Monthly Archives: April 2017

The First Amendment Looks Especially Beautiful in Arabic – BillMoyers – BillMoyers.com

Posted: April 15, 2017 at 5:16 pm

Our Constitution in every language is our greatest defense against bigotry.

The First Amendment Looks Especially [...]

(Photo courtesy of the ACLU)

This post originally appeared at the American Civil Liberties Union website.

In 2006, a human rights advocate, who is a friend, wasprevented from boarding his flight from New York to California because of Arabic.

My friend was wearing a T-shirt with the words We will not be silent in both Arabic and English. He was told he could not fly until the offending Arabic script was covered. And lest we think our issues with Arabic have resolved themselves in the last decade, remember that simplyspeaking Arabic on an airplanewas grounds for removal from a flight just last year.

How we got to this point is a complicated matter, but the path forward doesnt have to be.

Lest we think our issues with Arabic have resolved themselves in the last decade, remember that simplyspeaking Arabic on an airplanewas grounds for removal from a flight just last year.

Since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, Arab-Americans and American Muslims have come to be viewed by some of our fellow citizens and our own government as either victims of hate or potential perpetrators of violence. The latter view dictates we should be seen through a securitized lens and has produced profiling and surveillance of our communities,watch lists and special registry programs, to name but a few programs targeting us.

However, both oversimplifications fail to capture the experience ofbeing Arab or Muslim in post-9/11 America, and last years presidential campaign demonstrated that with extraordinary clarity. We have heard condemnation of thesurge in hate crimesbut little discussion on how the rhetoric during the election contributed to that hate, particularly by leading policy makers and candidates. Instead of challenging bigoted misinformation, some candidates furthered it.

At aNew Hampshire town hall, a voter declared to then-candidate Trump,We have a problem in this country. Its called Muslims. He concluded by asking, When can we get rid of them? Mr. Trumps answer: We are going to be looking at a lot of different things.

One could reasonably suggest President Trumps Muslim bans, inboth incarnations, were the logical continuation of that conversation in New Hampshire. The Muslim ban is a candidate delivering on a campaign promise unlike any we have seen in our lifetime.

Thankfully, it is not that simple in our country.

Standing in the path between bigotry and policy is our Constitution. In this case, specifically the First Amendment.

Standing in the path between bigotry and policy is our Constitution. In this case, specifically the First Amendment.

Among the five freedoms enshrined in the First Amendment are freedom of speech and the right to religious freedom. Thus far, numerous judges have found the bans to be in violation of our First Amendment and their implementation has been stalled. In the guise of keeping us safe, Trump has proposed unnecessary, ineffective policies that sow fear. Americans know it, and responded by showing up at our nations airports with banners and legal pads to defend our Constitution and protect the people most impacted, including those who speak the feared language of Arabic. In addition to winning the first stay of the ban, the ACLU has launched a We the People campaign that features the First Amendment translated into other languages, including Arabic, and is displaying it in ads and billboards. Seeing the First Amendment in Arabic is particularly satisfying at this moment as a fitting reminder that those words apply to all of us.

I worked on Capitol Hill on Sept. 11, and I was in the room when Attorney General John Ashcroft first presented the Patriot Act to congressional leadership. Many at the time asked: Are we striking the right balance between protecting our national security and our civil liberties? We should always remember that if we are told we must choose one or the other, we are being offered a false choice and a shortsighted remedy that will provide neither. The same goes for bigoted, undemocratic policies demanding that we choose between freedom or safety.

Like those who advance them, policy remedies can either move our country forward or take us back.

The slogan on my friends shirt belonged to a resistance campaign led by theWhite Rose, an extraordinary group of young people who were brutally executed for distributing leaflets in opposition to Nazi policies in Germany during World War II. The phrase We will not be silent is how they concluded theirfourth resistance flyer.

Our fear of Arabic or more specifically, of Arabs and Muslims remains a problem for some, including those who currently hold some important positions in our government. It is driving anincrease in incidents of hateand bad policies. We hope they will soon get over that irrational fear but until they do, we too will not be silent and are protected by the words of our Constitution and the judges sworn to uphold them.

After all, remember that my friend who was targeted for the two words of Arabic on his T-shirt is protected by the 34 words of Arabic or 45 in English appearing on a billboard near you.

Daily Reads: Former Goldman Sachs President Enjoys New White House Influence; Is Trump Dropping Big Bombs to Boost Popularity?

