BitPay Bitcoin Bowl nets more than 3 million viewers game night

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Friday, December 26th, was the first-ever Bitcoin Bowl football game sponsored by BitPay, a popular Bitcoin processing service for consumers and merchants. BitPay first announced their sponsorship of the St. Petersburg Bowl and partnership with ESPN Events in June this year. While a smaller bowl, the event has been cited to have pulled in 3.3 million viewers.

During the game, the North Carolina State Wolfpack beat the University of Central Florida Knights, 34-27.

BitPay took to the sponsorship stage with a variety of commercials directed at the public using the word bitcoin and tying it directly to financial services. Three BitPay commercials aired during the football game to an audience that is young and enthusiastic.

According to Ashley Wheeler, coordinator for the game, who was cited by WSJs BitBeat, more than 100 merchants in the area were accepting Bitcoin payments by the time of the game.

Two of the commercials aired during the Bitcoin Bowl spoke directly to small business users (one of them with a humorous overtone, watch more here) and one that used a staid format of a barber, retailer, and warehouse supervisor speaking to using bitcoin.

BitPay hopes that the I accept Bitcoin motto will help educate the public as to the existence of bitcoin and that it will lead small businesses to BitPay to find out if its right for them. As 2014 saw numerous large and small merchants beginning to accept Bitcoin, revenue from bitcoin sales still represents only 1% of most businesses. This represents an extremely large amount for outfits such as Overstock.com and Dell, but it has obvious room to grow.

Over the past year Bitcoin has made its way into other sports venues by way of sports teams with the Sacramento Kings, an NBA basketball team, and the San Jose Earthquakes, an MLS soccer team, both began accepting bitcoin this year for sports tickets.

The Sacramento Kings began accepting Bitcoin in March of this year, making them the first processional team to accept bitcoins.

President of the San Jose Earthquakes Dave Kaval announced that the team would be accepting bitcoins at their newly built stadium in May of this year. The team partnered with Coinbase to do bitcoin processing for tickets and merchandise at the stadium itself.

Now the Bitcoin Bowl has been played and aired to over 3 million viewers adding football to the ever-growing list of sports-related media that bitcoin has found an audience.

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BitPay Bitcoin Bowl nets more than 3 million viewers game night

Real estate agent happy for payment in bitcoin

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Sydney real estate agency Forsyth Real Estate has begun accepting virtual cryptocurrency bitcoin for house deposits and property advertising, through a partnership with Australian bitcoin payments provider CoinJar.

The 115-year-old real estate agency on Sydney's north shore said that it took on bitcoin to offer another avenue for online payment to the influx of international investors and expats entering the prominent Sydney market.

Forsyth managing director James Snodgrass said the agency had become a strong supporter of the bitcoin economy recently, as it allowed overseas transactions with less fees and exchange rate fluctuations.

"Prior to launching, we had discussions with our financial division who outlined the risks and opportunities of bitcoin and we were happy with our findings," he said.

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But the director of Max Walls International Real Estate in Manly, Anthony Walls, said he was not convinced.

"I must tell you I'm very concerned about the bitcoin situation," Mr Walls said.

"I just don't need to deal with those [virtual currencies] and I don't need the grief."

Mr Walls was referring to the hacking of 850,000 bitcoins from the high-profile Mt Gox currency exchange worth about $US500 million ($548 million) earlier this month. The attack ruined Mt Gox, which was reportedly handling up to 70 per cent of the world's bitcoin transactions.

"I would need to be convinced and I'd want a whole team of lawyers sitting at the table signing off on it," Mr Walls said in response to whether he would ever accept bitcoin.

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Real estate agent happy for payment in bitcoin

Creation Super Conference (2011 day4) Universe by DesignPart 2 Comets and the Age of… – Video

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Creation Super Conference (2011 day4) Universe by DesignPart 2 Comets and the Age of...
Universe by DesignPart 2 Comets and the Age of the Solar System Part 1: http://youtu.be/l4ayrK3okS0 Part 2: http://youtu.be/BYTl1jdLKBg Part 3: http://youtu...

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Creation Super Conference (2011 day4) Universe by DesignPart 2 Comets and the Age of... - Video

Comets tourney win highlights the local roundup

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Comets claim holiday tourney opener

Colin Klingman scored 17 points and Clay Basalyga added 15 to lead Abington Heights to a 52-37 victory over Meyers in the Trojan Holiday Classic on Friday, Dec. 26. The Comets (6-1) were scheduled to play Nanticoke on Monday, Dec. 29 in the championship game.

