Monthly Archives: September 2016

Bitcoin is money, U.S. judge says in case tied to JPMorgan …

Posted: September 22, 2016 at 7:45 pm

NEW YORK Bitcoin qualifies as money, a federal judge ruled on Monday, in a decision linked to a criminal case over hacking attacks against JPMorgan Chase & Co and other companies.

U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan rejected a bid by Anthony Murgio to dismiss two charges related to his alleged operation of Coin.mx, which prosecutors have called an unlicensed bitcoin exchange.

Murgio had argued that bitcoin did not qualify as "funds" under the federal law prohibiting the operation of unlicensed money transmitting businesses.

But the judge, like her colleague Jed Rakoff in an unrelated 2014 case, said the virtual currency met that definition.

"Bitcoins are funds within the plain meaning of that term," Nathan wrote. "Bitcoins can be accepted as a payment for goods and services or bought directly from an exchange with a bank account. They therefore function as pecuniary resources and are used as a medium of exchange and a means of payment."

The decision did not address six other criminal counts that Murgio faces, Nathan wrote.

Brian Klein, a lawyer for Murgio, said he disagreed with the decision.

"Anthony Murgio maintains his innocence and looks forward to clearing his name at his upcoming trial," he added.

Prosecutors last year charged Murgio over the operation of Coin.mx, and in April charged his father Michael with participating in bribery aimed at supporting it.

Authorities have said Coin.mx was owned by Gery Shalon, an Israeli man who, along with two others, was charged with running a sprawling computer hacking and fraud scheme targeting a dozen companies, including JPMorgan, and exposing personal data of more than 100 million people.

That alleged scheme generated hundreds of millions of dollars of profit through pumping up stock prices, online casinos, money laundering and other illegal activity, prosecutors have said.

Shalon has pleaded not guilty, and is being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. He hired new lawyers last month and is seeking permission to replace lawyers who joined the case in June, a Monday court filing showed.

The case is U.S. v Murgio et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 15-cr-00769.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by David Gregorio and Diane Craft)

WASHINGTON Tesla Motors Inc Thursday sued Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and other state officials in federal court over the state's refusal to allow the Palo Alto, California automaker to sell vehicles directly to consumers.

FRANKFURT Samsung Electronics aims to re-launch its flagship Note7 smartphone across Europe well before year-end, but it could well be 2017 before the company fully rebounds from a global product recall tied to defective batteries, a regional executive said on Thursday.

Gaming and gambling are among potential growth areas for Formula One as the sport's new owners seek to develop largely untapped digital markets, Liberty Media chief executive Greg Maffei said on Thursday.

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Bitcoin is money, U.S. judge says in case tied to JPMorgan ...

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Bitcoin Wikipdia

Posted: at 7:45 pm

A bitcoin egy nylt forrskd digitlis fizeteszkz, amelyet 2009. janur 3-n egy ismeretlen (frumos nevn Satoshi Nakamoto) bocstott ki, kzvetlenl a 2008-as amerikai bankvlsg kirobbansa utn. Az elnevezs vonatkozik tovbb a fizeteszkzt kezel nylt forrskd szoftverre, s az azzal ltrehozott elosztott hlzatra is.

A tbbi elektronikus fizeteszkztl eltren a bitcoin nem fgg kzponti kibocstktl s hatsgoktl. A bitcoin a peer-to-peer hlzat csompontjai ltal trolt elosztott adatbzisra tmaszkodik. Az adatbzis tartalmazza a fizetsek adatait, garantlva az elektronikus fizeteszkzkkel szembeni alapvet kvetelmnyeket. A biztonsgot digitlis alrsok s proof-of-work rendszer adja.[2]

A bitcoinok biztonsgosan trolhatk egy pnztrcafjlban, szemlyi szmtgpen, mobiltelefonon, kls adathordzkon, vagy felh alap szolgltatknl, kldskhz s fogadsukhoz pedig csak a kld illetve a fogad bitcoincme szksges. A peer-to-peer felpts s a kzponti irnyts hinya megakadlyozza brmilyen hatsg szmra, hogy a forgalomban lev pnzmennyisget s tranzakcikat kontrolllja vagy befolysolja, ami lehetetlenn teszi a manipulcit s inflci gerjesztst.

Nem hivatalos jellege miatt ISO kdja nincs, de ltalnosan hasznlt megjellse a BTC.

A bitcoint szmos erre specializldott devizatzsde weblapon lehet amerikai dollrra s nhny ms devizra tvltani, illetve vissza, fizetsnl online es "offline" kereskedk/szolgltatk egyarnt elfogadjk, szmuk jelentsen n. Egyes szolgltatk lehetv teszik kereskedk szmra bitcoin elfogadst olyan mdon, hogy a keresked azonnal dollrban vagy egyb szoksos devizban kapja meg a bevtelt. Ezen kvl hasznlhat kzrdek felajnlsokra egyes szervezeteknl.[3]

Mivel a fizets nem egy kzponton keresztl zajlik, a mr megtrtnt tranzakcik visszafordtsra nincs md, szemben a hagyomnyos banki rendszerekkel, ahol csals gyanja esetn, vagy egyb okokbl a bankok s ms pnzintzetek sztornzhatjk a korbban jvhagyott kifizetst.

Ellenttben az orszgok ltal kibocstott fizeteszkzkkel, a bitcoinnak nincs kzponti kibocstja, amely az rfolyam stabilits vagy egyb rdekek szerint intervencit, vagy egyb akcit hajtana vgre.[4] 2013 novemberig valamivel tbb mint 12 milli bitcoin jtt ltre, ezt a szmot a hlzat algoritmikusan hatrozza meg, ahogy azt Nakamoto cikkben lerta. A monetris bvls mrtke elre ismert s brki szmra kvethet, az sszes bitcoinok szma idvel 21 millihoz tart, 2013-ra a teljes mennyisg fele, 2017-re hromnegyede fog rendelkezsre llni. A hatr kzeledtvel a bitcoinok rtke nvekedni kezdhet, deflcihoz vezetve, amennyiben a pnzre a kereslet tovbb n. Ugyanakkor a bitcoinok 8 tizedesjegyig oszthatak, gy ez technikai akadlyt nem jelent, szemben a megszokott pnzeszkzkkel.

A bvls cskken teme sztnzi a korai elfogadkat, akik mg alacsonyabb korai rfolyam mellett jutnak bitcoinokhoz, gy segtve a rendszer sikerre vitelt. A korai elfogadknak ez a kedvezmnyezse szmos kritikt eredmnyezett, gyakran piramisjtkhoz hasonltva a rendszert, m a tmogatk szerint ez az sztnz szksges ahhoz, hogy a hlzat s az infrastruktra beinduljon, egy arnyosabb rszeseds nem ellenslyozn megfelelen azt a kockzatot amit egy j, nem tesztelt fizetsi rendszer hasznlata jelent.[5]

Mivel a tranzakcikat az egsz hlzat fel sztkldik a csompontok, azok teljesen nyilvnosak. Szemben a hagyomnyos pnzgyi intzetekkel, amelyek az gyfelek magnszfrjt a tranzakcikra vonatkoz informcik visszatartsval vdik, ezt a Bitcoin rendszerben az biztostja, hogy a cmek tulajdonosra vonatkoz informcik nem ismertek. Ha pldul Alz kld Bobnak 12 BTC sszeget, akkor a nyilvnos adatok kztt csak az ltszik, hogy kt cm kztt 12 BTC sszeg mozgott. Hacsak valamilyen oknl fogva a rsztvevk nem hozzk nyilvnossgra, hogy az adott cmeknek k a tulajdonosai, szinte lehetetlen ket sszekapcsolni. Ugyanakkor ha egy cmrl egyszer mr kiderlt, hogy kihez tartozik, az ahhoz tartoz korbbi tranzakcik is visszakereshetek.

A hlzaton s az elosztottan trolt adatbzisban a tranzakciknl a kifizet s a kedvezmnyezett kizrlag a bitcoincmvel jelenik meg. Ez a cm nem ms, mint egy kriptogrfiai kulcspr publikus fele, amely lehetv teszi a cm tulajdonosnak (aki a privt kulcsot egyedl birtokolja), hogy a cmn lv egyenleg terhre kiadott tranzakcikat alrja. Mivel egy szemly brmennyi cmet ltrehozhat magnak, amelyekrl nem derl ki, hogy egy emberhez tartoznak, a pnz mozgsnak kvetse szinte lehetetlen.

A hlzatot alkot csompontok kztt nincs kiemelt szerep, a jelenlegi megvalsts szerint mindegyikk a teljes adatbzist trolja, gy a rendszer brmekkora szm csompont kiesse esetn is tovbb mkdik.

Az anonimitst s a kzponti kontroll hinyt elnysnek tallhatjk az illeglis zletet folytatk is. A rendszerrel szembeni egyik leggyakoribb kritika szerint mkdse elsegti a trvnytelen zletek lebonyoltst, s emiatt az egsz fizetsi rendszert illeglisnak kell tekinteni.[6] A trvnyessgi agglyokra egy Bitcoint hasznl drogkeresked weblap irnytotta r a figyelmet.[7]

A Bitcoin protokoll a Nakamoto Satoshi cikkben[8] lert s ltala kzztett kliensben megvalstott elveket kveti.

A nyilvnos kulcs digitlis alrs segtsgvel lehetsg van ellenrizni, hogy egy adott cm tulajdonosa valban hozzjrult-e a cmhez tartoz egyenleg terhre trtn fizetshez. Az egyenleg ellenrzse az adott cmre korbban berkez, hasonlkppen alrt tranzakcik lekrdezsvel oldhat meg. A hlzatban rszt vev felhasznlk mindegyiknek van legalbb egy pnztrcja, amelyben helyben generlt nyilvnos-privt kulcsprok tallhatak. Tranzakci alrshoz a kliensprogram a privt kulcsot hasznlja. Fizets fogadshoz a nyilvnos kulcs egy olvashat formjt kell a msik flnek megadni. Ez az olvashat forma ltalban 33 krli szm karakterbl ll, s mindig egyessel kezddik, mint pldul 15VzdkAvVpZsVAhw84esj14GVXbzUm9VTk.

Az alapvet problma a fentiek biztostsa mellett annak megakadlyozsa, hogy valaki a birtokban lv pnzt tbbszr elkltse. Ennek megakadlyozsra az adatbzis 10 percenknt bvl egy-egy blokkal, ahol az j blokkot egy vletlenszeren vlasztott csompont lltja ssze nllan gy, hogy abban ne legyen tlklts. Az adatbzisba gy bekerlt blokkban szerepl tranzakcikat a tbbi csompont megtrtntnek fogadja el.

Mivel a kvetkez blokkot elllt rsztvev kivlasztsa vletlenszeren trtnik, elfordulhat, hogy tbb blokk jn ltre, egyes csompontok pedig a ksbbi blokkok ltrehozshoz nem ugyanazokat az elzmnyeket hasznljk. A hlzat tagjai az ltaluk elrhet blokkok kzl azokat fogadjk el rvnyesnek amelyekbl a leghosszabb lnc llthat el.

Annak rdekben, hogy ezt kihasznlva ne lehessen egy korbban mr elfogadott tranzakcit meg nem trtntt tenni, az j blokkok adatbzishoz adst a protokoll szndkosan nehzz teszi. A csompontoknak egy j blokk kzzttelekor bizonytaniuk kell, hogy jelents szmtsi teljestmnyt ignyl, nehz kriptogrfiai feladatot oldottak meg, ennek megkvetelt mrtke pedig folyamatosan gy van szablyozva, hogy a hlzaton krlbell 10 percenknt egy csompont legyen kpes ezt teljesteni. Ennek eredmnyeknt a hlzaton a tbbsgi dntst a mgttes szmtsi kapacits hatrozza meg. A hlzat feletti ellenrzs tvtelhez legalbb akkora szmtsi teljestmnyre van szksg, ami a hlzat tbb mint felt adja.

A szksges szmtsi teljestmny felajnlsnak sztnzsre minden egyes kzztett blokk utn a kzztev csompont rszesl az jonnan ltrejtt pnzbl, amelyet a sajt cmre rhat. Jelenleg minden blokkrt 25 Bitcoin jr, ez a ksbbiekben cskkenni fog, a protokoll ltal meghatrozott temben. Az gy kiosztott bitcoinok begyjtsre irnyul erfesztsek eredmnyeknt a hivatalos klienstl fggetlen clprogramok jttek ltre, amelyek kizrlagos clja a minl nagyobb szmtsi kapacits hlzatba kapcsolsa s gy ennek a jutalomnak az elnyerse. Ezt a folyamatot szoktk bnyszatnak (mining) nevezni, utalva arra, hogy a nemesfmek bnyszathoz hasonlan j rtkhordoz kerl forgalomba. Jelenleg a kapacits nagy rszt videkrtyk ltalnos cl processzorn fut clprogramok adjk.