Margaret Atwood Reflects on The Handmaids Tale

Go here to see the original:
The First Amendment Looks Especially Beautiful in Arabic - BillMoyers - BillMoyers.com

Posted in First Amendment | Comments Off on The First Amendment Looks Especially Beautiful in Arabic – BillMoyers – BillMoyers.com

CIA Director calls WikiLeaks an enemy, says Assange has no First Amendment freedoms – World Socialist Web Site

Posted: at 5:16 pm

By Eric London 15 April 2017

In a speech Thursday at a Washington, DC think tank, CIA Director Michael Pompeo called the whistleblower site WikiLeaks a non-state hostile intelligence service and said news organizations that reveal the governments crimes are enemies of the United States.

Pompeos remarks announce an open break with the First Amendments protection of freedom of speech and a threat that the Trump administration will not tolerate opposition to war, surveillance and corporate plunder.

Referring to WikiLeaks founder, Pompeo declared that Julian Assange has no First Amendment freedoms. Pompeos remarks were prompted by Assanges April 11 op-ed in the Washington Post, in which the whistleblower defended WikiLeaks. The threat of US prosecution or assassination has forced Assange to seek refuge at the Ecuadorian embassy in London since 2012.

In his remarks, Pompeo said, We have to recognize that we can no longer allow Assange and his colleagues the latitude to use free speech values against us. To give them the space to crush us with misappropriated secrets is a perversion of what our great Constitution stands for. It ends now.

Pompeo is the head of an organization whose record in criminality, illegality and murder is unsurpassed. Over the course of its 69 year history, the CIA has overseen assassinations and coups dtat, trained and armed fascistic death squads, collaborated with dictators, and, following 9/11, established a global network of black site torture chambers, giving rise to a new vocabulary of words like extraordinary rendition, advanced interrogation, and rectal rehydration. The number of people killed by the CIA and its collaborators over the years is in the millions.

Organizations like WikiLeaks have exposed government actions that violate the US Constitution and international law. Had it not been for individuals like Assange, Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden, the public would have never learned about the National Security Agencys mass surveillance, the Guantanamo Bay prison operating procedures, many of the worst US war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan, or the Democratic Partys efforts to force through the nomination of Hillary Clinton in the 2016 party primaries.

Pompeo called these exposures false narratives that increasingly define our public discourse and demean and distort the work and achievements of the CIA. Those who are behind them are committing treason.

This thuggish statement is a direct threat aimed at Assange and all who oppose the crimes of the government. In the US, the punishment for treason is death. Last November, Pompeo argued that whistleblower Edward Snowden should be put to death.

There is an element of trepidation in Pompeos remarks. He and the military-intelligence apparatus are concerned that in the absence of a vocal rebuttal, these voices, ones that proclaim treason to be public advocacy, gain a gravity they do not deserve.

The government is frustrated that figures like Assange, Snowden and Manning are widely regarded as popular heroes. In todays digital environment, Pompeo said, whistleblowers can disseminate stolen US secrets instantly around the globe to terrorists, dictators, hackers and anyone else seeking to do us harm.

Pompeo launched a personal attack on Assange, calling him a darling of terrorists, a narcissist, a fraud, and a coward. Assange and his ilk make common cause with dictators, Pompeo said.

Assange and his kind are not the slightest bit interested in improving civil liberties or enhancing personal freedom. They champion nothing but their own celebrity, he added. Their currency is click-bait, their moral compass nonexistent, their mission personal self-aggrandizement through the destruction of Western values.

Pompeo also made clear that he considers as enemies those who grant a platform to these leakers. Many of these groups may be smalland I mentioned one particular character a few times [i.e. Assange]but its much bigger than that. Its much broader and deeper than that.

Pompeo compared opposition news organizations to terrorist groups and countries like North Korea and Syria that are presently targets of US military intervention. This new threat, he said, has as its motive the destruction of America in the very same way that those countries do. And Im confident this administration will pursue them with great vigor.

The CIA director attacks Assange for comparing himself to Thomas Jefferson in the Washington Post op-ed and then explains that the government relies on legitimate news organizations such as the New York Times and the Washington Post to protect against this threat of misinformation and propaganda. He called the corporate media truth-tellers extraordinaire and said, Im hopeful that we will get some of the truth-telling from these people.

In fact, Pompeos praise for the corporate media affirms the prescience of Jefferson himself, who wrote in a 1785 letter to the Dutch statesman Gijsbert Karel van Hogendorp:

The most effectual engines for [pacifying a nation] are the public papers [A despotic] government always [keeps] a kind of standing army of newswriters who, without any regard to truth or to what should be like truth, [invent] and put into the papers whatever might serve the ministers to keep the nation quiet.

