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1,420,089,780 | 2015-01-01T05:23:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [0]}
|
{}
|
Tokyo police figure Mt. Gox bitcoin heist was an inside job
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/2015-01-01-tokyo-police-bitcoin-mt-gox.html
|
Engadget
|
https://www.engadget.com/
|
Bitcoin It's been about ten months since the Mt. Gox bitcoin exchange turned out the lights , blaming hackers or a bug in the blockchain as reasons why 850,000 bitcoin it held had suddenly disappeared. Today the Japanese paper Yomiuri Shinbun ( English ) reports that Tokyo Police investigating the events have found evidence that only about one percent of the lost bitcoins disappeared due to hacking from outsiders. Citing sources inside the department, the report suggests that the rest of the 650,000 bitcoins still unaccounted for (200k popped up unexpectedly ) were lost by "unauthorized operation" of the system. The evidence shows unauthorized transactions by someone that did not correspond to any customer accounts. There's no indication of who exactly was responsible, but former CEO Mark Karpeles told PC World via email that he will "continue investigating" to find out what really happened. Maybe North Korea could help? [Image credit: Photothek via Getty Images]
| 2015-01-01 |
1,420,199,050 | 2015-01-02T11:44:10Z |
{"Bitcoin": [1949]}
|
{}
|
Raise a glass and toast the U.S. Economy in 2015!
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/jobs--jobs-and-more-jobs-expected-in-2015-135521040.html
|
Yahoo Finance
|
http://finance.yahoo.com/
|
As investors ring in the New Year they should also raise a glass to toast the U.S. economy which is finally on solid footing. “We go into 2015 and put the very bitter memory of 2007, 2008 behind us.” saidMark Hamrick, Washington Bureau Chief, at Bankrate.com.
With the national unemployment rate down to 5.8%, Hamrick also notes many Americans will begin the new year gainfully employed. “The economy has really done a great job of damage repair, with acceleration here recently with the quality of jobs being added.” Employers are expected to continue adding workers in 2015 at a monthly pace of 219,000, according to economists surveyed by Bankrate.com.
Get the Latest Market Data and News with the Yahoo Finance App
More jobs will likely bring the unemployment rate down to 5.5%, while boosting U.S. economic growth by nearly 3% over the next 12-months, as detailed in this snapshot from Bankrate.com’s survey of economists.
85% of those economists also expect the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates. “They do expect a rate hike around June 2015,” says Hamrick who also notes consumers should brace for higher borrowing costs. “Which in some ways is counter intuitive because Treasury yields have remained so low.” On average, economists see the yield on the 10-Year Treasury note, the benchmark for interest rates charged to consumers, rising to 3.17%.
That being said,Bloomberg Newsreminds us in an article strategists had predicted higher yields in 2014 but that never happened. Global turmoil in Russia, Japan’s recession and weaker economic growth in Europe propped up demand for the safety of U.S. government debt driving yields down to2.19%.
As a result, U.S. government securities have returned5.9% this year, according to theBloomberg U.S. Treasury Bond Index,now on pace for the biggest annual gain since 2011. There is a good chance bond investors will stick with the U.S. as we begin the new year.
More from Yahoo FinanceWhat is Bitcoin and how does it work?Gas prices stay low as Saudis try to "smoke out" USThe 10 top-searched stocks of 2014: Google is No. 6
| 2015-01-02 |
1,420,218,000 | 2015-01-02T17:00:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [768]}
|
{}
|
How a Bullied, Dyslexic 16-Year-Old Entrepreneur Fought Back and Found His Way
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bullied-dyslexic-16-old-entrepreneur-170000409.html
|
Entrepreneur
|
http://www.entrepreneur.com/
|
Ollie Forsyth didn’t fit in at school. Bullies picked on him for being dyslexic, for being different. They said he was a nobody and always would be. He’d never succeed in life.The Northamptonshire, U.K. teen could have let their cruel cut-downs crush his spirit, his self-esteem and his motivation. But he didn’t. Instead, he looked to self-made billionaire SirRichard Branson-- who alsostruggled with dyslexiaat school -- for direction and strength. Then, just as Branson gutsily did, he used his doubters’ venom to fuel his budding entrepreneurial fire.“Branson really has inspired me,” Ollie told Entrepreneur.com. “He was very dyslexic and when I watched a program on him, I was determined to become like him.”Related:How a Teenage Entrepreneur Built a Startup on Bitcoin RichesOllie was also determined to prove his haters wrong before they graduated from school and went their separate ways. And that’s exactly what he did. After learning about how Bransonturned a “disadvantage” Ollie knew painfully all too well into an advantage, he launched his first business at only 13, three years younger than Branson was when braved his first venture.Even before he was a teen, Ollie caught the entrepreneurial bug. As a kid growing up in a relatively affluent area, he fetched his parents’ coffee and tea for 20 pence (about 34 cents) per cup. “If they wanted it reheated, I would charge another 20 pence.” Between brewing caffeine jolts for his parents, walking his family’s dogs and cutting the grass, he eventually earned 20 pounds ($33.74) per week.Ollie’s first official foray into entrepreneurship is simply calledOllie’s Shop. It’s an online gift boutique that sells trendy jeweled bracelets, novelty cufflinks, leather belts and wallets and other “Perfect Prezzies” (presents) for teens and their parents. With the help of family and friends, Ollie fulfills several orders a day from his home, where he stores his stock, some of which he sources from China.Related:Rampant Bullying Found Across WorkplacesHe says Ollie’s Shop sales rolled in from day one and haven’t stopped since. Ollie garnered a profit of more than 2,500 pounds, he claims, in the first six months alone.“When I hit my first 10,000 [$16,870], I knew I had something here. That’s when the light went off! I knew I was on the journey to success, and, so far, I’ve been lucky. I have never lost a penny.”Ollie suspects he was bullied by his classmates at the prestigious Oxfordshire boarding schoolBruern Abbey, his country’s only preparatory school for boys with learning difficulties, possibly because they were “jealous” of his commitment and drive to achieving his business goals.“I never got the answer why they did it to me. It’s a shame that I didn’t get on with the boys, or they didn’t get on with me, but you have to move on in life."Related:4 Ways to Prevent Office BulliesHis advice to kids who are bullied in school, due to insensitivity toward a learning difference or otherwise, is to flat-out ignore their harassers. “Things like this happen in life, but you have to crack on with life. Onwards and upwards!” Better to channel your anger and upset from being bullied into pursuing your dreams and to helping others enduring a similar plight, specifically through volunteering, Ollie says."Making a difference to someone can mean changing someone's life. I’ve always been very passionate about helping others, not just for PR, but from the heart, too."He’s volunteered for a variety of charities, including East Anglia’s Children’s Hospice, the Army Benevolent Fund's The Soldiers' Charity, and he’s currently the U.K. Ambassador forWinners Win, an online inspirational publication that connects readers with philanthropic organizations. Using his own money, he’s also establishing a charity to help young entrepreneurs start their own businesses while they’re still in school.Related:Richard Branson on Turning a Disadvantage to Your AdvantageOllie also suggests that all kids, especially teen entrepreneurs, talk about their hopes, dreams and challenges with successful adults they trust and admire. If you don’t have access to a mentor -- aside from his parents, Ollie didn’t when first started out -- connect with a mentor through a local youth-oriented mentorship program. Or seek out entrepreneurial success stories on YouTube, like he did. ("My mentor was YouTube!" he says.)Now 16, Ollie has opened his second online shop,Charmou. Launched just four months ago, the fashion-focused ecommerce site already features some 23 up-and-coming apparel brands, 250 products in all from across the globe. Ollie’s goal is to offer 365 brands in all by early next year.With school behind him, Ollie’s deepening his focus on making it big in business, specifically at thePeter Jones Enterprise Academy. The school is owned by Peter Jones, a serial entrepreneur and former panelist onDragon’s Den, the British equivalent of ABC'sShark Tank.Related:9 Ideas For Teen BusinessesBy making it big, Ollie means becoming a millionaire.“If I can become a millionaire either by 20 or in my 20s, or before I die, I would be a happy chap. Money does matter to me, but there’s no point in earning millions if you hate your job. I would much rather be self-employed. How far off am I [from getting rich]? Look at the rich list in a few years' time.”
Related:Young Millionaire: Inside the Mind of Yahoo's Teen Sensation Nick D'Aloisio
| 2015-01-02 |
1,420,214,096 | 2015-01-02T15:54:56Z |
{}
|
{"Bitcoin": [3]}
|
Is Bitcoin Poised For Success In 2015?
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-poised-success-2015-155456873.html
|
Benzinga
|
http://www.benzinga.com/
|
Bitcoin is coming off a turbulent year.
The cryptocurrency's value sunk below $350 per coin, a hefty increase from its beginnings around $10, but a far cry from its highs around $1,200.
Additionally, the currency was wracked with scandals, most notably the collapse of Tokyo's Mt. Gox exchange. Unstable prices -- and the public's hesitance to get on board -- have many expecting Bitcoin to fade away in the coming year. But enthusiasts disagree.
New Developments
In order to evaluate the success of Bitcoin, some say that price is only a small part of the equation.
While it's true the Mt. Gox scandal shed a negative light on the currency, 2014 also brought about several new developments that made the currency more user-friendly.
Related Link:Who Accepts Bitcoin?
Some cities around the globe installed “bitcoin ATMS,” where people can buy and sell the currency without an intermediary, making it more accessible. The adoption of the currency by big businesses also helped spur confidence in its stability.
Microsoft Corporation(NASDAQ:MSFT) was perhaps the largest company to announce that customers could use bitcoins to pay for some of its games and services, but others, likePayPal(NASDAQ: PYPL) andVirgin Galactic LLC,also decided to allow the currency.
With that in mind, many see 2015 as an exciting year for growth in bitcoin popularity. Some US states are working to regulate the use of bitcoins, something that will likely increase the public's confidence.
In New York, for example, lawmakers are working to create a “BitLicense” plan, which is designed to protect consumers.
A New Index
On January 5, BitMEX, a cryptocurrency exchange, is slated to unveil a30-Day Bitcoin Historic Volatility Index. The index will calculate the currency's volatility based on a 30-day period, allowing traders to bet on the currency's uncertainty, rather than whether it will go up or down.
The new index suggests the bitcoin market is maturing, and it could give traders a new way to participate in the currency's growing popularity.
Image Credit:BTC Keychain, Flickr
See more from Benzinga
• #PreMarket Primer: Wednesday, December 31: Officials Closer To An Answer On AirAsia Jet Crash
• Euro Steady Above .21 To Finish The Year
• Oil Prices To Finish 2014 On A Low
© 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
| 2015-01-02 |
1,420,214,096 | 2015-01-02T15:54:56Z |
{"Bitcoin": [0, 380, 500, 760, 1688], "BTC": [2073]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [3]}
|
Is Bitcoin Poised For Success In 2015?
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-poised-success-2015-155456873.html
|
Benzinga
|
http://www.benzinga.com/
|
Bitcoin is coming off a turbulent year. The cryptocurrency's value sunk below $350 per coin, a hefty increase from its beginnings around $10, but a far cry from its highs around $1,200. Additionally, the currency was wracked with scandals, most notably the collapse of Tokyo's Mt. Gox exchange. Unstable prices -- and the public's hesitance to get on board -- have many expecting Bitcoin to fade away in the coming year. But enthusiasts disagree. New Developments In order to evaluate the success of Bitcoin, some say that price is only a small part of the equation. While it's true the Mt. Gox scandal shed a negative light on the currency, 2014 also brought about several new developments that made the currency more user-friendly. Related Link: Who Accepts Bitcoin? Some cities around the globe installed bitcoin ATMS, where people can buy and sell the currency without an intermediary, making it more accessible. The adoption of the currency by big businesses also helped spur confidence in its stability. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT ) was perhaps the largest company to announce that customers could use bitcoins to pay for some of its games and services, but others, like PayPal (NASDAQ: PYPL) and Virgin Galactic LLC, also decided to allow the currency. With that in mind, many see 2015 as an exciting year for growth in bitcoin popularity. Some US states are working to regulate the use of bitcoins, something that will likely increase the public's confidence. In New York, for example, lawmakers are working to create a BitLicense plan, which is designed to protect consumers. A New Index On January 5, BitMEX, a cryptocurrency exchange, is slated to unveil a 30-Day Bitcoin Historic Volatility Index . The index will calculate the currency's volatility based on a 30-day period, allowing traders to bet on the currency's uncertainty, rather than whether it will go up or down. The new index suggests the bitcoin market is maturing, and it could give traders a new way to participate in the currency's growing popularity. Story continues Image Credit: BTC Keychain , Flickr See more from Benzinga #PreMarket Primer: Wednesday, December 31: Officials Closer To An Answer On AirAsia Jet Crash Euro Steady Above .21 To Finish The Year Oil Prices To Finish 2014 On A Low © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
| 2015-01-02 |
1,420,238,512 | 2015-01-02T22:41:52Z |
{}
|
{"Bitcoin": [48]}
|
Police Are Investigating Whether A $730 Million Bitcoin Heist Was Actually An Inside Job
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/police-investigating-whether-730-million-224152441.html
|
Business Insider
|
http://www.businessinsider.com/
|
REUTERS/Mike Blake A bitcoin ATM machine is shown at a restaurant in San Diego, California September 18, 2014.
Japanese police are reportedly investigating whether people connected to the Mt. Gox Bitcoin exchange were behind the loss of hundreds of thousands of Bitcoin.
Pando is reporting that Japanese newspaper the Yomiuri Shimbun has publishedan update on the police investigation into the theft of vast amounts of Bitcoin from online exchange Mt. Gox.
Mt. Gox was a central part of the global Bitcoin-trading world. At its peak in 2013 the site was handling over 70% of Bitcoin transactions, serving as the backbone for the cryptocurrency industry.
The wildly successful Bitcoin exchange was based in Japan, with a team of contractors working under enigmatic CEO Mark Karpelès. As Pando reports, the site's owner only employed contractors, and kept important parts of the site's encryption to himself. Despite the secrecy, though, the company thrived.
It was a far cry from the origins of the site, which started life as a website for people to exchange Magic The Gathering trading cards. In its news form, Mt. Gox was handling billions of dollars worth of Bitcoin transactions.
But everything came crashing down for Mt. Gox in February 2014 when the site suddenly halted all withdrawals. That alarmed customers, who bombarded it with queries. No solid information was forthcoming, with the site blaming a problem in the core code behind Bitcoin for the loss of a vast amount of the digital currency. At its peak value, the amount lost was over $730 million.
By March 2014,Mt. Gox had filed for bankruptcy and Karpelès resignedfrom Bitcoin's board. The majority of the missing Bitcoin was never found, however. 200,000 bitcoin was found in one of Mt. Gox's old accounts, but most customers still lost out. Karpelès has refused to travel to the US to face charges, meaning that the Japanese police investigation could be the last hope for Mt. Gox customers.
Now, it looks like the police investigation is turning its focus onto people involved with Mt. Gox, not vulnerabilities in Bitcoin or hackers from outside the company. The Japanese newspaper report cites sources close to the investigation who claim that someone involved with Mt. Gox may have transferred Bitcoin around the exchange, repeating the process and earning a profit margin.
If the Mt. Gox bitcoin was stolen by routing the money through the online exchange, that could be related to "Willy" and "Markus" — two of Mt. Gox's automated trading accounts which conducted suspicious transfers.
Sources close to the police investigators claim that only 1% of the Bitcoin ever left Mt. Gox as a result of a hack, with an overwhelming amount staying inside the company.
Despite what seems to be a significant advancement in the police investigation, there's still little hope that Mt. Gox's customers will see their cryptocurrency again.