Annak rdekben, hogy a 21 millis hatrhoz kzeledve is fenntarthat legyen az sztnzs, lehetsg van a tranzakcikhoz jutalk belltsra. Az egyes blokkokban szerepl tranzakcikhoz tartoz jutalkokat az adott blokkot kzztev node sajt cmre rhatja, gy sztnzve a blokkok ltrehozst. Ez azonban nem ktelez, jelenleg az tranzakcik nagy rsze jutalk nlkl trtnik.

Ahhoz hogy minden cmhez tartoz egyenleg ellenrizhet legyen, a korbbi tranzakcik mindegyikt trolni kell, gy az adatbzis mrete folyamatosan n. A mkdsi elv miatt legalbb nhny csompontnak trolnia kell a teljes adatbzist, de nem kell felttlenl az sszesnek. Jelenleg (2011 jnius) az adatbzis alig pr szz megabjt, gy minden kliens megkapja a teljes msolatot az els indts utn nem sokkal.

Nakamoto elkpzelse szerint ha az adatbzis nagyobb vlik, olyan kliensekre lesz szksg, amelyek az adatbzisnak csak a relevns rszt troljk. Erre a clra egy olyan Merkle fa szolgl, ami lehetv teszi, hogy a kliens az adatbzisnak olyan rszeit eldobja, amikrl tudja, hogy a jvben nem lesz r szksge, mikzben a megmarad rsz kriptogrfiai integritsa megmarad.

Az eredeti nylt forrskd kliens minden nagyobb platformra lefordtott vltozatban is elrhet, a bitcoinok kldshez s fogadshoz szksges minden funkcit tartalmaz, folyamatosan fejlesztik. A blokkok generlsra azonban csak a CPU hasznlatval kpes, GPU-alap generlshoz kln szoftver szksges.

A C++-ban rt kliensen kvl elrhetek ms kliensek is, a projekt kzponti oldaln az rdekldk ttekintst kaphatnak az elrhet alternatvkrl. Az jabb kliensek egy rsze nem ignyli a teljes blokklnc letltst, ehelyett egy tvoli gpen fut teljes bitcoin kliensre tmaszkodik, gy lnyegesen egyszerbben hasznlhat. (pl. Multibit, electrum)

A blokkok kzzttelhez szksges kriptogrfiai feladatok megoldsra klnll, nylt forrskd programok szolglnak, amelyek tbbsge a modern, programozhat grafikus hardvereket hasznlja a hlzat ltal ignyelt nehz kriptogrfiai feladat elvgzsre. Mivel a csompontok nagy szma miatt ma mr egy-egy felhasznlnak elenyszen kis eslye van egy blokkot megoldani s az rte jr jutalmat megszerezni, ezeket a programokat lehetsg van gy belltani, hogy egy szerver irnytsa alatt kzsen dolgozzanak. Ekkor ha az egyttmkd programok kzl egy megtallja a megoldst, a jutalmon osztoznak a rsztvevk.

A Bitcoin f fejlesztje Satoshi Nakamoto lnven publiklta a szoftvert. Ksbb Craig Steven Wright azt lltotta, hogy Satoshi,[9] de ksbb hitelt rdemlen nem tmasztotta ezt al. Sokig hittk, hogy Satoshi Nakamoto egy japn programoz, de ennek ellentmondott precz brit formai angolsga, amivel lerta a rendszert, s az amerikai szlengje, amivel frumozott, ami azt engedi felttelezni, hogy inkbb egy csoport ll a Bitcoin kibocstsa mgtt mintsem egy konkrt szemly. A Bitcoin szoftvert Satoshi Nakamoto eredetileg Windowsra rta csak meg, a linuxos vltozat ltrehozsban nagy szerepet jtszott Martti Malmi.

A legels blokkban az albbi zenet szerepel:

"The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks"

Ami magyar nyelvre sz szerint fordtva a kvetkezket jelenti:

"The Times 2009. janur 3., a pnzgyminiszter a hatrn van a bankok msodik kisegtsnek."

Megoszlanak a vlemnyek arrl, hogy ez milyen cllal kerlt bele, egyesek szerint csupn idblyegz szerept tlti be (az els blokk a tovbbiakkal ellenttben rtelemszeren nem tud korbbiakra hivatkozni s gy bizonytani, hogy adott idpont utn jtt ltre), msok az zenetet a pnzgyi rendszer kritikjaknt vlik rtelmezni.

A bitcoint folyamatosan szmos kritika ri, jogi, gazdasgi, technolgiai megfontolsok alapjn egyarnt.

A nvnlklisg kivl terep a bnzk szmra: pnzmosshoz, nvtelen zsarolshoz hasznlhat, gyerekporn s illeglis hacker tevkenysg fizetsge lehet, br az amerikai szentus tagjai is megjegyeztk, hogy illeglis tevkenysg folytatshoz a kszpnz a leghatkonyabb fizet eszkz.

A kzponti rszablyozs hinya az rfolyamot nagyon vltozkonny teszi, a teljes monetris bzishoz kpest alacsony forgalom mellett mozg r pedig gyakran szlssges mozgsokat, hirtelen felfutsokat s drasztikus sszeomlsokat eredmnyez. Emiatt s a korai hasznlk ltal birtokolt nagy mennyisg bitcoin miatt szoktk piramisjtkhoz hasonltani a rendszert.

A tranzakcik visszafordthatatlansga egyes esetekben megnehezti a vsrlk tversekkel szembeni vdelmt, valamint a hagyomnyos banki rendszerekkel ellenttben ha valamilyen rosszindulat program eltulajdont bitcoinokat, azokat a hagyomnyos bankszmlkkal ellenttben eslytelen visszaszerezni. Ezt a kritikt azonban a rendszert hasznlk azon az alapon utastjk el, hogy a tradicionlis rendszerekben a kresemny utni kompenzci nem ingyenes, hanem be van ptve a pnzgyi szolgltatk zleti modelljbe. A bitcoin protocol bta, fejleszts alatt ll, tbbek kztt a beptett "escrow" funkci sem aktv mg.

A hlzat biztonsgt garantl s frissen kibocstott bitcoinokkal jutalmazott bnyszs 2013-ra jelents iparr ntt, az egymssal versenyz szereplk hatalmas szmtsi erforrsokat zemeltetnek. Ez hatalmas hardver- s energiaignnyel jr, ami sokak szerint flsleges s tlz trsadalmi kltsg egy fizetsi rendszer fenntartsrt. Ez a kritika sem felttlenl rendelkezik alappal, amg nincs rendelkezsre ll pontos adat a megszokott pnzgyi szolgltatk energia ignyrl, az egsz rendszert figyelembe vve (POS eszkzk, ATM-ek, banki pletek, stb). Ezekkel szemben a bitcoin rendszer llandan zemel, kzpontostatlan mivolta miatt nincs sznet a szolgltatsban.

Ez a szcikk rszben vagy egszben a Bitcoin cm angol Wikipdia-szcikk ezen vltozatnak fordtsn alapul. Az eredeti cikk szerkesztit annak laptrtnete sorolja fel.

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Bitcoin Wikipdia

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National Space Society

Posted: at 7:44 pm

Our Vision: People living and working in thriving communities beyond the Earth, and the use of the vast resources of space for the dramatic betterment of humanity.

The Society publishes Ad Astra magazine and maintains an active global network of volunteers and local chapters. Membership and participation are open to all. Join the space movement, and help build a positive future for humanity!

Enterprise In Space: A Tutor for Every Child, video presentation for the MacArthur Foundation 100&Change Grant.

The President of the National Space Society describes how many children around the world lack access to a basic education and how ValueSpring Technology is developing an artificial intelligence that will be a tutor for each person, thus helping to bring about the world that Gene Roddenberry imagined, where everyone is able to contribute to his or her full potential. This project is being submitted in competition for a $100 million MacArthur Foundation grant to fund a single proposal that promises real and measurable progress in solving a critical problem of our time.

Elon Musk talk Making Humans a Multiplanetary Species to be webcast September 27

On Tuesday September 27, on the second day of the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Guadalajara, Mexico, Elon Musk will deliver a special keynote presentationonMaking Humans a Multiplanetary Species.

Musk will discuss the long-term technical challenges that need to be solved to support the creation of a permanent, self-sustaining human presence on Mars. The technical presentation will focus on potential architectures for colonizing the Red Planet that industry, government and the scientific community can collaborate on in the years ahead.

The presentation is scheduled for one hour beginning at 2:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 1:30 PM Central Daylight Time (Guadalajara), 12:30 PM Mountain Daylight Time, and 11:30 AM Pacific Daylight Time.

This and other IAC plenary sessions will be webcast on thisdirect link to IAC webcasts on livestream.com. For a schedule of other sessionssee theIAC website plenaries and highlight lectures page.

National Space Society Congratulates NASA, ULA, and Lockheed Martin on the Successful Launch of OSIRIS-REx

(Washington, DC -- September 9, 2016) With the successful launch of a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 411 on September 8 at 7:05 PM EST, 2016 from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, NASAs mission to travel to a near Earth asteroid and return a sample got underway. NSS congratulates the team who made this happen. OSIRIS-REx stands for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer.

OSIRIS-REx has NSS members really excited, said Bruce Pittman, NSS Senior Vice President. The craft will provide a complete map of the chemistry and mineralogy of a carbon based asteroid. Such asteroids will be critical for both the economic development and settlement of space. The TAGSAM sample collection device may provide a foundation for the development of future asteroid mining robots. Dante Lauretta, the OSIRIS-REx principal investigator, and his team at the University of Arizona have put together a really impressive mission.

See full press release.

National Space Society Urges Renewed Commitment to Competition and Reusability Following Falcon 9/Amos 6 Incident

(Washington, DC -- September 6, 2016) At about 9:07 AM September 1, 2016, during preparation for a routine static fire test of the SpaceX Falcon 9 on Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral, an explosion resulted in the loss of both the F9 and the satellite payload. At this time there are no reports of injuries in the incident. Although Elon Musk has reported that the explosion Originated around [the] upper stage oxygen tank the cause remains unknown.

Clearly this incident is a setback for SpaceX, said Dale Skran, NSS Executive Vice President. However, it emphasizes the wisdom of NASA in supporting multiple cargo and crew carriers to the International Space Station. NASA deserves the highest praise for holding fast to supporting multiple providers with dissimilar vehicles to provide both competition and redundancy. NSS looks forward to the return to flight of the Orbital ATK Antares rocket hauling cargo to the ISS later this year, and welcomes the addition of Sierra Nevadas Dreamchaser to the list of ISS cargo haulers.

See full press release.

National Space Society Book Project: Space 2.0

(Washington, DC -- July 25, 2016) The National Space Society has contracted with space historian and author Rod Pyle to write a new book entitledSpace 2.0. This new book will embark on a compelling narrative about the future development, exploration and settlement of the final frontier. NSS plans to use the finished volume as a primary tool for outreach and STEM/STEAM educational efforts, as well as supporting the organization in the broader marketplace. See full announcement.

The National Space Society Applauds Alan Stern Winning the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal

(Washington, DC -- July 19, 2016) The National Space Society congratulates Dr. Alan Stern on winning the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal. This award is the highest honor that NASA can bestow. NSS has also awarded one of our highest honors to Dr. Stern, the NSS Wernher von Braun Award, which he received at our International Space Development Conference last May in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Dr. Stern was Principal Investigator of NASAs New Horizons mission to Pluto. See full press release.

National Space Society Applauds SpaceX Launch of IDA to the ISS and successful RTLS of the Falcon 9 First Stage

(Washington, DC -- July 18, 2016) With a successful launch on July 18 at 12:45 AM EST, 2016 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, SpaceX achieved several dramatic milestones on the Commercial Resupply Services 9 mission (CRS-9). In addition to supplies and experiments in the pressurized part of the Dragon, an unpressurized trunk houses the 1,028 lb (467 kilogram) International Docking Adaptor (IDA), manufactured by Boeing. The IDA, once attached to the International Space Station (ISS) will be the connecting point for Boeings CST-100 Starliner and SpaceXs Crewed Dragon 2 spacecraft as they bring American astronauts to the ISS on American-built and operated vehicles for the first time since the end of the Space Shuttle program. See full press release.

The National Space Society Congratulates Boeing on 100 Years of Aerospace Excellence

(Washington, DC -- July 16, 2016) NSS congratulates the Boeing Company on reaching its 100th anniversary, and doing so while continuing to be the world leader in the aerospace business. NSS was very happy to view the recent Boeing You Just Wait commercial (below), and to hear the words of Boeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg, who said Friday, In another 100 years, we might make daily trips to space, fly across the globe in less than an hour, or receive unlimited clean power from solar satellites. See full press release.