Pompeos speech has been uncritically cited by the Times and other corporate media sources who serve as the standing army of American imperialism. The Times covered Pompeos remarks only to criticize them as the latest sign that neither Mr. Trump nor many of his most senior officials consider themselves beholden to statements they made or stances they took in the presidential campaign, citing the fact that Pompeo once tweeted a link to WikiLeaks documents targeting Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

The fact that Pompeos fascistic rant calling for the abolition of free speech has passed without criticism is the product of two parallel and interrelated processes bound up with the growth of social inequality and the decline of the USs world economic position.

First, the government is controlled by an oligarchic ruling class made up of powerful banks and corporations that have empowered the military and intelligence agencies to wage 25 years of permanent war aimed at securing world domination and access to cheap labor and resources. The marriage between the two political parties, Wall Street and the military-intelligence agencies has purged the media and political establishment of any genuinely oppositional voices. A figure like Donald Trump could have only emerged out of such a toxic climate of militarism and political reaction.

Second, permanent war and growing social inequality have created widespread social opposition in the working class to the policies of war, domestic surveillance and corporate dictatorship. Aware of growing subterranean discontent, the government is declaring that opposition is treasonous and illegal. Pompeos speech lays out the new standard: The First Amendment only applies to speech that the CIA deems tolerable.

More:
CIA Director calls WikiLeaks an enemy, says Assange has no First Amendment freedoms - World Socialist Web Site

Posted in First Amendment | Comments Off on CIA Director calls WikiLeaks an enemy, says Assange has no First Amendment freedoms – World Socialist Web Site

Amazon uses First Amendment to protect users’ Echo commands – Spartan Newsroom

Posted: at 5:16 pm

News By Whitney McDonald | 24 hours ago

Amazon is using the First Amendment to argue that its customers commands to Echo devices should remain private. The company hopes to stop law enforcement from using the recordings in criminal investigations.

Customers may be unaware that their conversations with the Echos Alexa are being stored. Questions and Alexas answers are retrievable through the app.

I think it should be my option to release recordings and have myself recorded, Echo user Vanessa Ortolan said.

Amazon was asked to turn over the recordings during a murder investigation in Arkansas. Amazon denied the request at first and told authorities that they could obtain that information through a different source.

By implication they said that that should also prevent them from having to hand over search histories from the Amazon Echo, said Lansing attorney Collin Nyeholt. I can see that would be a logical extension (of the First Amendment) because whether youre typing a search into an Amazon search box as opposed to saying it outloud to an Amazon Echo I think that the same protection would apply.

Users are changing the way they use and trust Alexa considering the Echo stores personal information such as home addresses, phone numbers and credit card numbers.

Amazon has claimed that the conversations between the user and Alexa are protected under free speech in the First Amendment.

Amazon does not seek to obstruct any lawful investigation, but rather seeks to protect the privacy rights of its customers, Amazon said in the Memorandum of Law in Support of Amazons Motion to Quash Search Warrant. When the government is seeking their data from Amazon, especially when that data may include expressive content protected by the First Amendment, the memo said.

There is a very delicate balance that we strike in this society and what we let law enforcement do to keep us safe versus letting them go too far so we dont become a police state, Nyeholt said. The unfortunate result is that there are things law enforcement could be doing more of but we say thats too much of a violation of peoples rights were not going to let them do it even if it lets bad people off of the hook.

I am a student studying Journalism at Michigan State University. I am currently writing news concerning the "First Amendment". I aspire to report on politics and news as I continue on in my career.

This Michigan State journalism project looks at how First Amendment freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition are exercised and tested during the first 100 days of the Trump administration.

Follow this link:
Amazon uses First Amendment to protect users' Echo commands - Spartan Newsroom

Posted in First Amendment | Comments Off on Amazon uses First Amendment to protect users’ Echo commands – Spartan Newsroom

Cryptocurrency Versatility Creates New Opportunities – The Merkle

Posted: at 5:14 pm

Over the last few years, the Cryptocurrency industry has been gaining popularity, and for a good reason. With the complexity that goes into making physical dollars, its clear now why people are opting to print a new form of currency. Making a digital currency is quite easier for someone with basic coding skills. Most are turning to the internet to gain ground and understand its use and value. Before, the concept was unfamiliar and scary just like the credit card some years back.

You might have come across the terms Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Ether. These are cryptocurrencies that use the Blockchain Technology to ensure this currency and technology is safe. Here we look at the some of the new opportunities created by cryptocurrency versatility in different fields. But before that, lets look at the basics.

A cryptocurrency is an encrypted digital currency that is created using advanced encryption techniques commonly known as cryptography. The concept became a reality upon the creation of Bitcoin in 2009. It captured the attention of significant investors in April 2013 when it recorded a price of $266 per bitcoin. So, will the currency eventually unseat the ruling currencies such as dollars and euros? The answer lies with the Bitcoin.That said, what are the new opportunities being created by the cryptocurrency? Find out.

