Monday, July 31, 2017

Why D.C. Is the New Hub for U.S. Ivory Sales

Why D.C. Is the New Hub for U.S. Ivory Sales

Has the nation’s capital become the new center of the U.S. ivory trade? Investigators counted almost three times as many ivory items for sale in the Washington, D.C., area in 2016 than ten years earlier, even as the amount of ivory for sale in other parts of the country has been decreasing.


From antique shops to flea markets, galleries, and even a tobacco shop, some 658 pieces of ivory for sale were identified in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area by investigators with TRAFFIC, the wildlife monitoring organization. A new report from TRAFFIC, with support from the World Wildlife Fund and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), a conservation-focused nonprofit, details the amounts and types of ivory for sale in six major U.S. cities and several online marketplaces.


“We were surprised to see greater D.C. top the list of elephant ivory in retail,” says TRAFFIC’s Rachel Kramer, one of the report’s authors. Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco have long been the main ivory hubs in the U.S. The surveys conducted for this report, she says, suggest sales have shifted, most likely because California and New York have imposed restrictions on the ivory trade far stronger than regulations in many other states. Some sellers said as much to investigators, Kramer says.


Full story at http://bit.ly/2hgALLI


Source: National Geographic


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Want to Protect Other Xandas and Cecils? Don’t Strip Endangered Species of Protections!

Want to Protect Other Xandas and Cecils? Don’t Strip Endangered Species of Protections!

Tragic news struck the world recently when the oldest son of Cecil the lion, Xanda, was killed by a trophy hunter, like his father before him. The beyond-words-disgusting “sport” of trophy hunting has shown little signs of stopping in the last two years since the world heard Cecil’s tragic story. That means it’s up to us to continue to act and one petition is trying to organize said action, with a call to support Endangered Species Act (ESA), which is currently under attack by the U.S. government.


The petition on Care2 reads: “The ESA has successfully saved more than 99 percent of listed species from extinction. But right now, Congress is trying to tear down the ESA brick by brick using a number of bills they are trying to pass off as ‘reforms.’ In particular, the fraudulently named ‘Saving America’s Endangered Species Act’ would irreparably damage conservation efforts by stripping ESA protections for foreign species, like lions, rhinos, cheetahs, giant pandas, and hundreds more, including some being considered for protections right now like giraffes and pangolins.”


The most striking thing about this legislation is that it’s so boldly disingenuous that it boggles the mind. It claims to want to help support animal conservation when it is little more than a free pass for trophy hunters.


The petition reminds us: “90 percent of Americans support the ESA. It is the United States’ most effective wildlife protection law; we need to strengthen it, not tear it apart. Our legislators work for us – they must do their jobs and protect the ESA and save endangered wildlife.”


Full story at http://bit.ly/2hhdclX


Source: http://onegreenplanet.org


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White rhinos: Scientists reveal last-ditch attempt to save endangered species with world-first IVF treatment

White rhinos: Scientists reveal last-ditch attempt to save endangered species with world-first IVF treatment

Scientists are hoping to save the critically endangered northern white rhino subspecies by attempting a pioneering IVF treatment.


The breed is the world’s rarest rhino, with only three individuals left – an elderly male and two females. The male, named Sudan, is 43 years old. The average lifespan of rhinos is between 40-50 years.


The females, a mother and daughter, have medical conditions that prevent them from conceiving naturally.


All three animals are protected under armed guard at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya.


Full story at http://ind.pn/2hgTVBe


Source: Independent


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This African park has a high-tech plan to combat poachers

This African park has a high-tech plan to combat poachers

Security has long been a major concern at wildlife reserves in Africa, where rhino and elephant populations have been decimated by poachers in recent years. But a park in Rwanda is betting on a new networking technology to change that.


This week, Rwanda’s Akagera National Park launched a new system that allows park rangers to monitor animals, visitors, and equipment in real-time. Developed by the Dutch conservation organizations ShadowView and Internet of Life, the so-called “smart park” system is based on a Long Range Wide-Area Network (LoRaWAN) — a low-bandwidth, low-power networking technology that can blanket large areas at relatively low costs.


