Bitcoin in China still chugging along, a year after clampdown

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A year after China began tightening regulations around Bitcoin, the virtual currency is still thriving in the country, albeit on the fringes, according to its largest exchange.

Bitcoin prices may have declined, but Chinese buyers are still trading the currency in high volumes with the help of BTC China, an exchange that witnessed the boom days back in 2013, only to see the bust following the Chinese governments announcement, in December of that year, that banks would be banned from trading in bitcoin.

This eventually led to a clampdown that scared customers away from the currency, and threw a wrench in the business of local exchanges, including BTC China.

Although financial institutions are banned from dealing in bitcoins, the virtual currency is still legal, and can be traded by individuals willing to take on risk, according to the government. Thats given BTC China enough room to operate, deploying a network of people reselling special vouchers that can be exchanged for bitcoins.

The practice has helped BTC China not only stay afloat, but become the exchange with the largest trading volume, according to bitcoincharts.com.

That doesnt mean bitcoin is gaining steam as a currency used to buy goods. Since the government clampdown, the Chinese bitcoin market has matured into one thats focused on speculative trading, said Bobby Lee, CEO of BTC China.

So its very much about people coming to use the platform as a trading vehicle to make money, he added.

About 65 percent of all bitcoin trades are made with the Chinese yuan, according to bitcoincharts.com. Some of these deals involve arbitrage bots, or software thats designed to make a profit from price differences among the different exchanges.

Theres a huge contingent out from Russia that will buy on BTC, and that will cause the price of bitcoin to go up, Lee added.

To expand its business, BTC China has launched a bitcoin mining pool, so that multiple buyers can work together to mine the virtual currency, and share the profit. But attempting to bring bitcoin to a wider audience in China isnt expected to be easy.

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Bitcoin in China still chugging along, a year after clampdown

2 former feds charged with stealing Bitcoin

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Two federal agents who helped lead one of several investigations in the case allegedly decided they wanted some of the money for themselves, according to a new federal court documents.

The two now-former agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Secret Service are charged with wire fraud, money laundering and other offenses for allegedly stealing Bitcoin during the federal investigation of Silk Road, an underground illicit black market federal prosecutors shut down in 2013.

READ: 1 shot dead at Fort Meade

The charges in a criminal complaint filed in San Francisco federal court paints a picture of corrupt federal agents trying to enrich themselves as they tried to bring down one of the Internet's top cybercriminals.

The charges against the agents could end up causing complications for the government's case against Ross Ulbricht, also known as "Dread Pirate Roberts", the Silk Road founder. Ulbricht was found guilty last year of aiding drug trafficking with his site. He is awaiting sentencing. As a result of the case against Ulbricht and others, the federal government seized bitcoin that it said at the time was valued at more than $33 million.

The agents now facing charges led a Baltimore-based murder-for-hire case against Ulbricht, separate from the drugs-related charges on which he was found guilty. The murder-for-hire case remains pending. Prosecutors identified the agents as Carl Force, 46 years old, of Baltimore, a special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Shaun Bridges, 32, of Laurel, Maryland, a special agent with the U.S. Secret Service.

Force was a lead agent in the case and was the main investigator communicating with Ulbricht. Force is charged with wire fraud, theft of government property, money laundering and conflict of interest.

Bridges was the computer forensics expert on the case. He is charged with wire fraud and money laundering.

Force allegedly set up fake online personas and tried to extort money from Ulbricht, including once trying to get $250,000 from him in exchange for not providing information to federal investigators, the criminal complaint says.

Using the online persona "French Maid," Force did succeed in getting $100,000 in Bitcoin from Ulbricht, which Force deposited in his personal accounts, the federal complaint says. He later used a series of Bitcoin and personal U.S. dollar transactions, including a $235,000 wire transfer to an account in Panama, to launder the stolen money, prosecutors allege in the complaint.

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2 former feds charged with stealing Bitcoin

Agents charged with stealing Bitcoin

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Two federal agents who helped lead one of several investigations in the case allegedly decided they wanted some of the money for themselves, according to a new federal court documents.

The two now-former agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Secret Service are charged with wire fraud, money laundering and other offenses for allegedly stealing Bitcoin during the federal investigation of Silk Road, an underground illicit black market federal prosecutors shut down in 2013.