According to Gigaom reports, university students can now receive bitcoin once they enroll in school, and some universities are even accepting the currency as a form of payment for tuition. Dan Elitzer, the President of the MIT Bitcoin Club, and Jeremy Rubin, a computer scientist at MIT, successfully raised about half a million dollars for the enrollment of more than four thousand students worldwide in tech institutions.

The team together with the bitcoin community managed to provide students a chance to develop their own bitcoin wallets. This seems like a clever plan judging from the recent advancements in Bitcoin where they have developed the new Xapo Wallet.

Today technology has enabled students to access different services including essay services and now cryptocurrency. Providing college students with access to bitcoin is a great step in cryptocurrency especially since universities are now accepting alternative currencies such as Bitcoin as payment for tuition.

The improved growth in the use of cryptocurrency leads to entrepreneurial innovation and it is said to foster growth in traditional banking infrastructure. Once the infrastructure is built and there is mass distribution of the currency, new businesses can build financial services without having to invest in expensive infrastructure. They just have to build applications and supportive services aside from the cryptocurrency system and they conduct their business without building a data center, huge hardware, and an IT department.

The ability of an entrepreneur to access a source of payment method has fueled innovations in the financial services. These services are beneficial to the constituencies and areas that are underserved by the traditional banking providers.

Cryptocurrencies are the latest technological advancements that have enabled groups to create custom designed currencies. Today we see banks and other institutions working hard to establish their digital currencies and this is a new chance to experiment new technology.

Bitcoin has already set ground and proven to be quite dynamic and resilient amongst other currencies. It has undergone massive criticism but it has proven its powerful on the global perspective. Being an example of a successful digital currency, it is completely public and can be used in peer-to-peer transactions. It is a global financial utility that is accessible to anyone provided youre connected to the internet.

Those who say that Bitcoin and Ethereum may become irrelevant may be surprised. Cryptocurrencies are high-grade financial tools that are made for legitimate and exciting function with a sense of global financial services that bypasses the infrastructure of traditional banking. Some experts even suggest that blockchain payment systems may beat the mighty U.S. Automated House financial transactions system come 2020.

With the technological advancement that is being experienced now, it is not a surprise to find that the cryptocurrency usage may accelerate to greater heights. The blockchain technology is expected to form a great part of the coming internet generation with massive transformation in commerce and overall structure of corporations and many other institutions across the globe. Be ready for this radical transformation. Its worth checking out.

Bio

Laura Buckler is a professional freelance writer and blogger with a passion in SEO and web designing. She loves writing on different topics with her works ranging from articles and reports for several large companies. If you like her work, follow Laura on @laura_buckler.

Read the original here:
Cryptocurrency Versatility Creates New Opportunities - The Merkle

Posted in Cryptocurrency | Comments Off on Cryptocurrency Versatility Creates New Opportunities – The Merkle

Can People Trust Bitcoins and New Casinos? – NewsBTC – newsBTC

Posted: at 5:14 pm

With any new technology, you might wonder, if it can be trusted. Can people trust Bitcoins and new casinos? Here is the answer.

Online casinos, Bitcoin and websites are all inventions of the World Wide Web. None could exist without the Internet. Therefore, their initial trustworthiness is based on the Web.

Can you trust websites? Can you trust everyone? Do you leave you home door open? Do you lock your doors?

The World Wide Web is a reflection of the world around us. You will find good websites and bad websites. The same is true for online casinos. There are legitimate and fake online casinos. That is the cold, hard truth.

So far, much of the Internet remains unregulated, which includes online casinos. It is very difficult to regulate websites, because most people dont know where the servers are located. A Bitcoin Casino might be headquartered in one nation and have a server in another nation. That makes it difficult for governments to control.

Bitcoin has existed since 2008. Its security is based on its Blockchain, which stores every financial transaction ever made. There is no monopoly of Bitcoin by any man, organization or nation.

This decentralized structure is one of the best attributes of Bitcoin. Because no single entity controls it, Bitcoin is tough to control or manipulate. Others can check the Blockchain and reveal any tomfoolery.

Bitcoin uses the Provably Fair Trading concept to demonstrate the trustworthiness of online casinos. Of course, you want to ensure that the numbers, cards or results are random and not rigged. The Blockchain hash is added to gambling results and summarizes what took place before it.

A key feature of a hash is that it is unpredictable; it is random. Thus, if you can begin to predict the next number in a sequence, you can prove that something has been rigged.

A hash can also not be tampered with, due to its unique characteristics. Thus, the online casinos cannot falsify this important record.