Abington Heights was defeated by Methacton, 60-53, in a nonleague boys basketball game on Monday, Dec. 22. Basalyga and Tyler Ksiazek each scored 17 points for the Comets.

Lady Comets drop a pair of games

Pittston Area downed Abington Heights, 51-32, in a nonleague girls basketball game on Monday, Dec. 22. Johanna Show led the Lady Comets with nine points. Nicole Getz scored eight and Alessia Brunori added six.

Abington Heights (2-5) fell to Dunmore, 38-33, in the semifinals of the girls Lynett Memorial Tournament on Saturday. Dec. 27. Getz led the Lady Comets with nine points. Mariah Tulaney scored seven and Michelle Pacyna added six.

Cavs rout Knights in boys basketball tilt

Scranton Prep defeated Scranton, 80-52, in the semifinals of the boys Lynett Memorial Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 27. Matt Bednarz led the Cavaliers with 19 points. Tim Rose scored 14 and Joe Rossi and Matt Bershefsky each added 12. Prep (5-2) was scheduled to play Holy Cross for the tournament title on Monday, Dec. 29.

Second-half surge leads Classics to Lynett tourney win

Scranton Prep downed Scranton, 47-28, in the semifinals of the girls Lynett Memorial Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 27. Bridget Walsh led the Classics with 12 points. Jess Genco scored 10 and Calista Kline added seven. Prep (7-1) was scheduled to play Dunmore in the championship game on Monday, Dec. 29

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Comets tourney win highlights the local roundup

Match Preview: Comets Renew Rivalry With Milwaukee On New Year's Eve

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December 30, 2014 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) Missouri Comets MILWAUKEE, Wi. (December 30, 2014) - The undefeated Missouri Comets (9-0) will try to end the year on a good note after recording the team's best ever start to a season with nine consecutive victories. However, that task won't be easy, as the reigning MISL Champions will visit longtime rivals Milwaukee Wave (6-4) this Wednesday at the Milwaukee Panther Arena.

Fans are encouraged to join the official watch party hosted by Comets Nation at Coach's Bar & Grill located at 414 West 103rd Street, Kansas City, MO 64114 .

The Missouri Comets and the Milwaukee Wave have met on 32 occasions in all competition since 2010, each team winning sixteen games. Eleven of those 32 matches have come during the MISL playoffs, where the Comets have a 6-5 lead over the Wave.

Head Coach Vlakto Andonovski's team will enter the match as one of the only two undefeated teams in the inaugural season of the Major Arena Soccer League. Last Saturday, the Comets earned a hard fought 10-7 victory over the San Diego Sockers at the Independence Events Center.

The Wave stand second in the Central Division only behind the Comets having won their last two matches against the Tulsa Revolution and the Detroit Waza Flo both at home after falling twice in two days against the Baltimore Blast earlier this month.

Both teams have already met once this season. The Comets came back twice on November 15 to snatch a 9-7 victory from Head Coach Giuliano Oliviero's team.

"I know our guys are really looking forward to seeing how we match up against the leagues best," Oliviero said. "We're going to give them everything we got."

Forward Leo Gibson, the team's leader stands second in the league's standings recording 39 points with 20 goals and 18 assists. The Wave are lead by Luan Oliveira who has scored 11 goals and 7 assists totaling 18 points.

Haitian forward Max Touloute admitted that the team has not only set their sights on another victory but in repeating last season's success, which ended in the team's first ever championship

"They will be looking for revenge, looking to close the gap between us for first place and will try to put a loss in our perfect season," Touloute said. "Over the course of the first nine games, we have established that we are on of the top teams in the league and in my mind, the top."

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Match Preview: Comets Renew Rivalry With Milwaukee On New Year's Eve

Blue Comets regroup to thrash Jets

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ASHEBORO Asheboro High School turned up the tempo in the second quarter against Jordan-Matthews in the third-place game of The Courier-Tribune Christmas Invitational, and changed the tide of the game in its favor while doing so. The Blue Comets stifling defense and up-and-down offense fueled them to the 85-53 win over the Jets.

We had something to prove after last night, AHS coach Brian Nance said of his teams two-point loss to Randleman in the semifinals.

In the second quarter, the Blue Comets used a 16-0 run to take a 30-21 lead to start the frame. The Jets went almost five minutes without scoring to start the second quarter. Emanuel Jones and Tazmine Dunn scored all but two of the points during the run and came up with most of the steals on the defensive end that allowed for the AHS offense to explode in the second quarter.

Things unraveled for us when the tempo picked up, J-M coach P.J. Lowman said.

