SAF Takes Case of Arizona Navy Vet Whose Guns Were Seized

BELLEVUE, Wash., April 6, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Second Amendment Foundation announced today that it has taken on funding the case of a retired Glendale, Arizona Navy veteran whose gun collection was seized by authorities because of an on-going dispute with a neighbor who obtained a protection order.

The case of 56-year-old Rick Bailey has made headlines in the Southwest and across the Internet. Bailey had complained to the City of Glendale about the neighbor's habit of parking dump trucks used in his landscaping company. The dispute unfolded over several months until Bailey called police over concerns of toxic chemical odors apparently coming from the neighbor's property. The neighbor apparently alleged that Bailey had threatened him, and the following day, he obtained a harassment order against Bailey. Police showed up and took Bailey's gun collection, and he wants his property back.

SAF is working with Chandler, Arizona attorney Mark J. Victor to secure the return of Bailey's firearms and help solve his predicament. Bailey's collection of 28 firearms has an estimated value of more than $25,000 and took more than a decade for him to collect.

"Mr. Bailey is devastated by this situation," said SAF founder and Executive Vice President Alan Gottlieb. "We seem to live in an environment when someone's life can be turned upside down on an allegation that should have been thoroughly investigated before any action was ordered by a court.

"Sadly," he continued, "this kind of hideous gun confiscation flies below the radar and it is happening more frequently to gun owners across the country.

"Bailey had to retire from his job due to a disability from a back injury that also resulted in his medical discharge from the Navy after four years of service," he noted. "He couldn't physically harm anybody.

"This situation appears to have gotten out of control," Gottlieb observed. "A generation ago, neighbors solved this kind of dispute over a cup of coffee or a Sunday barbecue. We're helping Bailey in his appeal of the judge's order so he can not only reclaim his valuable firearms, but also some of his dignity as well."

The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation's oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to privately own and possess firearms. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 650,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed to better inform the public about the consequences of gun control.

SOURCE Second Amendment Foundation

Here is the original post:

SAF Takes Case of Arizona Navy Vet Whose Guns Were Seized

Bitcoin exchange Buttercoin shuts down due to lack of funding

Image: Mashable

By Stan Schroeder2015-04-06 09:09:34 UTC

Bitcoin exchange Buttercoin, which has previously received funding from Google Ventures, is shutting down, the company has announced.

The service will be turned off on April 10, at 11 PM PT.

That timeline gives users a very short period to withdraw their funds from the service. However, Buttercoin claims it is still "100% secure and solvent" and that all customers' funds are accounted for.

For users that do not take any action before April 10, their dollar balances will be sent back to the accounts they came from. Bitcoin balances will be automatically converted to dollars and sent to bank accounts linked to user profiles.

Buttercoin, which launched in 2013 and received funding from startup incubator Y Combinator as well as venture capital fund Google Ventures, let users easily trade bitcoins for dollars and vice versa. In Nov. 2014, it also raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Wall Street firm Wedbush Securities.

The reasoning for the shutdown is simple: Lack of funding.

"With the dip in bitcoin interest among Silicon Valley investors, we weren't able to generate enough venture capital interest to continue funding Buttercoin," said the company in a statement.

While that may have been the case for Buttercoin, in recent months investors have poured money into other Bitcoin trading platforms, including Coinbase, which raised $75 million in January.

Read more here:

Bitcoin exchange Buttercoin shuts down due to lack of funding

Morgan Stanley Veteran Joins Bitcoin 2.0

NEW YORK, April 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Announced today, Jacob Dienelt is the latest Morgan Stanley veteran to leave Wall Street and join the Bitcoin industry. Following the likes of Blythe Masters, ex JP Morgan Chase & Co Executive and Paul Camp, former JP Morgan Managing Director - Mr. Dienelt of Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management has made the move from traditional banking to join the emerging digital money industry with Factom as Head Treasurer.

Factom, a Bitcoin 2.0 company creating a notarized audit trail with Blockchain technology, has hired Jacob Dienelt as part of its focus on Bitcoin asset management for its software token sale. As the first Bitcoin 2.0 company to bring a Wall St veteran onto its team, Factom will be setting a new standard for Bitcoin treasuries while its software token sale continues into its 2nd week.