READ: 1 shot dead at Fort Meade

The charges in a criminal complaint filed in San Francisco federal court paints a picture of corrupt federal agents trying to enrich themselves as they tried to bring down one of the Internet's top cybercriminals.

The charges against the agents could end up causing complications for the government's case against Ross Ulbricht, also known as "Dread Pirate Roberts", the Silk Road founder. Ulbricht was found guilty last year of aiding drug trafficking with his site. He is awaiting sentencing. As a result of the case against Ulbricht and others, the federal government seized bitcoin that it said at the time was valued at more than $33 million.

The agents now facing charges led a Baltimore-based murder-for-hire case against Ulbricht, separate from the drugs-related charges on which he was found guilty. The murder-for-hire case remains pending. Prosecutors identified the agents as Carl Force, 46 years old, of Baltimore, a special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration, and Shaun Bridges, 32, of Laurel, Maryland, a special agent with the U.S. Secret Service.

Force was a lead agent in the case and was the main investigator communicating with Ulbricht. Force is charged with wire fraud, theft of government property, money laundering and conflict of interest.

Bridges was the computer forensics expert on the case. He is charged with wire fraud and money laundering.

Force allegedly set up fake online personas and tried to extort money from Ulbricht, including once trying to get $250,000 from him in exchange for not providing information to federal investigators, the criminal complaint says.

Using the online persona "French Maid," Force did succeed in getting $100,000 in Bitcoin from Ulbricht, which Force deposited in his personal accounts, the federal complaint says. He later used a series of Bitcoin and personal U.S. dollar transactions, including a $235,000 wire transfer to an account in Panama, to launder the stolen money, prosecutors allege in the complaint.

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Agents charged with stealing Bitcoin

Two Former Federal Agents Charged With Stealing Bitcoin During Silk Road Investigation

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Image Credit: Associated Press

Two former federal agents have been charged with stealing Bitcoin for their own personal gain while working undercover to help unmask Ross Ulbricht, the convicted mastermind behind the drug trafficking website.

The two agents were both members of the Baltimore Silk Road Task Force, which helped conduct the investigation that led to the seizure of the Silk Road servers and Ross Ulbrichts arrest in October 2013. Drug Enforcement Administration special agent Carl Mark Force IV, 46, was charged with wire fraud, theft of government property and money laundering. Maryland Secret Service agent Shaun Bridges, 32, wascharged with wire fraud and money laundering.

The lengthy account of how Force and Bridges allegedly abused their roles as federal agents during the Silk Road investigation was never mentioned in Ulbrichts trial, which began in January in New York City. After a month-long trial, Ulbricht was found guilty of creating and running the Silk Road after less than four hours of jury deliberation. He faces sentencing in May, unless an appeal for a new trial filed earlier this month is granted. After the criminal complaint against Force and Bridges was unsealed on Monday, Ulbrichts lawyer Joshua Dratel tweeted:

The Department of Justices 50-page complaint unsealed Monday details a wide range of alleged corrupt actsfrom Force and Bridges during the Silk Road investigationfrom creating unauthorized undercover personas, to extorting Bitcoins from Ulbricht in exchange for information, and forging a subpoena for Venmo.

Force and Bridges abused their positions as federal agents and engaged in a scheme to defraud a variety of third-parties, the public, and the government, all for their own financial enrichment, the complaint reads.

Forces charges are tied to his actions while undercover on the Silk Road towards the end of his 15-year career as a special agent. As part of the Silk Road investigation, Force went undercover as Nob, an imaginary drug smuggler in the United States with global criminal connections, in order to communicate with the Dread Pirate Roberts (Ulbrichts monikeron the Silk Road). Force interacted with DPR asinstructed, but allegedly took his communications with DPR much further than he reported back to the DEA, according to the criminal complaint. After the Silk Road servers were seized in October 2013, the feds discovered that Nob had had many encrypted conversations with DPR that were never officially recorded.