The Blue Comets defense was the main reason they were able to take the lead as their halfcourt defense forced turnovers that led to run-out scores.

We played hard, and our defense created opportunities for us tonight, Nance said.

After being held scoreless in the semifinal game against Randleman, Dunn had 14 points in the second quarter alone. He finished with 23 to lead all scorers and had big plays on both sides of the ball to give the Jets problems.

He creates a lot of problems for teams on offense and defense, Nance said of his junior guard. Tonight we saw that when he is in the game, we are a different team.

Jones played most of the game as aggressive as he was in the fourth quarter of the loss to Randleman, finishing with 17 points.

Hes grown up a lot this year, Nance said. I think he is realizing hes a good athlete if he keeps his mind positive.

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Blue Comets regroup to thrash Jets

Fox World Travel Reflects on Past Year of Travel

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Oshkosh, WI (PRWEB) December 30, 2014

2014 was another exciting year for Fox World Travel as travel agents traveled the globe testing out new excursions, visiting new destinations, sailing on new ships, touring countless resorts and gaining insider knowledge from locals.

In 2014 Fox World Travel consultants visited Mexico over 60 times, sailed on over 10 river cruises, toured Italy on over 10 trips, sailed on three brand new cruise ships and visited Walt Disney World over four times. These are some of the most popular vacation options amongst their clients. In addition, Fox World Travel consultants also visited a variety of other destinations in order to learn more about them. Some of these destinations included Monaco, Exuma, Switzerland, China, Poland and Jordan, just to name a few. Reviews and photos of Fox World Travel consultants trips can be found on the Fox World Travel Blog.

Not only did Fox World Travel specialists see their fair share of the world, but the travelers who joined them on exclusive 2014 Select Group Vacations, escorted by Fox World Travel tour managers, did as well. Photos of these guided vacations can be viewed on Fox World Travels Select Group Vacations Shutterfly Site.

Fox World Travel strives to keep their travel consultants up-to-date on the latest industry trends, enrolling them in numerous training courses and allowing them to travel the world to gain first-hand knowledge to bring back home to their clients. Each agent has unique specialties in order to cater to the interests of all travelers. Consultants can be searched for based on their area of expertise using the Find a Travel Agent Tool.

About Fox World Travel: Fox World Travel was founded in 1960 and is ranked in the top 20 of over 25,000 travel agencies in the United States, according to the Business Travel Survey in Business Travel News. Fox World Travel owns and operates 11 retail travel locations throughout Wisconsin as well as Premier Meetings and Incentives in Oshkosh and Fox World Travel School Online. Visit Fox World Travel online at http://www.GoFox.com.

Corporate Headquarters 2150 S Washburn Street P.O. Box 2386 Oshkosh, WI 54903-2386 Phone: 920-236-8000 Fax:920-236-8050 Website: http://www.gofox.com

Contact: Brian Hurley, Vice President-Vacation Travel Fox World Travel (920) 236-8000 bhurley(at)gofox(dot)com ###

Company: Fox World Travel Contact: Brian Hurley Phone: 920-236-8000 Email: bhurley(at)gofox(dot)com

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Fox World Travel Reflects on Past Year of Travel

The Secret of Mana retrospective: An epic Super Nintendo adventure

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First released: SNES (1993) Now Available On: Virtual Console, iOS

Square Enix will always be synonymous with its enduringly-popular Final Fantasy franchise, but the role-playing series isn't the only epic saga to come out of the Japanese studio's doors.

In the early 1990s, shortly after the release of Final Fantasy III, the developer was keen to cater for fans who found turn-based combat about as much fun as filling out an Excel spreadsheet.

Then known as Squaresoft, the company set out to achieve this with The Secret of Mana, an action-centric role-playing game for Super Nintendo that began life as a sequel to Final Fantasy III.

Secret of Mana was as much inspired by The Legend of Zelda as its was by its role-playing brethren, containing fast-paced, real-time combat and a dynamic overworld to explore.

The game followed a nameless youth who discovered a sacred sword. The young protagonist embarks on a quest to re-energize the weapon and thwart the plans of an empire with world domination on its mind.

Secret of Mana may have omitted the turn-based combat of Final Fantasy, but it offered just as much depth where story was concerned, taking place in a world backed by in-depth lore and populated by colourful characters.

Secret of Mana's take on multiplayer was inventive, allowing a second and third user (with the help of the SNES Super Multitap accessory) to drop in and out during a play session and take control of the sword-wielding hero's allies.