The National Space Society Pays Tribute to the Space Policy Leadership of Former FAA Leader Patricia Grace Smith

(Washington, DC -- June 14, 2016) The National Space Society celebrates the life and contributions of a visionary champion of the commercial space industry and human space settlement, the Honorable Patricia Grace Smith. Ms. Smith unexpectedly passed away on June 5th, after quietly fighting pancreatic cancer over the last year.

The commercial space industry owes a huge debt to Patti Grace Smith whose years of determined and well-reasoned advocacy combined with her natural charm and grace won over many converts in government and fostered the birth of a new industry. There might not be a commercial space flight industry were it not for Pattis leadership, said Bruce Pittman, Senior Operating Officer of the National Space Society.

See full press release.

Smithsonian Science Education Center and NSS Team Up for Next-Generation Space Education Program Enterprise In Space

(Washington, DC -- May 11, 2016) Enterprise In Space (EIS), an international program of the National Space Society, is excited to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Smithsonian Science Education Center (SSEC). EIS and SSEC plan to collaborate on two projects dedicated to space education. The first is a mission patch design challenge in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Education to present at Space Day at the National Air and Space Museum, tentatively set to occur this summer. The second is the development of a space science summer course for the Smithsonian Science Education Academies for Teachers (SSEATs) that will enrich and enhance space education in the participating educators classrooms. See full press release.

NSS Applauds SpaceX for Successful Drone Ship Landing and Launch of CRS-8/BEAM

(Washington, DC -- April 8, 2016) With a successful launch on April 8, SpaceX achieved several dramatic milestones. In this mission it is hard to know what to be the most excited about, said Dale Skran, NSS Executive Vice President. SpaceX continues to break new ground in lowering the cost of going into space, and the drone ship landing is key to maximizing the amount that can be lifted into space by a first stage that is flying back to Earth. BEAM will pave the way for more affordable future commercial and deep space stations. See full press release.

The Space Exploration, Development, and Settlement Act of 2016

(Washington, DC -- March 25, 2016) The Space Exploration, Development, and Settlement Act of 2016 (H.R. 4752) has been introduced by Congressman DanaRohrabacher to require the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to investigateand promote the exploration and development of space leading to humansettlements beyond Earth, and for other purposes.

The National Space Societyurges you to call or write your Congressional Representative today and request that he or sheco-sponsor H.R. 4752 (the Space Exploration, Development, and Settlement Act of 2016). Youshould specifically ask that the space staffer for yourRepresentative should contact Tony DeTora in Congressman Rohrabachers office to become a co-sponsor.

The full text of the bill can be found here:nss.org/sedsact. More information on the NSS Blog.

Space Solar Power Team Breaks Through at D3 Innovation Summit

(Washington, DC -- March 7, 2016) The National Space Society congratulates the Space Solar Power D3 (SSPD3) team on sweeping the awards in a March 2 multi-departmental competition to find promising new technology ideas that could simultaneously advance diplomacy, defense and development (D3). The SSPD3 team proposal was titled Carbon-Free Energy for Global Resilience and International Goodwill. See full press release and video of the 11-minute presentation below.

The Gravity of the National Space Societys Vision

(Washington, DC -- February 15, 2016) We are very proud and honored to congratulate the amazing achievement of our NSS member Dr. Kip Thorne for his leading involvement in the creation of the LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory) project. LIGOs recent world-changing detection of the existence of gravitational waves predicted by Einstein a century ago in his General Relativity Theory.

Regarding the grand NSS vision, Dr. Thorne remarked, I think that its clear that it is attainable to colonize the solar system. Getting beyond the solar system is going to be exceedingly difficult. We are going to either require a lot of brute force over a period of several centuries or else a brilliant idea that none of us has grasped yet. The first thing is the solar system, but we have not been moving at anything like the pace that we could or we should. See full press release.

NSS Pays Tribute to Late NSS Governor Dr. Marvin Minsky, A Pioneer in Artificial Intelligence

(Washington, DC -- February 11, 2016) The National Space Society pays tribute toDr. Marvin Minsky, who was very involved in early NSS activities and was part of many NSS space policy projects such as the 1981 Citizens Advisory Council on National Space Policy. He died on January 14 in Boston from a cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 88. Hugh Downs, Chair of the NSS Board of Governors, said, Marvin Minskywas a bright light in the arena of accelerating knowledge in modern physics. Where many of us plodded along to keep up with these changes, he seemed to always manage tobe evenwith them. He will be sorely missed by those who worked with him and knew him well. See full press release.

Settling Space Is the Only Sustainable Reason for Humans to Be in Space

(Washington, DC -- February 1, 2016) Dale Skran, NSS Executive Vice President, has published the following article in The Space Review:

As robotic and artificial intelligence technologies improve and enable increasingly robust exploration without a human presence, eventually there will be only one sustainable reason for humans to be in space: settlement. Research into the recycling technology required for long-term off-Earth settlements will directly benefit terrestrial sustainability. Actively working toward developing and settling space will make available mineral and energy resources for use on Earth on a vast scale. Finally, space settlement offers the hope of long-term species survival that remaining on Earth does not. SEE FULL ARTICLE.

National Space Society Congratulates Blue Origin on First Reflight of New Shepard Rocket

(Washington, DC -- January 23, 2016) On January 22, 2016, two months after Blue Origins New Shepard rocket first successfully flew to the edge of space and returned to its launch site intact, Blue Origin again made history by re-flying the same vehicle. Jeff Bezos stated Though wings and parachutes have their adherents and their advantages, Im a huge fan of rocket-powered vertical landing. Why? Becauseto achieve our vision of millions of people living and working in spacewe will need to build very large rocket boosters. And the vertical landing architecture scales extraordinarily well.

Blue Origins successful re-use of the New Shepard booster after reaching the edge of space represents a major step toward a fully re-usable sub-orbital vehicle, said Bruce Pittman, NSS Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. SEE FULL PRESS RELEASE AND VIDEO on the NSS Blog.

National Space Society Applauds Selection of Dream Chaser, Dragon 2, and Cygnus for ISS Cargo Services

(Washington, DC -- January 16, 2016) NSS congratulates Orbital ATK (Cygnus), Sierra Nevada (Dream Chaser), and SpaceX (Dragon 2) for being selected to provide cargo services to the International Space Station as part of the Commercial Resupply Service 2 (CRS-2) contract. The CRS contract covers the delivery of supplies to the ISS, disposal of ISS waste, and the return of scientific samples from the ISS. The new contract provides a minimum of six missions to each of the three winners during the period 2019-2024. A NASA spokesperson said, NASAs service contracts to resupply the space station have changed the way the agency does business in low-Earth orbit. With these contracts, NASA continues to advance commercial spaceflight and the American jobs it creates.

This announcement represents a major forward advance for NASA and the CRS program, said Dale Skran, NSS Executive Vice President. Both Orbital ATK and SpaceX added significant new capabilities over the first contract. In the new contract, the up-sized Cygnus with new solar panels will be used, and the Dragon 2 offers options for both berthing and docking, along with a rapid return to Earth capacity via propulsive landing. However, the selection of Sierra Nevada and the Dream Chaser means that for the first time since the retirement of the Space Shuttle reusable winged vehicles will be returning from space and landing at Kennedy Space Center.

NSS congratulates NASA on adding a third CRS provider, said Mark Hopkins, Chair of the NSS Executive Committee. The CRS-2 program now has triple redundancy in both orbital components and launch vehicles. NSS members look forward to the Dream Chasers first return from space. See full press release.

Interviews of NSS Chairman Mark Hopkins

Mark Hopkins, Chairman of the NSS Executive Committee, was interviewed on The Space Show on January 4 on the subject of space settlement in general and interstellar space settlement in particular. You can downloadthe 90-minute program here: thespaceshow.com/show/04-jan-2016/broadcast-2617.

You can hear other interviews of Mark conducted byDr. Karl Hricko on the show Contours on member-supported public radio station WNTIoperated by Centenary College in Hackettstown, NJ: Mark Hopkins interview August 23, 2015 (14 minutes) and Mark Hopkins interview May 28, 2015 (21 minutes).

Mark was also on a special edition of The Space Show in March 2007: thespaceshow.com/show/10-mar-2007/broadcast-683-special-edition.

National Space Society Partners with Voices From L5: A Space Settlement Podcast

(Washington, DC -- January 6, 2016) The National Space Society is proud to announce its partnership withVoices From L5. This exciting new podcast will open new discussions on space settlement, focusing on the humanities and social sciences, and educate the public on the science of space settlement. Space settlement is the concept of humankind moving our economy into space, with people living and working in space.

NSS vice president for Public Affairs Lynne Zielinski said, We are thrilled to strengthen our online community and outreach by branching into the vibrant world of podcasts, and we are very excited to be working withVoices From L5. This podcast project will explore topics such as law, art, politics and sociology to generate excitement among a whole new generation of space settlement enthusiasts.

To learn more aboutVoices From L5visit: https://www.patreon.com/VoicesFromL5

For previous podcasts visit: http://www.podcastchart.com/podcasts/voices-from-l5

Made In Space Teams with Enterprise In Space to 3D Print First Space-Bound Airframe

(Washington, DC -- December 18, 2015) Enterprise In Space (EIS), an international project of the non-profit National Space Society, is excited to announce a partnership with Made In Space, Inc. to extensively use 3D printed components in a spacecraft to be launched into Earth orbit. This educational spacecraft will be the first real spacecraft bearing the Enterprise name. Once in orbit, the NSS Enterprise will not only be the first 3D printed airframe in space, but it will also carry more than 100 passive and active student experiments into space and back to Earth.

See full press release.

The National Space Society Pays Tribute to Dr. Kalam One of Our Leading Lights Has Joined the Stars

(Washington, DC -- July 31, 2015) On 27 July 2015, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, eleventh President of India and a friend and inspiration to the National Space Society (NSS), passed away. NSS would like to convey our condolences to the family and friends of Dr. Kalam, and to all of India. His death is a great loss not only to India, but to the whole of humanity, said Mark Hopkins, chair of the NSS Executive Committee. In his honor, a permanent part of the online NSS library will be dedicated to his visionary space legacy. He was a true friend to NSS giving his name to our shared Kalam-NSS Space-based Solar Power Initiative.

One of the true statesmen of our generation, Dr. Kalam was regarded as one of the greatest minds, visionaries, and peacemakers of the early 21stcentury. Dr. Kalam was a towering spacefaring advocate. His passing is a deep loss to NSS. Loved and admired by the masses of India, he was loved and admired by us as well. We were honored to work with him and to present him with our 2013 Wernher von Braun Memorial Award (photo) for leading India into space and for being a global leader in space development. He will be missed terribly by all around the world who share a common vision of humanitys future in space.

See full press release.

NASA-Funded Study Reduces Cost of Human Missions to Moon and Mars by Factor of Ten

(Washington, DC -- July 20, 2015) The National Space Society (NSS) and Space Frontier Foundation (SFF) today announced their support for NASAs funding of the newly released NexGen Space study, illustrating how to cut the cost of human space exploration by a factor of 10. The study, Economic Assessment and Systems Analysis of an Evolvable Lunar Architecture that Leverages Commercial Space Capabilities and Public Private Partnerships, finds public-private partnerships are able to return humans to the Moon for approximately 90% less than the previously estimated $100 billion, allowing the United States to ensure national security in a new space age.

NSS congratulates NASA for funding the team at NexGen that discovered how such cost reductions are possible, said NSS Executive Committee Chair, Mark Hopkins. A factor of ten reduction in cost changes everything.

See full press release and video of press conference.

Worlds Leading Genomics Conference | Global Meetings …

Posted: at 7:44 pm

ConferenceSeries LLC provides the perfect platform for global networking and we are truly delighted to invite you to attend our 6thInternational Conference on Genomics & Pharmacogenomics, during July 13-14, 2017 Chicago, USA. Genomics-2017 is a global platform to discuss and learn about Genomics & Pharmacogenomics and its allied areas Bioinformatics, Transcriptomics, Biotechnology, Molecular Biology, Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering.

Track 1:Cancer Genomics

TumorGenomicsis the investigation ofhereditarytransformationsin charge of malignancy, utilizinggenomesequencingandbioinformatics. Diseasegenomicsis to enhance growth treatment and results lies in figuring out which sets of qualities and quality associations influence diverse subsets of tumors. UniversalCancer GenomeConsortium (ICGC) is a deliberate experimental association that gives a discussion to joint effort among the world's driving growth andgenomic analysts.

