Satoshi Nakamoto Mines Over 40% of Bitcoin Cash, Sparks …

Posted on by

By CCN.com: According to blockchain data and CCN/Hacked reporter Greg Thomson, an anonymous miner who embeds the words Satoshi Nakamoto into all of the blocks they mine currently controls more than 40% of Bitcoin Cashs hashrate.

There are multiple running theories as to the intent behind amassing so much hashpower, beyond the pure profit motive of mining Bitcoin Cash. Mining Bitcoin Cash is generally a profitable endeavor, despite reduced transaction fees that are accrued on the more spacious chain. There is less competition, which means miners with significant investment earn more BCH.

Each theory has its merits. Some are conspiratorial, with BCH supporters believing that either Craig Wright and Bitcoin miners are working against Bitcoin Cash. One theory says that Wright and Coingeek, Calvin Ayres crypto operation which sports a mining pool and what can only be described as a propaganda outlet, are trying to amass a ton of BCH in order to dump it for Bitcoin SV, the effect being a drop in the price of Bitcoin Cash and a rise in the price of Bitcoin SV.

Many blocks have popped up with the Satoshi Nakamoto coinbase text. No one has stepped forward to declare themselves the miner of these blocks.

All the highlighted Coinbase texts denote blocks mined by the unknown Satoshi Nakamoto miner. Source: Coin.dance

Another theory posits that Bitcoin miners might want to intentionally slow down the Bitcoin network to raise transaction fees. This theory, of all of them, has perhaps the least sense to it. A severe hashrate decrease would have to happen on Bitcoin, coinciding with a corresponding hash rate increase on Bitcoin Cash.

However, the Bitcoin hashrate hasnt dropped significantly.

As you can see, Bitcoin hash rate continues unabated. The currency currently has more than 90% of all hashrate between Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Bitcoin SV. Source: Bitinfocharts

The theory that the new miner comes from Bitcoin SV might hold more water, though. Bitcoin SV hashpower has recently dropped a little, while Bitcoin Cash has increased.

Bitcoin SV hashrate has been dropping lately, while Bitcoin Cash hashrate has been rising. Source: Coin.dance

Its unclear whether this trend is recent enough to accurately attribute the potential attack to the Bitcoin SV miners, however. Bitcoin SV miners would more likely be switching to the more profitable Bitcoin Cash chain in response to the recent downturn in Bitcoin SV prices, which result in part from the third Bitcoin being delisted from several exchanges.

A curious possibility is that an anonymous miner is looking to stir up a conversation about Satoshi Nakamoto in the Bitcoin Cash community. But the conspiracy theories around Craig Wrights potential involvement derive from the upstart nature of this unknown miner.

In Nakamoto Consensus blockchains such as Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, and Bitcoin SV, a miner with more than 51% of the networks hashpower has significant power. Previous to an upgrade for Bitcoin Cash, reorganization was still a possibility. This would mean that a miner with such hashpower could essentially write already-confirmed transactions out of the blockchain.

Other potential attacks include the ability to deny any transaction with minimal fees. In Bitcoin Cash, this would be detrimental for several reasons. Bitcoin Cash users enjoy paying extremely low fees, and this miner mines so many blocks that such an attack could produce significant turbulence. They could also opt to include no transactions at all. That this miner has done neither of these things can serve as evidence that they do not intend to do so.

Previously, a miner with similar hashpower was using the boomboomboom for Coinbase text. Probably the same miner, as they went offline as the Satoshi Nakamoto miner came online.

This is far from the first time concerns over the state of the Bitcoin Cash mining network have arisen. Since the networks foundation in August 2017, miners have gained majority hashrate numerous times.

The Bitcoin Cash network continues to be functional at press time, but would the real Satoshi Nakamoto miner please stand up? Wed like to hear from you.

Read the rest here:

Satoshi Nakamoto Mines Over 40% of Bitcoin Cash, Sparks ...

Psoriasis: Pictures, Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment

Posted on by

Articles OnPsoriasis Psoriasis Psoriasis - Psoriasis What Is Psoriasis?

Psoriasis is a skin disorder that causes skin cells to multiply up to 10 times faster than normal. This makes the skin build up into bumpy red patches covered with white scales. They can grow anywhere, but most appear on the scalp, elbows, knees, and lower back. Psoriasis can't be passed from person to person. It does sometimes happen in members of the same family.

Psoriasis usually appears in early adulthood. For most people, it affects just a few areas. In severe cases, psoriasis can cover large parts of the body. The patches can heal and then come back throughout a person's life.

The symptoms of psoriasis vary depending on the type you have. Some common symptoms for plaque psoriasis -- the most common variety of the condition -- include:

People with psoriasis can also get a type of arthritis called psoriatic arthritis. It causes pain and swelling in the joints. The National Psoriasis Foundation estimates that between 10% to 30% of people with psoriasis also have psoriatic arthritis.

Other types of psoriasis include:

No one knows the exact cause of psoriasis, but experts believe that its a combination of things. Something wrong with the immune system causes inflammation, triggering new skin cells to form too quickly. Normally, skin cells are replaced every 10 to 30 days. With psoriasis, new cells grow every 3 to 4 days. The buildup of old cells being replaced by new ones creates those silver scales.

Psoriasis tends to run in families, but it may be skip generations. For instance, a grandfather and his grandson may be affected, but not the child's mother.

Things that can trigger an outbreak of psoriasis include:

Physical exam. Its usually easy for your doctor to diagnose psoriasis, especially if you have plaques on areas such as your:

Your doctor will give you a full physical exam and ask if people in your family have psoriasis.

Lab tests. The doctor might do a biopsy -- remove a small piece of skin and test it to make sure you dont have a skin infection. Theres no other test to confirm or rule out psoriasis.

Luckily, there are many treatments. Some slow the growth of new skin cells, and others relieve itching and dry skin. Your doctor will select a treatment plan that is right for you based on the size of your rash, where it is on your body, your age, your overall health, and other things. Common treatments include:

Treatments for moderate to severe psoriasis include:

Theres no cure, but treatment greatly reduces symptoms, even in serious cases. Recent studies have suggested that when you better control the inflammation of psoriasis, your risk of heart disease, stroke, metabolic syndrome, and other diseases associated with inflammation go down.

Psoriasis affects:

SOURCES:

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease.

National Psoriasis Foundation.

The Psoriasis Foundation.

American Academy of Dermatology.

UpToDate: Epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and diagnosis of psoriasis.

FDA: "FDA approves new psoriasis drug Taltz," FDA approves Amjevita, a biosimilar to Humira.

Medscape: "FDA OKs Biologic Guselkumab (Tremfya) for Plaque Psoriasis."

National Psoriasis Foundation: Statistics.

PubMed Health: "Plaque Psoriasis."

World Health Organization: Global report on psoriasis.

Pagination

Continued here:

Psoriasis: Pictures, Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment

Psoriasis Treatment, Causes, Pictures, Symptoms, Types & Diet

Posted on by

REFERENCES:

Alwan, W., and F.O. Nestle. "Pathogenesis and Treatment of Psoriasis: Exploiting Pathophysiological Pathways for Precision Medicine." Clin Exp Rheumatol 33 (Suppl. 93): S2-S6.

Arndt, Kenneth A., eds., et al. "Topical Therapies for Psoriasis." Seminars in Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery 35.2S Mar. 2016: S35-S46.

Benhadou, Fairda, Dillon Mintoff, and Vronique del Marmol. "Psoriasis: Keratinocytes or Immune Cells -- Which Is the Trigger?" Dermatology Dec. 19, 2018.

Conrad, Curdin, Michel Gilliet. "Psoriasis: From Pathogenesis to Targeted Therapies." Clinical Reviews in Allergy & Immunology Jan. 18, 2015.

Dowlatshahi, E.A., E.A.M van der Voort, L.R. Arends, and T. Nijsten. "Markers of Systemic Inflammation in Psoriasis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis." British Journal of Dermatology 169.2 Aug. 2013: 266-282.

Georgescu, Simona-Roxana, et al. "Advances in Understanding the Immunological Pathways in Psoriasis." International Journal of Molecular Sciences 20.739 Feb. 10, 2019: 2-17.

Greb, Jacqueline E., et al. "Psoriasis." Nature Reviews Disease Primers 2 (2016): 1-17.

Kaushik, Shivani B., and Mark G. Lebwohl. "Review of Safety and Efficacy of Approved Systemic Psoriasis Therapies." International Journal of Dermatology 2018.

National Psoriasis Foundation. "Systemic Treatments: Biologics and Oral Treatments." 1-25.

Ogawa, Eisaku, Yuki Sato, Akane Minagawa, and Ryuhei Okuyama. "Pathogenesis of Psoriasis and Development of Treatment." The Journal of Dermatology 2017: 1-9.

Stiff, Katherine M., Katelyn R. Glines, Caroline L. Porter, Abigail Cline & StevenR. Feldman. "Current pharmacological treatment guidelines for psoriasis and psoriaticarthritis." Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology (2018).

Villaseor-Park, Jennifer, David Wheeler, and Lisa Grandinetti. "Psoriasis: Evolving Treatment for a Complex Disease." Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine 79.6 June 2012: 413-423.