Mr. Dienelt brings his experience to the nascent Bitcoin industry after managing a Future Specialists desk from Morgan Stanley's offices in New York. He graduated from Kenyon College in 2003 where he majored in Game Theory, thereafter he worked at a private Real Estate asset management company doing REIT analysis.

On leaving his Wall St job Mr. Dienelt states, "after two years traveling to Bitcoin conferences, mining, and running a paper wallet company, I'm glad to have found a home in the space.

Factom is the first non-financial application of the distributed ledger technology that will, over the next decade, change how people prove their data is authentic, and so much more. I spent almost 10 years at Morgan Stanley, and I'll miss my friends and clients dearly. I just couldn't miss an opportunity to help shape such an important ecosystem as it develops. I'm very excited to be working with [founders] Paul, David, Peter, and the rest of the team."

This announcement comes from Factom of London UK, and is the first blockchain technology company to follow the likes of Circle Financial, Digital Asset Holdings, and 21 to bring on a former Wall St veteran as part of its team. Similar blockchain technology companies announced recently their plans for technology improvements with the Bitcoin Blockchain, namely side-chains for Blockstream and tokens for the Internet of Things with Colu.

Factom has been at the forefront with their series of collaborations involving Bitcoin price stability with Tether, documenting Gold exchange trades with Serica, and providing notarized audit trails for the Internet of Things with Rivetz.

David Johnston, Chairman of the Board with Factom comments on the addition of Mr. Dienelt to the team saying, "as the worlds large companies and institutions begin adopting blockchain technology, it naturally follows that their top people will get involved in projects such as Factom in order to be leaders in that transition."

Mr. Johnston is referring to the latest trend of Wall St executives who have left to join Bitcoin companies despite the public skepticism Bitcoin has received from banking executives. Jamie Dimon, who runs JPMorgan Chase was quoted last March stating that 'Bitcoin [is] a terrible store of value that could be replicated over and over.'

Original post:

Morgan Stanley Veteran Joins Bitcoin 2.0

Workington Comets win after dramatic race-off

By Alex Sweeney

Last updated at 10:11, Monday, 06 April 2015

Comets star Ricky Wells ensured that the Workington Thomas Armstrong Comets began their season with a piece of silverware last night.

The USA-born racer pulled-off a fantastic performance in a race-off against Newcastle Diamonds Lewis Kerr when the teams couldnt be separated after 30 heats of normal racing.

The Comets carried a 16-point advantage to Newcastle for the second-leg of the Ian Thomas Shield, after running out 53-37 winners at The Zebra Claims Stadium on Saturday.

Not much separated the teams early on as three of the first four heats ended in stalemate.

Comets duo Ricky Wells and Kenneth Hansen were gifted second and third in heat one when Christian Henry fell on the second lap.

The spoils were shared again in heat two, the Diamonds packed the minor places as Nicki Barrett produced an impressive performance to power ahead of Newcastle reserves.

The home side edged ahead in heat three, Lewis Kerr led from the tapes but a determined ride from Comets skipper Rene Bach ensured the damage would be limited to a 4-2 as he rounded Anton Rosen to clinch second.

The fourth heat also ended level, Newcastle captain Ludvig Lindgren cruised to victory but Comet pairing Kyle Howarth and Barrett held off Lewis Rose.

See original here:

Workington Comets win after dramatic race-off

Challenges, growing pains confront Asian aviation industry

HONG KONG For Asias aviation industry, the growing pains have just begun.

A year of disasters, the disappearance of Flight 370 and financial turbulence highlight the challenges confronting the worlds biggest air travel market, where governments, regulators and airlines are struggling to keep up after a decade of astonishing growth.

A U.N. agencys warning about airline safety in Thailand, one of the worlds top tourist destinations, is just the latest sign of ferment in the industry.

The boom has been driven by the regions explosive economic growth as well as market liberalizations that have allowed dozens of new discount carriers to flourish, turning the airline business on its head.

The strains are also showing in recurring pilot shortages and shortcomings in air traffic control systems and airport infrastructure that countries are scrambling to upgrade, especially in big Southeast Asian nations such as Indonesia.