RelatedConferences: InternationalConference onNext Generation Sequencing, July 21-22, 2016 Berlin, Germany; 4th InternationalConferenceonIntegrativeBiology, July 18-20, 2016, Berlin, Germany, InternationalConferenceonClinicalandMolecularGenetics, November 28-30, 2016 Chicago, USA; InternationalConferenceonMolecularandCancerBiomarkers, September 15-17 2016, Berlin, Germany; 5th InternationalConferenceonCellandGeneTherapy, May 19-21, 2016 San Antonio, USA;CancerGenome(Q1), February 7-11, 2016, Alberta, Canada; 18th InternationalConference onCancer Genomics, January 26 - 27, 2016, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Enhancer Malfunction in Cancer (Q6), February 21-24, 2016, New Mexico, USA;DNA Damage, Mutation & Cancer, March 13-18, 2016, Ventura, USA; Chromatin andEpigenetics, 20 March 2016, Dubrovnik, Croatia;

Track 2:Functional Genomics

UtilitarianGenomicsuse incomprehensible abundance of information created bygenomic transcriptomictasks to portray quality capacities and cooperations. Patterns inFunctional Genomicsare Affymetrix developed as an early trend-setter around there by imagining a commonsense approach to examine quality capacity as a framework.

RelatedConferences: WorldCongressonHumanGeneticsOctober 31- November 02, 2016 Valencia, Spain; 4th InternationalConferenceonIntegrativeBiology, July 18-20, 2016, Berlin, Germany; InternationalConference onMolecularBiology, October 13-15, 2016 Dubai, UAE; InternationalConferenceonGeneticCounselingandGenomicMedicine August 11-12, 2016 Birmingham; 5th InternationalConferenceonCellandGeneTherapyMay 19-21, 2016 San Antonio, USA; InternationalSymposiumon RiceFunctionalGenomics, Sept 21-24, 2015, China;Ribosome structureand function 2016, 610 July 2016 | Strasbourg, France; 5thGeneticsand Genomics Conference, June 1-3, 2016, Nanjing, China; Chromatin,Non-codingRNAsandRNAPIIRegulationinDevelopmentandDiseaseConference,29 March 2016, Austin, USA;Maintenance ofGenome Stability2016, March 7-10, 2016, Panama, Central America

Track 3:Next Generation Sequencing

Cutting edge sequencing(NGS) is regularly alluded to as greatly parallel sequencing, which implies that a large number of little parts ofDNAcan be sequenced in the meantime, making a gigantic pool of information. Cutting edge sequencing (NGS), hugely parallel or profound sequencing is connected terms that portray aDNA sequencinginnovation which has upsetgenomic research.

RelatedConferences: InternationalConference onNext Generation Sequencing, July 21-22, 2016 Berlin, Germany; 4th InternationalConference onIntegrative Biology, July 18-20, 2016, Berlin, Germany; 6th InternationalConferenceonGenomicsandPharmacogenomics, September 12-14, 2016 Berlin, Germany; InternationalConferenceonGeneticCounselingandGenomicMedicineAugust11-12,2016 Birmingham; InternationalConferenceonMolecular Biology, October 13-15, 2016 Dubai, UAE; 6thNext GenerationSequencingConference, May 25-26, 2016, Boston, USA;GeneticsinForensicsCongress, 14-15, March 2016, London, UK; ICHG 2016, April 3-7, 2016, Japan;GenomeEditingandGene ModulationCongress, 6-8 April, 2016, Oxford, UK; 4th InternationalConferenceonBioinformaticsand Computational Biology, February 2-3, 2016, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Track 4:Biomarkers & Molecular Markers

Biomarkerscan be trademark organic properties or particles that can be distinguished and measured in parts of the body such as the blood or tissue.Biomarkerscan be particular cells, atoms, or qualities, quality items, chemicals, orhormones.Atomicmarkeris a section of DNA that is connected with a specific area inside of thegenome. Atomic markers are utilized as a part of sub-atomic science andbiotechnologyto distinguish a specific grouping of DNA in a pool of obscure DNA.

RelatedConferences: InternationalConferenceonMolecularandCancerBiomarkersSeptember 15-17, 2016 Berlin, Germany; 4th InternationalConference onIntegrative Biology, July 18-20, 2016 Berlin; 7th InternationalConferenceonBiomarkersandClinicalResearch, November 28-30, 2016 Baltimore, USA; InternationalConferenceonBiochemistryOctober 13-15, 2016 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; InternationalConference onProteinEngineering, October 26-28, 2015 Chicago, USA;BiomarkerSummit, 2123 March 2016, San Diego, United States; 18th InternationalConference on Biomarkers andClinical Medicine, 16-17 May, 2016, Paris, France;Circulating Biomarkers World Congress2016, 21-22 March, 2016, Boston, USA;The Biomarker Conference, 18 - 19 February 2016, San Diego, USA;CancerMolecular Markers, 7-9, March 2016, San Francisco, USA

Track: 5Pharmacogenomics & Personalized Medicine

Pharmacogenomicsis a piece of a field called customized solution that means to tweak human services, with choices and medications custom-made to every individual patient inside and out conceivable.Pharmacogenomicsandpharmacogenomicsmanages new developments in the field of customized meds and advancements in modified medication revelation utilizingproteomeinnovation.

RelatedConferences: 5th InternationalConferenceonMetabolomics, May 16-18, 2016 Osaka, International Conference onGeneticCounselingandGenomicMedicineAugust 11-12, 2016 Birmingham; Japan; 5th InternationalConferenceonTissueScienceandRegenerativeMedicine September 12-14, 2016 Berlin, Germany; InternationalConferenceonRestorativeMedicine October 24-26, 2016 Chicago, USA; InternationalConferenceonMolecularGenetics, November 28-30, 2016 Chicago, USA; Golden Helix Symposium, January 14-16, 2016, Mansoura, Egypt;ThePersonalized Medicine, World Conference 24-27 January, 2016, San Francisco, USA; 14thAsia-PacificFederationforClinicalBiochemistryand LaboratoryMedicineCongress, November 26-29, 2016,Taipei, Taiwan;Personalized Medicine, July 10-15, 2016, Hong Kong, China; 18th InternationalConferenceonPharmaceuticalEngineeringandPharmacogenetics, March 30 - 31, 2016, Istanbul, Turkey

Track 6:Clinical Genomics

Clinical Genomicsis the utilization of genome sequencing to educate understanding analysis and care.Genome sequencingis relied upon to have the most effect in: portraying and diagnosinghereditary infection; stratifying patients for fittingmalignancytreatment; and giving data around an individual'simaginable reactionto treatment to lessen antagonistic medication responses.

RelatedConferences: ThePersonalized Medicine, World Conference24-27 January, 2016, San Francisco, USA; InternationalConferenceonClinicalandMolecularGenetics, November 28-30, 2016 Chicago, USA; 5th InternationalConferenceandExhibitiononMetabolomics, May 16-18, 2016 Osaka, Japan; InternationalConference onRestorativeMedicine October 24-26, 2016 Chicago, USA; 5th InternationalConferenceonTissue ScienceandRegenerativeMedicineSeptember 12-14, 2016 Berlin, Germany;AmericanCollege ofMedicalGeneticsandGenomics(ACMG)Annual Clinical Genetics Meeting, March 8-12, 2016, Tampa, USA; BelgianSocietyofHumanGeneticsandDutchSocietyforHumanGeneticsJoint Meeting 2016 (NVHG BESHG 2016), February 4-5, 2016, Leuven, Belgium; An International theAssociation ofBiomolecularResourceFacilities, February 20-23, 2016, Florida, USA; 14th Asia-PacificFederation forClinicalBiochemistryandLaboratoryMedicineCongress, November 26-29, 2016,Taipei, Taiwan;Personalized Medicine, July 10-15, 2016, Hong Kong, China

Track 7:Micro RNA

MicroRNAscomprise a novel class of small, non-coding endogenous RNAs that regulategene expressionby directing their targetmRNAsfor degradation or translational repression. miRNAs represent smallRNA moleculesencoded in thegenomesofplantsand animals. These highly conserved 22 nucleotides longRNA sequencesregulate the expression of genes by binding to the 3'-untranslated regions (3'-UTR) of specific mRNAs. A growing body of evidence shows that mRNAs are one of the key players in cell differentiation and growth, mobility andapoptosis.

RelatedConferences: InternationalConferenceonClinicalandMolecularGenetics, November 28-30, 2016 Chicago, USA; InternationalConferenceonNextGenerationSequencingJuly 21-22, 2016 Berlin, Germany; 7th InternationalConferenceandExpoonProteomicsOctober 24-26, 2016 Rome, Italy; InternationalConferenceonStructuralBiologyJune 23-24, 2016 New Orleans, USA; InternationalConference onTranscriptomicsAugust 18-20, 2016 Portland, Oregon USA; InternationalConferenceonMolecular BiologyOctober 13-15, 2016 Dubai, UAE; 18th InternationalConferenceon ExtracellularBiomarkers, 22 23 April, 2016, London, United Kingdom; The 21st Annual Meeting of the RNA Society, June 28-June 2, 2016, Kyoto, Japan;NoncodingRNAsinHealthandDisease, February 21-24, 2016, New Mexico, USA;Small RNASilencing: Little Guides, Big Biology, January 24-28, 2016, Colorado, USA;MicroRNAas Biomarkers and Diagnostics, Positive-Strand RNAViruses, May 1-5, 2016, Texas, USA

Track 8:mRNA Analysis

mRNAis a subtype of RNA. AmRNAatom conveys a segment of the DNA code to different parts of the cell for preparing.mRNAis made amid interpretation. Amid the translation handle, a solitary strand ofDNAis decoded by RNA polymerase, and mRNA is incorporated. Physically, mRNA is a strand of nucleotides known asribonucleiccorrosive, and is single-stranded.

RelatedConferences: InternationalConferenceonClinicalandMolecularGenetics, November 28-30, 2016 Chicago, USA; InternationalConferenceonNextGenerationSequencingJuly 21-22, 2016 Berlin, Germany; 7th InternationalConferenceandExpoonProteomicsOctober 24-26, 2016 Rome, Italy; InternationalConferenceonStructuralBiologyJune 23-24, 2016 New Orleans, USA; InternationalConference onTranscriptomicsAugust 18-20, 2016 Portland, Oregon USA; InternationalConferenceonMolecular BiologyOctober 13-15, 2016 Dubai, UAE; FromCellBiologytoPathology, January 24-27, 2016, New Mexico, USA; Complex Life of mRNA, 58 October 2016, Heidelberg, Germany;Genome Editingand Gene ModulationCongress2016, 6-8 Apr 2016, Oxford, United Kingdom;NGS2015 Sheffield Conference, 18-19 November, 2015, Sheffield, USA;QuantitativemethodsinGeneRegulation-III, 7-8 December, 2015, Cambridge, UK

Track9:BioinformaticsinGenomics

Bioinformaticsis the exploration of gathering and breaking down complex organic information, for example,hereditary codes. Sub-atomic solution requires the joining and examination of genomic, sub-atomic, cell, and additionallyclinical informationand it in this way offers a momentous arrangement of difficulties to bioinformatics.

RelatedConferences: 5th InternationalConferenceonComputationalSystemsBiologyAugust 22-23, 2016 Philadelphia, USA; 6th InternationalConferenceonBioinformaticsMarch 29-30, 2016 Valencia, Spain; 7th InternationalConferenceonBioinformaticsOctober 27-28, 2016 Chicago, USA; 2nd InternationalConference onTranscriptomics August 18-20, 2016 Portland, Oregon USA; InternationalConferenceonNext GenerationSequencingJuly 21-22, 2016 Berlin, Germany; The FourteenthAsia PacificBioinformaticsConference, 11th-13 January 2016, San Francisco, USA; 18th InternationalConferenceonBioinformatics andBiotechnology, 19 20 May 2016, Berlin, Germany; IEEEconference onComputationalIntelligenceinBioinformaticsandComputationalBiology, October 5-7, 2016, Chiang Mai, Thailand; 7th InternationalConferenceonBioinformaticsModels,MethodsandAlgorithms, 21- 23 Feb, 2016, Rome, Italy;Bio banking2016, 57 January 2016, London, United Kingdom

Track 10:Comparative Genomics

SimilarGenomicsandgenomicmedicinenewfieldofnaturalexaminationinwhichthegenomegroupins of variousspecies- human, mouse and a wide assortment of different life forms from yeast to chimpanzees-are looked at. The assessment of likenesses and contrasts betweengenomesof various life forms; can uncover contrasts in the middle of people and species and also transformative connections.