Woo, Yu Ri, Dae Ho Cho, and Hyun Jeong Park. "Molecular Mechanisms and Management of a Cutaneous Inflammatory Disorder: Psoriasis." International Journal of Molecular Sciences 18 Dec. 11, 2017: 1-26.

Follow this link:

Psoriasis Treatment, Causes, Pictures, Symptoms, Types & Diet

Litecoin (LTC) price: News & Live Chart – Trading Analysis …

Posted on by

What is Litecoin (LTC)?

Litecoin is a digital currency, abbreviated as LTC, distributed in a decentralized network and is one of the world's largest cryptocurrencies. Litecoin launched in October, 2011 as a direct derivative of Bitcoin and its blockchain. Litecoin offered a key advantage over Bitcoin in the form of faster transactions and thus higher potential liquidity-ultimately resulting in lower transaction costs.

Litecoin was the first of the top 5 cryptocurrencies in market capitalization to implement the Segregated Witness transaction format. Also known as SegWit, the new protocol allowed for potential speed and security improvements on the original Litecoin software and enabled the use of the so-called Lightning Network. Here the purpose of the secondary network is to enable faster off-blockchain transactions which are ultimately aggregated and broadcast to the blockchain itself.

The development and performance of Litecoin has tracked Bitcoin, and therefore has quickly become the world's second-largest cryptocurrency in terms of total market capitalization.

In the future we expect Litecoin to track the trajectory of other major cryptocurrencies quite closely. Where it stands to gain is as a more technologically-advanced version of Bitcoin. And indeed price of LTC has thus far outperformed BTC since Litecoin adopted SegWit in May, 2017.

You can track Litecoin prices on our currency chart, and read all the latest Litecoin news and analysis to support your cryptocurrency day trading.

See original here:

Litecoin (LTC) price: News & Live Chart - Trading Analysis ...

Dollar Collapse Predictions: What Will Happen When It Happens?

Posted on by

Over decades, if not centuries, the US dollar has been the worlds leading currency. The central banks all over the world hold an enormous part of their investments in the US currency, while some private companies use it for international transactions. With this, the trade in US treasury has boosts the American economy and greases the wheels to the global financial system.

But, many experts predicted a tipping point will come that would cause the dollar to collapse, thus lead to a global economic problem. In this scenario, many investors would rush to other currencies to run off further losses. This would mean a breakdown of the national economy. The aftermath of this scenario could likely lead to a dollar collapse.

What is Dollar Collapse?

Full of sudden currency collapses have happened in history. A dollar collapse is characterized to a long-term depression in economic activity, increased poverty and a disruption of the social order. One of the primary roots of any collapse is the lack of confidence in the stability or efficacy of money to serve as an effective store of value or medium of exchange.

The main sign of a dollar collapse is when the value of US dollar drops. There are some conceivable scenarios that could cause a sudden crisis for the dollar. When there is a great threat of high inflation and high debt, in which rising consumer prices force the government to raise interest rates.

If the US entered a steep recession without dragging the rest of the world with it, anyone who holds dollar-denominated assets might sell them at any cost that includes foreign governments and no one wants to buy them, worst would leave the dollar. Thus, anytime, everyone should prepare for the worst, but you can prepare for a dollar collapse through these economic indicators.

If US dollar collapse happens, it might come to pass. No one would predict it. Thats because the signs of forthcoming failure are difficult to see. It is imperative for the government to take a necessary intervention to bring an economy back from collapse. Yet, this can often be slow to remedy the problem.

US Currency is weakening

When US dollar weakens, it suggests an adverse financial effect. A weaker currency would encourage exports and make imports inflated. This would mean decreasing a nations trade deficit over time. Every business will have a certain degree of effect depending on the increased price of goods and services.

A weak dollar can boost the gross domestic product during an economic recession. Because exported goods cost less, foreign buyers buy them in greater amounts. It can also result in higher inflation expectations and higher commodity prices. Furthermore, it could lead the Federal Reserve to react and tighten monetary policy.

The emergence of China and Europe Economy

The emergence of major foreign holders of US treasuries is a potential factor to a dollar collapse. Nonetheless, the US dollar must be quite resilient to bar this kind of occurrence.

The Risk of Growing Government Debt & Central Banks

According to the Federal Reserve and U.S. Department of Treasury,

foreign countries costs over trillion dollars of debts like China (about $1.17 trillion) and Japan (about $ 1.06 trillion) held the highest percentages as of January 2018. It appears that central banks will do its power to save the situation, but remember that central banks can also lose control. This situation would be very demanding for the government with high debt loads.

A dollar collapse suggests an economic plight. It is akin to deep recession that scarcity and shortage of resources would occur. One must prepare for the worst scenario and to respond to this kind of uncertainty, you must be mobile. Here are few ways to prepare and protect yourself and survive a dollar collapse.

1. Prepare your Finances and Start being Smart with your Money Now.

You start with cutting all unnecessary expenses and spend that money to pay down your debt. The possibility of losing your home to debt collectors is a very real prospect.

An Emergency Fund is a potential aid to prepare for financial troubles. It will give you stress-free during hard times. It can provide you with a fund to buy last minute supplies once things start to go bad.

Remember to always have a cash on hand. When things go wrong, there is a very real possibility that the banks may freeze your accounts. Its important to have cash that is accessible, either from a savings account or a cash box in your home. This can drift you over in an emergency until you can access money in your emergency fund.

Now is the perfect time to buy long-term supplies that you will need to survive in the future.

Start stockpiling food and long-term supplies. In any type of crisis, especially during a collapse, food, water and long-lasting consumables are essential and indispensable. You will likely see main supply chain shortages and problems, making these types of supplies one of your most important pre-collapse concerns.

Put together a supply of first-aid & medical supplies on hand. Once you create a kit, in the event of a collapse, you may not be able to shop for these supplies, sots important to have them on hand.

3. Secure your Home

To prepare for a dollar collapse is to choose your shelter type. A separate shelter is designed to survive from natural disasters or man-made weapons or attacks. During this kind of crisis, power systems may fail and robbers and scavengers may threaten your home. Take precautions to protect yourself and your home.

Another thing is to create two sources of electricity. One source could be solar. Hook it up to your home and then run the system underground. The second source might be an underground generator. You will use this in the event of a total loss of power. Keep your energy sources hidden underground to protect them.

Set an alarm system in your home. Home alert alarm systems are easy and inexpensive to install and maintain. Wireless security systems notify you if a trespasser is approaching your home. Hidden cameras allow you to see internal and exterior areas in your home where a trespasser may be present.

One of the prevalent risks youre going to face during dollar collapse is the threat posed by people. Learn everything you can about self-defense. When things go bad, you are going to need a way to protect yourself and those you love, your home.

Make sure that every member of the family is mindful of the situation. To prepare for a dollar collapse, you need have to guarantee that your whole family is ready with your preparations. This means informing them in honest terms what is about to happen and telling them what they should be doing. It is important that everyone takes the situation . Otherwise, they will not be mentally prepared in the event that collapse happens.

Each family member must be informed of the steps you have taken to prepare your finances, essential supplies, food, and shelter. Instruct them on doing the same.

Every member should understand the relationship between inflation and economic growth. Explain to them the adverse impact of a dollar collapse on your familys socio-economic life.

Consider including other family members, neighbors, or a community group in your preparations. Make sure that these are people who are reliable and will put to work for the benefit of the group.

5. Equip your Mind

Even more important than supplies, is survival knowledge and awareness. Knowledge is the key to your survival, and now is the time to get plenty. During any kind of crisis and survival, including a dollar collapse, knowledge is going to be your most powerful ally.

Read books on survivaland preparedness, then start collecting information on how to live a more independent lifestyle.

Do your own research and dont rely on government spun stories, or crafted in the media; you need to do your own research too. Check the reliability of the information you get to prepare for the collapse.

6. Expect a Financial Crisis

The major risk you are going to face in a dollar collapse is the downturn of your finances. It is important to be ready beforehand on what to do and what not to do on your financial systems.

Check and track the price of commercial commodities. Changes in the prices of commodities affect the countrys economy and the value of the US dollar. An increase in commodity prices is associated with an increase in inflation. Increased inflation correlates with economic growth. But, if commodity prices drop, inflation slows, which indicates an economic decline.

Take note of the financial markets. Big ups and downs in the markets are a red flag signaling a general decline.

Watch the oil prices. When oil prices increase, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) goes up too. Remember that the fluctuation of oil prices has a macroeconomic impact. If it is increasing, then the value of goods and services also increases.

Everybody else could tell that a dollar collapse would be coming. A sudden dollar collapse would create global economic depression. It would allow the US government to come up with a currency system and a kind of economic strategies to avoid grave consequences.

Demand for Treasurys would drop, and interest rates would go up. US importprices would skyrocket, causing inflation.

Irregular public services like school system experience frequent strikes that shut them down, power issues and outages become more frequent.

Unemploymentwould worsen and more people will experience job loss or layoffs. More people are displaced and finding a job will become almost impossible.

An increase in criminal activity will definitely happen. People will become desperate to feed themselves and their families and more people will be more willing to cross the line into criminal activity to get what they need.

Lots of people will lose access to their healthcare when they lose their jobs. Healthcare appointments may become more difficult to schedule and it may take longer to get in to see a doctor because more people are getting sick and need care.

You can expect increased incidents of domestic violence as family relationships are strained and crack under the stress of poor living conditions.

