established.

NASA anticipates the airlock will launch on a commercial resupply mission for integration in 2019, and will be located on a port in the space station's Tranquility module.

Attached to a separate port on Tranquility is another commercial investment - the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM). This module is the first human-rated expandable habitat to be tested in space and has potential application for future habitation in low-Earth orbit and deep space.

The NanoRacks Airlock and BEAM are two examples of NASA's larger efforts to maximize use of the space station and advance commercial activity in space. NASA also issued a request for information last fall seeking additional interest on the part of private enterprises to use available unique space station resources, such as docking ports.

As private sector partners play a greater role in this new economy, NASA is able to focus on its deep space exploration goals, including sending humans beyond the moon and eventually, to Mars.

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Progress Underway for First Commercial Airlock on Space Station - Space Daily

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