More From Business Insider
• Japan Approves $29 Billion Stimulus Package
• Apple Will Offer Mystery Bags At Its Japanese Stores
• New Yorkers May Soon Be Able To Pay Parking Tickets Through Their iPhones
| 2015-01-02 |
1,420,218,000 | 2015-01-02T17:00:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [776]}
|
{}
|
How a Bullied, Dyslexic 16-Year-Old Entrepreneur Fought Back and Found His Way
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bullied-dyslexic-16-old-entrepreneur-170000409.html
|
Entrepreneur
|
http://www.entrepreneur.com/
|
Ollie Forsyth didn’t fit in at school. Bullies picked on him for being dyslexic, for being different. They said he was a nobody and always would be. He’d never succeed in life. The Northamptonshire, U.K. teen could have let their cruel cut-downs crush his spirit, his self-esteem and his motivation. But he didn’t. Instead, he looked to self-made billionaire Sir Richard Branson -- who also struggled with dyslexia at school -- for direction and strength. Then, just as Branson gutsily did, he used his doubters’ venom to fuel his budding entrepreneurial fire. “Branson really has inspired me,” Ollie told Entrepreneur.com. “He was very dyslexic and when I watched a program on him, I was determined to become like him.” Related: How a Teenage Entrepreneur Built a Startup on Bitcoin Riches Ollie was also determined to prove his haters wrong before they graduated from school and went their separate ways. And that’s exactly what he did. After learning about how Branson turned a “disadvantage” Ollie knew painfully all too well into an advantage , he launched his first business at only 13, three years younger than Branson was when braved his first venture. Even before he was a teen, Ollie caught the entrepreneurial bug. As a kid growing up in a relatively affluent area, he fetched his parents’ coffee and tea for 20 pence (about 34 cents) per cup. “If they wanted it reheated, I would charge another 20 pence.” Between brewing caffeine jolts for his parents, walking his family’s dogs and cutting the grass, he eventually earned 20 pounds ($33.74) per week. Ollie’s first official foray into entrepreneurship is simply called Ollie’s Shop . It’s an online gift boutique that sells trendy jeweled bracelets, novelty cufflinks, leather belts and wallets and other “Perfect Prezzies” (presents) for teens and their parents. With the help of family and friends, Ollie fulfills several orders a day from his home, where he stores his stock, some of which he sources from China. Related: Rampant Bullying Found Across Workplaces He says Ollie’s Shop sales rolled in from day one and haven’t stopped since. Ollie garnered a profit of more than 2,500 pounds, he claims, in the first six months alone. “When I hit my first 10,000 [$16,870], I knew I had something here. That’s when the light went off! I knew I was on the journey to success, and, so far, I’ve been lucky. I have never lost a penny.” Ollie suspects he was bullied by his classmates at the prestigious Oxfordshire boarding school Bruern Abbey , his country’s only preparatory school for boys with learning difficulties, possibly because they were “jealous” of his commitment and drive to achieving his business goals. “I never got the answer why they did it to me. It’s a shame that I didn’t get on with the boys, or they didn’t get on with me, but you have to move on in life." Related: 4 Ways to Prevent Office Bullies His advice to kids who are bullied in school, due to insensitivity toward a learning difference or otherwise, is to flat-out ignore their harassers. “Things like this happen in life, but you have to crack on with life. Onwards and upwards!” Better to channel your anger and upset from being bullied into pursuing your dreams and to helping others enduring a similar plight, specifically through volunteering, Ollie says. "Making a difference to someone can mean changing someone's life. I’ve always been very passionate about helping others, not just for PR, but from the heart, too." He’s volunteered for a variety of charities, including East Anglia’s Children’s Hospice, the Army Benevolent Fund's The Soldiers' Charity, and he’s currently the U.K. Ambassador for Winners Win , an online inspirational publication that connects readers with philanthropic organizations. Using his own money, he’s also establishing a charity to help young entrepreneurs start their own businesses while they’re still in school. Related: Richard Branson on Turning a Disadvantage to Your Advantage Ollie also suggests that all kids, especially teen entrepreneurs, talk about their hopes, dreams and challenges with successful adults they trust and admire. If you don’t have access to a mentor -- aside from his parents, Ollie didn’t when first started out -- connect with a mentor through a local youth-oriented mentorship program. Or seek out entrepreneurial success stories on YouTube, like he did. ("My mentor was YouTube!" he says.) Now 16, Ollie has opened his second online shop, Charmou . Launched just four months ago, the fashion-focused ecommerce site already features some 23 up-and-coming apparel brands, 250 products in all from across the globe. Ollie’s goal is to offer 365 brands in all by early next year. With school behind him, Ollie’s deepening his focus on making it big in business, specifically at the Peter Jones Enterprise Academy . The school is owned by Peter Jones, a serial entrepreneur and former panelist on Dragon’s Den , the British equivalent of ABC's Shark Tank. Related: 9 Ideas For Teen Businesses By making it big, Ollie means becoming a millionaire. “If I can become a millionaire either by 20 or in my 20s, or before I die, I would be a happy chap. Money does matter to me, but there’s no point in earning millions if you hate your job. I would much rather be self-employed. How far off am I [from getting rich]? Look at the rich list in a few years' time.” Related: Young Millionaire: Inside the Mind of Yahoo's Teen Sensation Nick D'Aloisio
| 2015-01-02 |
1,420,238,512 | 2015-01-02T22:41:52Z |
{"Bitcoin": [0, 216, 282, 440, 519, 596, 697, 1183, 1464, 1660, 1705, 2124, 2306, 2668]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [48]}
|
Police Are Investigating Whether A $730 Million Bitcoin Heist Was Actually An Inside Job
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/police-investigating-whether-730-million-224152441.html
|
Business Insider
|
http://www.businessinsider.com/
|
Bitcoin ATM machine REUTERS/Mike Blake A bitcoin ATM machine is shown at a restaurant in San Diego, California September 18, 2014. Japanese police are reportedly investigating whether people connected to the Mt. Gox Bitcoin exchange were behind the loss of hundreds of thousands of Bitcoin. Pando is reporting that Japanese newspaper the Yomiuri Shimbun has published an update on the police investigation into the theft of vast amounts of Bitcoin from online exchange Mt. Gox. Mt. Gox was a central part of the global Bitcoin-trading world. At its peak in 2013 the site was handling over 70% of Bitcoin transactions, serving as the backbone for the cryptocurrency industry. The wildly successful Bitcoin exchange was based in Japan, with a team of contractors working under enigmatic CEO Mark Karpelès. As Pando reports, the site's owner only employed contractors, and kept important parts of the site's encryption to himself. Despite the secrecy, though, the company thrived. It was a far cry from the origins of the site, which started life as a website for people to exchange Magic The Gathering trading cards. In its news form, Mt. Gox was handling billions of dollars worth of Bitcoin transactions. But everything came crashing down for Mt. Gox in February 2014 when the site suddenly halted all withdrawals. That alarmed customers, who bombarded it with queries. No solid information was forthcoming, with the site blaming a problem in the core code behind Bitcoin for the loss of a vast amount of the digital currency. At its peak value, the amount lost was over $730 million. By March 2014, Mt. Gox had filed for bankruptcy and Karpelès resigned from Bitcoin's board. The majority of the missing Bitcoin was never found, however. 200,000 bitcoin was found in one of Mt. Gox's old accounts, but most customers still lost out. Karpelès has refused to travel to the US to face charges, meaning that the Japanese police investigation could be the last hope for Mt. Gox customers. Story continues Now, it looks like the police investigation is turning its focus onto people involved with Mt. Gox, not vulnerabilities in Bitcoin or hackers from outside the company. The Japanese newspaper report cites sources close to the investigation who claim that someone involved with Mt. Gox may have transferred Bitcoin around the exchange, repeating the process and earning a profit margin. If the Mt. Gox bitcoin was stolen by routing the money through the online exchange, that could be related to "Willy" and "Markus" — two of Mt. Gox's automated trading accounts which conducted suspicious transfers. Sources close to the police investigators claim that only 1% of the Bitcoin ever left Mt. Gox as a result of a hack, with an overwhelming amount staying inside the company. Despite what seems to be a significant advancement in the police investigation, there's still little hope that Mt. Gox's customers will see their cryptocurrency again. More From Business Insider Japan Approves $29 Billion Stimulus Package Apple Will Offer Mystery Bags At Its Japanese Stores New Yorkers May Soon Be Able To Pay Parking Tickets Through Their iPhones
| 2015-01-02 |
1,420,238,512 | 2015-01-02T22:41:52Z |
{"Bitcoin": [196, 262, 419, 498, 575, 676, 1162, 1443, 1637, 1682, 2085, 2267, 2629]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [48]}
|
Police Are Investigating Whether A $730 Million Bitcoin Heist Was Actually An Inside Job
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/police-investigating-whether-730-million-224152441.html
|
Business Insider
|
http://www.businessinsider.com/
|
REUTERS/Mike Blake A bitcoin ATM machine is shown at a restaurant in San Diego, California September 18, 2014.
Japanese police are reportedly investigating whether people connected to the Mt. Gox Bitcoin exchange were behind the loss of hundreds of thousands of Bitcoin.
Pando is reporting that Japanese newspaper the Yomiuri Shimbun has publishedan update on the police investigation into the theft of vast amounts of Bitcoin from online exchange Mt. Gox.
Mt. Gox was a central part of the global Bitcoin-trading world. At its peak in 2013 the site was handling over 70% of Bitcoin transactions, serving as the backbone for the cryptocurrency industry.
The wildly successful Bitcoin exchange was based in Japan, with a team of contractors working under enigmatic CEO Mark Karpelès. As Pando reports, the site's owner only employed contractors, and kept important parts of the site's encryption to himself. Despite the secrecy, though, the company thrived.
It was a far cry from the origins of the site, which started life as a website for people to exchange Magic The Gathering trading cards. In its news form, Mt. Gox was handling billions of dollars worth of Bitcoin transactions.
But everything came crashing down for Mt. Gox in February 2014 when the site suddenly halted all withdrawals. That alarmed customers, who bombarded it with queries. No solid information was forthcoming, with the site blaming a problem in the core code behind Bitcoin for the loss of a vast amount of the digital currency. At its peak value, the amount lost was over $730 million.
By March 2014,Mt. Gox had filed for bankruptcy and Karpelès resignedfrom Bitcoin's board. The majority of the missing Bitcoin was never found, however. 200,000 bitcoin was found in one of Mt. Gox's old accounts, but most customers still lost out. Karpelès has refused to travel to the US to face charges, meaning that the Japanese police investigation could be the last hope for Mt. Gox customers.
Now, it looks like the police investigation is turning its focus onto people involved with Mt. Gox, not vulnerabilities in Bitcoin or hackers from outside the company. The Japanese newspaper report cites sources close to the investigation who claim that someone involved with Mt. Gox may have transferred Bitcoin around the exchange, repeating the process and earning a profit margin.
If the Mt. Gox bitcoin was stolen by routing the money through the online exchange, that could be related to "Willy" and "Markus" — two of Mt. Gox's automated trading accounts which conducted suspicious transfers.
Sources close to the police investigators claim that only 1% of the Bitcoin ever left Mt. Gox as a result of a hack, with an overwhelming amount staying inside the company.
Despite what seems to be a significant advancement in the police investigation, there's still little hope that Mt. Gox's customers will see their cryptocurrency again.
More From Business Insider
• Japan Approves $29 Billion Stimulus Package
• Apple Will Offer Mystery Bags At Its Japanese Stores
• New Yorkers May Soon Be Able To Pay Parking Tickets Through Their iPhones
| 2015-01-02 |
1,420,214,096 | 2015-01-02T15:54:56Z |
{"Bitcoin": [0, 380, 500, 759, 1679], "BTC": [2046]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [3]}
|
Is Bitcoin Poised For Success In 2015?
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-poised-success-2015-155456873.html
|
Benzinga
|
http://www.benzinga.com/
|
Bitcoin is coming off a turbulent year.
The cryptocurrency's value sunk below $350 per coin, a hefty increase from its beginnings around $10, but a far cry from its highs around $1,200.
Additionally, the currency was wracked with scandals, most notably the collapse of Tokyo's Mt. Gox exchange. Unstable prices -- and the public's hesitance to get on board -- have many expecting Bitcoin to fade away in the coming year. But enthusiasts disagree.
New Developments
In order to evaluate the success of Bitcoin, some say that price is only a small part of the equation.
While it's true the Mt. Gox scandal shed a negative light on the currency, 2014 also brought about several new developments that made the currency more user-friendly.
Related Link:Who Accepts Bitcoin?
Some cities around the globe installed “bitcoin ATMS,” where people can buy and sell the currency without an intermediary, making it more accessible. The adoption of the currency by big businesses also helped spur confidence in its stability.
Microsoft Corporation(NASDAQ:MSFT) was perhaps the largest company to announce that customers could use bitcoins to pay for some of its games and services, but others, likePayPal(NASDAQ: PYPL) andVirgin Galactic LLC,also decided to allow the currency.
With that in mind, many see 2015 as an exciting year for growth in bitcoin popularity. Some US states are working to regulate the use of bitcoins, something that will likely increase the public's confidence.
In New York, for example, lawmakers are working to create a “BitLicense” plan, which is designed to protect consumers.
A New Index
On January 5, BitMEX, a cryptocurrency exchange, is slated to unveil a30-Day Bitcoin Historic Volatility Index. The index will calculate the currency's volatility based on a 30-day period, allowing traders to bet on the currency's uncertainty, rather than whether it will go up or down.
The new index suggests the bitcoin market is maturing, and it could give traders a new way to participate in the currency's growing popularity.
Image Credit:BTC Keychain, Flickr
See more from Benzinga
• #PreMarket Primer: Wednesday, December 31: Officials Closer To An Answer On AirAsia Jet Crash
• Euro Steady Above .21 To Finish The Year
• Oil Prices To Finish 2014 On A Low
© 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
| 2015-01-02 |
1,420,199,050 | 2015-01-02T11:44:10Z |
{"Bitcoin": [2026]}
|
{}
|
Raise a glass and toast the U.S. Economy in 2015!
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/jobs--jobs-and-more-jobs-expected-in-2015-135521040.html
|
Yahoo Finance
|
http://finance.yahoo.com/
|
As investors ring in the New Year they should also raise a glass to toast the U.S. economy which is finally on solid footing. We go into 2015 and put the very bitter memory of 2007, 2008 behind us. said Mark Hamrick, Washington Bureau Chief, at Bankrate.com. With the national unemployment rate down to 5.8%, Hamrick also notes many Americans will begin the new year gainfully employed. The economy has really done a great job of damage repair, with acceleration here recently with the quality of jobs being added. Employers are expected to continue adding workers in 2015 at a monthly pace of 219,000, according to economists surveyed by Bankrate.com. Get the Latest Market Data and News with the Yahoo Finance App More jobs will likely bring the unemployment rate down to 5.5%, while boosting U.S. economic growth by nearly 3% over the next 12-months, as detailed in this snapshot from Bankrate.coms survey of economists. Survey says ... | Illustrated businesswoman © Ziven/Shutterstock.com 85% of those economists also expect the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates. They do expect a rate hike around June 2015, says Hamrick who also notes consumers should brace for higher borrowing costs. Which in some ways is counter intuitive because Treasury yields have remained so low. On average, economists see the yield on the 10-Year Treasury note, the benchmark for interest rates charged to consumers, rising to 3.17%. That being said, Bloomberg News reminds us in an article strategists had predicted higher yields in 2014 but that never happened. Global turmoil in Russia, Japans recession and weaker economic growth in Europe propped up demand for the safety of U.S. government debt driving yields down to 2.19%. As a result, U.S. government securities have returned 5.9% this year, according to the Bloomberg U.S. Treasury Bond Index, now on pace for the biggest annual gain since 2011. There is a good chance bond investors will stick with the U.S. as we begin the new year. More from Yahoo Finance What is Bitcoin and how does it work? Gas prices stay low as Saudis try to "smoke out" US The 10 top-searched stocks of 2014: Google is No. 6
| 2015-01-02 |
1,420,297,253 | 2015-01-03T15:00:53Z |
{"Bitcoin": [2376, 3972]}
|
{}
|
10 pieces of tech speak we should trash in 2015
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/10-pieces-tech-speak-trash-150053141.html
|
Gigaom
|
http://gigaom.com/
|
Time to circle back, tear down silos and pivot on those deliverables: 2014 was a banner year for the tech industry — at least when it came to spouting jargon. And while everyone has finally dropped the dreaded “open the kimono,” a whole new series of cliches are on the march. So for the good of tech types everywhere, here’s a ranked list of overused phrases from last year that we can all stop saying (or say a little less) in 2015. Feel free to add any of your own in the comments below. 10) We take users on a journey Unless your company sells cars, boats or hoverboards , it’s a good bet your company doesn’t take users far beyond their living rooms. So skip the cliched travel metaphors and just say what the damn product does. 9) “Like peanut butter and chocolate” This phrase is popping up as a way for big tech company execs to describe the serendipitous discovery of complementary business units. It’s a tasty metaphor the first time you hear it — but goes over more like curdled spinach the 10th time. 8) Tech company X’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day Apple had one. So did Uber . So did Sony . The rest of us will too if tech reporters don’t stop riffing on the title of Judith Viorst’s 1974 children book in a failed stab at hilarious hyberbole. 7) Startup “story tellers” Experts say young companies need to hire “story tellers” to share their vision/shake money from VC’s. The term is smarmy and the act is unnecessary. Yes, a narrative is important, but start-ups looking for the right words can just turn to the PR firms they’re already paying. Or in the case of AOL, keep paying the company’s “digital prophet” Shingy to do whatever the hell he does. 6) Ninjas and gurus There a still handful of diehards out there who think this is a witty way to convey expertise. If you’ve somehow forgotten to remove “ninja” and “guru” from your Twitter or LinkedIn profiles, do so quietly before you get sent back to 2010 where you belong. 5) “We see around corners” Hey marketers, if you want customers to think your client can see into the future, better stop using a cliche from the past. 4) Cloud/cloud-based/in-the-cloud In 2014, a deluge of corporate rebranding meant the end of any meaningful distinction between “in the cloud” and “on the internet.” In 2015, let’s see how the jargon slingers parse the mainstream adoption of SaaS, PaaS and IaaS. 3) Bitcoin is like the internet in 1994 In the award for crummy currency of the year, bitcoin beat out even the plummeting ruble. Meanwhile, bitcoin boosters like Circle and the boys at Andreessen Horowitz keep trotting out Netscape and other cusp-of-the-internet analogies in a bid to keep the faith. They’re going to need a new metaphor — or better yet some actual bitcoin adoption — if they want this thing to still going to be around in 2016. Story continues 2) Disrupt/Disruption Most startups and even PR people got the memo that these terms are not just obnoxious, but stale, stale, stale. VC Benedict Evans might be on to something when he points to a possible successor term: Note for 2015: destabilise is a more useful term than 'disrupt', which is now drained of all meaning. — Benedict Evans (@BenedictEvans) December 30, 2014 Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images 1) Sharing economy Sharing is a positive term to describe free, benevolent acts among friends. Paying for the temporary use of cars, homes or labor is not sharing — no matter how much the likes of Uber and Airbnb invoke the phrase to score points in their PR battle with regulators . While “sharing economy” is still common currency in tech circles, 2015 should be the year it gets chucked. Let’s follow Fred Wilson’s example and use a grown-up term (“rental economy”) as a proper description for this white hot part of the tech sector. Image copyright Nick Harris via Flickr CC . Related research and analysis from Gigaom Research: Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial . 4 frameworks for understanding industry change Bitcoin: why digital currency is the future financial system Workplace tools and tasks that will change in 2015 More From paidContent.org 10 pieces of tech speak we should trash in 2015 View comments
| 2015-01-03 |
1,420,297,253 | 2015-01-03T15:00:53Z |
{"Bitcoin": [2365, 3933]}
|
{}
|
10 pieces of tech speak we should trash in 2015
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/10-pieces-tech-speak-trash-150053141.html
|
Gigaom
|
http://gigaom.com/
|
Time to circle back, tear down silos and pivot on those deliverables: 2014 was a banner year for the tech industry — at least when it came to spouting jargon. And while everyone has finally dropped the dreaded “open the kimono,” a whole new series of cliches are on the march.
So for the good of tech types everywhere, here’s a ranked list of overused phrases from last year that we can all stop saying (or say a little less) in 2015. Feel free to add any of your own in the comments below.
10) We take users on a journey
Unless your company sells cars, boats orhoverboards, it’s a good bet your company doesn’t take users far beyond their living rooms. So skip the cliched travel metaphors and just say what the damn product does.
9) “Like peanut butter and chocolate”
This phrase is popping up as a way for big tech company execs to describe the serendipitous discovery of complementary business units. It’s a tasty metaphor the first time you hear it — but goes over more like curdled spinach the 10th time.
8) Tech company X’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day
Applehad one. So didUber. So didSony. The rest of us will too if tech reporters don’t stop riffing on the title of Judith Viorst’s 1974 children book in a failed stab at hilarious hyberbole.
7) Startup “story tellers”
Expertssayyoung companies need to hire “story tellers” to share their vision/shake money from VC’s. The term is smarmy and the act is unnecessary. Yes, a narrative is important, but start-ups looking for the right words can just turn to the PR firms they’re already paying. Or in the case of AOL, keep paying the company’s “digital prophet”Shingyto do whatever the hell he does.
6) Ninjas and gurus
There a still handful of diehards out there who think this is a witty way to convey expertise. If you’ve somehow forgotten to remove “ninja” and “guru” from your Twitter or LinkedIn profiles, do so quietly before you get sent back to 2010 where you belong.
5) “We see around corners”
Hey marketers, if you want customers to think your client can see into the future, better stop using a cliche from the past.
4) Cloud/cloud-based/in-the-cloud
In 2014, a deluge of corporate rebranding meant the end of any meaningful distinction between “in the cloud” and “on the internet.” In 2015, let’s see how the jargon slingers parse the mainstream adoption of SaaS, PaaS and IaaS.
3) Bitcoin is like the internet in 1994
In the award for crummy currency of the year, bitcoinbeat outeven the plummeting ruble. Meanwhile, bitcoin boosterslike Circleand the boys atAndreessen Horowitzkeep trotting out Netscape and other cusp-of-the-internet analogies in a bid to keep the faith. They’re going to need a new metaphor — or better yet some actual bitcoin adoption — if they want this thing to still going to be around in 2016.
2) Disrupt/Disruption
Most startups and even PR people got the memo that these terms are not just obnoxious, but stale, stale, stale. VC Benedict Evans might be on to something when he points to a possible successor term:
Note for 2015: destabilise is a more useful term than 'disrupt', which is now drained of all meaning.
— Benedict Evans (@BenedictEvans)December 30, 2014
Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images
1) Sharing economy
Sharing is a positive term to describe free, benevolent acts among friends. Paying for the temporary use of cars, homes or labor is not sharing — no matter how much the likes of Uber and Airbnb invoke the phrase to score points in theirPR battle with regulators. While “sharing economy” is still common currency in tech circles, 2015 should be the year it gets chucked. Let’s follow Fred Wilson’sexampleand use a grown-up term (“rental economy”) as a proper description for this white hot part of the tech sector.