A dollar collapse is a real threat with far-reaching repercussions. While it is inevitable, there are advance preparations that individuals and their families can make, at the very least, protect themselves from the event triggers. Stay informed on top of the global economy. You can be safe in a dollar collapse if you follow the ways that protect you from an economic crisis.

Continued here:

Dollar Collapse Predictions: What Will Happen When It Happens?

Great Civilizations Aren’t Murdered, They Commit Suicide …

Posted on by

Historian Arnold Toynbee in his 12-volume magnum opus A Study of Historywas an exploration of the rise and fall of 28 different civilizations. Toynbee concluded that great civilizations dont get murdered, rather, they kill themselves, and all the signs of a civilization collapse are here.

The Roman Empire, for example, was the victim of many ills including overexpansion, climatic change, environmental degradation, and poor leadership. But it was also brought to its knees when Rome was sacked by the Visigoths in 410 and the Vandals in 455.

Collapse is often quick and greatness provides no immunity. The Roman Empire covered 4.4 million sq km (1.9 million sq miles) in 390. Five years later, it had plummeted to 2 million sq km (770,000 sq miles). By 476, the empires reach was zero. BBC

Collapse can be defined as a rapid and enduring loss of population, identity and socio-economic complexity. Public services crumble and disorder ensues as the government loses control of its monopoly on violence. (Meaning people realize they are slaves, and no longer wish to be subjugated and punished at the whims of the ruling class/government, but seek their own liberty and self-ownership.)As people begin to realize that the political class (ruling class) is exceptionally wealthy as they slave away and half their wages are stolen to prop up those who exert power over them, societies tend to collapse. Government stays fat and happy when the slaves dont realize they are enslaved.

America Is Committing Suicide: Over The Past 12 Months, The U.S. National Debt Has Increased By 1.271 Trillion Dollars

Collapse expert and historian Joseph Tainter has proposed that societies eventuallycollapse under the weightof their own accumulated complexity and bureaucracy. Meaning the government becomes so burdensome and large that it can no longer maintain a monopoly on violence, as the oppressed begin to fight back. Societies are problem-solving collectives that grow in complexity in order to overcome new issues and government violence is not needed to solve problems. However, the returns from complexity eventually reach a point of diminishing returns. This happens when the government creates so many problems with their solutions that the solutions become problems themselves (a great example of this is the Ponzi scheme known as social security.) After this point, a collapse will eventually ensue and the U.S. is obviously on the cusp. More and more people awaken daily to the reality of what government has done to them; stealing their money, complete enslavement, indebting their unborn children, turning them into tax cattle, etc.

Paris Tax Revolts: The World Begins To Realize The Truth About Government

The collapse of our civilization is not inevitable, however, history suggests it is very likely. We now have the unique advantage of being able to learn from the wreckages of societies past, but instead of doing so and freeing mankind from government, many who are enslaved continue to push for shorter chains, more violence, control, domination, and theft by the ruling class not just of themselves, but of all others too. Collapseis imminent in our opinion, as those in control will not willingly give up their stranglehold over the tax cattle slaves.

If humanity could awaken to what the government really is (master that owns them) and take the blinders off put there by those who call themselves the government, we could all have a bright future. The government has painted themselves as some sort of religious fairy tale set out to save everyone and keep them safe. Once people realize the truth and claim ownership over themselves.

H/T [BBC]

Read more:

Great Civilizations Aren't Murdered, They Commit Suicide ...

John McAfee Dares Bitcoin SV Creator Craig Wright to …

Posted on by

By CCN.com: The war of words between 2020 U.S. presidential candidate John McAfee and self-proclaimed Bitcoin creator Craig Wright is not going to let up anytime soon.

After Wright branded the cryptocurrency influencer a conman, McAfee has hit back challenging the self-declared Satoshi Nakamoto to repeat the same to his face.

The insult was hurled by Wright during an interview with Finder. As CCN reported, this was during a bile-ridden attack on Binance.

Then, Wright alleged that the cryptocurrency exchange engaged in price manipulation with McAfee as an accomplice:

So they (Binance) do basically the pre-announcement stuff, some of which Mr. Conman John McAfee there helps with he will scam something up pump up the price, get people to put their savings and investments into, and they will short the crap out it.

Using a screengrab of the CCN report, McAfee has now invited Wright to a cup of tea. During the meeting McAfee expects the self-declared Satoshi Nakamoto to expound on the conman claim.

In the tweet, McAfee revealed he was staying less than a quarter of a mile from Bitcoin SV figurehead Calvin Ayre. Around that time Ayre, who is also Wrights business partner, stated that he was heading to Antigua from the U.K.

Upon fleeing the United States in January this year after the Internal Revenue Service started pursuing him supposedly over tax evasion, McAfee has mostly been holed up in the Caribbean. Late last week, the cryptocurrency maverick revealed that he would be traveling to various Central American and Caribbean countries.

Most of McAfees recent Twitter activity has featured Cuba, which is about 1,000 miles from Antigua. McAfee and his team landed in Cuba after their boat, Freedom Boat AKA The Great Mystery, developed engine trouble.

Wright insulted McAfee after the latter rejected the formers claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto. Mid this month McAfee stated with certainty that the mysterious bitcoin creator is 100 percent NOT Craig Wright.

Besides rubbishing his claim to be Satoshi, McAfee has also on several occasions attacked Craig Wrights baby BSV. While Wright was suing critics, McAfee questioned the altcoins integrity saying if there ever was a scam it is BSV!.

The cryptocurrency maverick has also stated that Bitcoin SV has harmed the crypto sector. Additionally, John McAfee has also urged a boycott of OKex. This was after the cryptocurrency exchange refused to delist BSV, differentiating itself from Binance, Shapeshift and Kraken.

While it is unlikely that Wright would accept McAfees tea invitation, it would be a highly anticipated event if it were to happen. And even though Ayre being on home ground (he is a Canadian-Antiguan citizen) he is also unlikely to encourage it.

In the past, the two men have made no secret of what they feel about each other, with McAfee being particularly vicious. The cryptocurrency maverick is suing Ayre for $800 million over libel accusations. John McAfee has also made little effort at hiding his glee at Ayres recent bad press.

Originally posted here:

John McAfee Dares Bitcoin SV Creator Craig Wright to ...

What is Cryptocurrency: Everything You Must Need To Know!

Posted on by

[Updated September 13, 2018]What Is Cryptocurrency: 21st-Century Unicorn Or The Money Of The Future?

This introduction explains the most important thing about cryptocurrencies. After youve read it, youll know more about it than most other humans.

Today cryptocurrencies (Buy Crypto) have become a global phenomenon known to most people. While still somehow geeky and not understood by most people, banks, governments and many companies are aware of its importance.

In 2016, youll have a hard time finding a major bank, a big accounting firm, a prominent software company or a government that did not research cryptocurrencies, publish a paper about it or start a so-called blockchain-project. (Take our blockchain courses to learn more about the blockchain)

But beyond the noise and the press releases the overwhelming majority of people even bankers, consultants, scientists, and developers have a very limited knowledge about cryptocurrencies. They often fail to even understand the basic concepts.

So lets walk through the whole story. What are cryptocurrencies?

Few people know, but cryptocurrencies emerged as a side product of another invention. Satoshi Nakamoto, the unknown inventor of Bitcoin, the first and still most important cryptocurrency, never intended to invent a currency.

In his announcement of Bitcoin in late 2008, Satoshi said he developed A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System.

His goal was to invent something; many people failed to create before digital cash.

Announcing the first release of Bitcoin, a new electronic cash system that uses a peer-to-peer network to prevent double-spending. Its completely decentralized with no server or central authority. Satoshi Nakamoto, 09 January 2009, announcing Bitcoin on SourceForge.

The single most important part of Satoshis invention was that he found a way to build a decentralized digital cash system. In the nineties, there have been many attempts to create digital money, but they all failed.

after more than a decade of failed Trusted Third Party based systems (Digicash, etc), they see it as a lost cause. I hope they can make the distinction, that this is the first time I know of that were trying a non-trust based system. Satoshi Nakamoto in an E-Mail to Dustin Trammell

After seeing all the centralized attempts fail, Satoshi tried to build a digital cash system without a central entity. Like a Peer-to-Peer network for file sharing.

This decision became the birth of cryptocurrency. They are the missing piece Satoshi found to realize digital cash. The reason why is a bit technical and complex, but if you get it, youll know more about cryptocurrencies than most people do. So, lets try to make it as easy as possible:

To realize digital cash you need a payment network with accounts, balances, and transaction. Thats easy to understand. One major problem every payment network has to solve is to prevent the so-called double spending: to prevent that one entity spends the same amount twice. Usually, this is done by a central server who keeps record about the balances.

In a decentralized network , you dont have this server. So you need every single entity of the network to do this job. Every peer in the network needs to have a list with all transactions to check if future transactions are valid or an attempt to double spend.

But how can these entities keep a consensus about these records?

If the peers of the network disagree about only one single, minor balance, everything is broken. They need an absolute consensus. Usually, you take, again, a central authority to declare the correct state of balances. But how can you achieve consensus without a central authority?

Nobody did know until Satoshi emerged out of nowhere. In fact, nobody believed it was even possible.