Were in uncharted waters, said Desmond Ross, principal at DRA International aviation consultants and former head of the Pacific Aviation Safety Office, which oversees airline safety for South Pacific islands. I dont think the world has seen this sort of growth before.

A third of airplane accidents in the Asia-Pacific region from 2008 to 2012 involved deficiencies in regulatory oversight, the International Civil Aviation Organization said in a report this year. Another 27 percent involved deficiencies in safety management.

Meanwhile, the agencys recent audit of Thailand has produced disquieting revelations about what lies below the surface of a country that has marketed itself to the world as a safe and welcoming destination.

The agency informed governments in March of significant safety concerns, prompting several Asian nations to step up inspections of Thai airlines or block them from launching new flights and modifying schedules.

The leader of Thailands military government, which ousted its civilian predecessor in a coup last year, blamed years of neglect for allowing problems to accumulate to a critical mass. He said the civil aviation department has only 12 inspectors, a figure unchanged for years despite huge growth in tourism.

More:

Challenges, growing pains confront Asian aviation industry

See world like 'Indie'

Tommy Trenchard/Demotix/Corbis

Steven Spielberg took his crew to some of the most exotic locations around the world while filming the 'Indiana Jones' movie franchise. Here are just a few you can still visit today.

Harrison Ford has portrayed many famous movie characters, but perhaps the most iconic is Indiana Jones. Ford expertly molded the ruggedly handsome (and ophidiophobic) character that starred in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), The Temple of Doom (1984), The Last Crusade (1989), and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). With rumors that Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation, Guardians of the Galaxy) is being groomed as Ford's replacement in a reboot, we're taking a look at the original series' most exotic filming locations, which you can still travel to today.

Kauai, Hawaii

Those iconic jungle-treasure-hunting scenes in Raiders of the Lost Ark were supposed to be taking place in the wilds of Peru. They were actually shot on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, with the famed rolling-boulder scene shot in and around the Huleia National Wildlife Refuge.

Tommy Trenchard/Demotix/Corbis

Tozeur, Tunisia

If you were tricked into believing that the snake-hating and Nazi-face-melting in Raiders took place in Egypt, the film crew did their job well: Those scenes were actually shot in the desert landscapes of Tunisia, with the showdown between Indy and the Nazis taking place near Sidi Bouhlel canyon, just outside of Tozeur. (Fun fact: The Star Wars series has also used Tozeur as a locale.)

La Rochelle, France

Director Steven Spielberg tore this next location directly from the history books. The port of La Pallice in La Rochelle, France, was used by the Nazis during World War II as a U-boat base, so Spielberg cast the real-life location as just that in Raiders. Those eerie, hulking, concrete U-boat "pens" are still visible from the port, but no longer in use.

Continue reading here:

See world like 'Indie'

LG Display outs iMac with 'super high-res' 8K screen

LG Display shows how 8K resolution improves upon earlier high-definition formats. LG Display

Apple is working on an update to its iMac that will take its resolution to new heights, according to LG Display.

In a blog post last week that was newly noticed Monday, LG Display wrote about the future of display technology, saying that next big thing will be a "super-high-resolution" format known as 8K.

Tucked into the middle of that discussion was one attention-getting sentence: "Apple has also announced that they will release the 'iMac 8K' with a super-high resolution display later this year."

The tricky thing is, Apple hasn't announced such a product. If the LG Display claim is true, the famously hush-hush iPhone maker cannot be happy about what was said. Apple likes to make its own announcements according to its own schedule and holds its vendors to vows of extreme secrecy. If Apple is working on an 8K iMac, LG Display could find itself in some hot water.

Apple's iMac is an all-in-one computer with a display in front of the device's components. It comes with a keyboard and mouse and different display resolutions based on the model. The company's 21.5-inch iMac has a 1,920-by-1,080-pixel resolution, while the 27-inch version has a 2,560-by-1,440 resolution. Apple also sells an iMac with Retina 5K display featuring a 27-inch screen that has a 5,120-by-2,880-pixel resolution. That computer was announced last year

Screen resolution has long been a differentiating factor for displays. The higher the resolution, the more pixels packed into a display -- and thus the crisper and more lifelike the image. For the last several years, the display market has been dominated by 1080p displays boasting a 1,920-by-1,080-pixel resolution. Now TV makers are pitching so-called 4K displays that feature resolutions of 4,096-by-2,160. Apple's 5K display has a slightly better resolution.

