Thoughts from the Frontline: Is Bitcoin the Future?

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Bitcoin is a topic of discussion almost everywhere I go. My introduction to Bitcoin came when I was speaking at a gold conference in Palm Springs and three bright-eyed, bushy-tailed college students approached me with a video camera and asked for my thoughts on Bitcoin. Noting my confusion, they began to evangelistically espouse the virtues of Bitcoin and tell me how it would save us from the evils of the Federal Reserve. I kept from rolling my eyes (you do want to encourage passion in the young) and mentioned a meeting that I had to go to at that very moment as it turned out.

Since that time Worth Wray and I and our entire team at Mauldin Economics have done a great deal of research on Bitcoin. We will soon release a video documentary that is one of the best productions Ive ever been involved with and that does a good job of explaining both the controversy around Bitcoin and its considerable promise. We talked with skeptics, enthusiasts, and people willing to put up tens of millions of dollars betting on the future of Bitcoin.

Worth Wray has written this weeks letter as a summary of what we know about Bitcoin. Delving into its history and bringing us up to date, he also offers a glimpse of the future. At the end of the letter I offer a few of my own thoughts on the relationships among gold, fiat money, Bitcoin, and financial transactions.

If nothing else, Bitcoin offers a provocative way to think of the future of money. Now let me turn it over to Worth.

Is Bitcoin the Future?

By Worth Wray

Growth demands a temporary surrender of security.

Gail Sheehy

When people write the history of this thing, of bitcoin, they are not going to write the story of 6 million to a billion. What is truly remarkable is the story of zero to 6 million. It has already happened! And were not paying attention! Thats incredible. Thats what had one chance in a million, and it already happened.

Wences Casares, Founder & CEO of Xapo

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Thoughts from the Frontline: Is Bitcoin the Future?

CoinJar relocates offshore to avoid GST burden

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CEO of the Bitcoin exchange says the ATOs 'double tax' ruling contributed to the decision to move its headquarters to the UK

Melbourne-based Bitcoin exchange CoinJar is moving its headquarters to London in the UK where it says it can do business in a less burdensome regulatory environment.

In August, the Australian Taxation Office released a draft ruling that meant businesses will be charged the 10 per cent Goods and Services Tax (GST) when a customer buys a product or service using bitcoins, and then charged another 10 per cent when they change the bitcoins into Australian dollars at a Bitcoin exchange.

Bitcoin advocates have said the ATO's treatment of the currency will encourage businesses to move offshore and take jobs with them. In response to the ATO's ruling, Craig Wright, president of the Centre for Strategic Cyberspace and Security Science, said the double dipping of tax would put the Australian Bitcoin industry at a disadvantage.

The chairperson of Australian Digital Currency Commerce Association, Ronald Tucker, told the ongoing Senate inquiry into digital currency that the ATO ruling has already resulted in some Australian Bitcoin-based businesses shutting down.

In the UK, however, Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies are exempt from the equivalent of GST the Value Added Tax (VAT).

Although the ATOs ruling was not the only reason CoinJar decided to move offshore, it contributed to the decision, said CEO Asher Tan.

The CEO said he was pleased that the tax treatment of Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies had drawn interest from parliamentarians.

We have put in a submission [to the Senate inquiry on digital currency] last week and we are actually quite optimistic about the discourse between government, entrepreneurs and technologists and how we should treat new technology, he said.

With its new headquarters based in the UKs financial technology hub Level 39 at Canary Wharf, London CoinJar hopes to reach a larger market, said Tan.

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CoinJar relocates offshore to avoid GST burden

Comets Add Another Victory to Their Winning Streak

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December 1, 2014 - Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) Missouri Comets HARRISBURG, Pa. (November 29, 2014) - The Missouri Comets (5-0) earned their fifth consecutive victory and remained undefeated in the 2014/15 Major Arena Soccer League season after defeating the Harrisburg Heat 24-10 at the Farm Show Arena on Saturday Night.

The Heat along with Syracuse, Baltimore and Rochester are the only teams in the league that still play under the multipoint scoring system. A total of eight players scored for the Comets and Leo Gibson added 6 more points to his league-leading season with one goal and five assists.

Harrisburg's goalkeeper Doug Petras returned from an eleven-year retirement, however, his 20 saves were not enough for the Comets to find the back of the net in 12 different occasions.

In the first three minutes of play, Max Touloute scored twice and gave the Comets an early lead before Harrisburg's Patrick Thompson tallied the first and only goal for the home team in the first quarter.

Moments later, Leo Gibson notched his thirteenth goal of the season before Bryan Perez and Milan Ivanovic each scored to end the first fifteen minutes with a 10-2 lead.