Satoshi proved it was. His major innovation was to achieve consensus without a central authority. Cryptocurrencies are a part of this solution the part that made the solution thrilling, fascinating and helped it to roll over the world.

If you take away all the noise around cryptocurrencies and reduce it to a simple definition, you find it to be just limited entries in a database no one can change without fulfilling specific conditions. This may seem ordinary, but, believe it or not: this is exactly how you can define a currency.

Take the money on your bank account: What is it more than entries in a database that can only be changed under specific conditions? You can even take physical coins and notes: What are they else than limited entries in a public physical database that can only be changed if you match the condition than you physically own the coins and notes? Money is all about a verified entry in some kind of database of accounts, balances, and transactions.

How miners create coins and confirm transactions

Lets have a look at the mechanism ruling the databases of cryptocurrencies. A cryptocurrency like Bitcoin consists of a network of peers. Every peer has a record of the complete history of all transactions and thus of the balance of every account.

A transaction is a file that says, Bob gives X Bitcoin to Alice and is signed by Bobs private key. Its basic public key cryptography, nothing special at all. After signed, a transaction is broadcasted in the network, sent from one peer to every other peer. This is basic p2p-technology. Nothing special at all, again.

The transaction is known almost immediately by the whole network. But only after a specific amount of time it gets confirmed.

Confirmation is a critical concept in cryptocurrencies. You could say that cryptocurrencies are all about confirmation.

As long as a transaction is unconfirmed, it is pending and can be forged. When a transaction is confirmed, it is set in stone. It is no longer forgeable, it cant be reversed, it is part of an immutable record of historical transactions: of the so-called blockchain.

Only miners can confirm transactions. This is their job in a cryptocurrency-network. They take transactions, stamp them as legit and spread them in the network. After a transaction is confirmed by a miner, every node has to add it to its database. It has become part of the blockchain.

For this job, the miners get rewarded with a token of the cryptocurrency, for example with Bitcoins. Since the miners activity is the single most important part of cryptocurrency-system we should stay for a moment and take a deeper look on it.

Principally everybody can be a miner. Since a decentralized network has no authority to delegate this task, a cryptocurrency needs some kind of mechanism to prevent one ruling party from abusing it. Imagine someone creates thousands of peers and spreads forged transactions. The system would break immediately.

So, Satoshi set the rule that the miners need to invest some work of their computers to qualify for this task. In fact, they have to find a hash a product of a cryptographic function that connects the new block with its predecessor. This is called the Proof-of-Work. In Bitcoin, it is based on the SHA 256 Hash algorithm.

You dont need to understand details about SHA 256. Its only important you know that it can be the basis of a cryptologic puzzle the miners compete to solve. After finding a solution, a miner can build a block and add it to the blockchain. As an incentive, he has the right to add a so-called coinbase transaction that gives him a specific number of Bitcoins. This is the only way to create valid Bitcoins.

Bitcoins can only be created ifminers solve a cryptographic puzzle. Since the difficulty of this puzzle increases the amount of computer power the whole miners invest, there is only a specific amount of cryptocurrency token that can be created in a given amount of time. This is part of the consensus no peer in the network can break.

If you really think about it, Bitcoin, as a decentralized network of peers which keep a consensus about accounts and balances, is more a currency than the numbers you see in your bank account. What are these numbers more than entries in a database a database which can be changed by people you dont see and by rules you dont know?

Basically, cryptocurrencies are entries about token in decentralized consensus-databases. They are called CRYPTOcurrencies because the consensus-keeping process is secured by strong cryptography. Cryptocurrencies are built on cryptography. They are not secured by people or by trust, but by math. It is more probable that an asteroid falls on your house than that a bitcoin address is compromised.

Describing the properties of cryptocurrencies we need to separate between transactional and monetary properties. While most cryptocurrencies share a common set of properties, they are not carved in stone.

1) Irreversible: After confirmation, a transaction cant be reversed. By nobody. And nobody means nobody. Not you, not your bank, not the president of the United States, not Satoshi, not your miner. Nobody. If you send money, you send it. Period. No one can help you, if you sent your funds to a scammer or if a hacker stole them from your computer. There is no safety net.

2) Pseudonymous: Neither transactions nor accounts are connected to real-world identities. You receive Bitcoins on so-called addresses, which are randomly seeming chains of around 30 characters. While it is usually possible to analyze the transaction flow, it is not necessarily possible to connect the real world identity of users with those addresses.

3) Fast and global: Transaction are propagated nearly instantly in the network and are confirmed in a couple of minutes. Since they happen in a global network of computers they are completely indifferent of your physical location. It doesnt matter if I send Bitcoin to my neighbour or to someone on the other side of the world.

4) Secure: Cryptocurrency funds are locked in a public key cryptography system. Only the owner of the private key can send cryptocurrency. Strong cryptography and the magic of big numbers makes it impossible to break this scheme. A Bitcoin address is more secure than Fort Knox.

5) Permissionless: You dont have to ask anybody to use cryptocurrency. Its just a software that everybody can download for free. After you installed it, you can receive and send Bitcoins or other cryptocurrencies. No one can prevent you. There is no gatekeeper.

1) Controlled supply: Most cryptocurrencies limit the supply of the tokens. In Bitcoin, the supply decreases in time and will reach its final number sometime around the year 2140. All cryptocurrencies control the supply of the token by a schedule written in the code. This means the monetary supply of a cryptocurrency in every given moment in the future can roughly be calculated today. There is no surprise.

2) No debt but bearer: The Fiat-money on your bank account is created by debt, and the numbers, you see on your ledger represent nothing but debts. Its a system of IOU. Cryptocurrencies dont represent debts. They just represent themselves. They are money as hard as coins of gold.

To understand the revolutionary impact of cryptocurrencies you need to consider both properties. Bitcoin as a permissionless, irreversible and pseudonymous means of payment is an attack on the control of banks and governments over the monetary transactions of their citizens. You cant hinder someone to use Bitcoin, you cant prohibit someone to accept a payment, you cant undo a transaction.

As money with a limited, controlled supply that is not changeable by a government, a bank or any other central institution, cryptocurrencies attack the scope of the monetary policy. They take away the control central banks take on inflation or deflation by manipulating the monetary supply.

While its still fairly new and unstable relative to the gold standard, cryptocurrency is definitely gaining traction and will most certainly have more normalized uses in the next few years. Right now, in particular, its increasing in popularity with the post-election market uncertainty. The key will be in making it easy for large-scale adoption (as with anything involving crypto) including developing safeguards and protections for buyers/investors. I expect that within two years, well be in a place where people can shove their money under the virtual mattress through cryptocurrency, and theyll know that wherever they go, that money will be there. Sarah Granger, Author, and Speaker.

Mostly due to its revolutionary properties cryptocurrencies have become a success their inventor, Satoshi Nakamoto, didnt dare to dream ofit. While every other attempt to create a digital cash system didnt attract a critical mass of users, Bitcoin had something that provoked enthusiasm and fascination. Sometimes it feels more like religion than technology.

Cryptocurrencies are digital gold. Sound money that is secure from political influence. Money that promises to preserve and increase its value over time. Cryptocurrencies are also a fast and comfortable means of payment with a worldwide scope, and they are private and anonymous enough to serve as a means of payment for black markets and any other outlawed economic activity.

But while cryptocurrencies are more used for payment, its use as a means of speculation and a store of value dwarfs the payment aspects. Cryptocurrencies gave birth to an incredibly dynamic, fast-growing market for investors and speculators. Exchanges like Okcoin, poloniex or shapeshift enables the trade of hundreds of cryptocurrencies. Their daily trade volume exceeds that of major European stock exchanges.

At the same time, the praxis of Initial Coin Distribution (ICO), mostly facilitated by Ethereums smart contracts, gave life to incredibly successful crowdfunding projects, in which often an idea is enough to collect millions of dollars. In the case of The DAO it has been more than 150 million dollars.

In this rich ecosystem of coins and token, you experience extreme volatility. Its common that a coin gains 10 percent a day sometimes 100 percent just to lose the same at the next day. If you are lucky, your coins value grows up to 1000 percent in one or two weeks.

While Bitcoin remains by far the most famous cryptocurrency and most other cryptocurrencies have zero non-speculative impact, investors and users should keep an eye on several cryptocurrencies. Here we present the most popular cryptocurrencies of today.

Source: coinmarketcap

Bitcoin

The one and only, the first and most famous cryptocurrency. Bitcoin serves as a digital gold standard in the whole cryptocurrency-industry, is used as a global means of payment and is the de-facto currency of cyber-crime like darknet markets or ransomware. After seven years in existence, Bitcoins price has increased from zero to more than 650 Dollar, and its transaction volume reached more than 200.000 daily transactions.

There is not much more to say: Bitcoin is here to stay.

Ethereum

The brainchild of young crypto-genius Vitalik Buterin has ascended to the second place in the hierarchy of cryptocurrencies. Other than Bitcoin its blockchain does not only validate a set of accounts and balances but of so-called states. This means that Ethereum can not only process transactions but complex contracts and programs.

This flexibility makes Ethereum the perfect instrument for blockchain -application. But it comes at a cost. After the Hack of the DAO an Ethereum based smart contract the developers decided to do a hard fork without consensus, which resulted in the emerge of Ethereum Classic. Besides this, there are several clones of Ethereum, and Ethereum itself is a host of several Tokens like DigixDAO and Augur. This makes Ethereum more a family of cryptocurrencies than a single currency.