Image copyrightNick Harris via Flickr CC.
Related research and analysis from Gigaom Research:Subscriber content.Sign up for a free trial.
• 4 frameworks for understanding industry change
• Bitcoin: why digital currency is the future financial system
• Workplace tools and tasks that will change in 2015
More From paidContent.org
• 10 pieces of tech speak we should trash in 2015
| 2015-01-03 |
1,420,386,111 | 2015-01-04T15:41:51Z |
{"Bitcoin": [0, 180, 207, 975, 1182]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [0]}
|
Bitcoin Is Getting Smoked To Start The New Year
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-getting-smoked-start-154151501.html
|
Business Insider
|
http://www.businessinsider.com/
|
Bitcoin is under $300 for the first time since November of 2013. It's down ~16% to start 2015. After peaking at $1,147.25 in December of 2013, it's been one long, slow descent for Bitcoin. It's not good for Bitcoin, which had tremendous hype when its price was exploding. But, it's not necessarily the worst thing in the world, either. Fred Wilson, a startup investor who is bullish on bitcoin, said the following in a blog post about what he thinks happens in 2015 : 8/ The horrible year that bitcoin had in 2014 will be a wakeup call for all stakeholders. Developers will turn their energy from creating the next bitcoin (all the alt stuff) to creating the stack on top of the bitcoin blockchain. Real decentralized applications will start to emerge as the platform matures and entrepreneurial energy is channeled in the right direction. In theory, as the price continues to drop, it could push developers to build applications. Here's a chart of the price from CoinDesk : Bitcoin price Screenshot More From Business Insider New Yorkers May Soon Be Able To Pay Parking Tickets Through Their iPhones The 12 Worst Investments Of 2014 Police Are Investigating Whether A $730 Million Bitcoin Heist Was Actually An Inside Job
| 2015-01-04 |
1,420,386,111 | 2015-01-04T15:41:51Z |
{}
|
{"Bitcoin": [0]}
|
Bitcoin Is Getting Smoked To Start The New Year
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-getting-smoked-start-154151501.html
|
Business Insider
|
http://www.businessinsider.com/
|
Bitcoin is under $300 for the first time since November of 2013. It's down ~16% to start 2015.
After peaking at $1,147.25 in December of 2013, it's been one long, slow descent for Bitcoin.
It's not good for Bitcoin, which had tremendous hype when its price was exploding. But, it's not necessarily the worst thing in the world, either.
Fred Wilson, a startup investor who is bullish on bitcoin,said the following in a blog post about what he thinks happens in 2015:
8/ The horrible year that bitcoin had in 2014 will be a wakeup call for all stakeholders. Developers will turn their energy from creating the next bitcoin (all the alt stuff) to creating the stack on top of the bitcoin blockchain. Real decentralized applications will start to emerge as the platform matures and entrepreneurial energy is channeled in the right direction.
In theory, as the price continues to drop, it could push developers to build applications.
Here's achart of the price from CoinDesk:
Screenshot
More From Business Insider
• New Yorkers May Soon Be Able To Pay Parking Tickets Through Their iPhones
• The 12 Worst Investments Of 2014
• Police Are Investigating Whether A $730 Million Bitcoin Heist Was Actually An Inside Job
| 2015-01-04 |
1,420,386,111 | 2015-01-04T15:41:51Z |
{"Bitcoin": [0, 180, 207, 1170]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [0]}
|
Bitcoin Is Getting Smoked To Start The New Year
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-getting-smoked-start-154151501.html
|
Business Insider
|
http://www.businessinsider.com/
|
Bitcoin is under $300 for the first time since November of 2013. It's down ~16% to start 2015.
After peaking at $1,147.25 in December of 2013, it's been one long, slow descent for Bitcoin.
It's not good for Bitcoin, which had tremendous hype when its price was exploding. But, it's not necessarily the worst thing in the world, either.
Fred Wilson, a startup investor who is bullish on bitcoin,said the following in a blog post about what he thinks happens in 2015:
8/ The horrible year that bitcoin had in 2014 will be a wakeup call for all stakeholders. Developers will turn their energy from creating the next bitcoin (all the alt stuff) to creating the stack on top of the bitcoin blockchain. Real decentralized applications will start to emerge as the platform matures and entrepreneurial energy is channeled in the right direction.
In theory, as the price continues to drop, it could push developers to build applications.
Here's achart of the price from CoinDesk:
Screenshot
More From Business Insider
• New Yorkers May Soon Be Able To Pay Parking Tickets Through Their iPhones
• The 12 Worst Investments Of 2014
• Police Are Investigating Whether A $730 Million Bitcoin Heist Was Actually An Inside Job
| 2015-01-04 |
1,420,474,344 | 2015-01-05T16:12:24Z |
{"Bitcoin": [1691]}
|
{}
|
Can you buy a house with bad credit?
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/can-you-buy-a-house-with-bad-credit-173131102.html
|
Yahoo Finance
|
http://finance.yahoo.com/
|
Yahoo Finance is answering your most-searched finance questions of 2014 . The fifth most-asked question was: "Can I buy a house with bad credit?" The short answer is yes — but it won’t be easy. If your credit score isn’t great (say, lower than 650) you’ll likely have a much harder time getting approved for a mortgage. You’ve got three options: you can get a traditional loan through mortgage servicers like Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac; you can apply for an FHA-backed loan; or you can turn to private subprime mortgage lenders, which may be more willing to take on risky borrowers. [ Get the Latest Market Data and News with the Yahoo Finance App ] Fannie and Freddie loans are great because they require a low down payment of only 3 to 5%. BUT they only lend to people with credit scores above 620. If yours is lower than 620, you’ll have better luck with an FHA loan, but you’ll have to put twice as much down -- 10%. If those options don’t pan out, private lenders may take you on. Just be warned -- they can have crazy high interest rates, like 8-9% and you’ll have to put down 20% or more for a down payment. But take it from us -- try improving your credit before applying for a home loan. According to FICO, someone with a credit score lower than 640 will wind up paying $32,000 more over the lifetime of their mortgage than someone with a score of 760. Have a personal finance question you’d like answered? Drop us a line at [email protected] . More of your top finance questions answered: Number 6: Should you buy Facebook stock? Number 7: Why are gas prices going down? Number 8: Who is the richest man in the world? Number 9: Is social security taxable? Number 10: What is Bitcoin and how does it work?
| 2015-01-05 |
1,420,454,460 | 2015-01-05T10:41:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [1100]}
|
{}
|
10 Things In Tech You Need To Know Today
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/10-things-tech-know-today-104158980.html
|
Business Insider
|
http://www.businessinsider.com/
|
Dick Costolo Twitter (Kimberly White/Getty Images) Twitter CEO Dick Costolo. Good morning! Here's the tech news you need to know to start off the week. 1. Mark Zuckerberg's New Year's resolution is to read a book every other week. He's going to be running a virtual book club on Facebook. 2. Uber had a huge New Year's Eve. At the evening's peak, there were more than 58 trips per second. 3. The US will impose sanctions on North Korea over the Sony hack. But because we don't know who is behind it, the businesses targeted probably weren't involved with the hack. 4. Uber has hired Governor Cuomo's former press secretary. Matthew Wing is joining Uber's policy and communications team. 5. Las Vegas Airport is adding thousands of power outlets for CES. It spent $400,000 on the devices. SPONSORED BY Bitdefender BOX Bitdefender BOX is an all-inclusive cybersecurity solution packed into one smartphone-controlled device. The first 300 people to respond will receive one for free. Click here now. 6. Twitter looks set to launch a new video upload service. It should launch sometime in early 2015. 7. Bitcoin is having a bad start to the new year, down around 16%. Its value peaked at $1,147.25 in December 2013, now it's under $300. 8. Samsung has shown a new device that looks similar to leaked phone images. The Galaxy S6 may be coming soon. 9. A crowdfunding campaign for a satirical video game about North Korea has raised over $17,000. It lets you play as Kim Jong-un. 10. Smart thermostat company Nest is adding integration with a bunch of other "internet of things" companies. It announced at CES that it's working with LG and Philips, among others. NOW WATCH: The ‘Tesla of scooters’ is finally available and it looks incredible More From Business Insider 10 things in tech you need to know today 10 things in tech you need to know today 10 things in tech you need to know today
| 2015-01-05 |
1,420,485,168 | 2015-01-05T19:12:48Z |
{"Bitcoin": [0, 4168], "BTC": [248, 2519, 2983]}
|
{}
|
Security breach and price crash mark bad start to 2015 for bitcoin
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/security-breach-price-crash-mark-191248535.html
|
Gigaom
|
http://gigaom.com/
|
Bitcoin is not having the best start to 2015. Bitstamp, the second-largest USD bitcoin exchange, suspended its operations early Monday morning after discovering one of its wallets has been “compromised”. (Update: Bitstamp has confirmed that 19,000 BTC, or $5 million, is missing — see full note at bottom.) A Reddit user spotted the problem after trying to send bitcoins to his account, which then never arrived. An e-mail from Bitstamp support said that “You should STOP SENDING bitcoin deposits to your Bitstamp account IMMEDIATELY as private keys of your deposit address may be lost. Your bitcoins already deposited with us are stored in a cold wallet and can not be affected.” Bitstamp has since updated its site with an acknowledgement of the problems and has suspended its operations entirely: We have reason to believe that one of Bitstamp’s operational wallets was compromised on January 4th, 2015. As a security precaution against compromises Bitstamp only maintains a small fraction of customer bitcoins in online systems. Bitstamp maintains more than enough offline reserves to cover the compromised bitcoins. IN THE MEANTIME, PLEASE DO NOT MAKE DEPOSITS TO PREVIOUSLY ISSUED BITCOIN DEPOSIT ADDRESSES. THEY CANNOT BE HONORED! Customer deposits made prior to January 5th, 2015 9:00 UTC are fully covered by Bitstamp’s reserves. Deposits made to newly issued addresses provided after January 5th, 2015 9:00 UTC can be honored. Bitstamp takes our security and soundness very seriously. In an excess of caution, we are suspending service as we continue to investigate. We will return to service and amend our security measures as appropriate. For now, it appears unlikely the Bitstamp situation is a MtGox level meltdown . As CEO Nejc Kodric explained on Twitter, the exchange holds the majority of its bitcoin in cold wallet storage (where the keys to the walletr are stored offline, often on a USB drive or even on pieces paper), which is generally considered more secure. Kodric also that Bitstamp had passed an independent audit in May 2014. Story continues To restate: the bulk of our bitcoin are in cold storage, and remain completely safe. — Nejc Kodrič (@nejc_kodric) January 5, 2015 Bitstamp’s suspension of service is another early blow to bitcoin in 2015. The price started the year at $318, but has already fallen $50 dollars to around $268 as of 11a.m. PT. Not a great start for the currency that was already labeled the “ worst investment of 2014 “. Update as of 3:10p.m. PT: It looks like 19,000 BTC (or approximately $5 million) was stolen from Bitstamp. Kodric released a new statement, promising to honor balances held prior to the suspension of services. Bitstamp customers can rest assured that their bitcoins held with us prior to temporary suspension of services on January 5th (at 9am UTC) are completely safe and will be honored in full. On January 4th, some of Bitstamp’s operational wallets were compromised, resulting in a loss of less than 19,000 BTC. Upon learning of the breach, we immediately notified all customers that they should no longer make deposits to previously issued bitcoin deposit addresses. As an additional security measure, we suspended our systems while we fully investigate the incident and actively engage with law enforcement officials. This breach represents a small fraction of Bitstamp’s total bitcoin reserves, the overwhelming majority of which are held in secure offline cold storage systems. We would like to reassure all Bitstamp customers that their balances held prior to our temporary suspension of services will not be affected and will be honored in full. We appreciate customers’ patience during this disruption of services. We are working to transfer a secure backup of the Bitstamp site onto a new safe environment and will be bringing this online in the coming days. Customers can stay informed via updates on our website, on Twitter (@Bitstamp) and through Bitstamp customer support at [email protected]. Image copyright Flickr/antanacoins . Related research and analysis from Gigaom Research: Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial . 4 frameworks for understanding industry change Bitcoin: why digital currency is the future financial system Why SDN matters for the next generation of networks More From paidContent.org When is a media company also a tech company? It’s complicated
| 2015-01-05 |
1,420,474,315 | 2015-01-05T16:11:55Z |
{"Bitcoin": [1393]}
|
{}
|
Should you refinance your mortgage?
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/should-you-refinance-your-mortgage-173334383.html
|
Yahoo Finance
|
http://finance.yahoo.com/
|
Yahoo Finance is answering your most-searched finance questions of the year . The fourth most-searched questions was: "Should I refinance my mortgage?" There are a few solid reasons to refinance your mortage. If interest rates are lower than they were when you first financed, you may want to move fast to lock in that lower rate. [ Get the Latest Market Data and News with the Yahoo Finance App ] A lot of people also refinance their loan by cashing in on equity in their house in order to pay down debts -- basically like a debt consolidation loan. Another reason to refinance is if youre looking to change the terms of your loan. For example, you might want to switch from a 30-year loan to a 15-year loan or from an adjustable rate mortgage to a fixed rate mortgage. But before you pull the trigger, dont forget that a new mortgage also means new closing costs. Sit down with a financial planner to figure out how many months of lower mortgage payments it will take to recoup those costs before you refinance. Have a personal finance question youd like answered? Drop us a line at [email protected] . More of your top finance questions answered: Number 5: Can you buy a house with bad credit? Number 6: Should you buy Facebook stock? Number 7: Why are gas prices going down? Number 8: Who is the richest man in the world? Number 9: Is social security taxable? Number 10: What is Bitcoin and how does it work? View comments
| 2015-01-05 |
1,420,463,864 | 2015-01-05T13:17:44Z |
{"Bitcoin": [2240, 2296, 2421]}
|
{}
|
Your top 10 money questions of 2014 answered
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/your-top-10-money-questions-of-2014-answered-131745690.html
|
Yahoo Finance
|
http://finance.yahoo.com/
|
Yahoo Finance rounded up the top-searched questions you wanted to know about money and finance in 2014 and answered them for you. We've been revealing the answers over the past two weeks, but here is a roundup of everything you wanted to know, in one place. 1. Should I buy Apple stock? The short answer, according to our resident investing reporter Jeff Macke is yes, but maybe not at this price. Check out what he has to say in the video below, or read the full article here . 2. What's my 2014 tax bracket? This is a bit complicated to answer in one sentence, so check out this video, or click here to get our personal finance reporter Mandi Woodruff's take on how to make sense of the IRS. 3. How to start a business You guys weren't just asking simple questions in 2014! Mandi gives you a step by step look at how to make this daunting task a bit easier here . 4. Should I refinance my mortgage? According ot Mandi - this depends what you're hoping to acheive, and whether your savings would cover any new closing costs. Her full story is here . 5. Can I buy a house with bad credit? Mandi says yes - but it's going to cost you a lot more. In this article , and the below video, she walks you through your different options, and explains how much you could save if you wait until your credit is better. 6. Should I buy Facebook stock? We asked Jeff Macke and he said if you're asking this question, the answer is probably yes. But there are some caveats. Check out the video below to hear what they are, or click here . 7. Why are gas prices going down? Well, because oil prices are! The answer to why that is is slightly more complicated, so check out the explainer below, or read about it here . 8. Who is the richest man in the world? If you're going by straight up assets, the answer right now is Bill Gates. But caculating the answer by assets can be kind of boring since it's been the same 3 contenders for years. Watch below or click here for our take on the question. Story continues 9. Is social security taxable? Is any tax question simple? This one isn't, the answer is "sometimes." Mandi breaks down when your benefits are taxed, when they aren't, and all of your other questions here , and in the video below. 10. What is Bitcoin and how does it work? The simple answer is that Bitcoin is a digital money. But it's more than that too. We explain everything you could want to know - including how to use Bitcoin if you're not a computer genius - in the video below and article . Get the Latest Market Data and News with the Yahoo Finance App
| 2015-01-05 |
1,420,433,160 | 2015-01-05T04:46:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [1945]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [57]}
|
SpaceBIT Introduces First Ever Space Banking Program For Bitcoin And Cryptocurrencies
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/spacebit-introduces-first-ever-space-044600698.html
|
ACCESSWIRE
|
https://www.accesswire.com/
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Untitled Document SpaceBIT, The First Decentralized Space Company, Is Pleased To Announce The Unprecedented Space Banking Project For Digital Currencies LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / January 4, 2015 / The company is set to launch a constellation of nano-satellites that will act not only as depositories for digital cash, but also as a platform to provide global and universal access to remote areas around the globe where payment infrastructures are non-existent. "Our goal is to establish a secure decentralized banking system with common banking services for current and future crypto-currency users around the world", said Pavlo Tanasyuk, one of the SpaceBIT founders. Furthermore he added that the company will support the expansion of crypto-currency markets and establish their ongoing presence in the world economy. In the short term, SpaceBIT will focus on building a transparent, secured and affordable blockchain based payment system to ‘un-banked’ populations. Different currencies are suited for different applications. For example bitcoin can be used as a universal ledger and other reliable financial instruments to be used for different services depending on use case and jurisdiction. The program is currently forming a committee of high profile specialists from various industries, including finance, space, law and technology. In addition, SpaceBIT is in the process of partnering with land-based banks and exchanges to comply with local regulations and jurisdictions, while simultaneously creating borderless transaction systems. "We believe that is important to stay fully compliant and transparent, while providing global access to our future users. Partnerships with banks will give us the possibility of providing traditional financial services with convenient and simple crypto payments on a global scale", said Pavlo Tanasyuk. "Crypto currency in itself is a science fiction becoming a reality" Brock Pierce, Member of The Bitcoin Foundation The SpaceBIT team is to make appearances at multiple venues around the world throughout 2015 to give more in-depth presentations on logistics, engage interested parties and create a discourse around the implementation. Ian Angell, Emeritus Professor at the London School of Economics and a co-founder of SpaceBIT, is available for interviews About SpaceBIT: SpaceBIT is the first decentralized space company , currently undergoing the stage TRL5 of the first-ever space banking project. The main goal of the company is to establish a secure decentralised banking system with common banking services for current and future crypto-currency users around the world. Story continues SpaceBIT was founded by Pavlo Tanasyuk, who holds degree in Technology Policy from Cambridge University and Ian Angell, Emeritus Professor at the London School of Economics, internationally renowned as a 'futurologist', in particular for his views on the future of money, and a speaker on space bank programmes since 1998. For more information about us, please visit http://www.firstspacebank.com/ Contact: Pavlo Tanasyuk [email protected] SpaceBIT Source: SpaceBIT View comments
| 2015-01-05 |
1,420,474,279 | 2015-01-05T16:11:19Z |
{"Bitcoin": [1611]}
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{}
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What's your 2014 tax bracket?