LoRaWAN technology has already been used to develop internet of things (IoT) networks in Amsterdam and other “smart cities;” the groups behind the smart park think it could help keep poachers off protected lands, as well. Unlike easily interceptable radio frequencies, commonly used to track animals in other parks, the smart park’s signals are sent on a closed network across multiple frequencies, making the network more difficult to access. And LoraWAN systems are far less expensive than satellite-based tracking, offering an extra advantage to cash-strapped parks. As the system evolves, it could also provide a valuable source of real-time data to help managers and rangers respond to incidents across the 433-square-mile park, where 3G and 4G connections are unreliable.


Full story at http://bit.ly/2hgU6fS


Source: The Verge


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A day in the life of an anti-poaching ranger – in pictures

A day in the life of an anti-poaching ranger – in pictures

Big Life Foundation was set up to address the escalation of poaching in east Africa. Their rangers put their lives on the line daily to protect animals that face danger from poachers and angry farmers. Here’s how their days unfold


Full story at http://bit.ly/2hhAY14


Source: The Guardian


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Poaching pushes pangolin closer to extinction

Poaching pushes pangolin closer to extinction

Millions of pangolins are being hunted and killed in Africa, raising fears that they are being pushed to extinction.


The pangolin is the world's most trafficked and poached mammal, because of the demand for its meat and scales.


Conservationists say an international trade ban announced last year must be strictly enforced.


There are concerns that traders are illegally supplying African pangolins to Asian markets.


Full story at http://bbc.in/2hgQbQk


Source: BBC News


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Bitcoin Cash Is Not Free Money

Bitcoin Cash Is Not Free Money

Ever since the Bitcoin Cash hard fork was announced, many people have viewed its token as “free money.” While it is true these new tokens will be issued to users at no additional cost, they are most certainly not free money. In fact, many people feel Bitcoin Cash will take away some of Bitcoin’s value, just as Ethereum Classic did to Ethereum. Although the value of BCH has yet to be officially determined, it is not free money in the way most envision it.


The fact that every holder of Bitcoin is entitled to his or her share of Bitcoin Cash tokens does not make it free money. BCH tokens will be issued at a 1:1 rate to Bitcoin. If you own 100 Bitcoin, you will receive 100 Bitcoin Cash. Those new tokens can then be sold on supporting exchanges, either against Bitcoin or fiat currencies. However, the value of these tokens may be effectively subtracted from the Bitcoin price at that time.


Let’s put this into numbers for a minute. One Bitcoin Cash is currently valued at around US$400. These tokens do not exist currently, and IOU values always betray actual prices until the tokens are available in an official capacity. However, assuming they retain their US$400 value when the tokens are live, that means that value may be deducted from the Bitcoin price at that moment.


If one Bitcoin is worth US$2,800 by the time the split happens, and BCH is worth US$400, it is not unlikely Bitcoin would drop to US$2,400 on that day. The value for BCC has to come from somewhere, and deducting it from the regular Bitcoin price would seem the most logical course of action. With two competing forks, the value of the Bitcoin network — the market cap, in this case — will be distributed over the two blockchains. The actual values of both currencies will fluctuate heavily over the first few days following August 1st.


Full story at http://bit.ly/2hfZYWG


Source: https://themerkle.com


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Why Bitcoin Price Remains Stable Few Hours Before SegWit Activation

Why Bitcoin Price Remains Stable Few Hours Before SegWit Activation

Only hours remain before the widely-expected Bitcoin network’s SegWit activation and its anticipated fork. Expectations were very high of some panic-motivated reactions ahead of the Aug. 1, 2017 deadline.


Contrary to these expectations, there seems to be reasonable calmness within the Bitcoin ecosystem(at least on the surface, as reflected by price action).