RelatedConferences: WorldCongressonHumanGeneticsOctober 31- November 02, 2016 Valencia, Spain; 4th InternationalConferenceonIntegrativeBiology, July 18-20, 2016, Berlin, Germany; InternationalConference onMolecular Biology, October 13-15, 2016 Dubai, UAE; InternationalConferenceonGenetic Counseling andGenomicMedicineAugust 11-12, 2016 Birmingham; 5th InternationalConference onCellandGeneTherapyMay 19-21, 2016 San Antonio, USA; 20th Annual InternationalConferenceonComputationalMolecularBiology, April 17-21, 2016, Santa Monica, USA; 8th InternationalConferenceonBioinformaticsandComputationalBiology, April 4-6, 2016, Nevada, USA; Visualizingbiological data, 911 March 2016, Heidelberg, Germany; Chromatin andEpigenetics, March 20-24, 2016, British Columbia, Canada; Game ofEpigenetics,April 24-28, 2016 in Dubrovnik

Track 11:Plant Genomics

Late mechanical headways have generously extended our capacity to dissect and comprehendplantgenomesand to diminish the crevice existing in the middle of genotype and phenotype. The quick advancing field of genomics permits researchers to dissect a huge number of qualities in parallel, to comprehend the hereditary building design ofplant genomesfurthermore to separate the qualities in charge oftransformations.

RelatedConferences: InternationalConferenceonPlantPhysiologyJune 09-11, 2016 Dallas, USA ;GlobalSummit onPlant ScienceNovember 28-30, 2016 Baltimore, USA; 5th InternationalConferenceonAgricultureand HorticultureJune 27-29, 2016 Cape Town, South Africa ; 6th InternationalConferenceonGenomicsand PharmacogenomicsSeptember 22-24, 2016 Berlin, Germany; InternationalConferenceonGreen Energy& ExpoNovember 28-30, 2016 Baltimore, USA;PlantGenomes andBiotechnology: from genes to networks Dec ember 02-05, 2015 Berlin, Germany; Plant Genome Evolution 2015 September, 6 - 8 2015 Amsterdam, The Netherlands; The 3rdPlant GenomicsCongressSeptember 14-15,2015 Missouri, USA; ProkaGENOMICS EuropeanConferenceonProkaryoticandFungalGenomics29 September-2 October 2015 Gttingen, Germany; InternationalMeetingonBioinformaticsand OMICs October 27- 30,2015 Varadero, Cuba; The 2ndPlant GenomicsCongress: September 14-15, 2015 MO, USA; GETGlobal ConferenceSeptember17-19, 2015 Vienna, Austria

Track 12:Personal Genomics

Individualgenomicsis the branch of genomics worried with thesequencingand examination of the genome of a person. Thegenotypingstage utilizes diverse strategies, includingsingle-nucleotide polymorphism(SNP) examination chips or incomplete or fullgenome sequencing.

RelatedConferences: 4th InternationalConferenceonIntegrativeBiology, July 18-20, 2016, Berlin, Germany; 2nd InternationalConferenceonTranscriptomicsAugust 18-20, 2016 Portland, Oregon USA; InternationalConferenceonNextGenerationSequencingJuly 21-22, 2016 Berlin, Germany;WorldCongress onHumanGeneticsOctober 31- November 02, 2016 Valencia, Spain; 18th InternationalConference onHuman Genetics, February 25 - 26, 2016, London, United Kingdom;Visualizing biological data, 911 March 2016, Heidelberg, Germany; 1st Annual InternationalCongressofGenetics, April 25-28, Dalian, China;ChromatinandEpigenetics, March 20-24, 2016, British Columbia,Canada;GameofEpigenetics, April 24-28, 2016 in Dubrovnik

Track 13:Microbial Genomics

MicrobialGenomicsappliesrecombinantDNA,DNAsequencingroutines,andbioinformaticsto succession, gather, and dissect the capacity and structure of genomes in organisms. Amid the previous 10 years, genomics-based methodologies have profoundly affected the field ofmicrobiologyand our comprehension of microbial species. In view of their bigger genome sizes,genome sequencingendeavors on growths and unicellular eukaryotes were slower to begin than ventures concentrated on prokaryotes.

RelatedConferences: InternationalConferenceonMolecular BiologyOctober 13-15, 2016 Dubai, UAE; 4th InternationalConferenceonIntegrativeBiologyJuly 18-20, 2016 Berlin, Germany; InternationalConference onMicrobial Physiology and Genomics October 20-22, 2016 Rome, Italy; 4th InternationalConference onClinicalMicrobiologyandMicrobialGenomics October 05-07, 2015 Philadelphia, USA; 2ndWorld CongressandExpoonAppliedMicrobiologyOctober 31-November 02, 2016 Istanbul, Turkey; 18th InternationalConferenceonClinicalMicrobiologyandMicrobialGenomics, June 9 - 10, 2016, San Francisco, USA; 18th InternationalConferenceonMicrobialGenomeResources, February 11 - 12, 2016, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 18th InternationalConferenceonMicrobialGenomeResourcesand Clinical Microbiology, January 12 - 13, 2016, Zurich, Switzerland; 18th InternationalConference onMolecular Geneticsand Microbiology, February 25 - 26, 2016, London, United Kingdom

Track 14:Future trends in Genomics

Genomics researchholds the way to meeting a considerable lot of the difficulties of the coming years. Right now, the greatest test is in information investigation. We can produce a lot of information modestly, yet that overpowers our ability to comprehend it. The significant test of theGenomeResearch is we have to imbuegenomic datainto restorative practice, which is truly hard.

RelatedConferences: InternationalConferenceonClinical and Molecular Genetics, November 28-30, 2016 Chicago, USA; 2nd InternationalConferenceonTranscriptomicsAugust 18-20, 2016 Portland, Oregon USA;International ConferenceonNextGenerationSequencingJuly 21-22, 2016 Berlin, Germany; The FourteenthAsia PacificBioinformaticsConference, 11th-13 January 2016, San Francisco, USA;WorldCongress onHumanGeneticsOctober 31- November 02, 2016 Valencia, Spain; 18th InternationalConference onGeneticsand Genomics, June 9 - 10, 2016, San Francisco, USA; NGS 16Genome Annotation, April 4 6, 2016, Barcelona, Spain; Maintenance of Genome Stability 2016, March 7-10, 2016, Panama, Central America;Epigenomics: new marks, new horizons, December 2015, 2 December 2015, UK;Human GenomeMeeting, 28 February 2 March 2016, Houston, USA

Track15:GenomicMedicine GenomicMedicineas "a developing restorative train that includes utilizinggenomicdataaround a person as a major aspect of their clinical consideration (e.g., for demonstrative or remedial choice making) and the wellbeing results and strategy ramifications of that clinical use." Already,genomic medicationis having an effect in the fields ofoncology,pharmacology, uncommon and undiscovered maladies, and irresistible illness.

RelatedConferences: InternationalConferenceonMolecularandCancerBiomarkersSeptember 15-17, 2016 Berlin, Germany; 4th InternationalConferenceonIntegrativeBiology, July 18-20, 2016 Berlin; 7th InternationalConferenceonBiomarkers & Clinical Research, November 28-30, 2016 Baltimore, USA; InternationalConferenceonBiochemistryOctober 13-15, 2016 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; InternationalConference onProtein Engineering, October 26-28, 2015 Chicago, USA;BiomarkerSummit, 2123 March 2016, San Diego, United States; 18th InternationalConferenceonBiomarkersandClinicalMedicine, 16-17 May, 2016, Paris, France; Circulating Biomarkers World Congress 2016, 21-22 March, 2016, Boston, USA; The Biomarker Conference, 18 - 19 February 2016, San Diego, USA; CancerMolecular Markers, 7-9, March 2016, San Francisco, USA

Track 16:Genomics Market

Genomicsis the study of thegenetic materialor genomes of an organism. Analysts forecast theGlobal Genomicsmarketwill grow at a CAGR of 11.21% over the period 2013-2018. According to the report, the most important driver of the market is an increase in the demand for consumables. The growing adoption ofgenetictestingfor various applications, especially in regions such as the APAC, and an increase ingenetictestingvolumes in North America and Western Europe is increasing the demand for consumables.

RelatedConferences: 5th InternationalConferenceonComputationalSystemsBiologyAugust 22-23, 2016 Philadelphia, USA; 6th InternationalConferenceonBioinformaticsMarch 29-30, 2016 Valencia, Spain; 7th InternationalConference onBioinformaticsOctober 27-28, 2016 Chicago, USA; 2nd InternationalConference onTranscriptomicsAugust 18-20, 2016 Portland, Oregon USA; InternationalConferenceonNext GenerationSequencingJuly 21-22, 2016 Berlin, Germany; The FourteenthAsia PacificBioinformaticsConference, 11th-13 January 2016, San Francisco, USA; 18th InternationalConference on Bioinformatics andBiotechnology, 19 20 May 2016, Berlin, Germany; IEEEconference onBioinformaticsandComputationalBiology, October 5-7, 2016, Chiang Mai, Thailand; 7th InternationalConferenceonBioinformaticsModels, MethodsandAlgorithms, 21- 23 Feb, 2016, Rome, Italy;Bio banking2016, 57 January 2016, London, United Kingdom.

Originally posted here:
Worlds Leading Genomics Conference | Global Meetings ...

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Top Ron Paul aide learns fate for 2012 campaign violations …

Posted: at 7:42 pm

n this Dec. 29, 2011 file photo, then-Republican presidential candidate, Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, listens as campaign chairman Jesse Benton has a word with him as he signs autographs in Atlantic, Iowa.

Charles Dharapak, AP

DES MOINES-- The chairman of Ron Pauls 2012 presidential bid was sentenced Tuesday to probation and home confinement rather than prison, and two other top aides were awaiting their sentences for a scheme to cover up campaign payments to a former Iowa state senator who agreed to endorse their boss.

Although prosecutors were seeking more than two years in federal prison, Jesse Benton was sentenced to two years probation and six months of home confinement, along with community service and a $10,000 fine. He was convicted of conspiracy, causing false campaign contribution reports to be filed to the Federal Election Commission and participating in a false statement scheme.

Judge James Jarvey called the crimes serious and said Benton took advantage of the system designed to ensure transparency in how campaigns are financed.

Theres nothing like prison time to deter white collar activity, Jarvey said, before announcing that he thought the lesser punishment was enough of a deterrent in Bentons case.

Prior to the sentencing announcement, Benton told the judge he had endured years of sleepless nights and public humiliation. He said his career is ruined and that he was forced to place his home on the market after going into debt.

A steep price has been paid, he said.

Benton and his attorney declined to comment as they left the courthouse.

The campaigns manager, John Tate, and deputy manager Dimitri Kesari also were convicted. Tate was also scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday. Kesaris sentencing is set for Wednesday morning.

The men have argued they broke no laws when they paid a video production company, which passed on $73,000 to former state Sen. Kent Sorenson. He dropped support for Michele Bachmann and endorsed Paul six days before the 2012 Iowa caucuses.

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Venture capitalist Peter Thiel tells Morley Safer why he's given more than $2.5 million to Libertarian congressman and presidential candidate Ron...

Prosecutors said it is illegal to cause a campaign to file inaccurate spending documents.

The men said they were targeted because of their conservative politics and argued campaigns typically dont identify payments to subcontractors of vendors.

They are expected to appeal their convictions to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. If the judges rule against the men, they may choose to seek further review of the U.S. Supreme Court.

The three men faced up to 35 years in prison had the judge handed down maximums to be served consecutively.

Benton, 38, of Louisville, Kentucky, is married to Ron Pauls granddaughter, Valori Pyeatt. He also had managed the successful 2010 U.S. Senate campaign for Pauls son, Rand Paul, in Kentucky and served as campaign manager for Sen. Mitch McConnells 2014 re-election, but resigned that summer as the investigation intensified in Iowa.

Speaking before the men were sentenced, an Iowa political consultant said the case is a stark reminder to anyone in the early presidential contest states including Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina that theyll be intensely watched and they should follow the rules carefully.

What you might get away with doing in a local state legislative campaigns can get you in really deep serious trouble on a presidential campaign if its exposed, said Craig Robinson, who served on Steve Forbes presidential campaign in 2000, was state GOP director in 2008 and is publisher of the conservative The Iowa Republican blog.

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Top Ron Paul aide learns fate for 2012 campaign violations ...

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Ron Paul Liberty Report – Home

Posted: at 7:42 pm

Do you really own something if the governmentforces youto make never-ending payments on it?

I think the answer is no.

Youpossesssuch an item, but you dontownit outright. Its an important distinction.

A ridiculous threat to property rights has infected most of the world like a virus. Most people unquestioningly accept it as a normal part of lifelike gravity or the sun setting in the west.