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https://finance.yahoo.com/news/what-s-your-2014-tax-bracket-174741755.html
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Yahoo Finance
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http://finance.yahoo.com/
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Yahoo Finance is answering your most-asked financial questions of the year , as asked on Yahoo.com. The second most asked thing was: "What's my 2014 tax bracket?" Your tax bracket, which determines your federal income tax rate, is based on two major factors — your annual income and your filing statu (for example, if you’re filing together with your spouse or on your own as an individual). [ Get the Latest Market Data and News with the Yahoo Finance App ] Since your income and filing status can change over time, so can your tax bracket. On top of that, the IRS makes its own adjustments to federal income tax brackets each year to account for inflation. For these reasons, it can sometimes be confusing to determine what bracket you’re in. To figure it out, you can use this free tool from TaxAct.com , which calculates it for you. We like this chart from Bankrate , too, because it gives you the big picture while also helping you find out which bracket you’re in. Figuring out your tax bracket is especially important for people who are self-employed, because you have to decide each how much to set aside for taxes at the beginning of each year. Have a personal finance question you’d like answered? Drop us a line at [email protected] . More of your top finance questions answered: Number 3: How to start a business Number 4: Should you refinance your mortgage? Number 5: Can you buy a house with bad credit? Number 6: Should you buy Facebook stock? Number 7: Why are gas prices going down? Number 8: Who is the richest man in the world? Number 9: Is social security taxable? Number 10: What is Bitcoin and how does it work?
| 2015-01-05 |
1,420,433,160 | 2015-01-05T04:46:00Z |
{}
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{"Bitcoin": [57]}
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SpaceBIT Introduces First Ever Space Banking Program For Bitcoin And Cryptocurrencies
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https://finance.yahoo.com/news/spacebit-introduces-first-ever-space-044600698.html
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ACCESSWIRE
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https://www.accesswire.com/
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Untitled Document SpaceBIT, The First Decentralized Space Company, Is Pleased To Announce The Unprecedented Space Banking Project For Digital Currencies LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / January 4, 2015 / The company is set to launch a constellation of nano-satellites that will act not only as depositories for digital cash, but also as a platform to provide global and universal access to remote areas around the globe where payment infrastructures are non-existent. "Our goal is to establish a secure decentralized banking system with common banking services for current and future crypto-currency users around the world", said Pavlo Tanasyuk, one of the SpaceBIT founders. Furthermore he added that the company will support the expansion of crypto-currency markets and establish their ongoing presence in the world economy. In the short term, SpaceBIT will focus on building a transparent, secured and affordable blockchain based payment system to ‘un-banked’ populations. Different currencies are suited for different applications. For example bitcoin can be used as a universal ledger and other reliable financial instruments to be used for different services depending on use case and jurisdiction. The program is currently forming a committee of high profile specialists from various industries, including finance, space, law and technology. In addition, SpaceBIT is in the process of partnering with land-based banks and exchanges to comply with local regulations and jurisdictions, while simultaneously creating borderless transaction systems. "We believe that is important to stay fully compliant and transparent, while providing global access to our future users. Partnerships with banks will give us the possibility of providing traditional financial services with convenient and simple crypto payments on a global scale", said Pavlo Tanasyuk. "Crypto currency in itself is a science fiction becoming a reality" Brock Pierce, Member of The Bitcoin Foundation The SpaceBIT team is to make appearances at multiple venues around the world throughout 2015 to give more in-depth presentations on logistics, engage interested parties and create a discourse around the implementation. Ian Angell, Emeritus Professor at the London School of Economics and a co-founder of SpaceBIT, is available for interviews About SpaceBIT: SpaceBIT is the first decentralized space company , currently undergoing the stage TRL5 of the first-ever space banking project. The main goal of the company is to establish a secure decentralised banking system with common banking services for current and future crypto-currency users around the world. Story continues SpaceBIT was founded by Pavlo Tanasyuk, who holds degree in Technology Policy from Cambridge University and Ian Angell, Emeritus Professor at the London School of Economics, internationally renowned as a 'futurologist', in particular for his views on the future of money, and a speaker on space bank programmes since 1998. For more information about us, please visit http://www.firstspacebank.com/ Contact: Pavlo Tanasyuk [email protected] SpaceBIT Source: SpaceBIT View comments
| 2015-01-05 |
1,420,477,458 | 2015-01-05T17:04:18Z |
{"Bitcoin": [713]}
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{}
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ziftrCOINs to Be Listed on Cryptsy and Melotic Cryptocurrency Exchanges
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https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ziftrcoins-listed-cryptsy-melotic-cryptocurrency-170418084.html
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Marketwired
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http://www.marketwired.com/
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BOSTON, MA--(Marketwired - Jan 5, 2015) - New Hampshire-based cryptocurrency startupziftrCOIN(https://www.ziftrcoin.com/) is excited to announce that ziftrCOINs will be listed on popular cryptocurrency exchangesCryptsyandMeloticin 2015 when the coins are released. Cryptsy will also work with ziftrCOIN to integrate with ziftrPAY, Ziftr's secure API that enables retailers to accept all types of cryptocurrency in addition to credit card payments.
ziftrCOIN, the gateway coin to mainstream cryptocurrency adoption, was designed to onboard the next 10 million cryptocurrency users. Ziftr, the company behind ziftrCOIN, has developed a suite of tools and applications, including ziftrPAY, which will integrate with Bitcoin, ziftrCOIN and other altcoins to make cryptocurrency highly accessible and easily adoptable for both consumers and retailers.
"We're honored that Cryptsy and Melotic have agreed to list ziftrCOINs on their exchanges," said Bob Wilkins, CEO of Ziftr and ziftrCOIN. "We believe that ziftrCOIN is the gateway coin to mainstream cryptocurrency adoption, so it will be great to see it listed alongside popular altcoins like Litecoin and Dogecoin."
Cryptsy is a United States-based cryptocurrency exchange that currently has over 270,000 registered users from all over the world with a volume of over 300,000 trades per day. Cryptsy's mission is to provide a safe, simple, and efficient environment for users to trade crypto-currencies with each other.
"The partnership with ziftrPAY is an exciting, new foray into a market that we have been wanting to get into for a while," said Paul Vernon, CEO of Cryptsy. "Our expertise in crypto coupled with Ziftr's business expertise makes for an exciting future."
Melotic is a Hong Kong-based exchange that curates a selection of digital assets and works with issuers and companies to incorporate digital assets into their businesses. Melotic offers low fees, a clean interface, easy-to-use API and strong security, as well as tools for digital asset businesses. There are currently nine strategically selected coins listed on Melotic, including Litecoin, Dogecoin, Ripple and Stellar.
"We're incredibly excited to work with Ziftr and add ziftrCOIN to our platform," said Jack Wang, CEO of Melotic. "Not only have Bob and his team developed a unique business model that has tremendous potential to drive cryptocurrency adoption, they've invented an innovative new coin in the process."
ziftrCOIN launched the ziftrCOIN presale on Dec. 9, giving interested parties the opportunity to purchase ziftrCOINs at a low rate and earn rewards ranging from a limited-edition cold storage coin to a ziftrCOIN mining rig. Proceeds from the ziftrCOIN presale will fund Ziftr's goal of bringing cryptocurrency to the mainstream, and all purchased ziftrCOINs will become available for use in February 2015. In late 2015, Ziftr will give away 300 million ziftrCOINs (a maximum of 100 ziftrCOINs to each individual) so that everyday consumers can begin familiarizing themselves with cryptocurrency. Each ziftrCOIN will have a minimum redemption value of $1 when used within Ziftr's retailer network, functioning similarly to a coupon.
To participate in the ziftrCOIN presale before the coins run out, visithttp://www.ziftrCOIN.com/presale.
About ziftrCOIN™ziftrCOIN, the first digital currency developed for online shoppers, aims to revolutionize e-commerce by putting cryptocurrency into the hands of consumers and enabling them to conduct simple, secure transactions at their favorite online retailers. For more information about ziftrCOIN, visit:www.ziftrCOIN.com
About Ziftr®Established in 2008 and based in Milford, New Hampshire, Ziftr revolutionizes the online shopping experience through the development of innovative products, tools and apps that make life easier for both consumers and retailers. The company's first tools, a browser add-on and mobile app that connect shoppers with the best deals at their favorite online retailers, have had more than 2.5 million downloads.
Ziftr is a product of myVBO®, a full-service design, marketing and development company that helps businesses turn their ambitions into realities.
For more information about Ziftr, visitwww.ziftr.com.
About Cryptsy
Cryptsy is a cryptocurrency exchange that currently has over 270,000 registered users from all over the world with a volume of over 300,000 trades per day. Cryptsy's mission is to provide a safe, simple and efficient environment for users to trade cryptocurrencies with each other.
For more information about Cryptsy, visithttps://www.cryptsy.com/.
About Melotic
Melotic is a Hong Kong-based exchange that curates a selection of digital assets and works with issuers and companies to incorporate digital assets into their businesses. Melotic offers low fees, a clean interface, easy-to-use API and strong security, as well as tools for digital asset businesses.
For more information about Melotic, visitwww.melotic.com.
DisclaimerAll statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts that address future ziftrCOIN availability, or developments that the ziftrCOIN expects are forward looking statements. Although the Corporation believes the expectations expressed in such forward looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward looking statements. Factors that could cause results to differ materially from those in the forward looking statements include, but are not limited to: market volatility; continued availability of capital, financing and personnel; government regulation and laws; and general economic, market or business conditions.
| 2015-01-05 |
1,420,454,460 | 2015-01-05T10:41:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [1063]}
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{}
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10 Things In Tech You Need To Know Today
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https://finance.yahoo.com/news/10-things-tech-know-today-104158980.html
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Business Insider
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http://www.businessinsider.com/
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(Kimberly White/Getty Images)Twitter CEO Dick Costolo.
Good morning! Here's the tech news you need to know to start off the week.
1.Mark Zuckerberg's New Year's resolution is to read a book every other week.He's going to be running a virtual book club on Facebook.
2.Uber had a huge New Year's Eve.At the evening's peak, there were more than 58 trips per second.
3.The US will impose sanctions on North Korea over the Sony hack.But because we don't know who is behind it, the businesses targeted probably weren't involved with the hack.
4.Uber has hired Governor Cuomo's former press secretary.Matthew Wing is joining Uber's policy and communications team.
5.Las Vegas Airport is adding thousands of power outlets for CES.It spent $400,000 on the devices.
SPONSORED BY Bitdefender BOXBitdefender BOX is an all-inclusive cybersecurity solution packed into one smartphone-controlled device. The first 300 people to respond will receive one for free.Click here now.
6.Twitter looks set to launch a new video upload service.It should launch sometime in early 2015.
7.Bitcoin is having a bad start to the new year, down around 16%.Its value peaked at $1,147.25 in December 2013, now it's under $300.
8.Samsung has shown a new device that looks similar to leaked phone images.The Galaxy S6 may be coming soon.
9.A crowdfunding campaign for a satirical video game about North Korea has raised over $17,000.It lets you play as Kim Jong-un.
10.Smart thermostat company Nest is adding integration with a bunch of other "internet of things" companies.It announced at CES that it's working with LG and Philips, among others.
NOW WATCH:The ‘Tesla of scooters’ is finally available and it looks incredible
More From Business Insider
• 10 things in tech you need to know today
• 10 things in tech you need to know today
• 10 things in tech you need to know today
| 2015-01-05 |
1,420,541,387 | 2015-01-06T10:49:47Z |
{"Bitcoin": [2114]}
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{}
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For Investors, There Are Several Ways To Play The Personal Surveillance Trend
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https://finance.yahoo.com/news/investors-several-ways-play-personal-104947096.html
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Benzinga
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http://www.benzinga.com/
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Last year brought about a great deal of mistrust between police and civilians after the events in Ferguson, MI. In the wake of that tragedy, President Obama pledged to invest $75 million in government funds to provide police around the country with personal body cameras.
The cameras were meant to protect both police and civilians, as they would record and store the officers’ activities for review if needed.
Who's Benefiting?
TASER International (NASDAQ: TASR) andVievu, a private Seattle business, have snapped up the majority of gains from Obama’s $75 million investment, but the space is expected to continue growing as more professionals adopt the new technology.
TASER shares gained nearly 65 percent in 2014, while Vievu reported sales of more than 30,000 personal cameras since the announcement.
Related Link:Why GoPro Makes This Analyst Nervous
Camera sales are only a small part of the revenue stream for these companies, though; TASER has developed its own software program to accompany its cameras calledEVIDENCE.com. The program logs the recorded data and allows officers to link their camera to their smartphone or tablet for $99 per month.
Microsoft Corporation(NASDAQ:MSFT) is also looking to get in on the action by partnering with Vievu to create a similar cloud service to support the technology.
The decision has sparked a nationwide frenzy for personal recording devices and their cloud-based software in order to protect workers in other professions from being falsely accused.
Sales for body mounted cameras have seen a marked increase since the Ferguson shootings, as people working in everything from home repairs to delivery services try to protect themselves.GoPro Inc.(NASDAQ:GPRO) shares have gained 62.12 percent over the past six months whileDigital Ally Inc.(NASDAQ:DGLY) is up nearly 360 percent.
Though some believe the trend toward personal surveillance is disturbing, jobs that have a high probability of consumer complaints are embracing it as a way to settle disputes quickly and inexpensively.
See more from Benzinga
• 5 Companies To Watch As Music Streaming Explodes
• Is Bitcoin Poised For Success In 2015?
• #PreMarket Primer: Friday, December 19: U.S. Debates A Response To Sony Hackers
© 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
| 2015-01-06 |
1,420,562,340 | 2015-01-06T16:39:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [18961]}
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{}
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What the Recession Did to American Fathers
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https://finance.yahoo.com/news/recession-did-american-fathers-163900950.html
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The Atlantic
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http://www.theatlantic.com/
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Today the vast majority of children in single-parent families live with their mothers, but not their fathers. Until the late 1990s, Americans relied upon welfare payments from taxpayers and child-support payments from nonresident fathers to reduce the poverty rate among these children, which is twice as high as the poverty rate among children who live with both their fathers and mothers. Since then we have required single mothers to work, supplemented their meager wages by a $50 billion program called the Earned Income Tax Credit, and strengthened efforts to ensure that nonresident fathers pay their child support. As many recent studies have shown, however, except for the very highest earners, the wages of most men are stagnant or falling, making it extremely difficult for some nonresident fathers to pay all the child-support expected of them. For men with lower earnings this had been occurring for two and a half decades before the 1990s economic boom, when wages grew modestly. But with the 2001 recession, wages stagnated or began to fall again and have been doing so ever since. As a result of the increasing number of economically vulnerable nonresident fathers, the late 1990s strategy — which held so much promise — is becoming increasingly less effective. Once primarily the consequence of divorce, single-parent families have grown mostly because increasing proportions of adults — especially those who are young and without college training — forgo marriage entirely and instead have children while cohabiting or in romantic relationships. As a result, non-marital births — now over 40 percent of all births — have soared. Because cohabiting and romantic parental relationships do not last as long in the U.S. as they do in Europe, the number of nonresident fathers has also soared to about 9 million. More than half of these fathers are economically vulnerable and they are a much more diverse population than the poor, inner-city, mostly minority fathers, who have been the focus of most studies on this subject. Story continues On top of the long-term erosion of male earnings, the recession that started in 2007 was like a full blast of wind in the face of a biker already peddling furiously to climb up a long and steep hill. Male joblessness rose more than female joblessness during every recession since the early 1980s. However, the Great Recession had the twin distinction of creating the largest postwar male jobless rate and the largest male-female jobless rate gap. Because of the disproportionate harm the recession caused men, Mark Perry, in his testimony before the members of Congress, coined the term “mancession.” One reason for this disproportionate harm is that manufacturing and construction — traditionally fields that have been male dominated — were hit particularly hard by the Great Recession. Unfortunately, these industries have also been particularly slow to recover and may never achieve their pre-recession employment levels. Not only was the increase in male joblessness larger than in previous recessions, but its effects are far from over. According to labor economists at the Federal Reserve, the male unemployment rate rose from just over four percent to 11 percent between December 2007 and August 2009 . As of November 2014 , nearly one out of three male adults and young adults looking for work reported that they had been unemployed for at least six months. Unemployed workers have been without work for an average of 34 weeks, the highest rate of long-term joblessness since the federal government began collecting such data. Long-term joblessness has been particularly high among men between the ages of 20 and 44, who are likely to be the fathers of young children. Jobless men in this age group have been looking for work for an average of 26 to 33 weeks . These long jobless spells eat into their savings, destroy credit worthiness, and, in some cases, result in the loss of their homes. Thus, the low-wage path on which young men have traveled for four decades has been compounded by long-term unemployment. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center conducted 30 months after the recession, the downturn caused layoffs, pay cuts, reduced hours, or involuntary part-time employment for more than half of the American workforce. About a third of the adult workforce was laid off at least once during the recession. Carl Van Horn and his colleagues at Rutgers University’s Heldrich Center have been surveying the job-related attitudes of American workers over the last 15 years. Three-fourths of Americans who responded to the Heldrich Center Survey in September 2010 had lost a job, or had a friend or family member who lost a job since the recession began. Although no nationally representative sample exists, many vulnerable nonresident fathers we interviewed were laid off because of what they described as a “slowdown” in the business of their former employer. Finding a new job was difficult for most Americans who were laid off during the recession. National data show that in 2010, it took the average laid-off worker 33 weeks to find a job. The Heldrich Center’s record of the consequences of the recession began in March 2009, just three months before the recession officially ended. Nevertheless, two years later, they found that a third of workers who had lost their jobs by March 2009 were still looking for work, and more than one in six had become discouraged and had stopped looking for work altogether . Later snapshots show that just over one in five workers who had been displaced by August 2009 had found new jobs almost 18 months later, and just over one in eight found full-time jobs. Just as the unemployment rate of men rose to higher levels than the unemployment rate of women, men who were laid off also found it more difficult to find new jobs than women. Similarly, some laid-off working-poor fathers found another job not long after being laid off, only to be laid off again within a few months. Princeton University economist Henry Farber, who has been studying displaced workers during every recession since the early 1980s, found that about one in five displaced workers experienced such repeated layoffs between 2007 and 2009 . Similarly, more than one in three workers interviewed by the Pew Research Center Survey had at least two layoffs during the recent recession, and two in eight had been laid off three or more times. Among the working-poor fathers who were still employed, many also suffered a slowdown or cut in pay because of the recession. Almost a quarter of currently employed workers who responded to the Pew Research Center Survey took a pay cut, with full time workers only slightly less likely to do so than part-time workers, men more likely than women, and workers in families with income less than $30,000 more likely to take pay cuts than those in families with higher incomes. Experts are just coming to grips with the consequences of the recession for American workers and their families, including the characteristics of workers (and families) who were hurt most. We know, for example, that the recession was harder on men than women. In particular, the increase in the unemployment rate was higher for men than it was for women, and this has been true in every recession since the early 1980s . After being laid off, more men left the labor force than women, and it took longer for unemployed men to find new jobs than it took unemployed women. We also know that employment and earnings of younger workers and minorities fell more sharply than employment and earnings among older and white workers. Studies also show that the lower-income and less-educated workers suffered more-severe consequences than higher income and more-educated workers. But we do not know if nonresident fathers and their families suffered more or less than other fathers or other men. One way to answer this question is to focus on the characteristics of nonresident fathers in relation to those of other fathers or other men. Even this is difficult because collecting data on nonresident fathers is so difficult. Society expects (and the law requires) nonresident fathers to support their children financially. Therefore, men who fail to support