After falling to below $1,800 in the middle of July, Bitcoin price has recovered to be trading around $2,700 as at the time of writing.


But more significant is the overall market behavior which is expressing relative calmness as price movement are less volatile than is usually experienced in seasons of anticipation.


Full story at http://bit.ly/2hgk56Z


Source: CoinTelegraph


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Will Bitcoin Cash Impact the Bitcoin Price? Traders Split on Possible Fork

Will Bitcoin Cash Impact the Bitcoin Price? Traders Split on Possible Fork

Bitcoin traders may soon be able to bet on their preferred version of the blockchain.


As if a years-long debate over the network's technical roadmap wasn't dramatic enough, Tuesday could see yet another twist in bitcoin's scaling debate. That's when a group of miners and developers say they will go as far as to create an alternative network to prove bigger blocks are the best solution for increasing network capacity.


Called Bitcoin Cash (BCC), the effort will effectively fork bitcoin's existing software and transaction history, and in the process, give every bitcoin user new cryptocurrency tokens on a new blockchain with different rules.


Should users own 2 BTC, this means they'll now be able to claim 2 BCC on the Bitcoin Cash blockchain, a move that could generate millions of dollars in new value for traders.


Full story at http://bit.ly/2hfXfwu


Source: CoinDesk


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Bitcoin prices rise as Ether extends recent weakness

Bitcoin prices rise as Ether extends recent weakness

The price of digital currency bitcoin rose Friday, putting it on track for a modest weekly gain, while rival cryptocurrency Ether extended its recent weakness.


At latest check, a single bitcoin BTCUSD, +2.35%  was up 3.8% to $2,783.18, according to cryptocurrency research-and-data site Coindesk. While it remains down from an all-time high above $3,000 on June 11, its recent trend has been largely positive. It is on track for its second straight positive session, and it is up 3.3% over the past week.


The market capitalization of bitcoin rose to nearly $46 billion, meaning it once again accounts for more than half of the entire market cap for cryptocurrencies which stands at $89.9 billion, according to Coinmarketcap.com.


This is the first time since May that bitcoin has represented 50% of all crypto assets, according to Tuur Demeester, a bitcoin investor who is also the founder of Adamant Research. Earlier this year, cryptocurrencies topped $100 billion in market capitalization.


Full story at http://on.mktw.net/2f0P1aW


Source: http://marketwatch.com


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Why the feds took down one of Bitcoin’s largest exchanges

Why the feds took down one of Bitcoin’s largest exchanges

This week, one of Bitcoin’s largest and most notorious coin exchanges was brought down by law enforcement — and police and prosecutors are now beginning to explain why. On Thursday, the Department of Justice unsealed an indictment against Alexander Vinnik — thought to be the operator, or one of the operators of Bitcoin exchange BTC-e — charging him with 21 counts of money laundering and other related financial crimes. The counts range from operating an unlicensed money transmittal business to a variety of money laundering charges, including laundering associated with ransomware payouts and a theft from the now-defunct Mt Gox exchange. More generally, the indictment paints BTC-e as a hub of criminal activity, laundering the proceeds of everything from drug trafficking to ransomware attacks.


As some suspected, Vinnik’s alleged crimes go beyond just operating the exchange. Feds believe he played a role in the theft of more 800,000 bitcoin — about $400 million at the time — from Mt. Gox, a staggering loss that ultimately shuttered the exchange. According to the indictment, 530,000 of those bitcoin ended up passing through wallets controlled by or associated with Vinnik, although his role in the larger scheme remains unclear.


Full story at http://bit.ly/2f0OZzQ


Source: The Verge


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CoinFlip ATMs Only Support BTC, Not BCC

CoinFlip ATMs Only Support BTC, Not BCC

CoinFlip, the Bitcoin ATM company, has issued an open letter today informing users that they will not support the new Bitcoin Cash (BCC), should the fork occur Aug. 1.


CoinFlip’s letter comes amid a number of other statements rejecting the potentially newly created altcoin. The letter makes it clear that CoinFlip’s ATMs will not support anything other than Bitcoin core.


