Bitcoin is Not a Ponzi Scheme — Detroit Hacked! — Draper to Bid on Silk Road Bitcoins Again – Video

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Bitcoin is Not a Ponzi Scheme -- Detroit Hacked! -- Draper to Bid on Silk Road Bitcoins Again
Donate: https://blockchain.info/address/1LAYuQq6f11HccBgbe6bx8DiwKwzuYkPR3 Subscribe: http://patreon.com/madbitcoins Sponsor: http://MadBitcoins.com November 18th, 2014 -- Start aging ...

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Bitcoin is Not a Ponzi Scheme -- Detroit Hacked! -- Draper to Bid on Silk Road Bitcoins Again - Video

Bitcoin Billionaire – Android IOS iPad iPhone App Gameplay Review [HD+] #03 Lets Play – Video

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Bitcoin Billionaire - Android IOS iPad iPhone App Gameplay Review [HD+] #03 Lets Play
Tipps, Tricks und Cheats fr Bitcoin Billionaire und vielen anderen IOS, Android und Windows Apps: http://www.appzialist.com/ Bitcoin Billionaire - Android IOS iPad iPhone App Gameplay Review...

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Bitcoin Billionaire - Android IOS iPad iPhone App Gameplay Review [HD+] #03 Lets Play - Video

The big problem with bitcoin regulations

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The recent BitLicense carve-outs for software developers and bitcoin miners seem to allow for a level of innovation free from regulation. So far, so good. At a glance, the New York Department of Financial Services seems to be on the right track. Providing a regulatory framework in which bitcoin exchanges, online wallets and merchant processing services can operate is an important step forward in the evolution of virtual currencies and legitimizes their use.

Read MorePolice forced to pay bitcoin ransom

However, when one digs deeper into the NFS BitLicense proposal, what we actually see is a regulatory framework that imposes unrealistic requirements on bitcoin users and merchants. You see, a very large part of the regulation deals with trying to remove one of the biggest benefits to society that bitcoin provides: anonymity. BitLicense, as written, forces merchants to collect names and addresses for the simplest of transactions. Can you imagine having to give your name and address at the drive through checkout just to buy a cup of coffee with Bitcoin? That's what the proposal is trying to enforce.

So just why is the anonymity aspect such a benefit to society? Since 2013, hackers have stolen over 1 billion consumer records. The estimated cost of this data theft is a staggering $5 billion dollars a year, which inevitably gets passed down to consumers and merchants in the form of higher prices and fees.

There is a global data-security crisis. Indeed, a war is being waged and that's making it harder and harder for the good guys to win. The hackers only have to succeed a small percentage of the time to make a very big dent on our society. As a result, we are in an era where securing personal information requires more and more complex security and surveillance, by merchants, banks and the government agencies.

Read MoreIs Apple Pay a bitcoin killer?

The system of credit-card processing introduced in the 1940s and 1950s, perfected in the 1970s and 1980s, was never designed for the 21st century, a century in which the Internet and the open-source community and the dark web accelerate technology innovation at a pace far more rapid than slow moving merchant and banking infrastructure can keep up with. To address this global data security crisis requires us to fundamentally re-think what it means for a consumer to spend money. As it stands today, a simple trip to the grocery store or buying gifts online at Christmas, subjects hundreds of millions of people to potential fraud, identity and credit-card theft. Crimes that may affect their credit record, their finances, indeed even their ability to work. Moreover, the current approach to addressing these problems, ring fencing, surveillance, detection and tracking is leading us as a society down a very slippery road. It's an approach that means everything we do, every dollar we spend, our location, everyone we talk to, it all needs to be monitored and tracked, relationships mapped, algorithms applied just to catch a very small number of bad actors causing a very large amount of damage.

Bitcoin solves these problems, because it does not require us to expose personal information just to go out to dinner or shop online. Every transaction is done with a bearer instrument that does not give the receiver any information that might be used or stolen to exact future payments, or perform any fraud. It's just like cash, only designed for the 21st century, designed for the world we live in now. It protects consumers from identity theft, fraud, and reduces the massive costs associated with processing transactions, opening up global economies and bringing massive new consumer markets into an integrated 21st century economy.

Read MoreWebcam hackers may be watching you

Unfortunately, the NFS BitLicense proposal explicitly strips consumers of these benefits, reducing consumer protection, since, as written, it requires bitcoin merchant-payment-processing companies to collect personal identifying information on every transaction, forcing merchants to collect it, thus destroying the huge opportunity that bitcoin presents to solve the global data-security crisis. Requiring this information on every transaction also makes transactions in bitcoin at your local retailer more complex than spending dollars or using a credit card, thus significantly impeding adoption and innovation.