their children tend to deny that they are nonresident fathers. This results in three kinds of distortions in the picture of nonresident fathers that emerges from large surveys: first, the surveys miss nonresident fathers; second, those surveyed tend to be better off with those hidden who are more economically vulnerable; third, the accounts of nonresident fathers are sometimes tainted by a mother's feelings. For all these reasons, interviews conducted by researchers who persuade nonresident fathers that they will not be criticized or penalized for their failure to support their children financially are important ways to fill out what we learn about nonresident fathers from large national surveys and census data. Researchers at the University of Bowling Green tried to assess the most accurate source of large survey information about nonresident fathers. They looked at three large national surveys, two of which asked men two questions: (1) if they were nonresident fathers, and (2) if they provided financial support for their nonresident children. In both surveys the second question immediately follows the first question. The third survey, called the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), asked men the same two questions, but at very different points in the survey interview. Estimates of the number of nonresident fathers from NSFG were substantially larger than estimates from the two other surveys. According to the survey, which was undertaken between 2006 and 2010, there were almost nine million nonresident fathers in the United States in the years bracketing the recent recession. After reproducing this estimate, we analyzed NSFG data on men to understand how nonresident fathers differed from resident fathers and other men in terms of the characteristics likely to influence how vulnerable they were to the recession. Almost one in three men was a resident father; just over one in nine was a nonresident father. The average nonresident father was about 35 years old, about six years older than the average man, but about the same age as the average resident father. In other respects, however, nonresident fathers were more economically vulnerable than resident fathers and other men. More than five of every eight nonresident fathers had a high school diploma or less, while fewer than four of every nine resident fathers, and the total population of all men, completed this little schooling. Finally, more than half of nonresident fathers were black or Latino, while less than one in three resident fathers were men of color. Because they were more likely to be men of color and less likely to have post-secondary schooling, the recession probably took a bigger toll on nonresident fathers than it did on resident fathers. For example, more resident fathers were employed than their nonresident counterparts, and of those nonresident fathers who were employed, more than half earned less than $40,000 annually. Only a third of resident fathers had such low earnings. Focusing our attention on this lower-earnings group underscores how vulnerable they were to the recession and the trends in play over the prior four decades resulting in declining earnings and labor force participation, especially among less-educated men and men of color. While fewer nonresident fathers earning less than $40,000 were white, white men made up more than a third of nonresident fathers earning $40,000 or more. Employment rates among nonresident fathers earning less than $40,000 were high, but employment rates among nonresident fathers earning $40,000 or more were even higher. Longer hours were partly responsible for the higher earnings of the latter group since almost all worked full-time, while fewer nonresident fathers earning less than $40,000 were full-time workers. Family ties compounded the difficulties faced by more economically vulnerable nonresident fathers. Fewer of the more vulnerable group were married or living with a female partner, and were therefore unable to share household expenses. Despite having less money coming in, the more vulnerable group also had as many resident children and more nonresident children to care for. That’s right, more than two out of five nonresident fathers who supported their kids through the courts were the family men working in low- and moderate-wage jobs with pictures of their wives (or partners) and children on their walls. Unless the mother of the child in the picture worked, his job paying less than $40,000 a year was barely enough to sustain the family at twice the poverty level. However, counting the child support owed for his kid (or kids), the family’s financial picture looked a lot less rosy. What’s more, nonresident fathers with lower earnings were more likely to be responsible for three or more nonresident children than nonresident fathers with higher earnings. These five million economically vulnerable nonresident fathers (about nine percent of adult males between 15 and 44 years old in the United States) are a far larger group than the inner-city fathers who have been the focus of much research over the past few decades. The overwhelming majority worked full-time before, during, and after the recession, though many had higher paying jobs before the recession. Further, though men of color and less-educated men were overrepresented in this group, four of 11 vulnerable nonresident fathers, by our designation, were white, and more than six of 11 had some post-secondary education. Given their characteristics, particularly those that are known to affect employment and earnings (e.g., race and education) we suspect that nonresident fathers experienced more hardship than most men and most fathers, but perhaps not drastically so. Another way to gauge the relative impact of the recession on nonresident fathers is to estimate whether their employment is lower than the employment of resident fathers, when two otherwise identical fathers live in the same city (and therefore are subject to the same labor-market conditions). We made such estimates using data on resident and nonresident fathers from a relatively new Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Survey. Our estimates show that nonresident fathers who live in cities with high unemployment rates are four percent less likely to be employed than resident fathers living in the same city. Many of the fathers we interviewed described a gradual downward spiral of their employment status and earnings after first being laid off. Such cascading was also evident among many workers who responded to national surveys about the Great Recession. Princeton University economist Henry Farber notes that among the 50 percent of job losers who found new jobs after being laid off during the recession, there was a substantial increase, as compared with previous recessions, in the proportion of full-time job losers who were working part-time in their new job at least six months after the recession. The Pew Research Center Survey shows that just over a quarter of workers who lost and found a job during the first 30 months of the recent recession replaced a full-time job with a part-time job. Of course, moving from a full-time job to a part-time job usually meant lower pay and losing benefits, such as pensions and health insurance. The Heldrich Center Survey shows that over half of the workers who were able to find new jobs after being laid off took a pay cut; others found jobs paying the same, but offering fewer hours than the jobs they had prior to the Great Recession. Beside reduced earnings, job satisfaction was generally lower for workers who lost and found a job during the recession. Additionally for many who had been unemployed for long periods, more than three-quarters said they would be willing to change careers in order to find a job. Among re-employed workers interviewed by the Pew Research Center, three out of five had already changed careers or had thought out about doing so, and more than one in three enrolled in a job-training programs or went back to school. Although unemployed workers cut back on expenses, bills still mounted. According to the Pew Research Center Survey at the beginning of the recession, in 2008, only one out of 15 American workers said they could not meet their basic expenses. By May 2010, one of nine Americans admitted having such trouble. So they depleted their savings and unemployment insurance, if any, and doubled up or borrowed from friends and family. Some even applied for food stamps to help them get by. Almost a quarter of Americans earning under $30,000 had little money to meet daily expenses. Many unemployed workers doubled up in more affordable housing arrangements with friends and relatives, and borrowed money from friends and family. The working-poor fathers we interviewed who found no comparable work after losing their regular jobs during the recession experienced the same hardships and tried to recover in the same ways. For example, Franco, a working-poor father we interviewed, would like to follow in the footsteps of his children and go to college to get a business degree. Then, he would start a business of his own, a limousine service. But his more immediate concern is to find a regular job after being unemployed for four months. His family is on a very tight budget. To make ends meet, he and his wife are doubling up with her daughter and son-in-law, and Franco is using his unemployment benefits to contribute to household expenses. However, Franco’s experience looking for work differs from the typical experiences reported by the Pew and Heldrich Center studies in several important ways. When Franco had been unemployed in the past, his child-support debts would mount and become one of his chief concerns. So he worked off the books to pay his child support debt. However, his employer took advantage of him, and he does not want that experience again. He learned to reduce his child-support debt whenever he was unemployed. He was also afraid that he might be injured or be laid off, but off-the-books work did not provide workman’s compensation or unemployment insurance. Now that his children were no longer minors, he no longer had to pay child support, so he avoided off the books work. From our research, we saw that these are typical experiences for working-poor fathers during the Great Recession. This post has been adapted from Ronald Mincy, Monique Jethwani, and Serena Klempin's new book Failing Our Fathers . Read What the Recession Did to American Fathers on theatlantic.com More From The Atlantic You Might as Well Buy Wine From New Jersey The Secret to Smart Groups Isn't Smart People—It's Women Without Drugs, What's the Point of Bitcoin?
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1,420,552,721 | 2015-01-06T13:58:41Z |
{"Bitcoin": [1429], "BTC": [1659]}
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{"Bitcoin": [0]}
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Bitcoin exchange Bitstamp suspends service after security breach
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https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-exchange-bitstamp-suspends-security-104454367.html
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Reuters
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http://www.reuters.com/
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LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - Bitstamp, one of the largest exchanges for trading the digital bitcoin currency, said it has suspended its service after a security breach on Sunday, resulting in loss of around 19,000 bitcoins. The breach represented a small fraction of its total bitcoin reserve and the majority was held in secure offline systems, the Slovenia-based firm posted on its website on Tuesday. Reuters was unable to contact Bitstamp officials in Slovenia or the United Kingdom, but one of the company's founders, Damijan Merlak, told Slovenian state-owned news agency STA that Bitstamp has enough liquid assets to meet its short-term obligations. "At present we are setting up a duplicate of the whole infrastructure with experts in San Francisco which should be finished within 24 hours. Then we will be able to resume our services," Merlak told STA. He said he could not give further details on the breach due to an investigation. Bitstamp said it believed one of its wallets, which store the digital credentials for a customer's bitcoin holdings, had been compromised. Bitstamp said it had notified all customers after learning of the breach, requesting them not to make any deposits to previously issued bitcoin deposit addresses. "We would like to reassure all Bitstamp customers that their balances held prior to our temporary suspension of services will not be affected and will be honored in full," the exchange said. Bitcoin, the best-known virtual currency, started circulating in 2009. Unlike conventional money, bitcoin is generated by computers and is independent of control or backing by any government. A bitcoin is currently worth $276.80 (BTC=BTSP). In February, Bitstamp claimed that developers had come up with a solution to thwart cyber attacks against its platform after Mt. Gox, once the world's biggest bitcoin exchange, lost an estimated $650 million worth of customer bitcoin when its faulty computer system was hacked. (Reporting By Shivam Srivastava in Bengaluru and Marja Novak in Ljubljana; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Louise Heavens)
| 2015-01-06 |
1,420,547,400 | 2015-01-06T12:30:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [28880]}
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{}
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How White Flight Ravaged the Mississippi Delta
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https://finance.yahoo.com/news/white-flight-ravaged-mississippi-delta-123000791.html
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The Atlantic
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http://www.theatlantic.com/
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In the Mississippi Delta town of Tchula, there’s a fading columned mansion that once belonged to Sara Virginia Jones, the daughter of a local plantation dynasty. Its walls were lined with nearly 400 works by artists as prominent as Paul Cezanne, Marc Chagall, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Salvador Dali, and Andy Warhol.
Then, in the 1990s, the house changed hands. Today, it is filled with framed photos of the current owner—Tchula’s controversial first black mayor, Eddie Carthan, who was in office from 1977 to 1981—posing with U.S. presidents Carter, Clinton, and Obama and the Nation of Islam’s Louis Farrakhan.
The irony of this set change is not lost on Carthan, who, as he puts it, went “from being a second-class citizen to staying in a house where the slave-owners used to live.” Carthan grew up in a shack outside Tchula, on property his family purchased in the 1930s as part of aNew Deal project. The land was located on a former plantation, which the government bought and divided among several black tenants. His community became a relatively safe haven for African Americans and later formed an important staging ground during the civil-rights era.
When Carthan was a young boy, he says he’d have risked punishment for simply walking past the Jones mansion without a proper reason. “I look at the house now, how beautiful it is and well-built it is. I was told slaves built it,” Carthan said, sitting at his desk in the central hall, surrounded by his political memorabilia. “And I think about how well they lived back then, and how we lived back then. This house is huge. There are five bedrooms. It has three full bathrooms. We didn’t have bathrooms at all.” He pauses to let the contrast sink in. “It’s something to focus on,” he says.
But as the mansion’s flaking paint makes clear, the transformation was about a transfer of local power, not wealth. Families like the Joneses have long since left Tchula, taking their business and money with them. The remaining community is 97 percent black and achingly poor.
In the Delta flatlands and the hillier country to the east, the landscape is dotted with towns and cities that figured prominently in the civil-rights era. Like Tchula, many of those places are now languishing.
Greenwood, 80 miles north of Tchula, was one of the main organizing bases for voter registration during the 1964 Freedom Summer. For a while, the town’s fortunes seemed to improve, especially after a large Viking Range manufacturing facility opened there in 1990. But Viking was sold in 2012 and the new owners laid off a large part of the local workforce. Today, the town is two-thirds black and, in important ways, still deeply segregated. Most of the white students go toprivate academieswhile black students attend public schools, and its residential areas are divided between two extremes: the leafy boulevards of the affluent white section and the historically poor, black Baptist Town, which is so little changed that it stood in for a 1960s Jackson neighborhood in the movieThe Help.
Nearby Clarksdale, where Martin Luther King held the first major meeting of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1958, dwindled in population beginning in the 1970s. It underwent a brief renaissance in 1995 after its former resident Morgan Freeman opened an upscale restaurant and the Ground Zero Blues Club next to Clarksdale’s storied blues museum. But the restaurant has since closed and entire blocks of the downtown area currently stand abandoned.
As for Tchula, it’s currently listed as the fifth-poorest town in the nation with a population of more than 1,000. Its last two industries—a sawmill and an apparel factory—closed long ago, and more than 15 percent of its residents are unemployed. Carthan said he has sought help from foundations and state and federal agencies, but his proposals for economic development projects have all been rejected.
“Businesses don’t want to come to a town like Tchula,” observed Anthony Mansoor, who owns a hardware store downtown. “That bothers me. The people in this town worked so hard to get to where we are today, and in a lot of ways, things are better. But the town is broke. That’s the bottom line.”
The situation is impossible to ignore: Among the key towns of the civil-rights era, those with the largest black majorities are frequently in the most economic trouble.
“The richest land this side of the valley Nile!” The plantation owner Big Daddy Pollitt used those words to describe the Mississippi Delta in Tennessee Williams’ playCat on a Hot Tin Roof. The fertile soils stretching from near Memphis to Vicksburg along the Mississippi River once supported a lucrative cotton economy; before the Civil War, the city of Natchez, farther south along the river, had more millionaires per capita than any other city in the U.S.
After emancipation, plantation owners relied upon sharecroppers to grow and harvest their crops. To keep the system in place, white leaders studiously kept out industries that might lure their laborers away from agriculture, as historian James Cobb reported in his seminal book about the Delta,The Most Southern Place on Earth.
Carthan saw that resistance firsthand. In Tchula, he said, “We couldn’t get factories—the power structure would block it. They didn’t want folks leaving the plantations.”
State Senator David Jordan, who grew up in Greenwood, observes that employment opportunities in the Delta have always been tightly interwoven with politics and race. His family lived and worked as field laborers on one of several plantations owned by the family of U.S. Representative Will Whittington, and the school year ran from December to April to enable children to help with the crops. As a teenager, Jordan worked at a white-owned store, where his tasks included learning the types and brands of various illegal liquors. (Mississippi remained a dry state for more than 30 years after Prohibition was repealed.) Once, Jordan said, a customer asked the store owner, “‘What you educatin’ that nigger for? I need him for a tractor driver.’”
“We just accepted it,” said Jordan, who graduated from high school with Morgan Freeman in the 1950s and went on to attend Mississippi Valley State University. “Wasn’t anything we could do about it.”
In those days, the Delta’s plantations were plowed by mules, cultivated by workers with hoes, and harvested by hand. After farming became increasingly mechanized in the 1960s, local workers had little to do, and no new jobs were available to fill the void. Jordan said the loss of even the most basic plantation labor helped the civil-rights movement gain traction in the Delta.
“Field hands were being replaced,” he said. “They were being paid $9 a day, and they paid $20 a month in rent, but when the cotton picker came, there was less work. People had no other trade. They got laid off, and the landowners pushed the shanties down, and those people had nowhere to go. There was a lot of dissatisfaction.”
Dissatisfaction was nothing new in the Mississippi Delta; this was, after all, the birthplace of the Blues. But when the plantation jobs disappeared and no new industries rose to take their place, the dissatisfaction turned into desperation. Many blacks migrated to Northern cities like Chicago, but Jordan refused to budge. “I said, ‘I’ll never leave Mississippi. I’m gonna do something—I’m gonna get even some kind of way.’” Jordan eventually sued the city of Greenwood, forcing it to adopt a more representative system of government. After that, he was elected to the city council and then to the state legislature.
Throughout Freedom Summer, these activists ran into fierce resistance from white business leaders. Mansoor, who was born in Honduras of Lebanese descent and arrived in Mississippi as an exchange student in the 1950s, recalled that blacks who took part in the voter registration drives were often fired from their jobs or denied credit at stores and banks.
Whites who opposed segregation were likewise targeted. Hazel Brannon Smith, then the fiery publisher ofThe Lexington Advertiser, editorialized against the segregationist white Citizens’ Council in 1964. In the process, she said, her offices were “bombed, burned and boycotted,” and she was later bankrupted by a rival Citizens Council-backed newspaper.
“My life had always been comfortable in Lexington,” Smith wrote in aneditorialpublished in 1984, on the 20th anniversary of Freedom Summer. “My two papers in Holmes County were paid for. I wore good clothes, and drove a Cadillac convertible. I went to Europe on vacation for four months and had more money in my bank account when I returned than I did when I left. But the boycott and the hate campaign wore my business down. The Council-backed newspaper depleted my advertising revenues, and I fell into deep debt.”
Mansoor’s business suffered after 1967, when one of his Tchula stores was the setting for a showdown between the Ku Klux Klan and a black activist named Edgar Love. According to Love’saccountin the bookThunder of Freedom: Black Leadership and the Transformation of 1960s Mississippi, Klan members cornered him on a dark street and pursued him into the store. Love hid behind a counter and drew his pistol, and when the first Klansman entered, Love trained his gun on him. Other Klansmen followed and began turning over counters and racks, “just demolishing the store,” says Mansoor, who remembers telling his pregnant wife to run home. “I called the sheriff—his name was Andrew Smith—and he said, ‘There’s nothing I can do about it.’” The standoff ended when Love turned himself over to a trusted white police officer who took him to jail in Lexington, the county seat, “for protection,” Mansoor said.
Love was later released, and Mansoor took some of the Klansmen to court for demolishing his store. He lost the case and his defense of the activist led to a boycott of his business. The bad feelings persisted for decades: Twenty years later, when his store caught fire, arson was suspected though never proven. “My wife wanted to move to California,” he recalled. “But I said, ‘No way I’m going to let them drive me away.’”
In the early years of the civil-rights era, most of Tchula’s white residents remained, including Sarah Virginia Jones, who was described in a MemphisCommercial Appealarticle as a member of “the leading family of Tchula.” She operated Refuge plantation with her brother and lived out her life in the mansion, even after her neighborhood became racially mixed. Jones was known for her garden-club work, her civic and beautification projects, the parties she hosted for high school seniors, and the artwork, which covered every eye-level wall space in her home. (She acquired most of it from a New Orleans art dealer, a Tchula native who regularly visited her home to offer pieces for her review.)
Throughout the 1970s, theHolmes County Heraldgave ample space to white society news, down to minute details like the time Jones wentshoppingin Memphis with a friend. There was little mention of life on the black side of town.
But if they lacked social clout, black residents were gaining political power. After the passage of the Civil Rights Act, and the accompanying voter-registration drives, blacks comprised the majority of the electorate in many Mississippi towns and counties. In 1967, Robert Clark became the state’s first black state representative since the Reconstruction era, and over the decade that followed, black politicians were elected into more and more local leadership positions.
When Carthan became mayor in 1977, one of his primary goals, he says, was to “bring the other side up.” “Tchula was like most southern towns, with the whites on one side and blacks on the other,” he recalls. “On the white side, where I am now, there were sidewalks, manicured lawns and beautiful homes like this one. But on the other side was dirt roads, shacks, and 75 percent of the houses had no plumbing.”