One of Nobs cover stories on the Silk Road was, ironically, that he had access to Kevin, a corrupt government employee who worked for the Department of Justice but gave Nob information about the Silk Road investigation. Most of Nobs conversations with DPR about Kevin were encrypted, except one revealing message. In August 2013, DPR allegedly wrote Nob, I could not decrypt your second message, got an error. I could decrypt the first, and have sent the 525 btc as requested. Nob responded, telling DPR to use PGP and the two continued to chat. In his DEA file about Kevin and the conversation with DPR, Force included an agents note that said: DPR made no such payment. According to the complaint, however, DPR allegedly paid Force twice in Bitcoin400 Bitcoins for fraudulent identification documents in June 2013, and 525 Bitcoins for Kevins inside information in August 2013.

Forces alleged communication with DPR didnt end with Nob, and Force allegedly used two other unauthorized personas French Maid and Death From Above. Ulbricht allegedly paid French Maid approximately $100,000 in bitcoins in exchange for a name that French Maid claimedMark Karpeles had given to law enforcement. Karpeles was then CEO of Mt. Gox digital currency exchange, and the Baltimore Silk Road Task Force was trying to interview him about the Silk Road. (In Ulbrichts trial, a special agent revealed on the stand that the FBI considered Karpeles as a possible suspect before pursuing Ulbricht as the Silk Road mastermind). The complaint lists several reasons that French Maid and Nob were believed to be the same person (aka Force): the investigation into Karpeles was privileged information, both Nob and French Maid used the same outdated PGP software, and the 770 bitcoins paid to French Maid ended up in Forces personal account. Force used his third persona, Death From Above, to allegedly attempt to solicit $250,000 from DPR in exchange for personal identifying details about one of the Homeland Securitys possible Silk Road suspects. The complaint details other alleged misconduct by Force, including subpoenaing Venmo to unfreeze his personal account.

In addition to his work undercover work, Force worked extensively with former Secret Service agent Bridges, who was also on the Baltimore Silk Road Task Force. The complaint details how Force worked with Bridges to allegedly steal Bitcoins from the Silk Road, transfer them to an account with Mt. Gox, and then remove the money just before Bridges served a seizure warrant on the Bitcoin exchange. Because Bridges was the Baltimore Silk Road Task Forces Bitcoin and Tor expert, he was the affiant on many seizure warrants related to digital currency, including the $2.1 million seizure of Mt. Gox.

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Local Roundup: Comets fall to Panthers

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ASHEBORO The Asheboro High School varsity baseball team ran into a buzzsaw named Michael Horrell on Monday, falling 3-0 to Ledford in Mid-Piedmont Conference play at McCrary Park.

We had a couple of chances our best was in the bottom of the sixth when we got two guys on, but a double play groundout spoiled it, Blue Comets coach Tim Murray said. (Horrell) did an excellent job. That was one of the best performances Ive seen all year. He had a good fastball; his location was very good. He was the game.

Tristan Marsh got the start for AHS (4-2, 6-3) and went five innings, while Cameron Reid finished the game.

Tristan pitched well, Murray said. He kept us in the ballgame. We took him out because of his pitch count. Cameron did a great job, too. I cant fault our pitching.

At the plate, AHS had just four hits Aaron Garner had two and Reid and Parker Clayton each had one.

The Blue Comets travel to Central Davidson on Wednesday.

SWR shuts out AHS

ASHEBORO The Asheboro High School varsity softball team beat Asheboro 10-0 in 4 1/2 innings Monday in MPC action.

Katie McNeill picked up the win, striking out 11 batters.

At the plate, McKenna hoover had two hits, including an RBI triple, while Ashley Floyd hit an in-the-park home run and Bridgette Smith added a home run. Alicia Marion and Kara Lambeth each chipped in a double.

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How To Treat Eczema and Psoriasis Naturally VitaLife Show Episode 180 – Video

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How To Treat Eczema and Psoriasis Naturally VitaLife Show Episode 180
How To Treat Eczema and Psoriasis Naturally In this episode of the VitaLife Show, Dr. Janine Bowring, ND, expains the importance of treating eczema naturally from the inside out. She answers...

By: VitaTree VitaLife Show

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How To Treat Eczema and Psoriasis Naturally VitaLife Show Episode 180 - Video

Are Psoriasis and Allergies Linked?