Just at their are bad used car salesmen, there are bad casinos. It could be due to laziness, poor graphics, slow speeds or slow Bitcoin withdrawal. You should read customer reviews on gambling websites ahead-of-time.

If you keep seeing the same complaint, then that is a red flag. There are so many great Bitcoin Casinos, that you dont need to settle for a bad one.

Bitcoin is a digital currency. If you understand how it works, then you might feel comfortable using it. Did you know that Microsoft, Sears and Lamborghini have all started to take Bitcoins?

There was even a Bitcoin initial public offering (IPO). If shareholders trust Bitcoin, shouldnt you?

Bitcoin miners have invested millions of dollars in software and hardware. They understand that by mining Bitcoins, they can gain leverage. They know there is a market for digital currencies.

The Internet is not going away. Everyday, there are more eCommerce transactions and all of these can be improved with Bitcoin and other crypto currencies.

Be careful of which Bitcoin Casino, you trust. But if you find a good one, you can have some good, clean fun. You also might be able to earn some healthy profits. Bitcoin is one type of money that keeps rising in value.

Excerpt from:
Can People Trust Bitcoins and New Casinos? - NewsBTC - newsBTC

Posted in Bitcoin | Comments Off on Can People Trust Bitcoins and New Casinos? – NewsBTC – newsBTC

Belgian Minster of Justice Plans to Crack Down on Bitcoin Activity – The Merkle

Posted: at 5:14 pm

Bitcoin users around the world are well aware of how governments will never see eye-to-eye when it comes to cryptocurrency. The Belgian Minister of Justice aims to make the use of bitcoin semi-illegal in the country by confiscating all of the coins in circulation. The plan is to draft a new legislative proposal that would apply to Belgium, and possibly the rest of the European Union as well.

For some unknown reason, politicians struggle with the concept of bitcoin and cryptocurrency. There is no way to confiscate coins unless the bitcoin wallet owner relinquishes control over their wallet. No one in their right mind will ever do so, as bitcoin is the only asset in the world that puts the owner in full control over their finances.

Koen Geens, the Belgian Minister of Justice, feels he can draft a legislative proposal to ensure people hand over the private keys to their bitcoin wallets. Moreover, he plans to expand the existing regulation related to cooperating with the justice system so it encompasses digital currencies as well. It seems evident this will incur some dire changes for all exchanges dealing with customers from Belgium in the future.

As one would come to expect, this decision is not entirely surprising. Koen Geens is one of those individuals who sees bitcoin as a tool that facilitates criminal behavior. While there may be some truth to that statement, there has never been overwhelming evidence to indicate bitcoin facilitates more crime than cash, wire transfer, or any of the legal anonymous payment tools in existence right now.

One thing that does need to be addressed, however, is the platforms who claim to offer bitcoins to investors. These Ponzi schemes- including the likes of Onecoin need to be weeded out sooner rather than later. Anyone using the concept of digital currencies in a criminal manner should be punished for their actions. It is expected Belgium may draft the first version of such a legislation, with the European Union taking a similar stance on this matter moving forward.

However, what is disconcerting is how the Belgian Minister of Justice plans to confiscate bitcoin. Right now, it is unclear if this can only happen in relation to a criminal investigation or just randomly. Moreover, drafting a new type of legislation to facilitate this type of behavior may not necessarily be the best course of action either. Until more clarity is provided, it is impossible to tell what will happen exactly.

In the end, it is good to see the Belgian politicians pay some attention to bitcoin, even if their message is coming out all skewed. Addressing the criminal aspect of bitcoin is a positive development, yet confiscating bitcoin in the traditional sense will not be as easy as people want it to be. For now, it will be interesting to see how this legal proposal will turn out in the end.

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

See original here:
Belgian Minster of Justice Plans to Crack Down on Bitcoin Activity - The Merkle

Posted in Bitcoin | Comments Off on Belgian Minster of Justice Plans to Crack Down on Bitcoin Activity – The Merkle

F2Pool Starts Signaling for Segwit in Bitcoin – CryptoCoinsNews

Posted: at 5:14 pm

In a surprising move, F2Pool, which has around 9% network hardware share, began signaling for segregated witnesses (segwit), a controversial proposal that aims to increase capacity while facilitating layer two protocols such as the Lightning Network and sidechains.

Unlike in litecoin, where the market rallied after F2Pool began signaling segwit, there was no price reaction in bitcoin, which may indicate the market doesnt think there has been any change as segwit still requires another 65% of miners.

Moreover, the signaling began after a somewhat peculiar series of events. Firstly, F2Pool started signaling segwit in litecoin, then surprisingly said he was re-considering, then Charlie Lee said F2pool will keep signaling, Wang Chun, F2Pools co-founder, confirmed, but further suggested he will keep signaling because I scare DDoS too much.