Carthan and the board of aldermen set about getting federal grants to make much-needed improvements: “Put in a sewer system, one of the first day-care centers in the state, paved streets, built houses and a free clinic, started a transportation system and a feeding program for the elderly.” These changes were a boon to Tchula’s poorer residents, but they produced few jobs. For the most part, black residents were left to grapple with an economic system that had been designed specifically to keep them in low-wage agricultural jobs.
White residents continued to control most of the town’s wealth and business connections, and Carthan says they “didn’t take kindly” to his efforts: “Tchula’s a plantation town, and they just rejected me.”
Carthan’s detractors often say that the town’s troubles are directly linked to his tenure as mayor, but he claims that white residents launched an elaborate campaign against him. “I stayed in court the entire time I was in office. They were accustomed to blacks who’d bow, say ‘yes-sir, boss,’ that sort of thing.”
Throughout his tenure, theHeraldfrequently ran front-page stories about his political and legal troubles, which were legion. He feuded with the former mayor, who was white, and with the then-biracial board of aldermen. In 1980, the aldermen tried to replace the black police chief Carthan had appointed with a white one. There was an altercation at City Hall, and Carthan was charged with assault. In April 1981, he was forced to leave office.
Two months after his resignation, Carthan was charged with allegedly hiring two hit men to murder one of his political rivals, Alderman Roosevelt Granderson. Though Granderson was black, Carthan—who defended himself—argued that the charges were racially motivated, that he was being framed by whites. Black farmers raised $115,000 for his bail and the actor and playwright Ossie Davis traveled to 66 cities to proclaim his innocence.
Carthan was acquitted of murder in 1982 but returned to jail on charges stemming from the 1980 fight at City Hall. A 1986 NBCsegmentabout Carthan’s trials noted that he was seen by his opponents as “a conniving troublemaker” and by his supporters as “a folk hero.” The local district attorney, Frank Carlton, acknowledged on camera that he had struck a deal with Granderson’s alleged murderers: After serving two years in prison, the two men claimed that Carthan had hired them to do the job. Carlton offered to drop the charges against them if they would testify against Carthan in court.
By the time Carthan’s legal battles were over, Tchula’s white population had dwindled away to almost nothing. “Whites felt threatened,” he says. And new businesses didn’t want to fill the void: “People don’t want to come where there’s division and conflict and animosity.” The growing sense of desperation brought an increase in drug use and a corresponding uptick in crime, which led even Mansoor and his wife to move to a Jackson suburb, though he continues to commute an hour each way to operate his hardware store.
Today, Carthan’s vision for Tchula has partially come to pass. The town of about 2,000 residents is governed entirely by black elected officials, and every house has running water. No one in Tchula gets fired from their jobs or is denied credit for upsetting the status quo, as happened frequently during the civil-rights era. The problem is, few people have jobs. Where local workers once harvested cotton or drove tractors on white-owned plantations, or toiled in the local sawmill or coat factory, there is today no visible means of economic support. Dwindling government grants and long commutes to jobs elsewhere are all that’s left.
Carthan makes no secret of his disdain for whites who decamped for other locales, as well as those who continue to avoid moving their businesses to black-majority towns. But he also blames the current, majority-black population. “Three or four generations of people raised on welfare—everybody knows the problem,” he said. “Single-family homes, drug-infested neighborhoods, the youth always on social media, exposed to everything. Ear rings, nose rings, lip rings, baggy pants. I’d expect they’d show some appreciation, but a lot of them don’t know their history. That’s a challenge. It’s very difficult for the teachers to even teach school. They’re rebellious. They have the freedom, the resources. They don’t have the restraints we had in the ’60s.” He shakes his head. “What goes around comes around. We’ve come a long ways, but we’ve got a long ways to go.”
Eighty miles to the southeast, the town of Philadelphia, Mississippi, stands in stark contrast with Tchula. Philadelphia was the site of Freedom Summer’s most brutal event: On June 21, 1964, three young civil rights workers were killed by Klansmen after being apprehended by local law-enforcement officials. James Earl Chaney, a black man from nearby Meridian, was beaten and shot three times; two Jewish New Yorkers, Andrew Goodman and Michael “Mickey” Schwerner, were shot through the heart. All three bodies were discovered two months later, buried in an earthen dam.
But after decades of public notoriety and internal strife, Philadelphia has become one of the most successful towns in the region. The economy is diverse, drawing on a mix of farming, manufacturing, forestry, and service industries, with the added boon of a nearby Choctaw Indian casino. The county has also set up an enterprise incubator to provide office, manufacturing, and warehouse space to startup businesses.
James Young, the town’s black mayor, says this economic expansion was possible only because white residents faced the shame of their past. “People didn’t turn away,” Young said. “They didn’t move away.”
The self-examination didn’t start immediately. “During that season when the civil rights workers were missing, there was heavy tension in the air, a lot of frustration and disbelief,” recalled Young, who was a child at the time. “It sent shockwaves through the community that no one was safe. I remember lying on the floor of our living room with my father and a gun.”
Philadelphia’s prominent white families were chagrined by the way their city and county were being portrayed by the media. In particular, one December 1964article, written byNew York Timesreporter (and later executive editor) Joseph Lelyveld, reported negatively on the city’s “business class” and its reaction to the murders.
Former Mississippi Secretary of State Dick Molpus was 14 at the time, and he remembers that his father invited theTimes’s editor, a Philadelphia native named Turner Catledge, to meet with the local businesses community. Influential locals turned out from the hospital, the newspaper, the lumber industry, and the glove factory. “The Klan and the Citizens Council were essentially running the county,” Molpus recalled. “The question was, where was the white leadership?”
As in Tchula, whites who supported integration were being openly targeted. “They threatened to burn my father’s lumber mill down if he didn’t fire a list of employees they gave him who had gone to NAACP meetings,” said Molpus. “But he hired three guys with deer rifles who were as bad as they were to stand watch, and they didn’t burn him out.”
Catledge had met with President Lyndon Johnson the night before the meeting in Philadelphia. Molpus remembers sitting on the floor next to the visiting editor: “He was drinking scotch, and now and then he’d hold his glass down and tinkle it around and I’d take it to my mother to make him another.”
Throughout the evening, the group’s grievances centered more on the town’s negative portrayal than on the murders themselves. “The business guys were furious,” Molpus said. “They wanted him to get rid of Lelyveld. We’d had churches burned, homes burned, a guy got his skull broke, there were three kidnapped, and the discussion in the business class was just about how the press is making us look like hicks.” After listening to their complaints, Catledge turned the discussion back to the larger issues. He told the local leaders, “‘There’s a moment in your life to step up and demand this stop,’ which offended everyone in there. Somebody said, ‘You’re from here, Turner, but you’re not one of us anymore.’”
Another moment of reckoning came in August 1965, when a local white woman named Florence Mars was pulled over on her way home from a party. As Molpus put it, Mars was “a very outspoken, courageous woman from a well-thought-of family—a very gutsy woman” who supported Martin Luther King and the protesters who marched with him through town. When she and her sister were stopped on the road, Mars had reportedly had too much to drink.
“The way things were done then, when someone like her was pulled over, they’d let her go,” Molpus said. “But they threw her and her sister into the drunk tank. And the community got together on a Sunday night and said, ‘This has got to stop,’ and it did stop. It took something happening to one of their own, from a prominent family.”
Even then, there was a lingering sense of denial about the civil rights murders. “Preachers were saying of the civil rights workers, ‘They came looking for trouble, and they found it.’ I heard that from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church,” Molpus said. “The murderers were in control. They were still in law enforcement. These were killers.” Even state officials refused to prosecute. In 1967, seven men were convicted in federal court and sent to prison, but the longest any served was six years.
Over time, Molpus said, the white community became more circumspect about the crime and what it meant for the future of the city. When federal court-ordered school integration came during the 1969–70 school year, Philadelphia chose not to establish all-white private academies as other nearby towns and cities had done. “I think the people had examined their souls, really, and the decision was made to keep the schools integrated,” Molpus said. Louisville, 30 miles down the road, was culturally and economically similar to Philadelphia, but its white residents decided to send their children to private academies, Molpus said. Today, Louisville is economically depressed.
Molpus partly credits the crusading editor of theNeshoba Democrat, Stanley Dearman, for helping change Philadelphia’s outlook. In the late 1980s, he ran a series of articles that humanized Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner, the three men killed by Klansmen in 1964, for local residents. “He went to New York City and sat down with Dr. Goodman. She told him about her son sending her a postcard saying people were friendly in Philadelphia, the day before he was killed.”
Then, in 1989, Molpus and Dearman decided to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the murders by holding a memorial at Mt. Zion Church, which had been used as a voter registration site during Freedom Summer. The building had been torched by the Klan, and the three civil rights workers had been returning from it at the time of their murder. The families of the three murdered men attended the gathering in 1989, along with a crowd of several hundred—including Molpus, who apologized for what happened on behalf of the state.
In 2000, Philadelphia held a multi-racial leadership conference, where Molpus was keynote speaker. “I said until we remove this shadow or at least attempt redemption, nothing is going to happen. They wanted an industrial park, to plant roses at the visitors center. I said we’re known for one thing: as the place where these three kids were killed for doing a patriotic duty.”
In 2004, Dearman invited Carolyn Goodman to speak to the Philadelphia Coalition, an interracial group cofounded by theDemocrat’s new editor, Jim Prince, and the head of the Neshoba County NAACP, Leroy Clemons. Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood attended and listened to Goodman’s moving personal account. The following year, he reopened the case and Edgar Ray Killen, the 80-year-old Baptist preacher who had orchestrated the murders, was convicted of three counts of manslaughter and sentenced to 60 years in prison.
In 2009, when the majority-white electorate voted in Young as Philadelphia’s first black mayor, national news outletsreportedthat the town had finally risen above its history. Young was invited to the White House for Christmas that year, and then to a meeting with Vice President Joe Biden. And in 2010, he received a civil rights award from CORE, the Congress On Racial Equality, which was one of the organizers of Freedom Summer. Because he was only a child during Freedom Summer, Young asked the group why he was given the award. “They said to think of Goodman, Chaney and Schwerner: ‘You’re the manifestation of their effort.’”
Today, unemployment in Philadelphia is lower than in most Mississippi cities (5.8 percent as of December 2013, compared to 7.3 percent statewide) and its per capita income is higher. Its schools are strong, despite the fact that Philadelphia is as geographically isolated as Tchula, located about 50 miles from the nearest interstate highway. Along with its other industries, the town is benefitting from a new influx of tourism. “The chamber of commerce now does civil rights tours,” Young said. “They’ve got a little brochure. We’ve had people come from London, South America, Australia.”
Still, Philadelphia is exceptional among Mississippi’sformer civil-rights battlegrounds. The state as a whole has more black elected officials than any other, but the ongoing segregation and economic decline in so many places is evidence of persistent, deep-seated problems.
“Businesses are not going to go to a place where there are not strong public schools,” Molpus said. “That says the community is ill. If the poor are in public schools and the affluent go to private, that community is ill. The public schools in virtually every town in the Delta were abandoned by the whites. That will take decades to fix—it’s a historical legacy. The poverty cycle hasn’t been broken.”
When Eddie Carthan bought the Jones mansion in the late 1990s, the house had been sitting vacant for years and its legendary artwork had been moved to the Mississippi Museum of Art. He also bought the formerly white church across the street, whose congregation, he says, refused to speak to him when he showed up, unbidden, one Sunday after his election as mayor. Now he’s the pastor of that church, which is all black.
On a recent afternoon, as Carthan ruminated about the future of Tchula at his desk, his wife, Shirley, tutored a group of young girls at the mansion’s long dining room table. The girls were members of the church Carthan pastors; only two of the congregation’s adult members have jobs. “They’re the poorest of the poor,” Carthan said.
Carthan also owns a century-old, formerly white-owned hardware store that anchors the downtown. Business is typically slow there, and most of his wares are covered in dust. There is more activity in Mansoor’s store, though much of it centers on the free doughnuts he provides each day to the city’s seniors. Though he now lives an hour away, Mansoor said he refuses to give up on Tchula. “For the most part, it’s better in Mississippi than a lot of places,” he said. “People know each other. They try to get along. People change.”
As evidence of the latter, Mansoor recalled an episode involving one of the Klansmen who demolished his store. After he died, Mansoor said, “his mother reached out to me and I took care of her for years. I’d go by and see about her, pick up her groceries. She’d cook me the best biscuits and sausage, and when she died she left me an old Ford car and a .38-calibre pistol. It was amazing. She wanted to be friends to make up for what they did.”
But such changes of heart have done little to improve Tchula’s economic fortunes. The majority of white residents fled town without making amends or doing anything to reverse the decades of economic oppression. For that reason, Tchula, unlike Philadelphia, must rely heavily on outside assistance.
Near Mansoor’s store on a recent morning, unemployed men lingered under shade trees behind the modest town hall, where Zula Patterson, the current mayor, was preparing to attend the ribbon cutting for two federally subsidized low-income houses. According to Patterson, such grants are few and far between. Asked what the town needs most, she replied, “What do we need? We need everything. But now we need police cars foremost. Our streets need to be redone. We need to try to find somebody to open some businesses. Nobody is really coming in until we get our infrastructure improved.”
Meanwhile, the subsidized houses represent the first new construction in a long time. They might not seem like much, but as Patterson said, “We’re trying to make things better. We’re doing what we can.”
ReadHow White Flight Ravaged the Mississippi Deltaon theatlantic.com
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{"Bitcoin": [2143]}
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{}
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For Investors, There Are Several Ways To Play The Personal Surveillance Trend
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https://finance.yahoo.com/news/investors-several-ways-play-personal-104947096.html
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Benzinga
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http://www.benzinga.com/
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Last year brought about a great deal of mistrust between police and civilians after the events in Ferguson, MI. In the wake of that tragedy, President Obama pledged to invest $75 million in government funds to provide police around the country with personal body cameras. The cameras were meant to protect both police and civilians, as they would record and store the officers’ activities for review if needed. Who's Benefiting? TASER International ( NASDAQ: TASR) and Vievu , a private Seattle business, have snapped up the majority of gains from Obama’s $75 million investment, but the space is expected to continue growing as more professionals adopt the new technology. TASER shares gained nearly 65 percent in 2014, while Vievu reported sales of more than 30,000 personal cameras since the announcement. Related Link: Why GoPro Makes This Analyst Nervous Camera sales are only a small part of the revenue stream for these companies, though; TASER has developed its own software program to accompany its cameras called EVIDENCE.com . The program logs the recorded data and allows officers to link their camera to their smartphone or tablet for $99 per month. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT ) is also looking to get in on the action by partnering with Vievu to create a similar cloud service to support the technology. The decision has sparked a nationwide frenzy for personal recording devices and their cloud-based software in order to protect workers in other professions from being falsely accused. Sales for body mounted cameras have seen a marked increase since the Ferguson shootings, as people working in everything from home repairs to delivery services try to protect themselves. GoPro Inc. (NASDAQ: GPRO ) shares have gained 62.12 percent over the past six months while Digital Ally Inc. (NASDAQ: DGLY ) is up nearly 360 percent. Though some believe the trend toward personal surveillance is disturbing, jobs that have a high probability of consumer complaints are embracing it as a way to settle disputes quickly and inexpensively. Story continues See more from Benzinga 5 Companies To Watch As Music Streaming Explodes Is Bitcoin Poised For Success In 2015? #PreMarket Primer: Friday, December 19: U.S. Debates A Response To Sony Hackers © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
| 2015-01-06 |
1,420,537,740 | 2015-01-06T09:49:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [0, 74, 236, 682], "BTC": [305, 1160]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [0]}
|
Bitcoin exchange loses $5 million in security breach
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/2015-01-06-bitstamp-bitcoin-exchange-hack.html
|
Engadget
|
https://www.engadget.com/
|
Bitcoin surrounded by various world coins Bitstamp has just suspended its Bitcoin exchange services, because some of its operational wallets have been compromised. And, while it's nowhere near the scale of the Mt. Gox debacle ( 850,000 Bitcoins gone ), the company says hackers still made off with 19,000 BTC or roughly $5 million. The service clarifies on its website (which now shows a splash page ) that the stolen money came from its online wallets only and that the "overwhelming majority" of its reserves are stored safely offline. According to ZDNet , the service had $96.9 million store in offline storage in May 2014, but the amount might have gone down due to fluctuating Bitcoin values. Bitstamp says it will honor any transaction made before January 5th, 4AM Eastern, but it warns users (in bold and all caps) not to transfer anything to "previously issued bitcoin deposit addresses" anymore as those transactions cannot be honored . It also promises to go back to business in a few days once it's done moving to a more secure server. Some users believe this page lists the illegal transactions that's crippled Bitstamp, since they're worth 18,868 BTC in all made over the weekend. But we still don't know what exactly went down, especially since no group of hackers has stepped forward to claim the security breach. Seeing as authorities still don't have a clear picture of the Mt. Gox fiasco in 2014, we might have wait a long while before we find out what happened to Bitstamp. [Image credit: Getty Images]
| 2015-01-06 |
1,420,537,740 | 2015-01-06T09:49:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [32, 193, 634], "BTC": [261, 1108]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [0]}
|
Bitcoin exchange loses $5 million in security breach
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/2015-01-06-bitstamp-bitcoin-exchange-hack.html
|
Engadget
|
https://www.engadget.com/
|
Bitstamp has just suspended its Bitcoin exchange services, because some of its operational wallets have been compromised. And, while it's nowhere near the scale of the Mt. Gox debacle (850,000 Bitcoins gone), the company says hackers still made off with 19,000 BTC or roughly $5 million. The service clarifies on its website (which now showsa splash page) that the stolen money came from its online wallets only and that the "overwhelming majority" of its reserves are stored safely offline. According toZDNet, the service had $96.9 million store in offline storage in May 2014, but the amount might have gone down due to fluctuating Bitcoin values.
Bitstamp says it will honor any transaction made before January 5th, 4AM Eastern, but it warns users (in bold and all caps)not to transfer anything to "previously issued bitcoin deposit addresses" anymore as those transactions cannot be honored. It also promises to go back to business in a few days once it's done moving to a more secure server.
Some users believethis pagelists the illegal transactions that's crippled Bitstamp, since they're worth 18,868 BTC in all made over the weekend. But we still don't know what exactly went down, especially since no group of hackers has stepped forward to claim the security breach. Seeing as authorities stilldon't havea clear picture of the Mt. Gox fiasco in 2014, we might have wait a long while before we find out what happened to Bitstamp.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
| 2015-01-06 |
1,420,552,721 | 2015-01-06T13:58:41Z |
{}
|
{"Bitcoin": [0]}
|
Bitcoin exchange Bitstamp suspends service after security breach
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-exchange-bitstamp-suspends-security-104454367.html
|
Reuters
|
http://www.reuters.com/
|
LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - Bitstamp, one of the largest exchanges for trading the digital bitcoin currency, said it has suspended its service after a security breach on Sunday, resulting in loss of around 19,000 bitcoins.
The breach represented a small fraction of its total bitcoin reserve and the majority was held in secure offline systems, the Slovenia-based firm posted on its website on Tuesday.
Reuters was unable to contact Bitstamp officials in Slovenia or the United Kingdom, but one of the company's founders, Damijan Merlak, told Slovenian state-owned news agency STA that Bitstamp has enough liquid assets to meet its short-term obligations.
"At present we are setting up a duplicate of the whole infrastructure with experts in San Francisco which should be finished within 24 hours. Then we will be able to resume our services," Merlak told STA.