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If you have psoriasis and allergies, maybe you've wondered if your allergy flares make your skin condition worse.

There's no need to guess: Doctors and researchers haven't found links between the two problems. Here, four experts break down both conditions and explain what can trigger them.

Although psoriasis and allergies both involve your immune system, the causes for them aren't related.

Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease. That means your body's immune system wrongly attacks some of its own healthy cells.

An allergy happens when your immune system has a severe reaction to something that most people don't have a problem with, like pollen, pet dander, or certain foods.

Some people confuse psoriasis for allergies before they visit the doctor, because both conditions can cause itchy, red skin.

A lot of people come in thinking they have allergic skin problems and when I see them, they've got psoriasis, says Clifford Bassett, MD, an allergist and immunologist in New York City. "If you suspect it's one thing, it could be something else.

So, get checked by a dermatologist if your skin itches or flakes, he says.

If you have psoriasis, stress may be partly to blame when the disease first appears and when it flares. Stress can also make your allergies act up.

When you're having an allergic reaction, your body is working hard, says Julie Pena, MD, a dermatologist in private practice in Nashville. It's trying to fight something. When your body is going through stressful events, it alters the immune system. We know that stress can cause psoriasis to flare, [even] the internal stress of what your body is going through.

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Are Psoriasis and Allergies Linked?

Can-Fite BioPharma (CANF) Stock Plummets to 52-Week Low Today on Psiorasis Drug Trial Results

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NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Shares ofCan-Fite BioPharma (CANF) plummeted more than 60% to a 52-week low of $2.16 on Monday announced that itsdrug candidate CF101 did not achieve its primary endpoint in aPhase II/III psoriasis trial.

The trial enrolled326 patients through 17 clinical centers in the U.S., Europe, and Israel. The company designed thestudy to test the efficacy of CF101 in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

The primary efficacy endpoint was a statistically significant improvement in the Psoriasis Area Sensitivity Index (PASI) score relative to placebo treatment, and CF101 did not achieve this endpoint.

"We are disappointed that our trial did not meet its primary endpoint. Regretfully, in the PASI 75 and PGA we did not see any real effect in patients over placebo," said Can-Fite CEO Dr. Pnina Fishman in a statement. "We have not yet completed our analysis of secondary endpoint and sub-group analysis and intend to complete it in the near future. Can-Fite is continuing its research and development efforts in relation to its drugs and indications in the pipeline." CANF data by YCharts

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Can-Fite BioPharma (CANF) Stock Plummets to 52-Week Low Today on Psiorasis Drug Trial Results

Gullfoss waterfall is HUGE: Golden circle – ICELAND | World Travel Vlog – Video

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Gullfoss waterfall is HUGE: Golden circle - ICELAND | World Travel Vlog
Subscribe to my channel: http://goo.gl/y9hQsB Tine and I continue on our Golden Circle roadtrip, and Gullfoss is our 3rd stop. Gullfoss is Iceland #39;s biggest waterfall and It really took me...

By: OneGirlOneSuitcase

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Gullfoss waterfall is HUGE: Golden circle - ICELAND | World Travel Vlog - Video

IPK’s World Travel Monitor: Forecasting Global And European Tourism – Video

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IPK #39;s World Travel Monitor: Forecasting Global And European Tourism
Based on around 500000 interviews, the World Travel Monitor is considered to be the world #39;s largest travel survey. The convention presents the latest forecast data about global and European...

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IPK's World Travel Monitor: Forecasting Global And European Tourism - Video

WILDOMAR: Deputies seeking camper who planned to travel world

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WILDOMAR: Deputies seeking camper who planned to travel world

Fifty-year-old Daniel Ferguson set off with camping gear, food, water and a cellphone, telling a friend he was going to travel the world, sheriff's officials say.

But his family said the Wildomar resident only planned to camp in the nearby Ortega Mountains, so they reported him missing March 20.

A ground and air search found no sign of him. Now, deputies are asking for the public's help in finding him.

"A neighbor took Daniel to a location off of the South Main Divide, located off...Ortega Highway," deputies said in a written statement. "Daniel told the friend that he was going to travel the world.

"According to family, Daniel has traveled long distances on foot in the past."