Thats just the starters or just the warm up if youre into exercising. Wang Chun then went on to say in a statement that could not possibly make his views any more clear:

Segwit will be a disaster. I am not going to support it on BTC because I am a bitcoin HODLER. Meanwhile, I do not have a single litecoin.

Youd rationally conclude thats that then, but it seems Wang Chun was still hungry and wanted some dessert which took the form of asking his followers a fairly peculiar question: Should miners stop signaling segwit by the end of current activation period and switch to UASF?

Miners cant quite signal for a UASF, otherwise known as a flag-day soft-fork. That is, after block X segwit is activated. In such scenario, miners either upgrade or dont upgrade. Plus, there is no difference between the two as far as miners are concerned because for miners all forks are hardforks.

Here comes the twist: As 56% from the poll in favor of segwit & agreed UASF is bad. Well respect ur opinion and implement segwit on both BTC & LTC soon. Thanks.

The poll didnt ask whether his followers are in favor of segwit or otherwise, but gave a choice between segwit or UASF which also implements segwit. So, between segwit or segwit, with the only real question asked being whether segwit should be activated at a threshold of 95% of miners or whether it should just be activated regardless of how many miners support it.

This, of course, just two days after he said segwit will be a disaster. Now, to make some rational sense of this isnt easy, but some suspect F2Pool isnt really neutral. They implemented full-rbf, for example, at the advice of Peter Todd, then backtracked after a huge backlash by users.

Theyve never really mined on any other client, but Bitcoin Core, except for that one time when they pretended to give their users a choice by making mining with Bitcoin Classic as difficult as possible which led to just one block in a week or so despite the pool at the time having some 25% network share.

On the other hand, it may well be the case that the decision is actually purely made to avoid any DDoS as Wang Chun says or implies. F2Pool is a classic pool, running no hash of its own, and is a fairly small operation, therefore may not have the resources other pools do.

In that case, it doesnt seem like a smart move to reveal DDoS-ing has so much effect on his pool. Nor does it sound like a good idea for miners to keep using F2Pool when their profits can so easily be affected by a DDoS either from competitors or segwit supporters.

Their hash has fallen to around 9% in the past four days, with segwit and Bitcoin Unlimited now very much neck and neck, both having around 36% network share. That suggests bitcoin is fully split.

As such, after two years, there is still no resolution in sight, while bitcoins fees reach all-time high, above $1, with users yesterday complaining about unconfirmed transactions.

Maybe some new proposal will be able to bridge the divide, but what well probably see is a repeat of the same old story. Firstly, nitpick every little thing in showing strong opposition, then smear the proposals name, then its devs, then whoever supports it, then DDoS.

This time, though, all of it is getting far too boring, like those Hollywood movies that keep repeating the same story-line.

Featured image from Shutterstock.

Read the original post:
F2Pool Starts Signaling for Segwit in Bitcoin - CryptoCoinsNews

Posted in Bitcoin | Comments Off on F2Pool Starts Signaling for Segwit in Bitcoin – CryptoCoinsNews

Bitcoin in Africa: Insights from the Continent’s Biggest Bitcoin Exchange – CryptoCoinsNews

Posted: at 5:14 pm

Isnt it absurd that nearly 326 million people representing 80% of the adult population in Africa do not have access to bank accounts? This wretched situation denies countless of people financial freedom in the so-called dark continent. Bureaucratic tenors and economic exclusion inter alia have paved the way for the current phenomenon.

Last year a study of 10 African nations with unusual inflationary ratio had South Sudan registering an unimaginable inflation rate of 295 percent. Egypt had the slightest with 12.30 percent. African governments continue to plunder the riches of the African people through Inflation. This makes it considerably insurmountable for individuals to conserve their resources.

Moreover, public sector borrowing has crowded out the efficient private sector that can put credit to good use. The IMF estimates that averagely credit to the private sector is estimated at 30 percent of GDP in Sub-Sahara Africa.

CCN spoke to Werner van Rooyen, Head of Business Development and Growth at Luno, the biggest Bitcoin exchange in Africa about how Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are naturally poised to offer Africans financial inclusion.

CCN: Has Bitcoin anything to offer Africa?

Werner van Rooyen: Absolutely. There is a huge potential for Bitcoin in Africa. Many Africans could move straight to a cryptocurrency, like Bitcoin, or a bank of the future, such as Luno. Much of the existing financial infrastructure is inefficient: banks and branches are expensive, currency transfers can often be expensive and slow and most of the developing world is still unbanked.

There is the potential for Africans to leapfrog some of the existing financial services, in the same way, that many Africans skipped the part of owning a cumbersome and expensive land line and went straight to owning a mobile phone.