He said he could not give further details on the breach due to an investigation.
Bitstamp said it believed one of its wallets, which store the digital credentials for a customer's bitcoin holdings, had been compromised.
Bitstamp said it had notified all customers after learning of the breach, requesting them not to make any deposits to previously issued bitcoin deposit addresses.
"We would like to reassure all Bitstamp customers that their balances held prior to our temporary suspension of services will not be affected and will be honored in full," the exchange said.
Bitcoin, the best-known virtual currency, started circulating in 2009. Unlike conventional money, bitcoin is generated by computers and is independent of control or backing by any government.
A bitcoin is currently worth $276.80 (BTC=BTSP).
In February, Bitstamp claimed that developers had come up with a solution to thwart cyber attacks against its platform after Mt. Gox, once the world's biggest bitcoin exchange, lost an estimated $650 million worth of customer bitcoin when its faulty computer system was hacked.
(Reporting By Shivam Srivastava in Bengaluru and Marja Novak in Ljubljana; Editing by Savio D'Souza and Louise Heavens)
| 2015-01-06 |
1,420,562,340 | 2015-01-06T16:39:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [18903]}
|
{}
|
What the Recession Did to American Fathers
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/recession-did-american-fathers-163900950.html
|
The Atlantic
|
http://www.theatlantic.com/
|
Today the vast majority of children in single-parent families live with their mothers, but not their fathers. Until the late 1990s, Americans relied upon welfare payments from taxpayers and child-support payments from nonresident fathers to reduce the poverty rate among these children, which is twice as high as the poverty rate among children who live with both their fathers and mothers. Since then we have required single mothers to work, supplemented their meager wages by a $50 billion program called the Earned Income Tax Credit, and strengthened efforts to ensure that nonresident fathers pay their child support.
As many recent studies have shown, however, except for the very highest earners, the wages of most men are stagnant or falling, making it extremely difficult for some nonresident fathers to pay all the child-support expected of them. For men with lower earnings this had been occurring for two and a half decades before the 1990s economic boom, when wages grew modestly. But with the 2001 recession, wages stagnated or began to fall again and have been doing so ever since. As a result of the increasing number of economically vulnerable nonresident fathers, the late 1990s strategy—which held so much promise—is becoming increasingly less effective.
Once primarily the consequence of divorce, single-parent families have grown mostly because increasing proportions of adults—especially those who are young and without college training—forgo marriage entirely and instead have children while cohabiting or in romantic relationships. As a result, non-marital births—now over 40 percent of all births—have soared. Because cohabiting and romantic parental relationships do not last as long in the U.S. as they do in Europe, the number of nonresident fathers has also soared to about 9 million. More than half of these fathers are economically vulnerable and they are a much more diverse population than the poor, inner-city, mostly minority fathers, who have been the focus of most studies on this subject.
On top of the long-term erosion of male earnings, the recession that started in 2007 was like a full blast of wind in the face of a biker already peddling furiously to climb up a long and steep hill. Male joblessness rose more than female joblessness during every recession since the early 1980s. However, the Great Recession had the twin distinction of creating the largest postwar male jobless rate and the largest male-female jobless rate gap. Because of the disproportionate harm the recession caused men, Mark Perry, in his testimony before the members of Congress,coined the term “mancession.”One reason for this disproportionate harm is that manufacturing and construction—traditionally fields that have been male dominated—were hit particularly hard by the Great Recession. Unfortunately, these industries have also been particularly slow to recover and may never achieve their pre-recession employment levels.
Not only was the increase in male joblessness larger than in previous recessions, but its effects are far from over. According to labor economists at the Federal Reserve, the male unemployment rate rose fromjust over four percent to 11 percent between December 2007 and August 2009. As ofNovember 2014, nearly one out of three male adults and young adults looking for work reported that they had been unemployed for at least six months. Unemployed workers have been without work for an average of 34 weeks, the highest rate of long-term joblessness since the federal government began collecting such data.
Long-term joblessness has been particularly high among men between the ages of 20 and 44, who are likely to be the fathers of young children. Jobless men in this age group have been looking for work for an average of26 to 33 weeks. These long jobless spells eat into their savings, destroy credit worthiness, and, in some cases, result in the loss of their homes. Thus, the low-wage path on which young men have traveled for four decades has been compounded by long-term unemployment.
According toa survey by the Pew Research Centerconducted 30 months after the recession, the downturn caused layoffs, pay cuts, reduced hours, or involuntary part-time employment for more than half of the American workforce. About a third of the adult workforce was laid off at least once during the recession. Carl Van Horn and his colleagues at Rutgers University’s Heldrich Center have been surveying the job-related attitudes of American workers over the last 15 years. Three-fourths of Americans who responded to theHeldrich Center Surveyin September 2010 had lost a job, or had a friend or family member who lost a job since the recession began. Although no nationally representative sample exists, many vulnerable nonresident fathers we interviewed were laid off because of what they described as a “slowdown” in the business of their former employer.
Finding a new job was difficult for most Americans who were laid off during the recession. National data show that in 2010, it took the average laid-off worker 33 weeks to find a job. The Heldrich Center’s record of the consequences of the recession began in March 2009, just three months before the recession officially ended. Nevertheless, two years later, they found that a third of workers who had lost their jobs by March 2009 were still looking for work, and more than one in six had become discouraged and hadstopped looking for work altogether.Later snapshotsshow that just over one in five workers who had been displaced by August 2009 had found new jobs almost 18 months later, and just over one in eight found full-time jobs. Just as the unemployment rate of men rose to higher levels than the unemployment rate of women, men who were laid off also found it more difficult to find new jobs than women.
Similarly, some laid-off working-poor fathers found another job not long after being laid off, only to be laid off again within a few months. Princeton University economist Henry Farber, who has been studying displaced workers during every recession since the early 1980s, found that aboutone in five displaced workers experienced such repeated layoffs between 2007 and 2009. Similarly, more than one in three workers interviewed by the Pew Research Center Survey had at least two layoffs during the recent recession, and two in eight had been laid off three or more times.
Among the working-poor fathers who were still employed, many also suffered a slowdown or cut in pay because of the recession. Almost a quarter of currently employed workers who responded to the Pew Research Center Survey took a pay cut, with full time workers only slightly less likely to do so than part-time workers, men more likely than women, and workers in families with income less than $30,000 more likely to take pay cuts than those in families with higher incomes.
Experts are just coming to grips with the consequences of the recession for American workers and their families, including the characteristics of workers (and families) who were hurt most. We know, for example, that the recession was harder on men than women. In particular, the increase in the unemployment rate was higher for men than it was for women, and this has been truein every recession since the early 1980s. After being laid off, more men left the labor force than women, and ittook longer for unemployed men to find new jobsthan it took unemployed women. We also know that employment and earnings of younger workers and minorities fell more sharply than employment and earnings among older and white workers. Studies also show that the lower-income and less-educated workers suffered more-severe consequences than higher income and more-educated workers.
But we do not know if nonresident fathers and their families suffered more or less than other fathers or other men. One way to answer this question is to focus on the characteristics of nonresident fathers in relation to those of other fathers or other men. Even this is difficult because collecting data on nonresident fathers is so difficult.
Society expects (and the law requires) nonresident fathers to support their children financially. Therefore, men who fail to support their children tend to deny that they are nonresident fathers. This results in three kinds of distortions in the picture of nonresident fathers that emerges from large surveys: first, the surveys miss nonresident fathers; second, those surveyed tend to be better off with those hidden who are more economically vulnerable; third, the accounts of nonresident fathers are sometimes tainted by a mother's feelings. For all these reasons, interviews conducted by researchers who persuade nonresident fathers that they will not be criticized or penalized for their failure to support their children financially are important ways to fill out what we learn about nonresident fathers from large national surveys and census data.
Researchers at the University of Bowling Greentried to assessthe most accurate source of large survey information about nonresident fathers. They looked at three large national surveys, two of which asked men two questions: (1) if they were nonresident fathers, and (2) if they provided financial support for their nonresident children. In both surveys the second question immediately follows the first question. The third survey, called the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG), asked men the same two questions, but at very different points in the survey interview. Estimates of the number of nonresident fathers from NSFG were substantially larger than estimates from the two other surveys. According to the survey, which was undertaken between 2006 and 2010, there were almost nine million nonresident fathers in the United States in the years bracketing the recent recession. After reproducing this estimate, we analyzed NSFG data on men to understand how nonresident fathers differed from resident fathers and other men in terms of the characteristics likely to influence how vulnerable they were to the recession.
Almost one in three men was a resident father; just over one in nine was a nonresident father. The average nonresident father was about 35 years old, about six years older than the average man, but about the same age as the average resident father. In other respects, however, nonresident fathers were more economically vulnerable than resident fathers and other men. More than five of every eight nonresident fathers had a high school diploma or less, while fewer than four of every nine resident fathers, and the total population of all men, completed this little schooling. Finally, more than half of nonresident fathers were black or Latino, while less than one in three resident fathers were men of color.
Because they were more likely to be men of color and less likely to have post-secondary schooling, the recession probably took a bigger toll on nonresident fathers than it did on resident fathers. For example, more resident fathers were employed than their nonresident counterparts, and of those nonresident fathers who were employed, more than half earned less than $40,000 annually. Only a third of resident fathers had such low earnings.
Focusing our attention on this lower-earnings group underscores how vulnerable they were to the recession and the trends in play over the prior four decades resulting in declining earnings and labor force participation, especially among less-educated men and men of color. While fewer nonresident fathers earning less than $40,000 were white, white men made up more than a third of nonresident fathers earning $40,000 or more. Employment rates among nonresident fathers earning less than $40,000 were high, but employment rates among nonresident fathers earning $40,000 or more were even higher. Longer hours were partly responsible for the higher earnings of the latter group since almost all worked full-time, while fewer nonresident fathers earning less than $40,000 were full-time workers.
Family ties compounded the difficulties faced by more economically vulnerable nonresident fathers. Fewer of the more vulnerable group were married or living with a female partner, and were therefore unable to share household expenses. Despite having less money coming in, the more vulnerable group also had as many resident children and more nonresident children to care for. That’s right, more than two out of five nonresident fathers who supported their kids through the courts were the family men working in low- and moderate-wage jobs with pictures of their wives (or partners) and children on their walls. Unless the mother of the child in the picture worked, his job paying less than $40,000 a year was barely enough to sustain the family at twice the poverty level. However, counting the child support owed for his kid (or kids), the family’s financial picture looked a lot less rosy. What’s more, nonresident fathers with lower earnings were more likely to be responsible for three or more nonresident children than nonresident fathers with higher earnings.
These five million economically vulnerable nonresident fathers (about nine percent of adult males between 15 and 44 years old in the United States) are a far larger group than the inner-city fathers who have been the focus of much research over the past few decades. The overwhelming majority worked full-time before, during, and after the recession, though many had higher paying jobs before the recession. Further, though men of color and less-educated men were overrepresented in this group, four of 11 vulnerable nonresident fathers, by our designation, were white, and more than six of 11 had some post-secondary education. Given their characteristics, particularly those that are known to affect employment and earnings (e.g., race and education) we suspect that nonresident fathers experienced more hardship than most men and most fathers, but perhaps not drastically so.
Another way to gauge the relative impact of the recession on nonresident fathers is to estimate whether their employment is lower than the employment of resident fathers, when two otherwise identical fathers live in the same city (and therefore are subject to the same labor-market conditions). We made such estimates using data on resident and nonresident fathers from a relatively new Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Survey. Our estimates show that nonresident fathers who live in cities with high unemployment rates are four percent less likely to be employed than resident fathers living in the same city.
Many of the fathers we interviewed described a gradual downward spiral of their employment status and earnings after first being laid off. Such cascading was also evident among many workers who responded to national surveys about the Great Recession. Princeton University economist Henry Farber notes that among the 50 percent of job losers who found new jobs after being laid off during the recession, there was a substantial increase, as compared with previous recessions, in the proportion of full-time job losers who were working part-time in their new job at least six months after the recession. The Pew Research Center Survey shows that just over a quarter of workers who lost and found a job during the first 30 months of the recent recession replaced a full-time job with a part-time job. Of course, moving from a full-time job to a part-time job usually meant lower pay and losing benefits, such as pensions and health insurance. The Heldrich Center Survey shows that over half of the workers who were able to find new jobs after being laid off took a pay cut; others found jobs paying the same, but offering fewer hours than the jobs they had prior to the Great Recession.
Beside reduced earnings, job satisfaction was generally lower for workers who lost and found a job during the recession. Additionally for many who had been unemployed for long periods,more than three-quarterssaid they would be willing to change careers in order to find a job. Among re-employed workers interviewed by the Pew Research Center, three out of five had already changed careers or had thought out about doing so, and more than one in three enrolled in a job-training programs or went back to school.
Although unemployed workers cut back on expenses, bills still mounted. According to the Pew Research Center Survey at the beginning of the recession, in 2008, only one out of 15 American workers said they could not meet their basic expenses. By May 2010, one of nine Americans admitted having such trouble. So they depleted their savings and unemployment insurance, if any, and doubled up or borrowed from friends and family. Some even applied for food stamps to help them get by. Almost a quarter of Americans earning under $30,000 had little money to meet daily expenses.Many unemployed workersdoubled up in more affordable housing arrangements with friends and relatives, and borrowed money from friends and family.
The working-poor fathers we interviewed who found no comparable work after losing their regular jobs during the recession experienced the same hardships and tried to recover in the same ways. For example, Franco, a working-poor father we interviewed, would like to follow in the footsteps of his children and go to college to get a business degree. Then, he would start a business of his own, a limousine service. But his more immediate concern is to find a regular job after being unemployed for four months. His family is on a very tight budget. To make ends meet, he and his wife are doubling up with her daughter and son-in-law, and Franco is using his unemployment benefits to contribute to household expenses.
However, Franco’s experience looking for work differs from the typical experiences reported by the Pew and Heldrich Center studies in several important ways. When Franco had been unemployed in the past, his child-support debts would mount and become one of his chief concerns. So he worked off the books to pay his child support debt. However, his employer took advantage of him, and he does not want that experience again. He learned to reduce his child-support debt whenever he was unemployed. He was also afraid that he might be injured or be laid off, but off-the-books work did not provide workman’s compensation or unemployment insurance. Now that his children were no longer minors, he no longer had to pay child support, so he avoided off the books work. From our research, we saw that these are typical experiences for working-poor fathers during the Great Recession.
This post has been adapted from Ronald Mincy, Monique Jethwani, and Serena Klempin's new bookFailing Our Fathers.
ReadWhat the Recession Did to American Fatherson theatlantic.com
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| 2015-01-06 |
1,420,537,740 | 2015-01-06T09:49:00Z |
{}
|
{"Bitcoin": [0]}
|
Bitcoin exchange loses $5 million in security breach
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/2015-01-06-bitstamp-bitcoin-exchange-hack.html
|
Engadget
|
https://www.engadget.com/
|
Bitstamp has just suspended its Bitcoin exchange services, because some of its operational wallets have been compromised. And, while it's nowhere near the scale of the Mt. Gox debacle (850,000 Bitcoins gone), the company says hackers still made off with 19,000 BTC or roughly $5 million. The service clarifies on its website (which now showsa splash page) that the stolen money came from its online wallets only and that the "overwhelming majority" of its reserves are stored safely offline. According toZDNet, the service had $96.9 million store in offline storage in May 2014, but the amount might have gone down due to fluctuating Bitcoin values.
Bitstamp says it will honor any transaction made before January 5th, 4AM Eastern, but it warns users (in bold and all caps)not to transfer anything to "previously issued bitcoin deposit addresses" anymore as those transactions cannot be honored. It also promises to go back to business in a few days once it's done moving to a more secure server.
Some users believethis pagelists the illegal transactions that's crippled Bitstamp, since they're worth 18,868 BTC in all made over the weekend. But we still don't know what exactly went down, especially since no group of hackers has stepped forward to claim the security breach. Seeing as authorities stilldon't havea clear picture of the Mt. Gox fiasco in 2014, we might have wait a long while before we find out what happened to Bitstamp.
[Image credit: Getty Images]
| 2015-01-06 |
1,420,624,549 | 2015-01-07T09:55:49Z |
{}
|
{"Bitcoin": [0]}
|
Bitcoin exchange Bitstamp says to resume trading within 24 hours
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-exchange-bitstamp-says-resume-095549600.html
|
Reuters
|
http://www.reuters.com/
|
LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - Bitstamp, one of the largest exchanges for the digital bitcoin currency, said on Wednesday it expected to resume trading within 24 hours after suspending operations because of a security breach on Sunday.
Customers would not lose money because of the breach and security would be increased, said Damijan Merlak, one of Bitstamp's two Slovenian founders.
Bitstamp had suspended its service after the breach resulted in the loss of around 19,000 bitcoins with a value of some $5 million.
"Trading will resume as soon as the new infrastructure will be in place and tested. We expect that is likely to happen within the next 24 hours," Merlak told Reuters in an emailed message on Wednesday.
"In the future we will strengthen security measures while the most important thing for clients is that they will suffer no financial damage as that will be covered by our company," Merlak added.
He gave no further details of the problem.
Last February, Bitstamp claimed that developers had come up with a solution to thwart cyber attacks against its platform after Mt. Gox, once the world's biggest bitcoin exchanges, lost an estimated $650 million worth of the virtual currency when its computer system was hacked.
The Bitstamp breach represented a small fraction of its total bitcoin reserve and the majority was held in secure offline systems, the Slovenia-based firm posted on its website on Tuesday. (http://bit.ly/1eTIPEt)
Bitstamp had said it believed one of its wallets, which store the digital credentials for a customer's bitcoin holdings, had been compromised.
It had notified all customers after learning of the breach, requesting them not to make any deposits to previously issued bitcoin deposit addresses.
Bitcoin, the best-known virtual currency, started circulating in 2009. Unlike conventional money, bitcoin is generated by computers and is independent of control or backing by any government.
A bitcoin is currently worth $276.80 (BTC=BTSP).
Merlak is one of two Slovenians who founded Bitstamp in 2011. The company has made its two founders millionaires, according to the Slovenian media.