Ripple

Maybe the less popular or most hated project in the cryptocurrency community is Ripple. While Ripple has a native cryptocurrency XRP it is more about a network to process IOUs than the cryptocurrency itself. XRP, the currency, doesnt serve as a medium to store and exchange value, but more as a token to protect the network against spam.

Ripple Labs created every XRP-token, the company running the Ripple network, and is distributed by them on will. For this reason, Ripple is often called pre-mined in the community and dissed as no real cryptocurrency, and XRP is not considered as a good store of value.

Banks, however, seem to like Ripple. At least they adopt the system with an increasing pace.

Litecoin

Litecoin was one of the first cryptocurrencies after Bitcoin and tagged as the silver to the digital gold bitcoin. Faster than bitcoin, with a larger amount of token and a new mining algorithm, Litecoin was a real innovation, perfectly tailored to be the smaller brother of bitcoin. It facilitated the emerge of several other cryptocurrencies which used its codebase but made it, even more, lighter. Examples are Dogecoin or Feathercoin.

While Litecoin failed to find a real use case and lost its second place after bitcoin, it is still actively developed and traded and is hoarded as a backup if Bitcoin fails.

Monero

Monero is the most prominent example of the cryptonite algorithm. This algorithm was invented to add the privacy features Bitcoin is missing. If you use Bitcoin, every transaction is documented in the blockchain and the trail of transactions can be followed. With the introduction of a concept called ring-signatures, the cryptonite algorithm was able to cut through that trail.

The first implementation of cryptonite, Bytecoin, was heavily premined and thus rejected by the community. Monero was the first non-premined clone of bytecoin and raised a lot of awareness. There are several other incarnations of cryptonote with their own little improvements, but none of it did ever achieve the same popularity as Monero.

Moneros popularity peaked in summer 2016 when some darknetmarkets decided to accept it as a currency. This resulted in a steady increase in the price, while the actual usage of Monero seems to remain disappointingly small.

Besides those, there are hundreds of cryptocurrencies of several families. Most of them are nothing more than attempts to reach investors and quickly make money, but a lot of them promise playgrounds to test innovations in cryptocurrency-technology.

The market of cryptocurrencies is fast and wild. Nearly every day new cryptocurrencies emerge, old die, early adopters get wealthy and investors lose money. Every cryptocurrency comes with a promise, mostly a big story to turn the world around. Few survive the first months, and most are pumped and dumped by speculators and live on as zombie coins until the last bagholder loses hope ever to see a return on his investment.

Markets are dirty. But this doesnt change the fact that cryptocurrencies are here to stay and here to change the world. This is already happening. People all over the world buy Bitcoin to protect themselves against the devaluation of their national currency. Mostly in Asia, a vivid market for Bitcoin remittance has emerged, and the Bitcoin using darknets of cybercrime are flourishing. More and more companies discover the power of Smart Contracts or token on Ethereum, the first real-world application of blockchain technologies emerge.

The revolution is already happening. Institutional investors start to buy cryptocurrencies. Banks and governments realize that this invention has the potential to draw their control away. Cryptocurrencies change the world. Step by step. You can either stand beside and observe or you can become part of history in the making.

Read the original here:

What is Cryptocurrency: Everything You Must Need To Know!

Cryptocurrency – Investopedia

Posted on by

What is a Cryptocurrency

A cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency that uses cryptography for security. A cryptocurrency is difficult to counterfeit because of this security feature. Many cryptocurrencies are decentralized systems based on blockchain technology, a distributed ledger enforced by a disparate network of computers. A defining feature of a cryptocurrency, and arguably its biggest allure, is its organic nature; it is not issued by any central authority, rendering it theoretically immune to government interference or manipulation.

The first blockchain-based cryptocurrency wasBitcoin, which still remains the most popular and most valuable. Today, there are thousands of alternate cryptocurrencies with various functions or specifications. Some of these are clones of Bitcoin while others are forks, or new cryptocurrencies that split off from an already existing one.

Cryptocurrencies are systems that allow for the secure payments of online transactions that are denominated in terms of a virtual "token," representing ledger entriesinternal to the system itself. "Crypto" refers to the fact that various encryption algorithms and cryptographic techniques, such as elliptical curve encryption, public-private key pairs, and hashing functions, are employed.

The first cryptocurrency to capture the public imagination was Bitcoin, which was launched in 2009 by an individual or group known under the pseudonym,Satoshi Nakamoto. As of February 2019, there were over 17.53 million bitcoins in circulation with a total market value of around $63 billion (although the market price of bitcoin can fluctuate quite a bit). Bitcoin's success has spawned a number of competing cryptocurrencies, known as "altcoins" such as Litecoin, Namecoin and Peercoin, as well as Ethereum, EOS, and Cardano. Today, there are literally thousands of cryptocurrencies in existence, with an aggregate market value of over $120 billion (Bitcoin currently represents more than 50% of the total value).

Cryptocurrencies hold the promise of making it easier to transfer funds directly between two parties in a transaction, without the need for a trusted third party such as a bank or credit card company; these transfers are facilitated through the use of public keys and private keys for security purposes. In modern cryptocurrency systems, a user's "wallet," or account address, has the public key, and the private key is used to sign transactions. Fund transfers are done with minimal processing fees, allowing users to avoid the steep fees charged by most banks and financial institutions for wire transfers.

Central to the appeal and function of Bitcoin is the blockchaintechnologyit uses to store an online ledger of all the transactions that have ever been conducted using bitcoins, providing a data structure for this ledger that is exposed to a limited threat from hackers and can be copied across all computers running Bitcoin software. Every new block generated must be verified by the ledgers of each user on the market, making it almost impossible to forge transaction histories. Many experts see this blockchain as having important uses in technologiessuch as online voting and crowdfunding, and major financial institutions such as JPMorgan Chase see potential in cryptocurrencies to lower transaction costs by making payment processing more efficient. However, because cryptocurrencies are virtual and do not have a central repository, a digital cryptocurrency balance can be wiped out by a computer crash if a backup copy of the holdings does not exist, or if somebody simply loses their private keys.

At the same time, there is no central authority, government, or corporation that has access to your funds or your personal information.

The semi-anonymous nature of cryptocurrency transactions makes them well-suited for a host of nefarious activities, such as money laundering and tax evasion. However, cryptocurrencyadvocates often value the anonymity highly. Some cryptocurrencies are more private than others. Bitcoin, for instance, is a relatively poor choice for conducting illegal business online, and forensic analysis of bitcoin transactions has led authorities to arrest and prosecute criminals. More privacy-oriented coins do exist, such as Dash, ZCash, or Monero, which are far more difficult to trace.

Since prices are based on supply and demand, the rate at which a cryptocurrency can be exchanged for another currency can fluctuate widely. However, plenty of research has been undertaken to identify the fundamental price drivers of cryptocurrencies.Bitcoin has indeed experienced some rapid surges and collapses in value, reaching as high as $19,000 per bitcoin in December of 2017 before returning to around $7,000 in the following months. Cryptocurrencies are thus considered by some economists to be a short-lived fad or speculative bubble. There is concern especially that the currency units, such as bitcoins, are not rooted in any material goods. Some research has identified that the cost of producing a bitcoin, which takes an increasingly large amount of energy, is directly related to its market price.

Cryptocurrencies' blockchains are secure, but other aspects of a cryptocurrency ecosystem are not immune to the threat of hacking. In Bitcoin's 10-year history, several online exchanges have been the subject of hacking and theft, sometimes with millions of dollars worth of 'coins' stolen. Still, many observers look at cryptocurrencies as hope that a currency can exist that preserves value, facilitates exchange, is more transportable than hard metals, and is outside the influence of central banks and governments.

Link:

Cryptocurrency - Investopedia

30 Shocking Facts About Redheads You Never Knew of

Posted on by

24

According to some studies, a side effect for redheads is that they are more sensitive to hot and cold pain than any other hair color.

23

Each September, the Netherlands holds a two-day celebration out of appreciation for redheads around the world which is called Roodharigendag in Dutch. The party includes crowning the ginger King and Queen.

There is a variety of red hair than you think. Red hair comes in so many different colors (Burnt Orange, Copper, Blonde, Ginger), sizes (Short and long) and shapes as other hair colors.

21

They have been treated awfully in the past. Hitler was against the intermarriage of redheads believing that they produce more devil children.

20

According to some studies bees are more attracted to redheads than any other hair color, probably its because they seem like sweet red flowers because of their red crown of hair.

19

Redheads are also known as hot-headed. However, there is no confirmation of this being valid. It might be just because of their red hair color they are called hot headed in a sense of joke.

18

We also have redhead Disney Princesses like Merida and Ariel. It means that red hair color is too cool because, Ariel and Merida also want to be a part of the ginger world, but you cannot have them because they are too beautiful for this earth.

Redheads never get lost in the crowd because of their red crown of hair which makes them unique from others which are cool.

According to a study, it is proved that Red is the hardest shade to dye your hair and also difficult to maintain it. So to be a redhead is a benefit.

Redheads have an impressive sense of humor because they grow up by teased for their ginger hair color.

