Police suspect Mt. Gox Bitcoin theft was an inside job

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Summary:Was the majority of bitcoin stolen from the exchange due to fraud, rather than cyberattack?

Japanese police believe that the majority of bitcoins stolen from Mt. Gox was due to insider tampering, a new report claims.

According to Japanese publication The Yomiuri Shimbun, the fall of once-dominant bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox was due to fraud, rather than an external hack. Sources at the Japanese Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) told the newspaper that out of 650,000 missing bitcoins, only 7,000 -- or one percent -- of the poached currency was lost due to cyberattack.

Approximately 200,000 bitcoins were recovered from an "old" wallet following the Mt. Gox closure, but hundreds of thousands are still unaccounted for.

As a result, the MPD's investigation of the failed bitcoin exchange now includes scrutinizing the behavior of one specific person who is "familiar with the exchange system" and may have stolen bitcoin from users by manipulating the system through fraud.

Tokyo-based Mt. Gox closed its doors without warning in February last year. The bitcoin exchange, once one of the most popular platforms online, filed for bankruptcy later in the same month. At the time, bitcoin belonging both to the exchange and users, worth approximately $500 million, vanished.

Creditors were given until November 2014 to file claims for compensation.

Rumors and whispers of fraud and an inside job have circulated since the exchange floundered. However, no fingers have been pointed specifically at members of staff or the firm's board. Mt. Gox CEO Mark Karpeles was required to attend interviews with police in Japan at the time Mt. Gox closed its doors, but no-one associated with the investigation has suggested the executive is at fault.

Fraudulent trading goes against a statement issued by Mt. Gox at the time of the exchange's closure, which said a system bug which created a security flaw was at fault. The statement (.PDF) read:

According to the Yomiuri, "suspicious" accounts may provide the answer to the rest of the missing 650,000 bitcoins. In addition, traders became suspicious after discovering two automatic trading bots, nicknamed 'Willy' and 'Markus,' which appeared in 2013 at various times. According to leaked transaction data, the bots traded high amounts of the digital currency, before vanishing. Bitcoins handled by these bots did not correlate with user accounts.

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Police suspect Mt. Gox Bitcoin theft was an inside job

Comets Fall to Rampage 8-4

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January 1, 2015 - American Hockey League (AHL) Utica Comets The Utica Comets fell to the San Antonio Rampage 8-4 on New Year's Day at The Utica Memorial Auditorium in their first regulation loss in 11 games. This also marks the first time the Comets have lost in regulation in front of a sell-out crowd at The AUD.

Despite offensive production from four different Comets players, San Antonio's goaltender Dan Ellis bested Utica in net with a total of 28 saves on 32 shots on net. Rampage forward, Bobby Butler (1-2-3), helped record the most offensive production on the team while being awarded the second star of the game.

After a handful of saves on both ends of the ice, San Antonio found the first goal of the night with just under three minutes left in the first period. Following a puck battle along the boards, Brett Olson retrieved the puck from the chaos behind Jacob Markstrom's net. Olson didn't hang on the puck for long and opted for a quick pass back out to the blue line from in between the hashmarks. Shane O'Brien received Olson's pass and immediately propelled the rubber over Markstrom's glove hand for the 1-0 lead. Butler was credited with the secondary assist.

The second period left a bitter taste in everyone's mouth except for San Antonio. In 11 minutes and 23 seconds, the Rampage scored six goals.

Their second of the game and first of the period came at 4:07 after Andrey Pedan took an interference penalty a minute prior. Drew Shore made a pass across the blue pain to Connor Brickley who then popped it past Markstrom's left side to make it 2-0. Wade Megan was also tallied an assist on the play.

Before San Antonio could unleash another attack, the Comets answered back roughly two minutes later. After Cal O'Reilly rushed into the neutral zone, the puck made its way to Pedan who then left the puck with Alex Biega. To finish the play, O'Reilly was waiting to the right side of Ellis' net to pop in the cross-ice pass from Biega to keep the score within one.

Despite the Comets efforts to fight back, Rampage continued on with their destruction. At 8:06 Butler forced the Comets to turn over the puck behind Markstrom's net. Oncer Butler had possession, he pass the puck to Garrett Wilson who took a point blank shot that popped between Markstrom's legs to make the two goal lead theirs once again with a score of 3-1.

The Comets next goal was the perfect definition of a give-and-go play. A minute and a half after San Antonio's last goal, Brandon DeFazio and Dustin Jeffrey rushed into the offensive zone. With two consecutive passes, the puck made its way to Biega's stick just above the center hashmarks. With a flick of the stick, Biega's wrist shot was buried top shelf over Ellis' glove hand for a shorthanded goal to make it 3-2.

San Antonio scored another at 10:45 on a 5-on-3 opportunity. With one slapshot from Rocco Grimaldi and a tip in front of the net by Jesse Blacker, the Rampage made the score 4-2 on the power-play goal. Mark Mancari took credit for the secondary assist.

Immediately one minute after, the Comets answered back for the last time of the period with a DeFazio wrist shot. After some board play by O'Reilly and Wacey Hamilton, the puck found its way to DeFazio who netted his 14th of the season to make it 4-3.

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Comets Fall to Rampage 8-4

RTW Family World Travel Water Bottles to Close Street for Construction Istanbul, Turkey – Video

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RTW Family World Travel Water Bottles to Close Street for Construction Istanbul, Turkey
http://www.thenomadicfamily.com One Stupid, Beautiful Idea! Not your boring we-are-so-perfectly-happy-on-the-road blah, blah, blah blog. Voted TOP TEN FAMILY TRAVEL BLOGS by Washington...