For those who found actual friends hard to come by, the game provided customisable AI settings for the computer-controlled characters, a feature that has since been adopted elsewhere.

While the game flew in the face of its genre's traditions in some respects, it embraced them in others, with main characters that were every inch role-playing archetypes.

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The Secret of Mana retrospective: An epic Super Nintendo adventure

Multiple sclerosis treatment: Stem cell transplant may …

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An experimental treatment that uses a patient's own stem cells may offer new hope for people with multiple sclerosis.

In a small clinical trial, patients experienced long-term disease remission after undergoing a transplant of their own hematopoietic stem cells. This type of cell is responsible for the formation of blood in the body and are typically derived from bone marrow. The patients also took high-dose immunosuppressive drugs.

The paper, published Monday in JAMA Neurology, reports on the third year of a five-year study. A total of 24 patients with active relapsing-remitting MS were enrolled in the trial. With this type of MS, patients have points when their disease is active followed by periods when they do not experience any symptoms.

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Dr. Jon LaPook goes inside the trial and approval process for an experimental treatment using stem cells designed to make Multiple Sclerosis pati...

The researchers found that nearly 79 percent of the patients who underwent the procedure sustained full neurologic function for the three years following the treatment and symptoms of their disease did not progress. Additionally, patients in that time period did not develop any new lesions related to their disease.

More than 90 percent of patients did not experience disease progression, while 86 percent did not have any periods of relapse. Though a small number of patients did have side effects from the immunosuppressive drugs, they were no different than the side effects typically experienced by MS patients taking the drugs who haven't undergone stem cell therapy.

"Longer follow-up is needed to determine the durability of the response," the authors write in the study. "Careful comparison of the results of this investigation and other ongoing studies will be needed to identify the best approaches for high-dose immunosuppressive therapies for MS and plan the next clinical studies."

The authors of an accompanying editorial say the research indicates this type of therapy has potential to work on patients who do not experience disease remission with medications alone, such as immunosuppressive drugs and anti-inflammatory drugs such as corticosteroids.

However, they add that "the jury is still out regarding the appropriateness and indication" of stem cell transplants for MS patients. Stem cell therapy is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of MS. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society currently funds 15 research projects on stem cell therapies that have the potential to prevent disease activity and repair nerve damage.

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Multiple sclerosis treatment: Stem cell transplant may ...

Stem Cell Therapy for MS Shows Promise | Stem Cells Therapy

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Experimental treatment kills off, then resets the immune system

WebMD News from HealthDay

By Dennis Thompson

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Dec. 29, 2014 (HealthDay News) An experimental therapy that kills off and then resets the immune system has given three years of remission to a small group of multiple sclerosis patients, researchers say.

About eight in 10 patients given this treatment had no new adverse events after three years. And nine in 10 experienced no progression or relapse in their MS, said lead author Dr. Richard Nash of the Colorado Blood Cancer Institute at Presbyterian/St. Lukes Medical Center in Denver.

I think we all think of this as a viable therapy, Nash said. We still need to perform a randomized clinical trial, but were all pretty impressed so far, in terms of what weve seen.

In multiple sclerosis, the bodys immune system for some unknown reason attacks the nervous system, in particular targeting the insulating sheath that covers the nerve fibers, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health. People with the more common form, called relapsing-remitting MS, have attacks of worsening neurologic function followed by partial or complete recovery periods (remissions).

Over time, as the damage mounts, patients become physically weak, have problems with coordination and balance, and suffer from thinking and memory problems.

This new therapy seeks to reset the immune system by killing it off using high-dose chemotherapy, then restarting it using the patients own blood stem cells. Doctors harvest and preserve the patients stem cells before treatment, and re-implant them following chemotherapy.

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Stem Cell Therapy for MS Shows Promise | Stem Cells Therapy

Autologous Stem Cell / Bone Marrow Transplant (AutoSCT …

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TOPICS About Autologous Phases |Q&A | Resources | Research News

PubMed TOPIC SEARCH: Review | Therapies | ASCO | Medscape (free login req.)

The Oncologist: Less is More: The Role of Purging in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

It is likely that the benefit of purging will be dependent upon the tumor type and stage of disease, as well as the degree of purging possible in the individual case. To date, most trials in which progression-free and overall survival have been evaluable have been in hematological malignancies. A six-year single center study showed no benefit of purging in patients with non-Hodgkins lymphoma [53], nor did a large study from EBMT [15].