The second stanza had Robert Palmer tally his first of the night eighteen seconds into the quarter and again six minutes later giving the Comets a six-goal lead but Harrisburg's Kenneth Fultz shortened for the home team ending the half with a 14-4 score.

Two fouls from Gibson and two from Stefan Stokic were the highlight of a scoreless third quarter; nevertheless, the 2,518 fans in attendance witnessed a total of eight goals in the fourth and last quarter.

After three minutes, the Comets scored three times. Perez tallied his second of the night before team captain Vahid Assadpour and Stokic each scored their first of the match.

Harrisburg's Dave Cash pulled one back but Andre Braithwaite and Assadpour again stretched the lead. Late in the match, the Heat gained momentum and reduced the nine-goal lead after Tyler Witmer and Georges NouBossie both scored to end the match with a final score of 24-10 in favor of the Comets.

Next up, the Comets will look to extend their winning streak with back-to-back matches when they host the reigning PASL Champions Chicago Mustangs at the Independence Events Center on Friday night before visiting the Tulsa Revolution on Saturday.

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Comets Add Another Victory to Their Winning Streak

Workington Comets speedway sign fourth Danish rider

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Published at 09:06, Monday, 01 December 2014

Workington Comets have confirmed a fifth signing, Danish rider Michael Palm Toft.

Happy with the outcome: Comets co-promoter Steve Whitehead alonside owner Laura Morgan

Palm Toft is the fourth Dane in Comets colours for the 2015 season, joining Kenneth Hansen, Rene Bach and Nicki Barrett, as well as the returning Aussie Mason Campton.

He had previously guested for the Comets in 2012 and joins on loan from Scunthorpe on his 2013 Premier League average of 4.92.

The 24-year-old was recommended to the club by ex-Comet Craig Cook, who was team-mates with the Dane at Belle Vue last season.

Comets co-promoter Steve Whitehead said: When Craig mentioned that he felt he would do a great job in the Premier League based on his Elite League performances, and we received confirmation that his average would be the 2013 figure, we started to talk to Michael.

In the end it was quite an easy deal to do. He was very keen to join us and team up with the other Danes, and we feel that weve bagged a rider on a bargain average.

Comets owner Laura Morgan added: I would personally like to welcome Michael to the team and hope that the fans give him a warm welcome too.

He has a good record at Derwent Park and, when he has ridden as a guest for us in the past, he has produced some excellent scores for the club. At this rate we are going to have to give ourselves the nickname Lille Danmark as they say in Danish.

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Workington Comets speedway sign fourth Danish rider

Palm Toft becomes Workington Comets' fourth Danish rider

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Last updated at 09:15, Monday, 01 December 2014

Workington Comets have confirmed a fifth signing, Danish rider Michael Palm Toft.

Michael Palm Toft

Palm Toft is the fourth Dane in Comets colours for the 2015 season, joining Kenneth Hansen, Rene Bach and Nicki Barrett, as well as the returning Aussie Mason Campton.

He had previously guested for the Comets in 2012 and joins on loan from Scunthorpe on his 2013 Premier League average of 4.92.

The 24-year-old was recommended to the club by ex-Comet Craig Cook, who was team-mates with the Dane at Belle Vue last season.

Comets co-promoter Steve Whitehead said: When Craig mentioned that he felt he would do a great job in the Premier League based on his Elite League performances, and we received confirmation that his average would be the 2013 figure, we started to talk to Michael.

In the end it was quite an easy deal to do. He was very keen to join us and team up with the other Danes, and we feel that weve bagged a rider on a bargain average.

Comets owner Laura Morgan added: I would personally like to welcome Michael to the team and hope that the fans give him a warm welcome too.

He has a good record at Derwent Park and, when he has ridden as a guest for us in the past, he has produced some excellent scores for the club. At this rate we are going to have to give ourselves the nickname Lille Danmark as they say in Danish.

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Palm Toft becomes Workington Comets' fourth Danish rider

BUSINESS WIRE: Celgene to Present Long-Term Efficacy and Safety Data on Oral OTEZLA (apremilast) in Plaque Psoriasis …

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MITTEILUNG UEBERMITTELT VON BUSINESS WIRE. FUER DEN INHALT IST ALLEIN DAS BERICHTENDE UNTERNEHMEN VERANTWORTLICH.