14

To be a redhead is beneficial for men because according to some studies red headed men are 54 percent less likely to create prostate cancer. It means a lot for ginger men.

According to early Greeks believes Redheads were Vampires, and they also turn into vampires after they have died.

Redheads have fewer hair than brunettes or blondes. According to research on an average, brunettes have 140,000 strands of hair; blondes have 110,000 strands of hair and redheads have 90,000 which is too less, but red hair is thicker than any other hair color.

11

In surgeries, it's been recommended that a few redheads require 20 percent larger doses of anesthesia as compared to a regular patient. Research proved this that redhead needs more anesthesia than people having other hair colors.

10

They are more efficient at making Vitamin D. Redheads have the low amount of eumelanin in their body that is why they cannot absorb the required level of Vitamin D. In any case, they compensate for this by creating their particular Vitamin D when they are present in low-light condition.

So, they do not need as much sunlight to get what they need.

9

Christian communities considered a mark of the devil were birthmarks, patches and the major one was red hair. Many Christian communities believed that Judas was a redheaded textual proof from the Bible.

This belief really inspired some painters to paint Judas with red hair.

Aristotle had some issues with redheads. Aristotle himself reported for the once saying "The reddish are of bad character" which shows that he hates redheads.

7

Redheads are more resistant to pain blocker. Redhead gene releases a chemical called pheomelanin, which is the cause of blocks the brains receptivity/acceptance to pain.

Families can carry redhead gene for generations without knowing it. So, it is might possible that there could be some redhead gene inside you that can surprise you for being a redheads parent.

Redheads are good at detecting changes in temperature than a person having any other hair color so, we can call them Temperature sensor.

According to research found by Britain DNA has found that more than 40 percent of the population carries the MC1R gene that is responsible for red hair. Redheads are not going to extinct because families have MC1R gene without knowing it.

According to some studies, redheads have more sensitive teeth. Redheads also bruise easily than those who have any other hair color.

Marilyn Monroe was also a redheaded. She was American actress and model. She was famous for her natural red hair.

1

Finally, if you look into redheads eye longer than 10 seconds, you will fall in love.

Redheads are always misunderstood and mistrust in the history. Previously, the people with red hair were considered to be an evil one, even nowadays many of us are having a lot of misconceptions about them.

Being a redhead is not an abnormality. Instead, its a blessing. If anyone of you has a redhead, then proud of it. We anticipate that you had an enjoyable journey while going through the article, and you get a lot to know about the redhead. Please let us know about your valuable feedback.

Go here to see the original:

30 Shocking Facts About Redheads You Never Knew of

Redheads The Most Appealing Natural Redheads – Ranker

Posted on by

List of the hottest women with natural red hair, including actresses, models, and musicians. Redheads are on fire in Hollywood. These babes have rich and sexy red hair that only enhances their good looks. While some celebrities who are natural redheads often darken their hair or dye their locks blonde, the sexy ladies on this list often show off their beautiful ginger manes. Varying between deep red, auburn, strawberry blonde, and anywhere in between these famous women have the bone structure to be among the hottest celebrities of all time even with their fiery red locks and pale white skin.

Red is the rarest natural hair color, with less than four percent of the world's population sporting red locks. For some of these sexy celebrities, naturally red hair is the norm. Actresses like Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Chastain, and Isla Fisher more often than not sport the ginger look and do so strikingly. The same goes for singers like Shirley Manson, whose often changing, but naturally red, hair has earned her a spot on the most attractive redheads ever list for awhile now. Others who made this list are known for their signature red hair, including comedian Kathy Griffin and supermodel Lily Cole. These gingers have a spitfire personality that matches their red hair. Not included in the list are stars who dyed their hair red, whether for a role or for cosmetic reasons, such as Lucille Ball, Rita Hayworth, Emma Stone, Amy Adams, and more.

So who is the hottest natural redhead woman in Hollywood? Vote for your favorite red-haired celeb girls, add any not listed in the gallery below, or even re-rank this list of the sexiest ginger stars. Don't forget to check out our other lists of the hottest bleach-blonde women and the hottest brunettes.

Take a look at these celebrity redheads. These TRUE redheads, and enjoy these sexy redhead girlpics!

Age: 38

Birthplace: Vallejo, California, United States of America

5,739 2,092

Age: 49

Birthplace: Akron, Ohio, USA

5,079 1,987

Go here to read the rest:

Redheads The Most Appealing Natural Redheads - Ranker

Ascension | Define Ascension at Dictionary.com

Posted on by

[ uh-sen-shuhn ]SHOW IPA

/ snn /PHONETIC RESPELLING

the Ascension, the bodily ascending of Christ from earth to heaven.

Ascension

[ uh-sen-shuhn ]SHOW IPA

/ snn /PHONETIC RESPELLING

a British island in the S Atlantic Ocean: constituent part of St. Helena. 34 sq. mi. (88 sq. km).

Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Random House, Inc. 2019

SEE MORE EXAMPLESSEE FEWER EXAMPLES

ascension

the act of ascending

astronomy the rising of a star above the horizon

Ascension1

New Testament the passing of Jesus Christ from earth into heaven (Acts 1:9)

Ascension2

an island in the S Atlantic, northwest of St Helena: uninhabited until claimed by Britain in 1815. Pop: 884 (2010 est). Area: 88 sq km (34 sq miles)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

ascension

c.1300, "ascent of Christ into Heaven on the 40th day after the Resurrection," from Latin ascensionem (nominative ascensio) "a rising," noun of action from past participle stem of ascendere "to mount, ascend, go up" (see ascend). Astronomical sense is recorded late 14c.; meaning "action of ascending" is from 1590s. Related: Ascensional.

Online Etymology Dictionary, 2010 Douglas Harper

Read the original post:

Ascension | Define Ascension at Dictionary.com

Human Genetics – medschool.ucla.edu

Posted on by

A hub of deep expertise, the Department of Human Genetics helps partners across UCLA interpret data and leverage genomic technology to improve study design and solve medical problems.

We demystify genetic complexities to provide vital insights for a range of clinical and research applications. We strive to improve the care of as many patients as possible by pushing our capabilities, developing novel ways to address unanswered questions.

Your next collaboration is right down the street.

Our enviable proximity to the worlds brightest scientific minds enables both thriving scheduled events and impromptu sidewalk powwows. A casual conversation during your coffee run could lead to your next big publication.

Come find out why innovation lives here.

LEARN MORE

Jonathan Flint, MDPsychiatrist Dr. Jonathan Flint has been named a fellow of the Royal Society, an academy that includes some of the worlds most eminent scientists.Learn More

Bogdan Pasaniuc, PhDA team of researchers from UCLA, Cedars-Sinai Cancer and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has identified 34 genes that are associated with an increased risk for developing the earliest stages of ovarian cancer.Learn More

Deborah Krakow, MDNamed to Los Angeles Magazines 2019 list of Top Doctors in Los Angeles specializing in Genetics. The list identifies doctors considered to be at the top of their fields.Learn More

Julian Martinez, MD, PhD Named to Los Angeles Magazines 2019 list of Top Doctors in Los Angeles specializing in Genetics. The list identifies doctors considered to be at the top of their fields.Learn More

See original here:

Human Genetics - medschool.ucla.edu

Department of Human Genetics | The University of Chicago

Posted on by

The Department of Human Genetics is the home within the Division of Biological Sciences for the study of basic principles of genetics and genomics as applied to human disease. We provide broad training in experimental genetics and genomics, statistical and population genetics, bioinformatics, and clinical genetics. A common theme throughout our research is the application of basic genetic principles and strategies to the study of disease mechanism, disease susceptibility, and the genetic architecture of complex traits. Our faculty bridge between basic and clinical research and train students for careers in academia, industry, and medicine.

The Department of Human Genetics has an unwavering commitment to diversity, inclusion, free expression, and open discourse.These values are at the core of our roles as scientists, as teachers, and as citizens of a free society.

Science, including genetics, plays a central role in many crucial issues of our time. We are committed to generating rigorous scientific knowledge, training future scientists, and preparing our students to be well-informed citizens in a democratic society.

Excerpt from:

Department of Human Genetics | The University of Chicago

THE RESOURCE BASED abundance ECONOMY

Posted on by

Know the foods beforehand that you should avoid if one wants to pass the test.

Most are unaware that certain everyday foods will deter you from a pass on the drug test if you are aware you will increase your chances of success in passing it. Researching these foods will put you ahead and avoiding the consumption of these foods around the day of or a few days prior the test will further heighten your chance of being successful. Here are some foods to avoid:

Hemp Oil/Seeds/Milk: This can be brought back positive for THC. It is hard for the test to distinguish between marijuana abusers and a typical meal with hemp seeds.

All Cold/ Flu Remedies: Avoid all remedies to help heal a cold. These remedies narrow the blood vessels to relieve congestion. A synthetic amphetamine is used in the remedy, and thus you can test positive for amphetamines in the drug test.

Azo: This is used to combat urinary tract infections as well as permit relief to the victim. Azo helps to rid the infection bacteria in the track by stripping it of all the bacteria; the side effect is that it turns the different urine colors than the natural and the administrators just assume you are trying to fool or hide from the system.

Sudafed: This is a remedy used for the relief of allergies. Beware of this, as this will bring your results to an apex positive. A synthetic amphetamine is used, and you will strike positive for amphetamines.