CCN: Most African currencies are reeking of inflation, does this make Bitcoin attractive as a store of value to Africans?

WvR: Bitcoin has proven to be the best-performing currency in the world in 2016. I believe more investors in high-inflation countries are looking at alternative asset classes, things like gold or Bitcoin.

Bitcoin has been found to be largely uncorrelated to other asset classes. With most asset classes, there is a correlation (or inverse correlation), like when a countrys stock market goes down, the currencys exchange rate usually also follows, same for the housing market. Bitcoin is largely uncorrelated, meaning it is becoming an attractive alternative to many investors.

CCN: What do you make of some African governments tagging Bitcoin as a tool for terrorism and money laundering?

I think this is mostly fueled by incorrect data, click-driven media hype and lack of understanding about Bitcoin. Firstly, I should say that the biggest facilitator of organised crime, including money laundering and terror financing, is cold hard cash.

Many other modern inventions, such as the Internet, Twitter, cars and cellphones, are currently being used to facilitate crime. It doesnt mean that we should shut these technological advances down (I doubt anyone is seriously proposing it), but rather that the good that comes with it outweighs the bad.

Lastly, there is very little proof that Bitcoin is currently being used for these nefarious purposes. Remember: Bitcoin is only pseudo-anonymous: all Bitcoin transactions ever conducted are recorded in the Blockchain.

Studies by the UK government looking into the best channels for laundering money has consistently found the risk of Bitcoin being used as very low.

CCN: Adoption in Africa is irritatingly slow. How do we push penetration?

WvR: Education and user experience. At Luno, were doing a lot to tackle this. Our aim is to make Luno the easiest place to buy, sell and learn about Bitcoin. Something which is no trivial task, but were seeing fantastic growth in Africa, especially for our mobile wallet. Weve also created a Learning Portal to help new people with some basic concepts about Bitcoin.

CCN: Do you think Africans will finally embrace Bitcoin?

WvR: I dont think they will, I think they already have! We are seeing fantastic adoption in places like South Africa and Nigeria and Im sure it will ripple to other African nations too.

CCN: What makes Bitcoin expensive in Africa than elsewhere?

WvR: Bitcoin is a very liquid instrument: its easy to move around the world. This, in theory, means that it can and will trade at roughly the same exchange rate, wherever it is available.

Obviously, there are many factors at play, but since the price is determined by supply and demand, it means that in some places where the demand is low, it may trade at a lower price (and vice versa).

Another issue is connectivity: to transact in Bitcoin, you need an Internet connection and ideally a smartphone. Many places are still underserved by the telcos, but this is changing fast. The price of smartphones is also continuously getting cheaper.

CCN: Could you paint a picture of the future of Bitcoin in Africa?

WvR: Its really too soon to tell, but what were seeing already today is really fantastic and I believe Bitcoin has a lot of potential in emerging markets in Africa and abroad.

Featured image from Shutterstock.

Follow this link:
Bitcoin in Africa: Insights from the Continent's Biggest Bitcoin Exchange - CryptoCoinsNews

Posted in Bitcoin | Comments Off on Bitcoin in Africa: Insights from the Continent’s Biggest Bitcoin Exchange – CryptoCoinsNews

Space Station Crew Running Low on Chocolate Ahead of Easter – Space.com

Posted: at 5:13 pm

Astronaut Peggy Whitson looks cheerful as she tells a member of the media that she and the other station crewmembers are running low on chocolate ahead of Easter (April 16).

This Sunday (April 16) is Easter, but the current occupants of the International Space Station are running low on one crucial supply item for the holiday.

"I think we're actually a little short on chocolate right now," NASA astronaut and current space station commander Peggy Whitson said during a media interview Thursday (April 13). Chocolate is considered by many to be a staple of the holiday, and NASA has not specified how or when it plans to amend confectionary conundrum.

Whitson then added, "Maybe when the next Soyuz crew comes up, we'll get a little more chocolate." A Russian Soyuz spacecraft is set to launch toward the station on April 20. An Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo craft is also scheduled to travel to the station on April 18.

Whitson didn't indicate if the crew had any special plans for the Easter holiday. She is currently joined on the station by European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet of France ("Thomas and I kind of like chocolate," Whitson said) and Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitskiy. NASA astronaut Jack Fischer and Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin are scheduled to fly to the station aboard the Soyuz on April 20.

In the past, space station crews have celebrated the holiday with plastic Easter egg hunts.

Follow Calla Cofield @callacofield. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.