New analyses of ESTEEM trials evaluate safety, efficacy and tolerability of OTEZLA in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis

Analysis of PALACE 52-week data assesses impact of OTEZLA on signs and symptoms of psoriatic arthritis

11 featured abstracts underscore growing body of evidence and depth of the OTEZLA clinical development program in plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis

OTEZLA recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis patients who are candidates for phototherapy or systemic therapy

BOUDRY, Switzerland --(BUSINESS WIRE)-- 07.10.2014 --

Celgene International Srl, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Celgene Corporation (NASDAQ:CELG), today announced that the latest research findings on OTEZLA (apremilast), the Companys oral, selective inhibitor of phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4), in plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis will be presented at the 23rd European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress in Amsterdam, October 8 12, 2014. In total, 11 abstracts (two oral presentations and nine e-Posters) will be presented at the meeting.

OTEZLA data to be presented include long-term (52-week) results from Celgenes pivotal trial, ESTEEM 2 and pooled analyses of safety and tolerability results from the ESTEEM 1 and 2 studies in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Additional analyses will evaluate the effect of OTEZLA on pruritus (itching), difficult-to-treat areas such as nail and scalp, and palmoplantar (hand and feet) psoriasis, work productivity and improvements in health-related quality of life.

An analysis of long-term results from the PALACE clinical trial program evaluating OTEZLA in patients with active psoriatic arthritis will also be presented at the meeting. The analysis assesses the effect of OTEZLA treatment through 52 weeks on the signs and symptoms of psoriatic arthritis, including enthesitis (inflammation at sites where tendons or ligaments insert into bone) and dactylitis (inflammation of an entire finger or toe) in patients with pre-existing enthesitis or dactylitis.

During the Congress, Celgene will host a variety of programs focusing on the unmet needs for people living with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, including a symposium for healthcare professionals and programs for patient/professional advocacy organizations and media.

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BUSINESS WIRE: Celgene to Present Long-Term Efficacy and Safety Data on Oral OTEZLA (apremilast) in Plaque Psoriasis ...

World Travel – USA Tourist Destination – Tourist Attraction in The US – American Tourism – Video

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World Travel - USA Tourist Destination - Tourist Attraction in The US - American Tourism
American Tourism World Travel - USA Tourist Destination Tourist Attraction in The US The Brooklyn Bridge is a hybrid cable-stayed/suspension bridge in New Yo...

By: Sowithen

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Travel books, for gifts or your own coffee table

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By Beth J. Harpaz - Associated Press - Monday, December 1, 2014

NEW YORK (AP) Shopping, romance, bucket lists, inspiration and information: All of these things and more can be found in books for travelers that are out this season in time for the holidays. In addition to being gift-worthy, some of the titles make a nice addition to your own coffee-table collection; others are useful for trip planning or may serve as fodder for travel dreams.

111 Shops in New York That You Must Not Miss: Unique Finds and Local Treasures, by Susan Lusk and Mark Gabor (Emons Publishers, $20), is a fun guide to retailers around the city, from well-known emporiums like Eataly and ABC Carpet & Home, to unusual specialty shops selling books, vintage jewelry, skateboards, hats, lingerie and more.

Places for Passion: The 75 Most Romantic Destinations in the World by Pepper Schwartz and Janet Lever (Frommers, $23) offers inspiration for couples getaways from sophisticated cities and exotic destinations to beaches, resorts and outdoor adventures around the world. Schwartz, a love and relationship expert for AARP, is also one of the experts on A&E Networks FYI channels reality series Married at First Sight.

Worlds Best Cities: Celebrating 220 Great Destinations (National Geographic, $40) is a gorgeously illustrated hardcover book that offers an inviting glance at cities around the world from New York to Abu Dhabi, along with curated lists of best cities in categories like eco-smart, oceanfront, high-altitude and all-American.

You Only Live Once: A Lifetime of Experiences for the Explorer in All of Us (Lonely Planet, $30), also a lavishly illustrated hardcover, describes experiences rather than places, from tasting the worlds hottest chili peppers to the best birding, safaris, train rides and castles.

Other books out this season from Lonely Planet include Best in Travel 2015 ($15) with lists of top countries, cities, regions, freebies and more for the new year; The Best Place to Be Today ($20), with a recommendation for every day of the year; and Best Ever Travel Tips ($10), a small, cute flip book that offers advice on how to book trips, how to complain, how to stay healthy and even what to bring - like a $20 Casio F91-W watch straight out of 1981 that works for ages and will never be stolen.

Finally, a travel book that doesnt fit neatly into the usual categories: Travel: The Guide by Doug Lansky (ebook, $5, hardcover, $60). This guide wont provide hotel suggestions, give you packing tips, or tell you where to go, Lansky writes. Instead, this book aspires to hold a mirror up to our travel behavior. So, with colorful photos and clever graphics, the book offers interesting factoids on topics like travel safety (road accidents are the leading cause of tourist deaths worldwide); accounts of what its like to travel in a wheelchair or if youre overweight; and photo comparisons of English breakfasts served by airlines worldwide.