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Government seeks to help the poor, but only succeeds in hurting them even more. The same can be said for when government seeks to provide "paid maternity leave". Once again, in its attempt to supposedly help women, it can only end up hurting them.

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Are you tired of the exhausting displays of political correctness in America? Can't you just feel the liberty and ability to think freely being squeezed out of society? Did you ever wonder where it all came from? After all, there is nothing more powerful than ideas. How did we get here, and who has been behind it? Well, below you'll find an extremely easy to understand presentation that will open your eyes. Make the time to watch it. You won't regret it:

Today's Liberty Report is joined by US Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) to discuss the state of the liberty movement both inside and outside of government. What can we do to make a difference? Streamed LIVE Sept 21, 2016

Just over a week after a ceasefire deal was announced by the US and Russia, the deal is a smoldering ruin. A US strike on Syrian forces, US-backed rebel groups that refuse to break with al-Qaeda, and an attack yesterday on a humanitarian aid convoy in Aleppo have obliterated any hopes for an end to the violence. What should the US do next? Streamed LIVE Sept 20, 2016

Has the surveillance state claimed the last bit of our privacy? Our lives are being stored at enormous "data centers" in the US and abroad. Everything we do, every transaction, every website we visit. This has nothing to do with terrorism and everything to do with control. Today's Liberty Report is joined by former State Department official Peter Van Buren to discuss the surveillance state as so masterfully depicted in the recent Oliver Stone film, Snowden.Published Sept 19, 2016

As Hillary Clinton calls millions of Americans "irredeemable" and "deplorable," Ron Paul explains why those terms apply to American politics itself. Gang warfare and a sprawling government enforcer wasn't supposed to be the fate of the "land of the free." There is a better way to live. Don't miss today's Myth-Busters! Publishes Sept 16, 2016

Yesterday US National Security Advisor Susan Rice signed a "memorandum of understanding" committing the US to providing $38 billion in military aid over the next ten years. Philip Giraldi joins today's Liberty Report to break down the agreement and discuss whether it really does, as Rice claims, benefit US security. Streamed LIVE Sept 15, 2016

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Ron Paul Liberty Report - Home

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Problem gambling – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Posted: September 20, 2016 at 7:19 pm

Problem gambling (or ludomania, but usually referred to as "gambling addiction" or "compulsive gambling") is an urge to gamble continuously despite harmful negative consequences or a desire to stop. Problem gambling is often defined by whether harm is experienced by the gambler or others, rather than by the gambler's behavior. Severe problem gambling may be diagnosed as clinical pathological gambling if the gambler meets certain criteria. Pathological gambling is a common disorder that is associated with both social and family costs.

The DSM-5 has re-classified the condition as an addictive disorder, with sufferers exhibiting many similarities to those who have substance addictions. The term gambling addiction has long been used in the recovery movement.[1] Pathological gambling was long considered by the American Psychiatric Association to be an impulse control disorder rather than an addiction.[2] However, data suggest a closer relationship between pathological gambling and substance use disorders than exists between PG and obsessive-compulsive disorder, largely because the behaviors in problem gambling and most primary substance use disorders (i.e., those not resulting from a desire to "self-medicate" for another condition such as depression) seek to activate the brain's reward mechanisms while the behaviors characterizing obsessive-compulsive disorder are prompted by overactive and misplaced signals from the brain's fear mechanisms.[3]

Research by governments in Australia led to a universal definition for that country which appears to be the only research-based definition not to use diagnostic criteria: "Problem gambling is characterized by many difficulties in limiting money and/or time spent on gambling which leads to adverse consequences for the gambler, others, or for the community."[8] The University of Maryland Medical Center defines pathological gambling as "being unable to resist impulses to gamble, which can lead to severe personal or social consequences".[9]

Most other definitions of problem gambling can usually be simplified to any gambling that causes harm to the gambler or someone else in any way; however, these definitions are usually coupled with descriptions of the type of harm or the use of diagnostic criteria.[citation needed] The DSM-V has since reclassified pathological gambling as "gambling disorder" and has listed the disorder under substance-related and addictive disorders rather than impulse-control disorders. This is due to the symptomatology of the disorder resembling an addiction not dissimilar to that of substance-abuse.[10] There are both environmental and genetic factors that can influence on gambler and cause some type of addiction.[11] In order to be diagnosed, an individual must have at least four of the following symptoms in a 12-month period:[12]

According to the Illinois Institute for Addiction Recovery, evidence indicates that pathological gambling is an addiction similar to chemical addiction.[13] It has been observed that some pathological gamblers have lower levels of norepinephrine than normal gamblers.[14] According to a study conducted by Alec Roy, formerly at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, norepinephrine is secreted under stress, arousal, or thrill, so pathological gamblers gamble to make up for their under-dosage.[15]

According to a report from Harvard Medical School's division on addictions, there was an experiment constructed where test subjects were presented with situations where they could win, lose, or break even in a casino-like environment. Subjects' reactions were measured using fMRI, a neuroimaging technique. And according to Hans Breiter, co-director of the Motivation and Emotion Neuroscience Center at Massachusetts General Hospital, "monetary reward in a gambling-like experiment produces brain activation very similar to that observed in a cocaine addict receiving an infusion of cocaine."[16][17] Studies have compared pathological gamblers to substance addicts, concluding that addicted gamblers display more physical symptoms during withdrawal.[18]

Deficiencies in serotonin might also contribute to compulsive behavior, including a gambling addiction.[19] There are three importat points discovered after these antidepressant studies:[20]

A limited study was presented at a conference in Berlin, suggesting opioid release differs in problem gamblers form the general population, but in a very different way from alcoholics or other substance abusers.[21]

The findings in one review indicated the sensitization theory is responsible.[22] Dopamine dysregulation syndrome has been observed in the aforementioned theory in people with regards to such activities as gambling.[23]

Some medical authors suggest that the biomedical model of problem gambling may be unhelpful because it focuses only on individuals. These authors point out that social factors may be a far more important determinant of gambling behaviour than brain chemicals and they suggest that a social model may be more useful in understanding the issue.[24] For example, an apparent increase in problem gambling in the UK may be better understood as a consequence of changes in legislation which came into force in 2007 and enabled casinos, bookmakers, and online betting sites to advertise on TV and radio for the first time and which eased restrictions on the opening of betting shops and online gambling sites.[25]

Pathological gambling is similar to many other impulse control disorders such as kleptomania.[26] According to evidence from both community- and clinic-based studies, individuals who are pathological gamblers are highly likely to exhibit other psychiatric problems concurrently, including substance use disorders, mood and anxiety disorders, or personality disorders.[27]

Pathological gambling shows several similarities with substance abuse. There is a partial overlap in diagnostic criteria; pathological gamblers are also likely to abuse alcohol and other drugs. The "telescoping phenomenon" reflects the rapid development from initial to problematic behavior in women compared with men. This phenomenon was initially described for alcoholism, but it has also been applied to pathological gambling. Also biological data provide a support for a relationship between pathological gambling and substance abuse.[28]

In a 1995 survey of 184 Gamblers Anonymous members in Illinois, Illinois State professor Henry Lesieur found that 56 percent admitted to some illegal act to obtain money to gamble. Fifty-eight percent admitted they wrote bad checks, while 44 percent said they stole or embezzled money from their employer.[29] Compulsive gambling can affect personal relationships. In a 1991 study of relationships of American men, it was found that 10% of compulsive gamblers had been married more than twice. Only 2% of men who did not gamble were married more than twice.[30] According to statistics by the BGM (British Medical Journal), families of problem gamblers are more likely to experience child abuse or other forms of domestic violence.[31]

A gambler who does not receive treatment for pathological gambling when in his or her desperation phase may contemplate suicide.[32] Problem gambling is often associated with increased suicidal ideation and attempts compared to the general population.[33][34]

Early onset of problem gambling increases the lifetime risk of suicide.[35] However, gambling-related suicide attempts are usually made by older people with problem gambling.[36] Both comorbid substance use[37][38] and comorbid mental disorders increase the risk of suicide in people with problem gambling.[36] A 2010 Australian hospital study found that 17% of suicidal patients admitted to the Alfred Hospital's emergency department were problem gamblers.[39] In the United States, a report by the National Council on Problem Gambling showed approximately one in five pathological gamblers attempt suicide. The council also said that suicide rates among pathological gamblers were higher than any other addictive disorder.[40]

David Phillips, a sociologist from the University of California-San Diego, found "visitors to and residents of gaming communities experience significantly elevated suicide levels". According to him, Las Vegas, the largest gaming market in the United States, "displays the highest levels of suicide in the nation, both for residents of Las Vegas and for visitors to that setting". In Atlantic City, the second-largest gaming market, he found "abnormally high suicide levels for visitors and residents appeared only after gambling casinos were opened".[41]

Several psychological mechanisms are thought to be implicated in the development and maintenance of problem gambling.[42] First, reward processing seems to be less sensitive with problem gamblers. Second, some individuals use problem gambling as an escape from the problems in their lives (an example of negative reinforcement). Third, personality factors play a role, such as narcissism, risk-seeking, sensation-seeking and impulsivity. Fourth, problem gamblers suffer from a number of cognitive biases, including the illusion of control,[43] unrealistic optimism, overcondence and the gambler's fallacy (the incorrect belief that a series of random events tends to self-correct so that the absolute frequencies of each of various outcomes balance each other out). Fifth, problem gamblers represent a chronic state of a behavioral spin process, a gambling spin, as described by the criminal spin theory.[44]

The most common instrument used to screen for "probable pathological gambling" behavior is the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS) developed by Lesieur and Blume (1987) at the South Oaks Hospital in New York City.[45] In recent years the use of SOGS has declined due to a number of criticisms, including that it overestimates false positives (Battersby, Tolchard, Thomas & Esterman, 2002).

The DSM-IV diagnostic criteria presented as a checklist is an alternative to SOGS, it focuses on the psychological motivations underpinning problem gambling and was developed by the American Psychiatric Association. It consists of ten diagnostic criteria. One frequently used screening measure based upon the DSM-IV criteria is the National Opinion Research Center DSM Screen for Gambling Problems (NODS). The Canadian Problem Gambling Inventory (CPGI) and the Victorian Gambling Screen (VGS) are newer assessment measures. The Problem Gambling Severity Index, which focuses on the harms associated with problem gambling, is composed of nine items from the longer CPGI.[46] The VGS is also harm based and includes 15 items. The VGS has proven validity and reliability in population studies as well as Adolescents and clinic gamblers.

Most treatment for problem gambling involves counseling, step-based programs, self-help, peer-support, medication, or a combination of these. However, no one treatment is considered to be most efficacious and no medications have been approved for the treatment of pathological gambling by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Only one treatment facility[47] has been given a license to officially treat gambling as an addiction, and that was by the State of Virginia.[48]

Gamblers Anonymous (GA) is a commonly used treatment for gambling problems. Modeled after Alcoholics Anonymous, GA uses a 12-step model that emphasizes a mutual-support approach. There are three in-patient treatment centers in North America.[49] One form of counseling, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) has been shown to reduce symptoms and gambling-related urges. This type of therapy focuses on the identification of gambling-related thought processes, mood and cognitive distortions that increase one's vulnerability to out-of-control gambling. Additionally, CBT approaches frequently utilize skill-building techniques geared toward relapse prevention, assertiveness and gambling refusal, problem solving and reinforcement of gambling-inconsistent activities and interests.[50]

As to behavioral treatment, some recent research supports the use of both activity scheduling and desensitization in the treatment of gambling problems.[51] In general, behavior analytic research in this area is growing [52] There is evidence that the SSRI paroxetine is efficient in the treatment of pathological gambling.[53] Additionally, for patients suffering from both pathological gambling and a comorbid bipolar spectrum condition, sustained release lithium has shown efficacy in a preliminary trial.[54] The opioid antagonist drug nalmefene has also been trialled quite successfully for the treatment of compulsive gambling.[55]

Other step-based programs are specific to gambling and generic to healing addiction, creating financial health, and improving mental wellness. Commercial alternatives that are designed for clinical intervention, using the best of health science and applied education practices, have been used as patient-centered tools for intervention since 2007. They include measured efficacy and resulting recovery metrics.[medical citation needed]

Motivational interviewing is one of the treatments of compulsive gambling. The motivational interviewing's basic goal is promoting readiness to change through thinking and resolving mixed feelings. Avoiding aggressive confrontation, argument, labeling, blaming, and direct persuasion, the interviewer supplies empathy and advice to compulsive gamblers who define their own goal. The focus is on promoting freedom of choice and encouraging confidence in the ability to change.[56]