Read the original post:
Space Station Crew Running Low on Chocolate Ahead of Easter - Space.com

Posted in Space Station | Comments Off on Space Station Crew Running Low on Chocolate Ahead of Easter – Space.com

Astronaut Praises Space Station as ‘Great Model for Society’ – Department of Defense

Posted: at 5:13 pm

April 14, 2017 The International Space Station is a "great model for society," said NASA astronaut and retired Army Col. Robert S. "Shane" Kimbrough, who returned to Earth on April 10 after 173 days in space.

It's a study of how six Russian, American, French and Japanese crew members can work together in confined spaces to do some really incredible science and research that will benefit all of society, said Kimbrough, who was the Expedition 50 commander on the International Space Station.

The experience on the ISS demonstrates that none of the countries could have done it alone, Kimbrough said. It takes all the international partners working together to make that space station program happen," he added.

"As space station commander, you've got to integrate all those different types of people, personalities and culture to make an effective team," he said, adding that integrating the team wasn't much of a challenge because he had a great crew. I was just fortunate enough to be up there with the people I was," he said.

Good Communication

The crew communicated well despite the variety of native languages, the astronaut said. He and another American, along with a Japanese and French astronaut, spoke to the three cosmonauts in Russian, and in turn, the Russians spoke English to them.

"We were constantly working on the language and always learning more vocabulary and different terms, and even slang," he said. The challenging he said, part was translating the technical jargon. Overall, he said, it was great working with the crew amid the differences in language, culture and cuisine, Kimbrough said. "It's always interesting learning different cultures," he added.

Besides sharing languages, the crew also shared food, Kimbrough said. The Russians would partake of the American, French and Japanese food, and they, in turn, would be offered Russian meals, particularly on weekends.

"They seemed to enjoy our food, and we enjoyed theirs," he said.

After 173 days in space, living in a confined area, it might seem easy to get on each other's nerves after a while. Not so, Kimbrough said.

"We had a lot of training before the mission in learning ways and techniques on how to not annoy people," he said. "When they pick astronauts, one of the criteria is, 'Are you going to annoy somebody if you are in a small area for a long time? Because if so, we don't want you here doing this job. You can do something else.'"

Space Travel is Fun

Kimbrough said the crew did a lot of important scientific experiments in biology and the physical sciences. Some of the biology experiments could lead to advances in medical treatment, he noted.

But besides all the work, the crew had a lot of fun, too. "Every day is fun," he said. "Everything is floating around, and you're floating around instead of walking. Eating is especially fun. You can eat upside down, right-side up, toss an M&M to your buddy across the room or send him a drink. We played around a lot with our food. We tell our kids at home not to do that, but we do it in space."

Another type of fun, he said, was "looking out the window at our beautiful planet Earth. That was really special."

Valued Army Experience

Kimbrough credits the Army with giving him many opportunities for operational experience and leadership training, beginning at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, and all of the follow-on leadership courses throughout his career.

NASA is looking for astronauts with that type of experience, along with the education. Kimbrough graduated from West Point in 1989 with a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering, and he later graduated from Georgia Tech in 1998 with a Master of Science degree in operations research. His operational experience includes piloting an Apache helicopter during the Gulf War.

Besides education and leadership experience, NASA is looking for someone who has been exposed to unique and austere environments, something "we as soldiers experience on deployments," Kimbrough said. NASA also is interested in someone who can thrive on a team and deal with stress, he added.

"We're good at memorizing responses in critical situations," he said. "My brain was set in that mode from all of the Army training. So we're always preparing for worst-case situations and hoping we never have to go there, but if something bad would happen, we're ready to go and respond in those situations."

Mars Mission

Is a manned mission to Mars in the cards for the future? "I absolutely think having a manned mission to Mars and other places is where we need to go. That is the next frontier for humanity," Kimbrough said.

In a couple of decades, a human will land on Mars, he predicted, "but I'll certainly be too old to do that when the time comes around."

The school children he talks to today will be the generation that gets to Mars, he said. "Hopefully, we can inspire them to go down that road," he added.

Soldier for Life

It's an honor to be a soldier for life, Kimbrough said, noting that the Army instilled in him "this incredible sense of service ever since going to West Point." Working for NASA as a civil servant also is a wonderful experience, he said.

No matter where he goes or who he meets, Kimbrough said, he feels that he's representing the Army, and "that's a great feeling."

Kimbrough added that he couldn't have ever been successful in the Army or NASA without the support of his friends and family, particularly during long deployments or in space on this mission and a previous one in 2008 aboard the space shuttle Endeavour to the ISS.

Read the rest here:
Astronaut Praises Space Station as 'Great Model for Society' - Department of Defense

Posted in Space Station | Comments Off on Astronaut Praises Space Station as ‘Great Model for Society’ – Department of Defense