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The big problem with bitcoin regulations

A Look At The Most Popular Bitcoin Exchanges

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Every informed person needs to know about Bitcoin because it might to be one of the worlds most important developments. ~ Leon Louw, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee

Bitcoin exchanges are an integral part of the virtual currency world and its ecosystem in particular. Prior to the fall, Mt. Gox enjoyed the status of being a monopolist as it dominated an estimated 80-90% of the Bitcoin-Dollar trading volume. Though the collapse of Mt. Gox raised many questions, but the aftermath only lasted for a short span and the trading volumes rose again at various other exchanges. The exchanges today claim to have learned from Mt. Gox and present themselves as advanced models with better security mechanisms in place. The article covers some of the prominent platforms (in no particular order) for buying and selling Bitcoins. (Related: Bitcoin Mass Hysteria: The Disaster that Brought Down Mt. Gox)

Bitstamp, a Slovenia based Bitcoin exchange, is one of toppers in terms of trading volume. It facilitates instant buy-sell orders for USD/BTC pair with withdrawals and deposits available in currencies other than dollars as well. The exchange offers trading using limit orders where a pre-determined price can be set for buy and sell orders. Bitstamp has earned a strong reputation in the Bitcoin world. The two youngsters, Nejc Kodri and Damian Merlak, who are behind Bitstamp, are to be commended for running the exchange very professionally with sound audits and regulatory compliance.

To buy Bitcoins, clients need to open an account with Bitstamp, which is followed by transferring money into the account. This can be done through SEPA, international wire transfer, etc. For those using SEPA, there is an additional step for change over from Euros to Dollars for trading and then Dollars to Euro while withdrawal. There is a fee levied on withdrawals - the fee for SEPA is fixed at 0.90 after conversion into Euros while the fee for any international withdrawal is 0.09% (minimum fee being $15). Bitstamp earns a trading fee on the successful trades which is based on the 30 day trading history of clients. The minimum fee rate is as low as 0.5% - usually for new accounts and those with a thin volume (<$500). (Fee Schedule)

Bitfinex is a platform providing advanced trading tools like margin trading, short selling and liquidity swaps to buy or sell Bitcoins, Litecoins and Darkcoins. Bitfinex was launched in 2013 and has grown in a short span to be one of the largest exchanges going by the trading volume (USD). The platform is currently in a beta testing phase and is looking to add new and advanced features going forward.

The people behind Bitfinex are very paranoid (as they call themselves) about the security issues. They store 99.5% of the assets in cold storage and only 0.5% is in wallets to allow for convenient deposits and withdrawals. Once a day, a backup of the database of the exchange is taken which is encrypted and then archived. The backup is sent to different locations as a further measure of protection. The servers is protected with up-to-date softwares and the exchange is regularly tested by Arcui to detect (and prevent) any intrusion. (See: How Bitcoin Works)

Coinbase has emerged as one of the high profile names in the Bitcoin world placing itself on the top as a one stop solution for Bitcoins - its a wallet for storing, spending, buying and accepting Bitcoins, it acts as a Bitcoin processor (merchant tool) for many merchants and businesses (example; Expedia, Overstock.com, Dell), and is among the top Bitcoin exchanges. Coinbase is a San Francisco, California based company and its initial offering was primarily restricted to the U.S. but now it has entered Europe providing, buying and selling services to around 18 countries.

Coinbase works on a slightly different principle wherein the client needs to link the bank account with the Coinbase account and has to initiate an ACH automatic transfer system for buying Bitcoins every time since Coinbase does not hold dollars in customer accounts. Though the order is placed at the time of placement of order but Bitcoins are released once the amount is credited from bank into Coinbase account which typically takes 3-5 working days. This mechanism of payment makes it unfit as a day trading exchange. It is designed for newcomers who are learning about Bitcoin trading or those who trade with a longer view. Currently,Coinbase does not cater to advanced trading tools like bids, asks, limit orders, margin trading, or short sale orders.There is afee for each transfer from dollars to Bitcoin or vice versa, charged at 1% plus a $0.15 bank fee. (See: Stores Where You Can Buy Things With Bitcoins)

Cryptsy is a platform not only for Bitcoins, but also the variants which are collectively called altcoins. The exchange provides services to trade more than 200 different types of cryptocurrencies currently, including the names like Litecoin, Dogecoin, MazaCoin, Peercoin and so on. The exchange is headquartered in Florida and is a FinCEN registered MSB (Money Services Business); it will be beta tested in the near future. The exchange plans to offer services to merchants who are open to accepting the different digital currencies as a mode of payment.