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Travel books, for gifts or your own coffee table

Thalidomide and prednisolone versus prednisolone alone as consolidation therapy after autologous stem-cell …

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Background

We previously showed that consolidation therapy with thalidomide and prednisolone improved progression-free and overall survival in patients with multiple myeloma who had undergone autologous stem-cell transplantation. We aimed to assess whether these survival advantages were durable at 5 years.

The ALLG MM6 trial was a multicentre, open-label, randomised phase 3 trial done between Jan 13, 2002, and March 15, 2005, at 29 sites in Australia and New Zealand. Patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma were randomly assigned (1:1), via computer-generated randomisation charts, to receive indefinite prednisolone maintenance alone (control group) or in combination with 12 months of thalidomide consolidation (thalidomide group) after autologous stem-cell transplantation. Randomisation was stratified by treating centre and pre-transplantation concentrations of 2 microglobulin. Patients and treating physicians were not masked to treatment allocation. Primary endpoints were progression-free survival and overall survival. Analysis was by intention to treat. Secondary endpoints were overall response to salvage therapy, incidence of second primary malignancy incidence, and cost-effectiveness. This trial is registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, number ACTRN12607000382471.

We randomly assigned 269 patients to the thalidomide (n=114) or control group (n=129). After a median follow-up of 54 years (IQR 3172), estimated 5-year progression-free survival was 27% (95% CI 2332) in the thalidomide group and 15% (1118) in the control group (hazard ratio [HR] 016, 95% CI 0044058; p=00054) and 5-year overall survival was 66% (95% CI 6170) and 47% (4251), respectively (HR 012, 95% CI 0028056; p=00072). There was no difference in overall response to salvage therapy, survival post-progression, or incidence of secondary malignancies between the two groups. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was AUS$26996 per mean life-year gained.

Consolidation therapy with thalidomide and prednisolone after autologous stem-cell transplantaion is an acceptable therapeutic approach when alternative drugs are not available.

Pharmion Corporation, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Amgen Australia, The Merrin Foundation, and Alfred Health.

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Chopra reveals 'Happiness Formula' at lecture

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A huge crowd of more than 1,600 people turned out at Congregation B'nai Israel (CBI) in Boca Raton on the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 13 to hear Dr. Deepak Chopra the prominent alternative medicine advocate and chairman of the Chopra Center for Wellbeing in Carlsbad, Calif. speak as part of the congregation's public, ticketed "CBI Talks Speaker Series."

Said Sharon Wagman, B'nai Israel executive director: "We were not surprised at all by the size of this crowd. Deepak Chopra is a cultural and societal icon. We are delighted that Dr. Chopra chose to share his experiences with not only our members, but with the community at-large."

Added Temple President Gary Weiner: "Congregation B'nai Israel was fortunate to host Dr. Deepak Chopra physician, author and pioneer of alternative medicine and human empowerment. Dr. Chopra shared practical ways to experience higher consciousness, transformation, happiness and healing with our B'nai Israel community."

Following the talk, Chopra signed copies of his new book, "The Future of God: A Practical Approach to Spirituality for Our Times." The book came out on Nov. 11.

Chopra talked about how they measure a "Happiness Formula" at his Center for Wellbeing as being equal to the brain's set-point for happiness plus one's conditions for living and voluntary choices.

Chopra explained that the brain's set-point whether we see situations as positive or negative makes up 50 percent of our ability to be happy. While this set-point is conditioned by our environment, parents and ancestry, we can change it through meditation and cognitive therapy.

Conditions of living include your financial status, relationship status and health status. These make up about 10 percent of the "Happiness Formula."

Making up the final 40 percent of the "Happiness Formula" are voluntary choices including intentional activities that lead to personal action and fulfillment, such as how do we make ourselves and others in our lives happy. Chopra explained that the fastest way to feel happy is to make someone else happy.

Ultimately, the conclusion is, that based on this theory, we have a lot of influence on our own ability to be happy.

In Boca Magazine, John Thomason wrote about the event: "It's been less than a year since Chopra's last South Florida appearance, but it didn't stop this event from achieving a capacity swell. [Chopra} was utterly captivating, holding our attention, touching our souls and flexing our mental muscles for the better part of two hours. Despite the density of the material, Chopra kept everything explicable, leavening his speech with epigrammatic humor, such as 'We spend money we don't have on things we don't need to impress people we don't like' and 'If you're constantly planning for the future, when it comes your way you won't be present for it.'"