Ferguson was wearing a brown leather jacket and black jeans.

Anyone who may have seen him may call investigators at 951-245-3357.

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WILDOMAR: Deputies seeking camper who planned to travel world

Super Mario 64 Stage Recreated in HD

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Its always fun to see classic games get a new coat of paint, from Super Mario All-Stars on the SNES toKirby: Nightmare in Dream Land on the Game Boy Advance to the Metroid Prime Trilogy on Wii. This time, however, one particularly passionate Mario fan has done something a bit more substantial.

Computer science student Erik Roystan Ross has performed quite an impressive feat by taking the first stage in Super Mario 64, Bob-Omb Battlefield, and recreated it with beautiful HD graphics through the magic of the Unity engine. Check out the game in all its glory below:

As you can see, the game looks just fantastic, and it seems to be quite the faithful recreation of the original 1996 game. Enemies like Goombas and Bob-Ombs chase Mario around as he traverses the stage, and giant bubble cannons try to pelt him in appropriate sections. While some of the more prominent set pieces of the stage, like the giant Chain Chomp and Big Bob-Omb at the top of the mountain are noticeably absent, and Im not even sure if its something you can beat, but Im not going to complain. Ross has created a beautiful retro playground for fans of the game to frolic in.

If you want to try out the game for yourself, head on over to Rosss personal blog (https://roystanross NULL.wordpress NULL.com/super-mario-64-hd/) where you can download it for PC, Mac or Linux. Just bear in mind that you will need the Unity plug-in to be able to run it.

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Super Mario 64 Stage Recreated in HD

Researchers develop molecular backbone of super-slim, bendable digital displays

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From smartphones and tablets to computer monitors and interactive TV screens, electronic displays are everywhere. As the demand for instant, constant communication grows, so too does the urgency for more convenient portable devicesespecially devices, like computer displays, that can be easily rolled up and put away, rather than requiring a flat surface for storage and transportation.

A new Tel Aviv University study, published recently in Nature Nanotechnology, suggests that a novel DNA-peptide structure can be used to produce thin, transparent, and flexible screens. The research, conducted by Prof. Ehud Gazit and doctoral student Or Berger of the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology at TAU's Faculty of Life Sciences, in collaboration with Dr. Yuval Ebenstein and Prof. Fernando Patolsky of the School of Chemistry at TAU's Faculty of Exact Sciences, harnesses bionanotechnology to emit a full range of colors in one pliable pixel layeras opposed to the several rigid layers that constitute today's screens.

"Our material is light, organic, and environmentally friendly," said Prof. Gazit. "It is flexible, and a single layer emits the same range of light that requires several layers today. By using only one layer, you can minimize production costs dramatically, which will lead to lower prices for consumers as well."

From genes to screens

For the purpose of the study, a part of Berger's Ph.D. thesis, the researchers tested different combinations of peptides: short protein fragments, embedded with DNA elements which facilitate the self-assembly of a unique molecular architecture.

Peptides and DNA are two of the most basic building blocks of life. Each cell of every life form is composed of such building blocks. In the field of bionanotechnology, scientists utilize these building blocks to develop novel technologies with properties not available for inorganic materials such as plastic and metal.

"Our lab has been working on peptide nanotechnology for over a decade, but DNA nanotechnology is a distinct and fascinating field as well. When I started my doctoral studies, I wanted to try and converge the two approaches," said Berger. "In this study, we focused on PNA - peptide nucleic acid, a synthetic hybrid molecule of peptides and DNA. We designed and synthesized different PNA sequences, and tried to build nano-metric architectures with them."

Using methods such as electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography, the researchers discovered that three of the molecules they synthesized could self-assemble, in a few minutes, into ordered structures. The structures resembled the natural double-helix form of DNA, but also exhibited peptide characteristics. This resulted in a very unique molecular arrangement that reflects the duality of the new material.

"Once we discovered the DNA-like organization, we tested the ability of the structures to bind to DNA-specific fluorescent dyes," said Berger. "To our surprise, the control sample, with no added dye, emitted the same fluorescence as the variable. This proved that the organic structure is itself naturally fluorescent."

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Researchers develop molecular backbone of super-slim, bendable digital displays