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RTW Family World Travel Water Bottles to Close Street for Construction Istanbul, Turkey - Video

Metroparks showcase world travel

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Published: Friday, 1/2/2015 - Updated: 54 seconds ago

BY MARK REITER BLADE STAFF WRITER

For those looking to combat cabin fever this winter and travel vicariously around the globe, the Travel Circle programs will be held on Saturdays for the next 13 weeks.

The programs, sponsored by the Metroparks of the Toledo Area and Maumee Valley Adventurers, provide narrations and photo presentations on places ranging from national parks to exotic cruises.

Scott Carpenter, the metroparks districts spokesman, said the programs are planned for 2:15 to 3:30 p.m.

Travel Circle is one of the most popular programs we have, especially in the winter months, he said.

The free program is organized by the Maumee Valley Adventurers, formerly Hostelling International/Toledo Area Council. The group is a hiking, biking, and travel club and offers an optional one-hour hike or cross-country skiing before each presentation.

Organizer Mary Lou Leonard, a member of the nonprofit group, said each program will feature a talk on the travel experiences and photos or videos of local residents.

The presentations and narration run about 45 minutes and include questions and answers at the end.

Its a fun format and not real formal, she said. People who come are kind of the outdoorsy type and they love the outdoors. Most of our people like to travel.

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Metroparks showcase world travel

Want to see the world? Heres some tips

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PLANNING an overseas holiday can be a daunting task, but anyone who has nutted out their foreign land adventure knows it's worth it.

My Personal Travel Planner director Ainsley Hardie said the wealth of information could be discouraging.

"There is a lot to consider and for people to take into account," Mrs Hardie said.

"The internet can become overwhelming with the information available, so for us here, we're very much about listening to people and finding the place that they want to visit."

Mrs Hardie said the New Year period was typically a busy time for travel agents as people made plans to see more of the world.

"I think a lot of people over the Christmas and New Year period stop for a bit and they do start to think about what they want to do this year," she said.

"It's also a great time of the year to plan things because cruise lines have great deals and there are early bird specials through Europe.

"So it's a motivator to get in and get things organised while the big stuff (such as flights) are available."

Mrs Hardie said Toowoomba travellers' trends had changed in line with the Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport opening.

"Europe, France, Italy, Turkey, Morocco and, of course, England are popular destinations for Toowoomba residents," she said.

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Super Mega Baseball pitches perfectly

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Its only January. Spring training is still weeks away, and yet the best baseball game of the year is already toeing the rubber. Super Mega Baseball came out quietly in the middle of December, and although a few prominent game sites rightly hailed it as one of the best sports games of 2014, it largely went unnoticed. Nine days before Christmas probably isnt the best time to release a download-only indie baseball game.

Thats a shame, because Super Mega Baseball is a perfect complement to Sonys MLB: The Show series. The Show is an absurdly deep baseball labyrinth whose complexity scares new players away. Super Mega Baseball is as easy to pick up and play as an old NES baseball game. It boils the essentials of baseball down into a simple but satisfying package and then gradually lets you expand it into a more in-depth and customizable game.

The way it handles pitching is especially great. Its system is distinct from The Show or 2K Sports defunct MLB 2K series, and might be the best pitching system yet in a video game. You use the joysticks to pick your pitch and its location, press a button to deliver, and then quickly have to slide a target into a circle to make sure you hit your spot. The more break or spin on a pitch the harder it is to accurately line it up. Its a surprisingly elegant technique that presents an appropriate amount of challenge and that never grows stagnant. Pitching in Super Mega Baseball is one of the gaming highlights of 2014.

Hitting is a bit more familiar. Depending on the button you press, youll swing for power or contact or lay down a bunt. Power can be a little tricky, as it charges up a meter, and youll need to time it so the wood hits the ball as the meter peaks.

The game keeps detailed stats throughout your seasons, letting you watch your players grow or regress. And the ego system lets you adjust the computers difficulty to a fine degree.

Many gamers might overlook Super Mega Baseball for two reasons. It doesnt use real teams or players and it has a cartoony visual style. Neither of these things should hold you back. If you love baseball, or even just video game baseball, and want a less arduous game than The Show, this is the best youre going to find.

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Super Mega Baseball pitches perfectly

Channelling Spirit and Practical Spirituality – Clinton Doherty, The Spiritual Channeler – Video

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Channelling Spirit and Practical Spirituality - Clinton Doherty, The Spiritual Channeler
In this episode Clinton Doherty channels about practical spirituality and how we are all connected to a deep spiritual dimension within us. http://www.schoolofsoul.net.

By: Clinton Doherty - The Spiritual Channeler

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We're not alone in the world: Angelina Jolie

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Los Angeles: Actress-director Angelina Jolie says she embraced her spirituality after growing close to Louis Zamperini, the subject of her film 'Unbroken' and has come to the conclusion "we're not alone in the world."

The 39-year-old began to embrace her spiritual side after getting to know Zamperini, the American prisoner of war survivor and Olympian who is the subject of her film 'Unbroken', and becoming inspired by his journey through life, reports people.com.

When asked on what she had learned from Zamperini, she said: "When there is an obstacle, you have to rise to the challenge, not be overwhelmed by it. And we're not alone in the world."

Angelina Jolie says she embraced her spirituality after g.rowing close to Louis Zamperini on who 'Unbroken'

Jolie, who raises six children with her husband Brad Pitt, feels that while she's certain there's something "greater" than human life, she's unsure what to actually call it.

"I don't know if there's a name for that - religion or faith - just that there's something greater than all of us, and it's uniting and beautiful."

She became close friends with Zamperini, who is portrayed by actor Jack O'Connell in the movie, while directing the film and was heartbroken when he passed away aged 97 earlier this year.

"It is a loss impossible to describe. We are all so grateful for how enriched our lives are for having known him. We will miss him terribly," she said in a statement at the time of his death.

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We're not alone in the world: Angelina Jolie