Ultimately, LG Display says, the future in display resolutions is with 8K, which it says is the highest resolution at which the human eye can discern, featuring a resolution of 7,680 by 4,320. LG Display showed off an 8K display at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, featuring a 98-inch screen. The company also has a 55-inch display.

Still, offering a high resolution is only one part of the equation. In order for users to get the full effect of 5K or 8K, they'd need to have the content to support it. Right now, 4K content is hard to come by, and it's unlikely that content creators, like movie studios, will encode much video in 8K anytime soon. The benefit, in other words, is only apparent when the content that supports the resolution is readily available.

If Apple is indeed working on an 8K display, LG Display might be in a position to know: according to iFixit, LG Display manufactured the 5K display. It's possible that LG Display is working on an 8K screen for an update to the 5K iMac, and and that's what it let slip.

Excerpt from:

LG Display outs iMac with 'super high-res' 8K screen

Stem Cell Therapies on Mice Reduce Parkinson Symptoms

Brazilian researchers announced progress toward the use of implanted stem cells as a treatment for Parkinsons disease.

Investigations at the DOR Institute for Research and Education (IDOR) and Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) report that their newly developed therapy reduced symptoms in mice.

Using an FDA approved substance for treating stomach cancer, S.K. Rehen and colleagues were able to grow dopamine-producing neurons derived from embryonic stem cells. The cells remained healthy and functional for as long as 15 months after implantation into mice restoring motor function without forming tumors.

Parkinsons, which affect as many 10 million people in the world, is caused by a depletion of dopamine-producing neurons in the brain.

Current treatments include medications and electrical implants in the brain which causes severe adverse effects over time and fail to prevent disease progression.

In the current study, researchers build upon past investigations that have indicated the transplantation of embryonic stem cells improves motor functions in animal models. However, until now, the procedure has shown to be unsafe, because of the risk of tumors upon transplantation.

To address this issue, the researchers pre-treated undifferentiated mouse embryonic stem cells with mitomycin C a drug already prescribed to treat cancer. The substance blocks the DNA replication and prevents the cells to multiply out of control.

The researchers used mice modeled for Parkinsons. The animals were separated in three groups. The first one, the control group, did not receive the stem cell implant. The second one, received the implant of stem cells which were not treated with mitomycin C and the third one received the mitomycin C treated cells.

After the injection of 50,000 untreated stem cells, the animals of the second group showed improvement in motor functions but all of them died between three and seven weeks later. These animals also developed intracerebral tumors.

In contrast, animals receiving the treated stem cells showed improvement of Parkinsons symptoms and survived until the end of the observation period of 12 weeks post-transplant with no tumors detected. Four of these mice were monitored for as long as 15 months with no signs of pathology.

See original here:

Stem Cell Therapies on Mice Reduce Parkinson Symptoms

Meditation Music – Music for Meditation ,Relaxation,Spirituality – Video


Meditation Music - Music for Meditation ,Relaxation,Spirituality
The Law Of Attraction Bible (Get Your FREE Copy ! $29 in value) :https://betterliving.leadpages.net/law-of-attraction-bible/ Meditation music,Meditation Bird Songs for relaxation,yoga,spa..If...

By: white light meditation

See more here:

Meditation Music - Music for Meditation ,Relaxation,Spirituality - Video

Feel stressed? Seek money? Personal growth, spirituality, alchemy, therapy, life coaching – Video


Feel stressed? Seek money? Personal growth, spirituality, alchemy, therapy, life coaching
A New Career! Train to be an Altherapist Go beyond LMFT, MA in counseling, or psychology. http://GetPaidToBe.com Or hire an Altherapist via that link.

By: Evolved

Visit link:

Feel stressed? Seek money? Personal growth, spirituality, alchemy, therapy, life coaching - Video

Women's Health and Wellness Expo offers plenty to inspire

By Eliza WinklerMarch 12, 2015, 12:04 p.m.