Tonic Water: This also goes by the name of quinine water. This can be mistaken for opiates. It was a means to deliver quinines from South America to its destination. Do not even be tempted to drink a little or that is a guarantee of failure.

Vitamin B Supplements: Avoid any natural herbs with Vitamin B2 contained in it or Vitamin B complex supplements. Commercial B2 supplements are synthetic and are also known as Riboflavin. It is a fermentation of a particular plant, or it may contain hempseed oil. It will falsify a positive for marijuana usage. Do not take until you know you are in the safe zone for passing the test.

Ibuprofen: It is a common use is for a painkiller, but it comes as the results back as positive on the drug test in the testing window of 48 hours. It tests positive for marijuana, benzodiazepines, and barbiturates. So the next time you are in pain (near your drug test date) reach for the aspirin or the Tylenol.

Poppy Seeds: These tasty seeds are delicious on a muffin or bagel but, at best, refrain from them (around or on the testing date) as they contain amounts of opiates. The opiates are in the form of codeine and opium. Instead of poppy seeds substitute with sesame or sunflower seeds.

Know the difference between store versus laboratory testing

Buying from the store is a simple step, and you can walk into any store, and they most likely have a drug test kit in stock. The results are quick and easy. Do your research though, as some can have the results within one to five minutes, while others have to be mailed to a laboratory to get the results. You can find bulk rates or the best price with online shopping and research. There are 2 types of urine tests that you can take from home:

You do not need to send it in for testing: the urination makes contact to the strip reacting with it and producing the results. If it changes colors or produces a symbol, the results are positive, if otherwise then the results are negative.

Laboratory Grade Screening Test: If you must go to a laboratory or you must send it via mail, then the laboratory will have to send you back the results. It is more accurate as it can be tested for alteration or tampering with the results. The laboratory tests for important compounds. The PH balance and the absence of minerals indicate that it could have been tampered with. The presence of certain substances could indicate additives.

Here is a great resource for our readers in order to learn how to pass a urine drug test in 2 days:

8. Get to know the different types of drugs that are being tested.

There are five basic major drugs that are tested. These were the five upmost common abused substances. The following are the topmost:

Marijuana: This is anything composed of THC. Examples are vaping weed, wax, BHO, shatter any THC edibles (pills, gummy, cooked), etc.

Cocaine: Any snorting, smoking, or shooting of cocaine-related substances such as coca leaves, tinctures, alcohol (of any kind) or chewing leaves, crack, local anesthetics and prescription drugs, etc.

Opiates: Prescription drugs, painkillers, anti-anxiety medication, etc. It also consists of illegal drugs. If codeine is attached to the suffix of the word it usually means it is an opiate.

Amphetamines: It helps relieve anxiety, depression, weight loss, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, to name a few

Methamphetamines: A powerful stimulate when synthesizing amphetamines. This is where Meth falls into the category.

Simply do not do them.

The most simple, effective and safest way is to simply not do them at all. This is the most healthy for you. Spend time in a hobby and indulge in a healthy lifestyle: eating right, hygiene, exercising, etc. This is the one-hundred percent best for you as most (if not all drugs) leave you with no real fix and being detrimental to your health. They make you crave more, and you are then controlled by a substance where you are never content. There are other things you can do as well: make a difference, volunteer, indulge in ones passions or dreams. One who actively participates in ones own life lives a more productive and a more happy-filled life than one who reaches for the drug to fix ones problem.

How to get off of Drug Abuse

Take baby steps.

Everything with a lasting change must be built on a foundation of baby steps, if one tries to get off of it cold then one is susceptible to cling back into it and fall under the same destructive habits or maybe even delve deeper into it. Wane off of it a little at a time, until you can become totally independent of it. It is said that Patience is a virtue. This indeed must require patience; one must not get discouraged. If one keeps at it, one will start to see the progress he has begun. One can do this if one has the determination to succeed.

Find an accountability partner.

One must combat feelings of loneliness or all the weight being put on ones shoulders; the majority of people tend to harbor these feelings. This is dangerous as this can give you a mentality of Oh well, why try? One must try! The outcome far outweighs the pain. A friend who has been in the same or similar predicament makes it easier to sort through this life addiction together. One can be accountable to ones self but having another makes it all the more difficult to slip back into ones destructive phase in life. This gives one the ability to relate to another and adds another layer of protection from the detrimental lifestyle. It can only get easier from here. One cannot do this alone.

Seek professional help and guidance

More than likely, most have this implemented for them. If one does not, they must actively seek it. They will know how to help detox you. Detoxification is vital to flush the body of the drugs that left trace amounts of it in ones body. This can help with ones cravings for it as well because it is removing any of the substances that may still be left in ones body. They know the best ways to heal your body and make it stronger through a daily practice of things researched and proven. They will usually send one to rehab where the victim gets another chance at indulging in ones life fully once again.

Practice the healthy ways to relax you and indulge your senses.

Learn more about yourself in a healthy manner: What relaxes you? What motivates you? What are your likes/dislikes? Stress is the number one cause for one to enter the word of drugs. There are more healthy and productive ways one can implement to achieve permanent, lasting results, than just diving for drugs because you think it is going to give a quick fix.

Meditation is known for its relaxing benefits and can prevent or help relax ones being physical, mentally, and emotionally. A diffuser can help in indulging ones senses with aromatherapy: the art of finding ones smell that helps better ones self. Indulge in exercises like Yoga, etc.

Focus on your breathing. Be present at the moment. It would be a wise choice to invest in a journal and write down ones thoughts. This can help to look back at progress or aid in the relief of struggle. Some need organized discipline and there are a plethora of videos, how-tos, and courses to help one implement lifestyle changes vital to their health and well-being. Sobriety is an art form of being able to participant in ones life to the apex point one can reach.

Any type of aerobic exercise is good for health and to help perspire the drug out of ones system. Swimming, running, riding a bicycle are just a few examples.

Visit link:

THE RESOURCE BASED abundance ECONOMY

Mesothelioma.com | Information for Patients and Families

Posted on by

At Mesothelioma.com, our mission is to educate patients, their loved ones and the general public about this rare cancer and the toxin that causes it, asbestos. We strive to help those impacted by mesothelioma get the medical information, resources and legal connections they need at every step of their cancer journey.

For over 20 years, Mesothelioma.com has provided free medical and legal resources to mesothelioma patients and their families during their time of need. Our team consists of medical experts, legal experts, mesothelioma survivors, award-winning journalists and researchers to ensure the most helpful, accurate and recent information about mesothelioma, asbestos and asbestos litigation.

Mesothelioma.com is focused on providing the best, most up-to-date mesothelioma and asbestos information based on input from experts in the field, medical journals, government sites and trustworthy news sources.

Get detailed information about the disease, including symptoms, diagnosis, stages, treatment options, life expectancy and more.

Learn more about what factors impact your life expectancy, like type and stage of mesothelioma, as well as how some patients achieved long-term survival.

Browse our extensive database of mesothelioma doctors and cancer centers and get details on conventional treatments, emerging treatments and clinical trials that could help extend survival.

Find information about asbestos, the only definitive cause of mesothelioma, including where it can be found in homes, buildings and products and occupations most at risk of exposure.

Since asbestos was used heavily across all military branches, veterans are among the most at risk for mesothelioma and account for about 30% of all diagnoses today. Learn where asbestos was used, veteran treatments centers and how to file a VA claim.

Because asbestos companies acted with neglect, mesothelioma victims and their families have legal options. Learn about your rights, including types of claims and financial assistance available, and get help connecting with law firms with experience in asbestos litigation.

Heather Von St. James was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma at 36 years old, just a few months after giving birth to her daughter. Without treatment, doctors told her she would have just 15 months to live. Heather and her family decided to pursue a new, aggressive treatment in Boston, and she is now a 13-year survivor. Today, Heather dedicates her life to advocating for patients and an asbestos ban. Connect with Heather.

Researchers have found that recurrent rates for mesothelioma can vary widely, with some studies finding recurrence rates after treatment ranging from 10 72%. Even patients diagnosed in the earlie...

Continue Reading

A California jury reached a $29 million verdict against Johnson & Johnson and Cyprus Mines Corporation, a talc supplier. The jury concluded that the responsible companies must pay Teresa Leavit...

Continue Reading

Read the rest here:

Mesothelioma.com | Information for Patients and Families

Convention on the High Seas – Wikipedia

Posted on by

The Convention on the High Seas is an international treaty which codifies the rules of international law relating to the high seas, otherwise known as international waters.[1] The treaty was one of four treaties created at the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS I).[2] The treaty was signed on 29 April 1958 and entered into force on 30 September 1962.[3]

As of 2013, the treaty had been ratified by 63 states.[4] The Convention on the High Seas was superseded by UNCLOS III, which introduced several new concepts to the law of maritime boundaries including Exclusive Economic Zones.

The treaty is divided into 37 articles:

Article 1: Definition of "high seas".