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W. Soccer. Fowee Headed to Kennedy Space Center for Orion Test Flight

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Dec. 1, 2014

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Purdue women's soccer's Kate Fowee was among the six students from the school of aeronautics and astronautics selected to travel to the Kennedy Space Center this week to witness the first space test flight of NASA's new Orion Capsule.

Fowee, a junior, and her father Roger, a Purdue alum, depart for Cape Canaveral, Fla., Tuesday evening. Two seniors, two juniors and two sophomores from the AAE department were selected for this unique opportunity and each student is permitted to bring one guest.

The launch is set for 7 a.m. ET Thursday (Dec. 4). There is an approximate three-hour time window in which the Orion Capsule can be launched Thursday morning. If the launch is delayed due to inclement weather or maintenance, backup launch windows are scheduled for Friday and Saturday.

New Purdue professor Daniel Dumbacher, a mechanical engineering graduate from the university and a 35-year NASA veteran, helped setup the unique opportunity for the AAE students. He will be on hand at the Kennedy Space Center this week as well after working on the Orion Capsule during his time at NASA. The Purdue Chapter of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) sponsored the competition.

The six AAE students were selected based on grade-point average, involvement within the aero community and an essay about why they believed space exploration is important for the future as well as why it is important to author of the essay. Fowee is a member of Sigma Gamma Tau, the national aerospace engineering honor society celebrating academic excellence. You can read Fowee's essay below.

A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, the most powerful rocket in the world, will propel the Orion Capsule into space for the first time this week. With the Orion project, NASA is revisiting human-piloted deep space exploration for the first time since the Apollo moon landing missions ended in 1972. However, this first flight test will not feature a crew on board. Exploration Flight Test-1 is scheduled to be a 4 -hour flight around the Earth in which Orion will be orbit twice and reach an orbital altitude of 3,600 miles on its second pass around the planet. That's about 15 times higher than the location of the International Space Station.

The end of EFT-1 will feature a splash-down landing in the Pacific Ocean where it will be recovered in a dual effort by NASA and the U.S. Navy.

The goal of the Orion project is for astronauts to travel beyond the moon to asteroids and Mars.

Fowee recommended Dr. Ken Kremer's writings at the UniverseToday.com website for more information about the Orion launch.

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W. Soccer. Fowee Headed to Kennedy Space Center for Orion Test Flight

To Boldly Go Where No 3-D Printer Has Gone Before: Yep, Space

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International Space Station Commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore holds up the first object made in space with 3-D printing on Nov. 25. NASA hide caption

International Space Station Commander Barry "Butch" Wilmore holds up the first object made in space with 3-D printing on Nov. 25.

This week, a 3-D printer fabricated a part for itself. Normally, that wouldn't make headlines except that it happened in space.

"It's a history-making moment for us because it's the first time ever that we're talking about transitioning from launching every part we might need in space from Earth, to actually being able to email a file, a design to space and make that part on demand," says Niki Werkheiser, the project manager for the International Space Station 3-D Printer at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

NASA astronaut Barry "Butch" Wilmore, Expedition 42 commander aboard the International Space Station, installed the printer and conducted calibration tests on Nov. 17. The first object, which is actually a side casing for part of the printer, was produced on Nov. 25. Werkheiser says they chose that to print part of the printer itself "to show that if we need replacement parts, or maybe one day in the future if the printer needs to print another printer, we can do that."

This project started two years ago. NASA partnered with a Silicon Valley space manufacturing company called Made in Space to make the 3-D printer.

There are several categories of objects they hope to be able to 3-D print in space from replacement crew tools to small satellites. And since the International Space Station is a scientific laboratory, they hope to be able to 3-D print syringes, tweezers and sample containers rather than lugging up extras or waiting on resupply missions for new parts.

3-D printing sounds cool and fun, but the International Space Station program has serious implications for long-term space exploration. Werkheiser says that for missions to Mars or to asteroids, "we really can't be dependent on launching every single item we might ever need from Earth. We will need to be able to make what we need, when we need it, on demand, and this is the first step to establishing those capabilities."

But for 3-D printing to work, you still have to transport all the raw materials to make the parts. So does the process really save room?

Werkheiser says this is her favorite question to answer and was one of the first issues examined in the project. She says some mass is immediately saved when you're transporting raw materials rather than the spare parts themselves. But to really save room and time, they are working to develop in-space recyclers that can re-use 3-D printed materials and turn launch packaging into feed stock for 3-D printers.

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To Boldly Go Where No 3-D Printer Has Gone Before: Yep, Space