YOGA, spirituality, cosmetics, health, strength and herbalists were just some of the things on offer at the Women's Health and Wellness Expo on Thursday.

Catherine Vlachos representing her business Intimacy Divine at the Shellharbour Women's Health and Wellness Expo. Picture: GEORGIA MATTS

The Shellharbour Women's Health and Wellness Expo. Picture: GEORGIA MATTS

Clare Bowley with her stall at the Shellharbour Women's Health and Wellness Expo. Picture: GEORGIA MATTS

Catherine Vlachos representing her business Intimacy Divine at the Shellharbour Women's Health and Wellness Expo. Picture: GEORGIA MATTS

The Shellharbour Women's Health and Wellness Expo. Picture: GEORGIA MATTS

Rebecca Stuttard and Kem Agdiran at the Shellharbour Women's Health and Wellness Expo. Picture: GEORGIA MATTS

Shellharbour City Council's Sharon Greathead and Emily Kadwell at the Shellharbour Women's Health and Wellness Expo. Picture: GEORGIA MATTS

The Shellharbour Women's Health and Wellness Expo.

Read the original here:

Women's Health and Wellness Expo offers plenty to inspire

What is Spiritual Enlightenment? – I AM Emotional …

So what exactly IS spiritual enlightenment anyway?

Simply put, spiritual enlightenment is a concept mostly associated with Buddhism and Hinduism, but it also has unrecognized connections into most other religions as well. Enlightenment implies complete understanding of life and the universe, which usually is accompanied by a detachment of all things impermanent and a complete awareness of everything that is, at the moment that it is. The spiritual belief purports that non-enlightened life is full of suffering produced by desire and other emotions that attach the mind to worldly things; suffering is the inevitable result of attachment to these necessarily transitory things. A person thus becomes enlightened when they remain in the world yet becomes free of attachment to it. Enlightenment is considered the end of a beings spiritual journey, be it within one life or across many.

In Buddhism, enlightenment is called nirvana. Nirvana is believed to be a state of peace and unity with the cosmos. Different forms of Buddhism teach different techniques for achieving nirvana. Orthodox Buddhists, for example, try to directly follow Buddhas teachings: in particular, the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path. Others, such as Zen Buddhists, may use challenging mental exercises, such as koans, which are solutionless riddles designed to jerk ones mind out of conscious thought into enlightenment. Most forms of Buddhism also use regular meditation as a central element of the path to spiritual enlightenment.

Hinduism also uses the concept of nirvana, called moksha, considering it a representation of freedom from desire and other worldly passions. Spiritual enlightenment is also part of the conclusion to the Hindu cycle of reincarnation. In this belief, souls enter many different bodies through the course of their existence. In each of the lives they lead, they develop spiritually. The ultimate goal of this spiritual development is moksha, a liberation from the system of earthly suffering, which includes the idea of spiritual enlightenment.

Christians who have passed through the portal of enlightenment have historically been deemed by the church to be mystics; one who through direct communication with God commands a mystical understanding of God and all things spiritual; one who has a mystical understanding beyond those who have spent a lifetime in religious study and servitude to God. But the two other major Abrahamic religions of Judaism and Islam have enlightened congregants as well. In fact, both religions have subset sects who focus on the attainment of enlightenment as their primary goal. Judaism has Kabballah. In Islam, the Sufis chase the mystical experience. It is because of this non-denominational foundation that enlightenment is generally considered a mystical concept. That is, it contains the promise of a spiritual clarity lying beyond description by words and attainment by action, regardless of religion. For example, one cannot become enlightened by reading, even if one can recite the words of every religious sage. Enlightenment is a potentially universal experience, but each being comes to it through a unique path. Teachers may provide assistance and provocation along the way, but they cannot impose enlightenment on their pupils; one becomes enlightened alone.

The concept of spiritual enlightenment in Buddhism and Hinduism is related to but distinct from ideas such as salvation and transcendence associated with Christianity. Whereas most versions of Christianity emphasize love of Jesus Christ as a prerequisite to spiritual completeness, enlightenment usually implies liberation from teachers and doctrineone famous Zen koan suggests: If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him! Enlightenment also does not involve the existence of a heaven distinct from earth, although it is also noted that even Jesus mentioned there may not be a separation of the two in the Gospel of Thomas and other Gnostic gospels. It places more emphasis on a transformation of the souls relationship to the world of objects. The enlightened being continues a corporeal existence after having gained awareness of the illusory nature of reality. There is no separate space to which one ascends.