The exchange, which was launched in summer of 2013, has witnessed strong growth in a short span with a broad spread consumer base and high trading volume. According to the Cryptsy.com, the number of registered users is 270,000 and the volume crosses 300K trades per day. The trading fee is 0.20% for buyers and 0.30% for sellers, while the transaction fee varies with the coin trading in (depends on the wallet charges).

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A Look At The Most Popular Bitcoin Exchanges

Random Rants: Wren vs Feminism 7 – Comets and Shirtstorms, A New Discovery – Video

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Random Rants: Wren vs Feminism 7 - Comets and Shirtstorms, A New Discovery
Yes, I know, a second video for the day, but I really owe it to Dr. Taylor and the Rosetta team to offer my support for their astounding achievement, as well as chastise the feminists that...

By: Kage Shinma

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Random Rants: Wren vs Feminism 7 - Comets and Shirtstorms, A New Discovery - Video

Boys basketball: Comets' strength in frontcourt after graduating four guards

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For the third consecutive year, the Newman boys basketball team has lost at least three starters to graduation. For the third consecutive year, the Comets seemed poised to absorb those losses and still compete for a conference title, and maybe more.

As usual, Newman has a strong nucleus to build around. Unlike the last couple of seasons, however, most of that nucleus will play in the frontcourt instead of the backcourt.

With the loss of four guards from last years squad which won a second sectional title in 3 years, the focus of this years team turns to the big guys inside.

Its definitely not going to be one player replacing the scoring and defense of those guys, senior forward Nolan McGinn said, but weve got a lot of height and athleticism, and we should be pretty deep.

Rather than being a guard-oriented, outside-shooting team, this year were going to be more post-oriented. We want to get the ball inside, play good defense, and use our athleticism to get out and run some.

The Comets will be without the scoring and ballhandling prowess of A.J. Sharp (scoring and assist leader); the shooting ability of John Payan; the slashing style and shutdown defense of Nate Terveer (second in steals); and the shooting and defense of Micah Trancoso (steal leader).

But 6-foot-7 junior Noah McCarty, who led the Comets in rebounds and blocks and was second in scoring last year, is back to man the middle, and hell be joined by the 6-3 McGinn, the 6-foot Trevor Bolin, and the 6-4 Jacob Barnes the top three guys off Newmans bench a year ago.

These are the guys who wanted a more prominent role last year, coach Ray Sharp said, and theyve got the opportunity now. Thats what you really hope from your juniors: they give you some good minutes in their junior year, then their senior year, theyre the leaders who step into the starting roles.

Sophomore Eli Leffelman will man the point guard position, and will join senior Shayne Allen as the two main shooters. Senior Dillan Heffelfinger will also handle the ball at times, and senior Drew Rosengren is the versatile guy who can play anywhere on the court and serve as the defensive stopper.

Bolin likes the eagerness he sees from his teammates, who all want to step up and earn more playing time than they had a year ago.

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Boys basketball: Comets' strength in frontcourt after graduating four guards

Novartis Wins European Backing for Psoriasis Drug Cosentyx

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Novartis AG (NOVN) won European backing for a treatment against psoriasis that will compete with Amgen Inc.s Enbrel and may garner more than $1 billion in annual sales.

Novartiss secukinumab, which the company plans to sell under the brand name Cosentyx, was recommended by the European Medicine Agencys Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in adult patients, the Basel, Switzerland-based drugmaker said in a statement today. The European Commission, the EUs executive arm, usually follows the panels advice.

The drug is the first in a class of therapies called interleukin-17A inhibitors to be recommended as a first-line treatment for the skin disease, a malady that afflicts more than 125 million people globally. Cosentyx may earn Novartis $1.1 billion in sales in 2020, according to the average of six analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

In a study, the drug cleared the skin of patients better than Amgens Enbrel, the $4.6 billion-a-year drug that is considered the standard of care. Novartis is also awaiting approval for the drug in the U.S. after a panel of advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously last month that secukinumab should be approved by the agency.