A growing method of treatment is peer support. With the advancement of online gambling, many gamblers experiencing issues use various online peer-support groups to aid their recovery. This protects their anonymity while allowing them to attempt recovery on their own, often without having to disclose their issues to loved ones.[medical citation needed]

Research into self-help for problem gamblers has shown benefits.[57] A study by Wendy Slutske of the University of Missouri concluded one-third of pathological gamblers overcome it by natural recovery.[58]

According to the Productivity Commission's 2010 final report into gambling, the social cost of problem gambling is close to 4.7 billion dollars a year. Some of the harms resulting from problem gambling include depression, suicide, lower work productivity, job loss, relationship breakdown, crime and bankruptcy.[59] A survey conducted in 2008 found that the most common motivation for fraud was problem gambling, with each incident averaging a loss of $1.1 million.[59]

In Europe, the rate of problem gambling is typically 0.5 to 3 percent.[60] The "British Gambling Prevalence Survey 2007", conducted by the United Kingdom Gambling Commission, found approximately 0.6 percent of the adult population had problem gambling issuesthe same percentage as in 1999.[61] The highest prevalence of problem gambling was found among those who participated in spread betting (14.7%), fixed odds betting terminals (11.2%) and betting exchanges (9.8%).[61] In Norway, a December 2007 study showed the amount of present problem gamblers was 0.7 percent.[62]

In the United States, the percentage of pathological gamblers was 0.6 percent, and the percentage of problem gamblers was 2.3 percent in 2008.[63] Studies commissioned by the National Gambling Impact Study Commission Act has shown the prevalence rate ranges from 0.1 percent to 0.6 percent.[64] Nevada has the highest percentage of pathological gambling; a 2002 report estimated 2.2 to 3.6 percent of Nevada residents over the age of 18 could be called problem gamblers. Also, 2.7 to 4.3 percent could be called probable pathological gamblers.[65]

According to a 1997 meta-analysis by Harvard Medical School's division on addictions, 1.1 percent of the adult population of the United States and Canada could be called pathological gamblers.[66] A 1996 study estimated 1.2 to 1.9 percent of adults in Canada were pathological.[67] In Ontario, a 2006 report showed 2.6 percent of residents experienced "moderate gambling problems" and 0.8 percent had "severe gambling problems".[68] In Quebec, an estimated 0.8 percent of the adult population were pathological gamblers in 2002.[69] Although most who gamble do so without harm, approximately 6 million American adults are addicted to gambling.[70]

Signs of a gambling problem include:[medical citation needed]

Both casinos and poker machines in pubs and clubs facilitate problem gambling in Australia. The building of new hotels and casinos has been described as "one of the most active construction markets in Australia"; for example, AUD$860 million was allocated to rebuild and expand the Star Complex in Sydney.[71]

A 2010 study, conducted in the Northern Territory by researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) and Southern Cross University (SCU), found that the proximity of a person's residence to a gambling venue is significant in terms of prevalence. Harmful gambling in the study was prevalent among those living within 100 metres of any gambling venue, and was over 50% higher than among those living ten kilometres from a venue. The study's data stated:

"Specifically, people who lived 100 metres from their favourite venue visited an estimated average of 3.4 times per month. This compared to an average of 2.8 times per month for people living one kilometre away, and 2.2 times per month for people living ten kilometres away".[72]

According to the Productivity Commission's 2010 report into gambling, 0.5% to 1% (80,000 to 160,000) of the Australian adult population suffered with significant problems resulting from gambling. A further 1.4% to 2.1% (230 000 to 350 000) of the Australian adult population experienced moderate risks making them likely to be vulnerable to problem gambling.[73] Estimates show that problem gamblers account for an average of 41% of the total gaming machine spending.[74]

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The Libertarian Ticket: Johnson and Weld – CBS News

Posted: at 7:18 pm

The following is a script from The Libertarian Ticket which aired on Sept. 18, 2016. Steve Kroft is the correspondent. L. Franklin Devine and Maria Gavrilovic, producers.

When you look at your presidential ballot in November, somewhere below the Democratic and Republican lines you will find the Libertarian Party and the Green Party, but for many voters this year they might as well read none of the above.

In a race that features the most unpopular Democratic and Republican party choices in memory, they are the two alternatives to Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump and for the first time in 16 years third parties could well determine the outcome of the election. Right now, of the two alternatives, the Libertarian Party has the most support and is the only one on the ballot in all 50 states. The ticket of Gary Johnson and Bill Weld is currently favored by about eight or nine percent of the electorate even though 70 percent of the voters dont know who Johnson and Weld are. We thought it was time to give you a primer.

Libertarian presidential candidateGary Johnson and his running mate, Bill Weld

CBS News

If you dont recognize them, the tall guy on the left is vice presidential candidate Bill Weld. The shorter one is former New Mexico governor and presidential nominee Gary Johnson. Right now they can stroll through a park unmolested by the press and the public. Their rallies usually attract only a few hundred people but they can still make some noise and are not without enthusiastic support.

[Rally: Gary Gary Gary. Bill Weld: The next president of the United States, Gary Johnson. Gary Johnson: You rock. You rock.]

Steve Kroft: Why are you doing this?

Gary Johnson: I think that we would do a really good job.

Play Video

Mitt Romney wished for it, so Steve Kroft asked-why isn't Bill Weld at the top of the Libertarian ticket?

Bill Weld: I feel its something of a patriotic duty given how the election season is unfolding. We feel a responsibility to offer the country sort of a sober, sensible alternative.

[Gary Johnson: Has life in this country ever been better?]

They are no political neophytes. Each one won two terms as Republican governors in heavily Democratic states.

Play Video

On 60 Minutes in 2000, Gary Johnson explained his unconventional thoughts on drug policy --and why he thought using marijuana was "cool"

Steve Kroft: Do you really think you have a chance to win?

Gary Johnson: Neither of us would be doing this if we didnt think that that was a possibility.

Steve Kroft: Let me be a little skeptical here. I mean, right now the people--

Bill Weld: We expected no less.

Steve Kroft: Right. Right. Yeah. The people that do this for a living, to try and do polling, and public opinion surveys and make odds-- some of the most prominent experts put your chances at about less than one percent, less than one percent.

Play Video

The Libertarian candidates have a plan that embraces immigration-so what do they think of Donald Trump's plan?

Gary Johnson: I think that Donald Trump started out that way. And I wouldve given him that-- I wouldve given him that percentage at the very start. But as crazy as this election season is, I think it could be the ultimate crazy and that is is that the two of us actually do get elected.

Steve Kroft: Right. And how does that happen?

Gary Johnson: Well presidential debates-- a third alternative, 70 percent of America doesnt even know who we are. And yet we exist. I think theres a lot of opportunity here. And theres still a lot of time left.

[Bill Weld: --we are in a way breaking a glass ceiling--]

Theyre hoping to get a place in at least one of the presidential debates but right now they dont meet the threshold of 15 percent in the national polls.

Steve Kroft: Are you running against a two-party system?

Gary Johnson: Absolutely.

Bill Weld: Absolutely.

Gary Johnson: And Iand I do believe this is going to be the demise of the Republican Party.

Steve Kroft: So you see yourself as a protest vote?

Gary Johnson: No way. I think, a conciliatory vote. Look this is how we wanna come together.

Bill Weld: It happens, Steve, if people do think for themselves and focus on the choices available because the polling shows that nationally people do tend to agree with our approach. As Gary sometimes says, youre a libertarian. You just dont know it yet.

[Libertarian Party Convention: Lets bring back liberty.]

Play Video

Gary Johnson tells Steve Kroft why he believes marijuana use shouldn't be a crime-and why changing policy is a matter of when, not if

The Libertarians were founded 45 years ago as an off-shoot of the Republicans. They tend to be fiscally conservative and social liberals who want the federal government out of their pockets, out of their schools, out of their computers, and out of their bedrooms.

[Supporter: So the hats are 25.]

They support the right to bear arms, even assault weapons. But they also believe women have the right to an abortion, gays have the right to marry, and adults the right to smoke pot.

[Supporter: Anybody looking for a bumper sticker?]

They oppose almost every federal program not mentioned specifically in the Constitution, including Social Security and Medicare and the regulatory agencies.

Play Video

The Libertarian candidate tells Steve Kroft how he plans to combat the terrorist organization, though he thinks there's a bigger threat

Steve Kroft: Youre making yourself seem like mainstream candidates. But in fact, you know, your positions and the positions of the party arent mainstream, you know. Phasing out Medicare, youre for doing away with private health insurance-- as a way to bring down medical costs. Youre talking about abolishing the IRS and imposing a 29 percent or 28 percent sales tax, essentially a sales tax. You call it a consumption tax. Talk about eliminating the Department of Homeland Security. I mean, these arent exactly mainstream opinion.

Gary Johnson: Well what you can count on the two of us to provide is consistency. Were going to always be consistent in looking for lower taxes. And much of what you cite is the Libertarian platform which, you know, we are the Libertarian nominees for president and vice president. But were not looking to eliminate Medicare. We do believe in a safety net. But there has to be reforms for Medicaid and Medicare and Social Security. And if were going to put our heads in the sand, if we say were going to do nothing in any of these areas, its a fiscal cliff.

Bill Weld: And nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington. Those bozos think that unless the appropriation of every single account goes up five percent, they call that a cut. Well, thats not how we approached our state budgets. And thats not what we would do in Washington either.

Steve Kroft: Do you think most people want to do away with the Department of Homeland Security?

Gary Johnson: Yeah, I do. I do. I think theres a real skepticism. I mean, really, we have the FBI. Wha-- why another agency? I mean-- and all these Homeland Security cars driving around these days, what are they doing?

Bill Weld: There are functions that youd have to retain and make sure they were attended to. But therere some who remind me of the, you know, muddled bureaucracy in Washington that nobody can quite tell you why theyre essential. And thats where I would go hunting.

They also want to abolish the Departments of Education, Commerce and Housing and Urban Development. They want to cut the Defense Budget by around 20 percent and get American troops out of Korea.

As theyve said, they dont agree with their party on everything -- sometimes they dont even agree with each other.

Gary Johnson earned a fortune in construction before making his political name as the first governor ever to advocate the legalization of marijuana, and until earlier this year was CEO of a marijuana branding company.

Steve Kroft: Until recently, you were a consumer

Gary Johnson: Thats correct

Steve Kroft: --of marijuana.

Gary Johnson: One of 100 million Americans who have consumed marijuana. I am guilty. The unforgivable in life, hypocrisy, saying one thing and doing anothertelling the truth-- I hope more than anything, Im credited here with telling the truth.

Steve Kroft: But youre not using marijuana now?

Gary Johnson: Im not.

[Bill Weld: running on the Libertarian ticket. Live free or die, baby, you know what they say.]

Former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld is a card-carrying member of the Eastern Establishment, whose libertarian bonafides are still questioned by the true believers. Until his nomination in May he was a member of the nearly-extinct political species known as moderate Republicans.

Steve Kroft: You werent a Libertarian until a couple of months ago.

Bill Weld: Well, I considered myself a small L Libertarian since the 1970s. And people called me the Libertarian Republican.

They run a frugal low-key campaign in jeans and sneakers and keep a very loose schedule that can change by the hourly. When we were with them, their version of a presidential limousine was a rented red Toyota.

Steve Kroft: Do you have a motorcade?

Bill Weld: No. We dont have a motorcade.

Steve Kroft: You stop for red lights?

Gary Johnson: We do stop for red lights.

Steve Kroft: Do you have a campaign plane?

Bill Weld: We dont have a campaign plane.

Gary Johnson: No. No. We dont.

Bill Weld: We do fly commercial.

Steve Kroft: Do you have a campaign headquarters?

Bill Weld: Yes.

Gary Johnson: Yes. We do. But its-- but if you went to the campaign headquarters, you wouldnt find anybody there because this is-- you know, this is social media.

[Gary Johnson: Come on, get selfie, get selfie ready!]

They have a big presence on the Internet and claim to have 50 million followers -- most of them young people. Johnson and Weld are good friends and say they plan to run a co-presidency sharing the same staff. On the campaign they often stay at each others homes.

Theyve tried everything to get more attention in hopes their campaign would go viral. And 10 days ago it did.

MSNBC/MORNING JOE clip /Willie Geist: Governor good to have you with us.

But it was the wrong kind when Johnson was unable to identify Aleppo as the center of the humanitarian crisis in Syria.

MSNBC/MORNING JOE clip /Mike Barnicle: Aleppo.

MSNBC/MORNING JOE clip/Governor Gary Johnson: And what is Aleppo?

MSNBC/MORNING JOE clip /Mike Barnicle: Youre kidding.

MSNBC/MORNING JOE clip/Governor Gary Johnson: No.