As a person who has passed through the portal of enlightenment, I can say that there is a huge difference between simply deciding to reject worldly suffering and attachments trying intentionally to be enlightened compared to actually passing through the experience of spiritual awakening that is most commonly called enlightenment. There is an actual experience where you tap into the universal intelligence and energy that transcends our own lives and individual existences. It grants spiritual knowledge, wisdom, and ultimately inner peace. It grants immediate universal understanding of God, the Universe, the meaning of your own existence. Most importantly, it answers the question why.

To answer the question of HOW one achieves enlightenment. the answer is to simply stop all conscious thought in your mind, while listening for God. I say the word simply very tongue in cheek, because frankly, it is not a simple task to accomplish at all. But it is the process of stopping conscious thought that allows for the process of enlightenment to occur. You must cease the voice in your head to hear the voice that comes without sound. You must stop thinking about today, tomorrow, yesterday, what youre going to watch on TV, that youre hungry right now, or thirsty, or that theres a dog barking, or that you thought this answer to this question was too ambiguous, or too simple to be plausible. Stop all thoughts of color, of noise, of the fact that youre trying to clear the thoughts in your head. It is only when you silence the sights and sounds within your mind that you will see and hear what exists just beyond your minds grasp. The Energy, the Intelligence, God.

Let me clarify further:

Numerous people globally have found enlightenment in many various ways throughout history many spontaneously without even searching for the phenomenon. But the one common denominator that has not been noticed (until recently) is that every instance of enlightenment almost always come from a place where the mind has been stilled within the person who has experienced it.

View original post here:

What is Spiritual Enlightenment? - I AM Emotional ...

Fan's LEGO Replica of International Space Station Soars to 10,000 Votes

A fan's yearlong mission to gain support for his LEGO version of the International Space Station is now complete.

Christoph Ruge's model of the orbiting outpost recorded its 10,000th vote on Friday (April 3) after being posted to the Danish toy company's social website, LEGO Ideas, more than a year ago. Ruge's plastic brick replica of the space station racked up its final 2,035 supporters in a matter of just 10 hours after it made it onto the front page of another popular website.

"Please support the project so we can all have a little ISS in our homes and/or office cubicles," Monitor343, a Reddit member, wrote in his appeal to readers of the site's Space community. [LEGOs and Space Travel: A Photo Gallery]

LEGO will officially review fan-proposed ideas for production if they receive 10,000 votes on the LEGO Ideas site.

The project's soaring support came within 26 days of its expiration. Interest in the space station model grew slowly until last month, when it finally reached the halfway mark of 5,000 votes. Along the way, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) partners aboard the actual space station gave Ruge's idea a boost by sharing it with their social media followers.

"A space station design is up for LEGO community fans to vote on," NASA wrote on Twitter in November.

Ruge also had the chance to talk about and show off his model at ESA's European Astronaut Center, located near Cologne, Germany.

"Beginning the [March 21 SpaceUp] event with a talk by veteran astronaut Reinhold Ewald and a live tweet from space by ESA astronaut Samantha Christoforetti set the bar high," the space agency described on its website. "It continued to be raised even higher ... [by] both giant and miniature International Space Station models built out of custom LEGO bricks."

Ruge's large model, as posted on LEGO Ideas, recreates the International Space Station in its current configuration, including all of its U.S., Russian, Japanese and European modules. Built from slightly more than 1,000 LEGO bricks, it features rotating solar arrays, an articulated robotic arm and visiting vehicles that can dock to the outpost.

Ruge's model, if approved for production, will be LEGO's first replica of the complete International Space Station to be offered for sale. In 2003, the company, in partnership with the Discovery Channel, sold a 162-brick set of the orbital laboratory based on its then-still under construction configuration.

The rest is here:

Fan's LEGO Replica of International Space Station Soars to 10,000 Votes