To contact the reporter on this story: Simeon Bennett in Geneva at sbennett9@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Phil Serafino at pserafino@bloomberg.net Robert Valpuesta, David Risser

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Novartis Wins European Backing for Psoriasis Drug Cosentyx

Better Wildlife Tourism – Whose Responsibility? @ #WTM14 | Tues 4 Nov – Video

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Better Wildlife Tourism - Whose Responsibility? @ #WTM14 | Tues 4 Nov
This event took place at #WTM14, ExCeL London on Tuesday 4 November. The session looks more into the #39;Wildlife Tourism #39; sector. Wildlife viewing has always been a big attraction for tourists,...

By: World Travel Market

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Better Wildlife Tourism - Whose Responsibility? @ #WTM14 | Tues 4 Nov - Video

Fox World Travel Sees Significant Growth during the 2014 Fiscal Year

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Oshkosh, WI (PRWEB) November 21, 2014

Fox World Travel recently announced that their company has seen significant growth during the most recent fiscal year. Fox World Travels 2014 Fiscal year began in October 2013 and ended in September 2014. During this time the organization increased their staff by thirty full time employees.

Chip Juedes, Vice President of Finance and Administration, stated that, Our vacation divisions buying power and our business travel divisions flexibility, have been recognized by our clients which have led to these results of an 18% increase in headcount. Our greatest asset is our people and we are happy to welcome so many more to the Fox Family in the last year.

In October 2014 Fox World Travel added another seven full time employees and another t10 thus far for the month of November. The organization hopes to continue this growth through the 2015 fiscal year.

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 Sees Significant Growth during the 2014 Fiscal Year

Millbrook Resort named best golf hotel at World Golf Awards

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Award-winning Millbrook Resort has hit yet another hole-in-one beating off stiff competition to take out the title of Oceanias Best Golf Hotel and Best Golf Hotel in New Zealand at the inaugural World Golf Awards held in Portugal last weekend.

The award-win tops off a stellar year for the five-star luxury lifestyle resort.

Announced in front of representatives from some of the golf worlds most prestigious golf courses, resorts, hotels and tourism operators, the award adds to the resorts impressive trophy cabinet this year.

Part of the World Travel Awards, known as the Oscars of the travel industry, this is the first year the golf awards have been held as a separate event in order to give the industry its chance to shine.

Award nominees and subsequent winners were awarded accolades based on votes from tourism and industry peers which were counted throughout the last 12 months.

Millbrook Resort head of operations Brian Howie said winning the inaugural title of Oceania and New Zealands Best Golf Hotel was "hugely rewarding".

"In the last four years weve consistently won the title of Australasia and New Zealands Best Golf Resort. To continue this good run with the new awards and to be recognised as best-of-the-best in front of our golf tourism peers is important to us," he said.

"Over the last 12 months especially, weve invested in the resorts facilities supporting our mission to provide the very best guest journey we possibly can."

Just last month the team accepted the title of New Zealands Leading Spa Resort at the World Travel Awards.

"Anticipating our guests every need, offering the best in luxury, staying ahead of technology and ensuring we go above and beyond expectations ensures we continuously receive exceptional guest feedback," said Mr Howie.

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Millbrook Resort named best golf hotel at World Golf Awards

Travel back in time by visiting these 10 ancient cities

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SINGAPORE - Ever dreamed of being a time-traveller? You can now "time travel" by visiting one of these 10 ancient cities around the world, said travel site Smarter Travel.

These 10 historic sites were some of the most important and beautiful cities in the world, and many of them have even received the honour of being a UNESCO heritage site.

From Egypt to Greece, these preserved sites allow tourists to walk through labyrinthine streets and see kings' tombs which have been been built hundreds and even thousands of years ago.

In Luoyang, one of the four great ancient capitals of China, travellers can see some of the world's most beautiful statues located all over the area. There are around 100,000 statues and over 2,000 niches of Buddha, according to Smarter Travel.

Over in Varanasi, India's oldest city, travellers can walk the same paths as Hindu god, Shiva, who was believed to have lived in the holy city.

They can also join pilgrims who have travelled from all parts of the world and experience age-old traditions by paying tribute to the god at its shrine.

You don't have to be a history buff to appreciate and savour the ancient relics and monuments. The architecture and culture which have survived through hundreds and even thousands of years will not fail to amaze any traveller.

Find out which 10 ancient cities you can visit to have an old-world experience.

wjeanne@sph.com.sg

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Travel back in time by visiting these 10 ancient cities