A stem cell transplant* may sometimes be medically necessary for patients with lymphomas. With a stem cell transplant, the stem cells** obtained from bone marrow, peripheral blood, or umbilical cord blood are given back to the patient following high dose treatment, which can damage or ablate (kill off) these vital cells.The engrafted stem cells can then restore bone marrow function** impaired or destroyed by the high dose conditioning therapy.

A stem cell transplant is sometimes called a bone marrow transplant.

* The terms stem cell transplant, infusion, rescue, engraftment, or support may be used interchangeably and essentially have the same meaning.

** Stem cells are immature cells known as hematopoietic or blood-forming stem cells. Hematopoietic stem cells divide to form more blood-forming stem cells, or they mature into one of three types of blood cells: white blood cells, which fight infection; red blood cells, which carry oxygen; and platelets, which help the blood to clot. Most hematopoietic stem cells are found in the bone marrow, but some cells, called peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs), are found in the bloodstream. Blood in the umbilical cord also contains hematopoietic stem cells. Cells from any of these sources can be used in transplants [in order to restore bone marrow function.] Cancer.gov

The different types of stem cell transplants are named from the origin of the stem cells:

autologous stem cells harvested from self

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Autologous Stem Cell / Bone Marrow Transplant (AutoSCT ...

Houston-based company leads nation in medical wave of the future

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When Pearland residents Todd and Linsey Hyatts son, Tucker Beau, received a diagnosis of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis when he was just two years old, the future looked agonizing for the previously precocious little boy. His parents refused to lose hope, however, and took a chance on stem cell therapy to improve Tuckers quality of life.

Now at age six, Tucker Beau looks and acts like any other normal boy his age, save for taking rests more often. He has had two separate stem cell infusions in August and November that have turned his slow, painful decline into a fading memory.

Celltex Therapeutics Corp., a Houston-based biotechnology company located in the Galleria area, uses proprietary technology to isolate, multiply and store their clients own stem cells to be used for regenerative therapy. This therapy has been proven effective with many conditions, including vascular (e.g. Raynauds Disease, kidney artery disease), autoimmune (e.g. arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus) and degenerative (e.g. Parkinsons, Alzheimers) diseases.

To get stem cells for a client, fat is extracted from the abdomen in a minimally invasive process that takes 15 30 minutes with no recovery time. This fat is then taken to Celltex, where the components of the fat are separated.

Celltex isolates the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and places them in a nutrient-rich environment to grow. The initial extraction contains about 250,000 stem cells. Celltexs methods can produce one billion cells from that original extraction in as little as 5 weeks, making it unnecessary for clients to have a second extraction in most cases. The cells are frozen and banked at Celltexs lab, ready if and when the client needs another infusion, whether that is in three months or 30 years.

Adult [as opposed to embryonic] MSCs have the remarkable potential of migrating to different parts of the body, recognizing sites of injury and inflammation, and are then able to transform into many different types of cells, says Celltex Chairman and CEO David Eller.

Celltex takes great care in providing safe, pure cells to their clients. The Quality Control Dept,, headed up by QC Manager Kathy Gohlke, tests the cells at different stages throughout the process to ensure that no contaminants are present and that the cells are healthy and viable. Should contaminants be found at some point, which has only happened once out of about 500 clients served since 2011, a second fat extraction may be required.

Erik Eller, Head of Operations, explained that Celltex is also prepared for all kinds of negative scenarios so that the banked cells will stay safe. In the event of a long-term power failure, large generators located on site automatically provide electricity for up to two weeks. An even longer-term solution is in the works. The actual vats that the cells are stored in do not require electricity at all.

The labs at Celltex contain two clean rooms; one for manufacturing and another for Quality Control. These rooms are kept at a constant and optimal temperature, are pressure controlled and the air is continuously filtered through hospital-grade HEPA filters to reduce the chances of contamination. Employees who work in the clean rooms must be covered from head to toe in protective gear to keep the stem cells as healthy as possible.

When a client is ready for treatment, Celltex ships that persons harvested stem cells to either Guadalajara or Cancun Mexico, where the client will receive the infusion in a top-of-the-line hospital by a licensed physician.

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Houston-based company leads nation in medical wave of the future

Pentecostal Spirituality – Session 5 Part 1 w/ Dr. Brad Noel – Video

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Pentecostal Spirituality - Session 5 Part 1 w/ Dr. Brad Noel
In the last session we discussed the differences in the genders, and propriety in worship, including our participation in the Lord #39;s supper. In this session we answer a number of questions...

By: Formission.org

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Pentecostal Spirituality - Session 5 Part 1 w/ Dr. Brad Noel - Video