"CoinFlip has no plans whatsoever to support any sort of Bitcoin spin-off or altcoin, and BCC provides no exception to this stance. We will continue to support Bitcoin core, and as far as Bitcoin goes - only sell and buy Bitcoin core at our terminals."


Full story at http://bit.ly/2f0IqND


Source: CoinTelegraph


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What is cryptocurrency?

What is cryptocurrency?

Cryptocurrency is a form of digital money that is designed to be secure and, in many cases, anonymous. 


It is a currency associated with the internet that uses cryptography, the process of converting legible information into an almost uncrackable code, to track purchases and transfers.


Cryptography was born out of the need for secure communication in the Second World War. It has evolved in the digital era with elements of mathematical theory and computer science to become a way to secure communications, information and money online. 


The first cryptocurrency was bitcoin, which was created in 2009 and is still the best known. There has been a proliferation of cryptocurrencies in the past decade and there are now more than 900 available on the internet. 


Full story at http://bit.ly/2f0L31P


Source: The Telegraph


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Yorkshire-English Phrasebook


When a toxic person can no longer control you

 

 

 

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Saturday, July 29, 2017

What Happened To SUPPOMAN? (Pumping Coins)


Published on 28 Jul 2017


SuppomanUdemy has some interesting courses on cryptocurrencies and has provided a fair amount of knowledge to the crypto community. The only thing about Suppoman is that it seems like he's promoted a bit of coins that aren't worth much, pumping them and getting on the hype. This has caused his channel to lose a lot of its reputation and I find it a bit strange how he stopped uploading when before he was PUMPING out those videos ;)


Nothing against the guy, but I think a lot of people out there are more into the short term stuff than thinking long term. Sad to see things go down for someone who had potential, but hey, maybe it's a chance to fix the reputation now?

 

 

 

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Friday, July 28, 2017

How Are New Bitcoins Created? A Brief Guide to Bitcoin Mining

How Are New Bitcoins Created? A Brief Guide to Bitcoin Mining

Bitcoin is often compared with gold, and one of the chief factors of similarity it the way they’re both obtained. Similarly to gold, new Bitcoins are created via the process called “mining.”


In fact, Bitcoin mining has a two-fold purpose: it allows for the creation of new coins and facilitates the processing of transactions in the network.


Another parallel with the precious metal is that there’s a limited amount of Bitcoins that can ever be mined: no more than 21 mln coins. As of 2017, nearly 17 mln Bitcoins have already been mined.


Mining can be quite a competitive task as new Bitcoins are created at a predictable and fixed rate. Those rates have been defined by Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin, in the white paper published in 2008.


Full story at http://bit.ly/2h8Tw3I


Source: CoinTelegraph


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Bitcoin Price Reacts to SegWit News

Bitcoin Price Reacts to SegWit News

Yesterday, July 27, the signaling stage about the Segregated Witness protocol, SegWit, BIP 141, was activated.


The protocol will be fixed, if at least 95% of the blocks - 1916 out of 2016 -  signal at this stage in support of SegWit. In turn, this will provide the conditions for activating the scaling BIP 141 offer.


The lock-in period will end around August 8.


Full story at http://bit.ly/2eUpkZv


Source: CoinTelegraph


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South Africans Make Bitcoin Work for Them As Currency, Store of Wealth

South Africans Make Bitcoin Work for Them As Currency, Store of Wealth

South Africa is still an emerging Bitcoin market, but it is growing, as more and more citizens come around it seems the best use of the digital currency is as a store of wealth, especially compared to the failing local currency.


It is estimated that about 100,000 users are utilizing the two local exchanges, Luno and Ice3X. Ice3X founder Gareth Grobler admits that although this figure is tiny, especially in comparison to Asia, it is a positive step for the digital currency in one of the most forward thinking African nations.


Full story at http://bit.ly/2h8D1Vb


Source: CoinTelegraph


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