Steve Kroft: Youve been on the front page a lot this month. You made a big splash. And it was a belly flop. Were talking about Aleppo here. Tell me about Aleppo. I mean, how did that happen?

Gary Johnson: Well, the-- I-- I blame no one but myself. I understand the underlying policy.

Steve Kroft: People have said,This guysnot qualified to be president. I mean, did-- how do react to that?

Gary Johnson: Well-- that-- that I am human. I have a filter. And it starts with honesty. It starts with the truth. It starts with transparency-- and would serve as president-- in that capacity. When I was asked the question, the first thing that came into my mind was this is an acronym-- ALEPPO-- American-- l--

Steve Kroft: Did it sound familiar to you?

Gary Johnson: Well, it didnt or I think I..but, but look I do not, in any way, want to make an excuse for myself. You know, so many people have said, Look, 90 percent of America doesnt know ALEPPO. Well, 90 percent of America is not running for president of the United States, no excuse. No excuse.

Bill Weld: But at the-- at the end of the day, this is just my view, is Aleppo is a very important place name. But its a place name. Does that mean theyre disqualified from running for president? I mean, youd have very few people at the debates if that sort of thing was a disqualify-- disqualification to run.

Gary Johnson: Thanks, Bill. But nonetheless, look, we are running for president and vice president.

Steve Kroft: Youre acknowledging that your candidacy has some flaws.

Gary Johnson: As do all candidacies. But I think--

Steve Kroft: But nobody-- I-- I-- Im trying to remember a presidential candidate admitting that.

Gary Johnson: Well, that is the difference here. Thats what youre going to buy into is is that it will be transparent. And theres no quicker way to fix mistakes than actually acknowledging them in the first place.

Steve Kroft: Do you have foreign policy advisers?

Gary Johnson: Well, certainly.

Steve Kroft: Do you have military strategists?

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FijiTonga relations – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Posted: at 7:18 pm

FijiTonga relations are foreign relations between Fiji and Tonga. These neighbouring countries in the South Pacific have a history of bilateral relations going back several centuries.

Though relations between the two countries had been good since they both became independent in the 1970s, they deteriorated considerably in early 2011.[1]

By the early 13th century, Eastern Fiji(Lau group) was a province of the Tongan empire. The Empire subsequently declined, but Tonga remained an influential neighbour in Fiji affairs. In 1848, Tongan Prince Maafu settled in Lakeba, establishing a new foothold in Eastern Fiji. He was accompanied by Tongan Wesleyan missionaries, who consolidated the earlier introduction of Methodism to Fiji by English Wesleyan missionaries.[2][3] Today, Methodism is the primary religion of indigenous Fijians.[4]

Maafu's influence in Fiji expanded during the 1850s, threatening Seru Epenisa Cakobau's attempts to establish himself as king of all Fiji. Ultimately, Maafu and Tonga's support at the 1855 Battle of Kaba was instrumental in enabling Cakobau to cement his leadership over Fiji, temporarily consolidating the Tongan Prince's status and role in the country. Tonga's direct influence faded, however, after Cakobau ceded Fiji to British sovereignty in 1874.[5]

Fiji's Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama received "cheers and thunderous applause" from the Tongan public when he attended a Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Tonga in October 2007; the crowd's "enthusiastic reception" of Fiji's leader was likened to "that accorded to a rock star"[6]Radio Australia noted that he had been "the star of this year's meeting, for the people of Tonga",[7] while TVNZ reported that he had been "given a hero's welcome".[8]

In terms of inter-governmental relations, Tonga has generally avoided pressuring Fiji's "interim government" into holding democratic elections. However, Tongan Prime Minister Dr.Feleti Sevele has urged Bainimarama "to produce a credible roadmap to the election according to the Constitution and law of Fiji".[9]

Tonga's "soft"[10] approach to Fiji's unelected government during the regional meeting in October 2007 was in line with the approach chosen by other Pacific Island nations, but contrasted with the much harder stance adopted by Australia and New Zealand.[11] The Tongan government rejected "several [...] attempts by New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark to lobby for Commodore Bainimarama's exclusion from the meeting".[12]

In August 2008, Prime Minister of Tonga, Dr Sevele said at a Pacific Islands Forum meeting [13]

Unfortunately, the Forums relationship with the interim government of Fiji has now deteriorated from the apparent, promising situation at the Forum last year in Tonga, to one of disappointment and of an uncertain future. As Forum Leaders, we are all extremely disappointed at the interim Prime Ministers decision not to attend this Forum meeting. As Chair of last years Forum Meeting in Tonga and Chair of the last 12 months, let me place on record the fact that the commitments that Commodore Bainimarama made at the Leaders Retreat were not forced on him, as has been claimed. He agreed with and accepted the 7-point communiqu on Fiji, and so told all the Leaders present at the Retreat. Sir Michael Somare and I certainly did not pressure him into making those commitments. We, and all the Leaders, were, and are, keen on helping Fiji move forward, but Fiji has to play its due part. The interim Prime Minister has an obligation to explain in person to the Forum Leaders as to why he could not fulfill those commitments, and we were all looking forward to his doing this at this Forum in Niue. That he chose not to do this is most unfortunate and most disappointing.

In May 2009, however, Sevele questioned the purpose of Fiji's suspension from the Forum (which had taken place on May 2), and suggested it was "pointless" to "ostracise" Fiji. TVNZ described Tonga's position as "a crack [...] in the hard line being taken against Fiji" by the Forum.[10]

In February 2011, Sevele's successor, Lord Tuivakan, stated that Australia and New Zealand's pressure on Fiji was counter-productive, and that the more they "bother[ed]" Bainimarama, the more likely he might be to do the opposite of what they sought. He added: "Maybe just go easy and they will come around. What you need to remember is that it is an opportunity for other countries, maybe China will step in. [...] There's a lot of other countries looking in and Fiji's said 'We don't want Australia, we don't want New Zealand, these are the people that's going to help us.'"[14]

In December 2005, Fiji welcomed Tonga's accession to the World Trade Organisation.[15]

In 2001, the Fijian Government banned the import of mutton flaps from Tonga.[16] The Tongan Ministry of Labour said in response on this issue that "Tongas experience with Fiji is an example of the difficulties encountered by small developing nations in protecting their interests". The Tongan Ministry said this "illustrates the difficulty and huge onus that the multilateral trading system places on small and vulnerable developing countries, which lack the necessary resources, capital and institutional means to fully implement the WTO agreements." [17]

In August 2007, the Fijian Government called for a review of the Fiji/Tonga Air Services Agreement to allow for increased capacity on the route from 350 to 1000 passengers in each direction.[18][19] By March 2008, a new aviation agreement had been reached. The Fijian Government said [20]

This has been factored into the agreement reached by the two states in March 2008 to increase the seat capacity from 350 to 1000 per week with no restrictions to aircraft types or frequencies and both countries had agreed to this. This new provision will certainly assist or facilitate the movement of tourist between Tonga and Fiji.

Beginning in late 2010, and escalating in early 2011, diplomatic tensions opposed Fiji and Tonga over two partially simultaneous issues. Though they are presented separately here for clarity, they were being referred to simultaneously by May 2011.

Both Fiji and Tonga lay claim to the Minerva Reefs, which lie between the two countries. Historically, the reefs are said to have lain in the fishing grounds of the people of Ono-i-Lau, in Fiji. In 1972, Tonga annexed the reefs, which had not formally been claimed by any State, but Fiji has not recognised the annexation, and has stated it considers the reefs to lie within its territory. In late 2010, Fiji responded to news that Tonga had begun construction of a lighthouse on one reef, by saying Fiji reserved the right to take any means necessary to preserve its territorial integrity.[21]

In February 2011 the Fiji government said there was "no official dispute" between the two countries on the issue, but that officials from the two sides were discussing the matter of the reefs' ownership and usage. A Fiji government official added: "The government of Fiji reiterates its position, that as far as its concerned Minerva Reef is a reef. And as such it lies within the economic, exclusive economic zone of Fiji. And the government of Fiji reserves its right within its directory."[22] Fiji Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary Solo Mara clarified that there was no "conflict", but merely "overlapping claims" on the countries' maritime boundary, in the context of "claims for an extended continental shelf beyond the 200 mile Exclusive Economy Zone - as provided for under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea". Officials from the two countries would hold discussions to determine their maritime boundary.[23]

In late May 2011, during the tension over the Tevita Mara affair (see below), "Fiji navy vessels visited Minerva and ordered New Zealand bound yachts out of the lagoon. They then destroyed navigation beacons" which had been set up by Tonga. The Tongan government issued a statement in protest.[24] Fijis Deputy Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs Sila Balawa subsequently told the Fiji Broadcasting Corporation that Tonga remained "one of Fijis closest friends", and that, although Fiji clearly owned the reef as it was located within the countrys exclusive economic zone, Fiji hoped the disagreement would be resolved through "peaceful dialogue".[25]

In early June, two Tongan Navy ships were sent to the Reef to replace navigational beacons destroyed by the Fijians, and to reassert Tonga's claim to the territory. A Fijian Navy ship in the vicinity reportedly withdrew as the Tongans approached, leading New Zealand's One News to comment that a military conflict between the two countries had narrowly been averted.[26][27] A press release from the Tongan government described Fiji's destruction of Tongan navigational beacons as "an act of vandalism" posing "real danger to international shipping", adding that Tonga and "the Fijian military junta" could and should resolve their territorial dispute "under International law for the settlement of disputes between civilized societies".[28] Simultaneously The People's Daily, citing "Fiji intelligence sources", reported on June 13 that "three Fijian naval ships" were "on their way to Minerva Reef" to confront the two Tongan navy ships there.[29]

In May 2011, Lieutenant-Colonel Tevita Mara, a former Fiji army officer, who had just been charged with plotting an attempt to overthrow Bainimarama, fled Fiji by boat, and was picked up by a Tongan patrol boat and taken to Tonga. The Tongan authorities issued a statement saying they had picked him up after responding to a distress signal, and that in Nuku'alofa "arrangements have been made for his accommodation by the royal household office in deference to his rank". Bainimarama issued a statement saying the Royal Tongan Navy ship had entered Fijian territorial waters without authorisation to carry out an "illegal extraction" of the wanted man; he added that his government took "strong exception to such breaches of Fiji's sovereignty". He announced he would issue a formal protest to Tongan Prime Minister Lord Tu'ivakano, and would seek Mara's extradition back to Fiji to face charges.[30] Tui'vakano replied that Tonga's independent judiciary would hear Fiji's case for extradition, without interference from the Tongan government, and added that Tonga had no wish to interfere in Fiji's domestic affairs.[31]

Akilisi Pohiva, leader of the Tongan opposition, described the entry of a Tongan Navy vessel into Fiji waters to pick up a fugitive as a clear breach of relations between the two countries, but added that it was justifiable on humanitarian grounds.[32]

On May 21, four days after the first reports on the incident, the Tongan government issued a statement saying it had received no request for Mara's extradition, only a note from the Fijian authorities containing what it called "unsubstantiated assertions" and "a personal statement by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji, Commodore Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama".[33] Subsequently, having acknowledged receipt of an extradition request, the Tongan government indicated "it will have to go through the proper channels for legal advice before we can proceed any further"; the authorities would not interfere with the judicial process. In early June, however, the authorities granted Mara Tongan citizenship, along with a passport.[34]

Radio Australia reported that relations between the two countries has "soured dramatically" as a result of the incident.[35]

On June 10 as Tongan Navy vessels moved to occupy the Minerva Reef, an unsigned press statement on the website of the Fiji government denounced "the presence of the Tongan Navy boats within Fijis EEZ at Minerva Reef", the "issue of Tongan passport" to Mara and "the Tongan Governments inaction on extradition papers", describing them as "a web of deceit, collusion and a complete lack of disregard [sic] of legal extradition processes". Blaming Australia and New Zealand, the statement said "the Tongans as seen with their presence at the Minerva Reef will be manipulated through offerings of gifts and aid to try and turn up the ante", adding: "As far as Fiji is concerned there is no Mara or Tonga/Fiji situation. It is a Rudd and McCully spreading their wings to save face situation", in reference to Australian and New Zealand Foreign Affairs Ministers Kevin Rudd and Murray McCully.[36]Stuff.co.nz described the statement as an "unprecedented attack" on New Zealand, Tonga and Australia, remarking: "The statement on the website is so completely out of kilter with previous Fiji Government statements that it raises questions over who now is in control in Suva."[37]

In late June, the Tongan government formally informed the Fiji government that Tongan law made it impossible to extradite Mara.[38]

Continue reading here:

FijiTonga relations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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THE NEW UTOPIA – Libertarian

Posted: at 7:18 pm

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