Article 2: Statement of principles

Article 3: Access to the sea for landlocked states

Articles 47: the concept of a Flag State

Article 8: Warships

Article 9: Other ships in government service

Articles 1012: Safety, rescue

Article 13: Outlawing transport of slaves at sea

Articles 1421: Piracy

Article 22: Boarding of merchant ships by warships

Article 23: Hot pursuit, that is, pursuit of a vessel across borders for the purposes of law enforcement

Articles 2425: Pollution

Articles 2629: Submarine cables and pipelines

Articles 3037: legal framework, ratification, accession

Visit link:

Convention on the High Seas - Wikipedia

High Seas Motel, Bar Harbor, ME – Booking.com

Posted on by

To keep the rating score and review content relevant for your upcoming trip, we archive reviews older than 24 months.

Only a customer who has booked through Booking.com and stayed at the property in question can write a review. This allows us to verify that our reviews come from real guests like you. Who better to tell others about the free breakfast, friendly staff, or their comfortable room than someone whos stayed at the property?

We want you to share your story, with both the good and the not-so-good. All we ask is that you follow a few simple guidelines.

We believe review contributions and property responses will highlight a wide range of opinions and experiences, which is critical in helping guests make informed decisions about where to stay.

Contributions to Booking.com are a reflection of the dedication of our guests and properties, so we treat them with the utmost respect.

Whether negative or positive, we'll post every comment in full, as quickly as possible, after it's moderated to comply with Booking.com guidelines. We'll also provide transparency over the status of submitted content.

After a review has been submitted, you can modify it by contacting Booking.com customer service.

We'll use the same guidelines and standards for all user-generated content, and for the property responses to that content.

We'll allow the contributions to speak for themselves, and we wont be the judge of reality. Booking.coms role is to be a feedback distributor for both guests and properties.

These guidelines and standards aim to keep the content on Booking.com relevant and family-friendly, without limiting expression or strong opinions. They're also applicable regardless of the comment's tone.

Contributions should be travel related. The most helpful contributions are detailed and help others make better decisions. Please dont include personal, political, ethical, or religious commentary. Promotional content will be removed and issues concerning Booking.coms services should be routed to our Customer Service or Accommodation Service teams.

Contributions should be appropriate for a global audience. Please avoid using profanity or attempts to approximate profanity with creative spelling, in any language. Comments and media that include hate speech, discriminatory remarks, threats, sexually explicit remarks, violence, or the promotion of illegal activity are not permitted.

All content should be genuine and unique to the guest. Reviews are most valuable when they are original and unbiased. Your contribution should be yours. Booking.com property partners should not post on behalf of guests or offer incentives in exchange for reviews. Attempts to bring down the rating of a competitor by submitting a negative review will not be tolerated.

Respect the privacy of others. Booking.com will make an effort to obscure email addresses, telephone numbers, website addresses, social media accounts, and other similar details.

The opinions expressed in contributions are those of Booking.com customers and properties, and not of Booking.com. Booking.com does not accept responsibility or liability for any reviews or responses. Booking.com is a distributor (without any obligation to verify) and not a publisher of these comments and responses.

By default, reviews are sorted based on the date of the review and on additional criteria to display the most relevant reviews, including but not limited to: your language, reviews with text, and non-anonymous reviews. Additional sorting options might be available (by type of traveler, by score, etc...).

Continue reading here:

High Seas Motel, Bar Harbor, ME - Booking.com

Singapore Economy: Population, GDP, Inflation, Business …

Posted on by

Download PDF Quick Facts

Singapores economic freedom score is 89.4, making its economy the 2nd freest in the 2019 Index. Its overall score has increased by 0.6 point, with increases in scores for trade freedom and government integrity outpacing modest declines in labor freedom and property rights. Singapore is ranked 2nd among 43 countries in the AsiaPacific region, and its overall score is well above the regional and world averages.

Singapore owes its success as a highly developed free-market economy in large part to its remarkably open and corruption-free business environment, prudent monetary and fiscal policies, and a transparent legal framework. The government has continued to promote economic growth through an active industrial policy that targets fiscal incentives, increases public investment, promotes development of skill sets attractive to foreign investors, and focuses on economic diversification. Well-secured property rights promote entrepreneurship and productivity growth. The rule of law is undergirded by a societal intolerance of corruption.

Singapore is one of the worlds most prosperous nations. Despite an active parliamentary opposition, it has been ruled by one party, the Peoples Action Party (PAP), for many decades. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has led the government since 2004 and will oversee a PAP leadership transition before the next parliamentary election, due by 2021. Although certain civil liberties remain restricted, the PAP long ago embraced economic liberalization and international trade. Services dominate the economy, but Singapore is also a major manufacturer of electronics and chemicals and operates one of the worlds largest ports. Its unemployment rate is one of the lowest in the developed world. Principal exports include integrated circuits, refined petroleum, and computers.

Singapore protects property rights and enforces contracts effectively. Commercial courts function well, but the governments overwhelmingly successful track record in court cases raises questions about judicial independence. Singapore is one of the worlds least corrupt countries and has numerous safeguards and audit controls in place. When corruption is discovered, it is dealt with swiftly, firmly, and publicly.

The top individual income tax rate is 22 percent, and the top corporate tax rate is 17 percent. The overall tax burden equals 13.7 percent of total domestic income. Over the past three years, government spending has amounted to 17.6 percent of the countrys output (GDP), and budget surpluses have averaged 4.3 percent of GDP. Public debt is equivalent to 110.9 percent of GDP.

The overall entrepreneurial environment remains one of the worlds most transparent and efficient. The business start-up process is straightforward, with no minimum capital required. The labor market, supported by flexible labor regulations, is vibrant and functions well. The government funds generous housing, transport, and health care subsidy programs and influences other prices through regulation and state-linked enterprises.

The combined value of exports and imports is equal to 322.4 percent of GDP. The average applied tariff rate is 0.1 percent. As of June 30, 2018, according to the WTO, Singapore had 182 nontariff measures in force. The countrys openness to global investment encourages vibrant commercial activity. The government continues its ownership in the financial sector but has steadily been opening the domestic market to foreign banks.

View post:

Singapore Economy: Population, GDP, Inflation, Business ...

Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies – Wikipedia

Posted on by

Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies is a 2014 book by the Swedish philosopher Nick Bostrom from the University of Oxford. It argues that if machine brains surpass human brains in general intelligence, then this new superintelligence could replace humans as the dominant lifeform on Earth. Sufficiently intelligent machines could improve their own capabilities faster than human computer scientists,[2] and the outcome could be an existential catastrophe for humans.[3]

Bostrom's book has been translated into many languages and is available as an audiobook.[1][4]

It is unknown whether human-level artificial intelligence will arrive in a matter of years, later this century, or not until future centuries. Regardless of the initial timescale, once human-level machine intelligence is developed, a "superintelligent" system that "greatly exceeds the cognitive performance of humans in virtually all domains of interest" would follow surprisingly quickly, possibly even instantaneously. Such a superintelligence would be difficult to control or restrain.

While the ultimate goals of superintelligences can vary greatly, a functional superintelligence will spontaneously generate, as natural subgoals, "instrumental goals" such as self-preservation and goal-content integrity, cognitive enhancement, and resource acquisition. For example, an agent whose sole final goal is to solve the Riemann hypothesis (a famous unsolved, mathematical conjecture) could create and act upon a subgoal of transforming the entire Earth into some form of computronium (hypothetical "programmable matter") to assist in the calculation. The superintelligence would proactively resist any outside attempts to turn the superintelligence off or otherwise prevent its subgoal completion. In order to prevent such an existential catastrophe, it might be necessary to successfully solve the "AI control problem" for the first superintelligence. The solution might involve instilling the superintelligence with goals that are compatible with human survival and well-being. Solving the control problem is surprisingly difficult because most goals, when translated into machine-implementable code, lead to unforeseen and undesirable consequences.

The book ranked #17 on the New York Times list of best selling science books for August 2014.[5] In the same month, business magnate Elon Musk made headlines by agreeing with the book that artificial intelligence is potentially more dangerous than nuclear weapons.[6][7][8]Bostrom's work on superintelligence has also influenced Bill Gatess concern for the existential risks facing humanity over the coming century.[9][10] In a March 2015 interview with Baidu's CEO, Robin Li, Gates said that he would "highly recommend" Superintelligence.[11]

The science editor of the Financial Times found that Bostrom's writing "sometimes veers into opaque language that betrays his background as a philosophy professor" but convincingly demonstrates that the risk from superintelligence is large enough that society should start thinking now about ways to endow future machine intelligence with positive values.[2]A review in The Guardian pointed out that "even the most sophisticated machines created so far are intelligent in only a limited sense" and that "expectations that AI would soon overtake human intelligence were first dashed in the 1960s", but finds common ground with Bostrom in advising that "one would be ill-advised to dismiss the possibility altogether".[3]

Some of Bostrom's colleagues suggest that nuclear war presents a greater threat to humanity than superintelligence, as does the future prospect of the weaponisation of nanotechnology and biotechnology.[3] The Economist stated that "Bostrom is forced to spend much of the book discussing speculations built upon plausible conjecture... but the book is nonetheless valuable. The implications of introducing a second intelligent species onto Earth are far-reaching enough to deserve hard thinking, even if the prospect of actually doing so seems remote."[12] Ronald Bailey wrote in the libertarian Reason that Bostrom makes a strong case that solving the AI control problem is the "essential task of our age".[13] According to Tom Chivers of The Daily Telegraph, the book is difficult to read, but nonetheless rewarding.[14]

Original post:

Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies - Wikipedia