(Reporting By Marja Novak; editing by Keith Weir)
| 2015-01-07 |
1,420,624,549 | 2015-01-07T09:55:49Z |
{"Bitcoin": [1733], "BTC": [1963]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [0]}
|
Bitcoin exchange Bitstamp says to resume trading within 24 hours
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-exchange-bitstamp-says-resume-095549600.html
|
Reuters
|
http://www.reuters.com/
|
LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - Bitstamp, one of the largest exchanges for the digital bitcoin currency, said on Wednesday it expected to resume trading within 24 hours after suspending operations because of a security breach on Sunday. Customers would not lose money because of the breach and security would be increased, said Damijan Merlak, one of Bitstamp's two Slovenian founders. Bitstamp had suspended its service after the breach resulted in the loss of around 19,000 bitcoins with a value of some $5 million. "Trading will resume as soon as the new infrastructure will be in place and tested. We expect that is likely to happen within the next 24 hours," Merlak told Reuters in an emailed message on Wednesday. "In the future we will strengthen security measures while the most important thing for clients is that they will suffer no financial damage as that will be covered by our company," Merlak added. He gave no further details of the problem. Last February, Bitstamp claimed that developers had come up with a solution to thwart cyber attacks against its platform after Mt. Gox, once the world's biggest bitcoin exchanges, lost an estimated $650 million worth of the virtual currency when its computer system was hacked. The Bitstamp breach represented a small fraction of its total bitcoin reserve and the majority was held in secure offline systems, the Slovenia-based firm posted on its website on Tuesday. ( http://bit.ly/1eTIPEt ) Bitstamp had said it believed one of its wallets, which store the digital credentials for a customer's bitcoin holdings, had been compromised. It had notified all customers after learning of the breach, requesting them not to make any deposits to previously issued bitcoin deposit addresses. Bitcoin, the best-known virtual currency, started circulating in 2009. Unlike conventional money, bitcoin is generated by computers and is independent of control or backing by any government. A bitcoin is currently worth $276.80 (BTC=BTSP). Merlak is one of two Slovenians who founded Bitstamp in 2011. The company has made its two founders millionaires, according to the Slovenian media. (Reporting By Marja Novak; editing by Keith Weir)
| 2015-01-07 |
1,420,624,549 | 2015-01-07T09:55:49Z |
{"Bitcoin": [1731], "BTC": [1961]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [0]}
|
Bitcoin exchange Bitstamp says to resume trading within 24 hours
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-exchange-bitstamp-says-resume-095549600.html
|
Reuters
|
http://www.reuters.com/
|
LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - Bitstamp, one of the largest exchanges for the digital bitcoin currency, said on Wednesday it expected to resume trading within 24 hours after suspending operations because of a security breach on Sunday.
Customers would not lose money because of the breach and security would be increased, said Damijan Merlak, one of Bitstamp's two Slovenian founders.
Bitstamp had suspended its service after the breach resulted in the loss of around 19,000 bitcoins with a value of some $5 million.
"Trading will resume as soon as the new infrastructure will be in place and tested. We expect that is likely to happen within the next 24 hours," Merlak told Reuters in an emailed message on Wednesday.
"In the future we will strengthen security measures while the most important thing for clients is that they will suffer no financial damage as that will be covered by our company," Merlak added.
He gave no further details of the problem.
Last February, Bitstamp claimed that developers had come up with a solution to thwart cyber attacks against its platform after Mt. Gox, once the world's biggest bitcoin exchanges, lost an estimated $650 million worth of the virtual currency when its computer system was hacked.
The Bitstamp breach represented a small fraction of its total bitcoin reserve and the majority was held in secure offline systems, the Slovenia-based firm posted on its website on Tuesday. (http://bit.ly/1eTIPEt)
Bitstamp had said it believed one of its wallets, which store the digital credentials for a customer's bitcoin holdings, had been compromised.
It had notified all customers after learning of the breach, requesting them not to make any deposits to previously issued bitcoin deposit addresses.
Bitcoin, the best-known virtual currency, started circulating in 2009. Unlike conventional money, bitcoin is generated by computers and is independent of control or backing by any government.
A bitcoin is currently worth $276.80 (BTC=BTSP).
Merlak is one of two Slovenians who founded Bitstamp in 2011. The company has made its two founders millionaires, according to the Slovenian media.
(Reporting By Marja Novak; editing by Keith Weir)
| 2015-01-07 |
1,420,593,023 | 2015-01-07T01:10:23Z |
{"Bitcoin": [1931]}
|
{}
|
PRESS DIGEST- British Business - Jan 6
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/press-digest-british-business-jan-011023488.html
|
Reuters
|
http://www.reuters.com/
|
Jan 6 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the business pages of British newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. The Times Renewed fears of an economic slump in continental Europe sparked an investor scramble for safe-haven assets yesterday that left returns on a string of benchmark government bonds plumbing record lows. ( http://thetim.es/1KjEzB3 ) Asda and J Sainsbury Plc have fired new-year salvos in the latest supermarket wars by investing a combined 450 million pounds ($680.67 million) in price cuts to basics such as bread, sausages, ketchup and orange juice. ( http://thetim.es/14jYD5w ) The Guardian George Osborne sought to fend off a political onslaught from Labour over tumbling oil prices by insisting big British companies should pass on the benefits to their customers. ( http://bit.ly/1w0TiGw ) The administrators of the collapsed parcel carrier City Link have started selling off the company's assets. And the rival firm DX (Group) Plc has paid just over 1 million pounds for some of its equipment and intellectual property. ( http://bit.ly/1Aof8eA ) The Telegraph Sterling has slumped to a 17-month low against the dollar after a closely-watched economic survey suggested growth in the UK slowed to just 0.5 percent in the final quarter of the year. ( http://bit.ly/1wSO0wX ) Four thousand Britons a week are lodging complaints about mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI), leaving the financial ombudsman with several more years of wading through disputes, at a cost of hundreds of millions of pounds. ( http://bit.ly/1wSO7IX ) Sky News The executive in charge of Barclays' non-core unit is to retire after 17 years at the UK lender, Sky News understands. ( http://bit.ly/1tMR2Zj ) A major Chinese food group is to swallow a 40 percent stake in Weetabix, giving it full control of the cereal maker. ( http://bit.ly/1wSOxyR ) The Independent Bitcoin has been dealt another blow after a major European bitcoin exchange admitted it was targeted by hackers, who stole £3.4 million worth of the cryptocurrency. ( http://ind.pn/1BFnNXk ) Rangers International Football Club Plc has rejected a more than 18 million pounds takeover bid from Robert Sarver - but said they would welcome financial support from the businessman with funds likely to run out before the end of this month. ( http://ind.pn/1wiSaPA ) ($1 = 0.6611 pounds) (Compiled by Luke Koshi in Bengaluru; editing by Andrew Hay) View comments
| 2015-01-07 |
1,420,591,591 | 2015-01-07T00:46:31Z |
{"Bitcoin": [5212]}
|
{}
|
The most interesting 3D printers introduced (so far) at CES 2015
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/most-interesting-3d-printers-introduced-004631611.html
|
Gigaom
|
http://gigaom.com/
|
It’s difficult to believe it was only a year ago that 3D printers became a common sight at CES. They are back again this year, with a whole range of startups and established firms flexing their maturing lineups of machines. This is what 3D printing will look like in 2015. The staples Well-established players like MakerBot and 3D Systems aren’t likely to release any major updates to the flagship desktop machines they debuted last year at CES, but plenty of other companies are willing to fill that void. Ultimaker , now three years old, expanded beyond its Ultimaker 2 with the Ultimaker 2 Go and Ultimaker 2 Extended . The $1,450 Go is smaller and lacks a heated bed. The $3,030 Extended is bigger, faster and capable of printing in finer detail. They have the same screen and touch wheel as the Ultimaker 2. I noted in November that the Ultimaker 2 is becoming a staple in office environments, so it’s exciting to see the company diversifying. The full lineup of Ultimaker 3D printers. ROBO also came to CES with an expanded lineup. Its $799 R1 is now joined by the $1,500 R2 and $10,000 R MEGA, according to 3Dprint.com . The R2 builds on the R1’s features with additions like a second print nozzle, LCD screen and larger 10 x 10 x 10 inch build volume. The R MEGA’s $10,000 price isn’t a typo; the enormous machine has a 39 x 39 x 39 inch build area. The HD-R by Airwolf isn’t quite that massive, but it’s still big for a desktop machine. It prints objects up to 11 x 8 x 12 inches in size and has add-ons like a camera and Wi-Fi connectivity. At $4,595, its price is also big. The price leaders ROBO ‘s lineup also extends to the new R MINI, which will sell for $399. It prints a tiny 4.5 x 4.5 x 4.5 inch build volume. It sacrifices a few features like Wi-Fi and multiple nozzles to hit its price tag, but entry-level users just looking for a cheap machine probably won’t mind. The da Vinci Junior is smaller and simpler to use. Taiwan’s XYZprinting seized on CES to keep spitting out new printers. The $349 da Vinci Junior isn’t actually that much cheaper than XYZprinting’s already low-priced da Vinci 1.0, but it looks a whole lot easier to manage. The 1.0 was enormous and unpolished. The Junior has more modern features like a quick-release print head. And it’s a lot smaller. Excellent. Story continues It also put a price on its Nobel 1.0, a stereolithographic 3D printer. It will cost $1,499 and ship in the third quarter of 2015. $1,499 might not sound so low, but it is for this technology. SLA uses a laser to cure liquid plastic layer by layer. It has traditionally cost a lot more than the fused deposition modeling technique found in most desktop printers. In its typical style, XYZprinting is sprinting to market with its first SLA machine. The sweet I don’t know about you, but all this talk about 3D printers is making me hungry. 3D Systems announced its latest food machine , a chocolate printer built during its partnership with Hershey’s . The CocoJet prints delicious, gooey chocolate layer by layer, just like in those Hershey’s 3D printing videos. It complements the sugar printers 3D Systems debuted last year (and still has yet to ship). Oh, and there’s one more machine from XYZprinting . The company has been demoing its Food Printer for a few months now, and finally brought it stateside for CES. It prints unbaked cookie dough and chocolate decorations. It will cost around $500 and ship out in mid-2015. The futuristic Spectrom adapts 3D printers to print in a full range of colors. 3Dprint.com reported another interesting tidbit of news from ROBO : It plans to integrate Spectrom ‘s full-color 3D printing technology into its printers, starting with the R1. Spectrom is an adapter invented by two University of Wisconsin students that allows most printers to make multicolored prints. It doesn’t print with multiple spools of different colors of plastic; instead, it actually blends colors to achieve a full spectrum. That’s pretty much unheard of in 3D printing, especially for a desktop machine. A drone with a 3D printed body and conductive strips. The chip and motors are embedded. If you’ve been aching to print yourself a new iPhone, your day has not come quite yet. But it’s on its way. Voxel8 , which draws its founding team from Harvard, announced an interesting hybrid machine that prints both plastic and conductive ink — the materials necessary to print rudimentary electronic devices. A developer version of the printer will begin shipping in late 2015. The $8,999 machine is a good-looking, desktop-sized printer with smart features like an auto-leveling print bed and touchscreen. Autodesk’s new Wire 3D software will power the design process. That’s what we have seen so far, and it’s only Tuesday. I am personally excited for XYZprinting and Ultimaker’s smaller, cheaper machines and the coming wave of electronics printers. It’s also great to see Airwolf, ROBO and their peers continue to mature from humble beginnings. Image copyright Ultimaker. Related research and analysis from Gigaom Research: Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial . The legal challenges and opportunities for 3D printing A market analysis of emerging technology interfaces Bitcoin: why digital currency is the future financial system More From paidContent.org Cars aren’t just connecting to the internet; they’re connecting to everything
| 2015-01-07 |
1,420,654,530 | 2015-01-07T18:15:30Z |
{"Bitcoin": [53, 90, 202, 345, 1383, 2215, 2403, 2431, 2529], "BTC": [0]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [1]}
|
'Bitcoin Jesus' Renounced His American Citizenship— So Now The U.S. Isn't Letting Him In
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-jesus-renounced-american-citizenship-131500813.html
|
Business Insider
|
http://www.businessinsider.com/
|
BTC Keychain
Roger Ver, a high-profile member of the Bitcoin community commonly known as "Bitcoin Jesus," has been denied a U.S. visa — despite having been born in the country.
Ver is well-known in the Bitcoin community as an entrepreneur and angel investor, having funded products including Blockchain, Ripple and Blockpay. He became known as "Bitcoin Jesus" after giving thousands of coins of the virtual currency away for free. He was born in the U.S. and was a citizen until he renounced his citizenship in March 2014—and now Ver says the Government isn't letting him back in.
As Coindesk is reporting, Ver has posted on Twitter that the U.S. government has refused his recent request for a non-immigrant visa, leaving him "effectively locked out of his native USA."
Here's Ver's tweet:
Ver complains that the decision has forced him to miss speaking appointments at conferences in the States, and that the U.S. Embassy in Barbados refused to even consider the evidence for his application.
The official reasoning behind Ver's rejection is that he doesn't have sufficient "ties" to his home country in the Caribbean, and has not "demonstrated that [he] have the ties that will compel [him] to return to your home country after your travel to the United States,"according to a picture he tweeted of a letter that appears to be from the embassy.
Flickr/OFFICIAL LEWEB PHOTOSRoger "Bitcoin Jesus" Ver In short, U.S. officials are worried that Ver might choose not to leave, and become an illegal immigrant in his home country.
Ver can't appeal the decision, but he is able to apply all over again, according to Coindesk. He has an American criminal record that could count against him, however — he's previously been jailed for 10 months for selling illegal firecrackers to farmers.
The fiercely libertarian entrepreneur has also appealed for others to follow his lead on citizenship,launching a website in June 2014that helps wealthy people pay their way to citizenship on his new island home of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis in the West Indies.
He had originally surrendered his American citizenship a month after moving to the islands, in February 2014.
In an interview in 2013, Ver claimed discovering Bitcoin landed him in hospital, after he "stayed up nights reading about the currency and the lack of sleep made him sick."
More From Business Insider
• Hackers Steal £3.4 Million From UK Bitcoin Exchange Bitstamp
• Bitcoin Is Getting Smoked To Start The New Year
• Police Are Investigating Whether A $730 Million Bitcoin Heist Was Actually An Inside Job
| 2015-01-07 |
1,420,650,000 | 2015-01-07T17:00:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [6731]}
|
{}
|
Web Poets Society
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/poets-society-170000516.html
|
The Atlantic
|
http://www.theatlantic.com/
|
It’s 3 a.m. and the emails are coming in fast and furious. My iPhone is pinging like a Vegas slot machine that’s come up all cherries. What’s the emergency? I had just joined a discussion thread for a popular online poetry class— ModPo —and Emily Dickinson’s "Volcanoes Be in Sicily" is the subject of hot debate. Within 24 hours, there are over a hundred posts about this poem alone: " Why the archaic use of 'be'?" "What of the perplexing 'lava steps'?" One participant lapses into German and has started a discussion group in Switzerland. Another gushes, "ModPo=cyber peyote." It’s the third year of the Modern & Contemporary American Poetry course, the brainchild of University of Pennsylvania English professor Al Filreis . ModPo is taught out of UPenn but it’s delivered as a MOOC —also known as a "massive open online course"—meaning it’s a virtual, free class available to Internet users around the world. ModPo enrolled 42,000 students in its first year and some 38,000 this past semester. Enrollees get access to a syllabus, links to texts, and prerecorded discussions of the poems, along with other video clips. They take periodic quizzes and write optional essays. And every Wednesday features a live webcast from UPenn’s Kelly Writers House in Philadelphia. Filreis stresses that the community aspect—study and meetup groups, real or virtual—is integral to the online coursework, and he and his team strive to make themselves available to students. After our recent phone interview, Filreis even invited me to a meetup in Manhattan to see ModPo in action. I shuffled down a dark stairwell into the basement of the Hudson Park branch of the New York Public Library, one of ModPo’s newest partners. Nearly 50 people of all ages were already sitting in a circle under blinking fluorescent lights by the time I arrived, a few minutes late; more students streamed in after. Like an AA meeting, we introduced ourselves one-by-one and then divulged our secret—that we were, in fact, interested in poetry. Story continues Gregarious and welcoming, Filreis listened carefully as we identified ourselves and explained our backgrounds. The group included architects and archivists, lawyers and therapists, business people and more than one "science-y guy." Few of the attendees actually majored in English, though many were repeat offenders to ModPo . After reading Dickinson’s poem aloud, we each received our assignment—a word or phrase from the text for discussion. (Someone even got the word "I.") This meetup proceeded just like any of ModPo ’s online sessions, the main difference being the time spent on each poem and the in-person interaction we shared with Filreis and his cadre of graduate students. The online course, which lasts 10 weeks, covers the whole canon of modern and postmodern poetry, from Allen Ginsberg to Rae Armantrout. Contrary to popular belief, the "MOOC need not be impersonal," said Filreis, who describes close reading as "a social act." Filreis isn’t a fan of conventional lectures. Instead, he wants to show students a new way of consuming literature, how to "slow down and read intensely, get excitement out of aesthetics and form, not content." Filreis wants to engage a range of of people—not just students and educators, but doctors and engineers, immigrants who are still learning English. The diversity of the discussion groups isn’t surprising; ModPo discussion groups have exploded in popularity nationally and even internationally. As of last Fall, Filreis or other ModPo staff were moderating groups in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, D.C., San Francisco, and Prague. That’s on top of the dozens of user-led groups hosted around the world. But ModPo offers just one example of how poetry is increasingly making its mark on the online-education world. Harvard University literature professor Elisa New, for example, has launched a similar virtual course called Poetry in America . Now in its third year, the class is being expanded to include a two-year exploration of the entire American poet tradition. Like Filreis, New’s mission is to make poetry resonate with a broader audience: "We have to get outside the gates. What we have [in poetry] is too precious. We have to stop beating ourselves up about how the humanities are dying and instead ask, 'How do we reach all those intelligent people who love language, all those kids who delight in the rhymes of hip hop?'" New is also interested in how poetry "creates a sense of cultural self-understanding"—how it’s used as a tool to reflect on identity, relationships, society, and history. To help guide members of the Harvard basketball team through Edward Hirsch’s poem " Fast Break ," for example, New dons an athletic t-shirt. She talks about Hirsch’s use of adverbs, the effect of the long "i" sounds, high and gliding; she concludes by comparing basketball to a poem and life itself, each of which has an "overall form that can be seen if we pause to look at it." And now, in addition to the online class, New is targeting even more "casual" learners: She just developed a television show based on her course. The pilot features well-known public figures ranging from Bill Clinton to Sonya Sanchez reading their favorite poems. Like ModPo, New’s course is popular among users around the world, with students representing nearly 150 countries. Certain topics, such as Whitman, are more popular among participants than others. Others, meanwhile, have attracted specific populations. The section on Puritan poetry, for example, gained particular traction with users in the Middle East. But skeptics of online education still question if academic subjects, let alone poetry, can be taught on the web. They stress that true scholarship takes patience and time—values that aren’t inherent to online education. Even though many MOOCs offer certificates of completion, only 5 percent of of those who enroll actually stick to it. And, despite their popularity, both UPenn and Harvard’s poetry classes have experienced high dropout rates as well. But Filreis suggests that the courses’ objectives are more important than their measurable outcomes. ModPo , he said, isn’t about the number of people who complete it—and it certainly isn’t designed to replace a traditional college seminar. After all, data indicates that most of the students who sign up already have some formal higher education under their belt. Rather, ModPo—and Poetry in America—are about reaching more minds and opening more people to the possibilities of language. They're about finding Whitman not only under boot soles but on smartphones, too. Read Web Poets Society on theatlantic.com More From The Atlantic Homeless and Hoarding Why Are So Few Black People Using Bitcoin? Suburbs and the New American Poverty
| 2015-01-07 |
1,420,593,023 | 2015-01-07T01:10:23Z |
{"Bitcoin": [1915]}
|
{}
|
PRESS DIGEST- British Business - Jan 6
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/press-digest-british-business-jan-011023488.html
|
Reuters
|
http://www.reuters.com/
|
Jan 6 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the business pages of British newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
The Times
Renewed fears of an economic slump in continental Europe sparked an investor scramble for safe-haven assets yesterday that left returns on a string of benchmark government bonds plumbing record lows. (http://thetim.es/1KjEzB3)
Asda and J Sainsbury Plc have fired new-year salvos in the latest supermarket wars by investing a combined 450 million pounds ($680.67 million) in price cuts to basics such as bread, sausages, ketchup and orange juice. (http://thetim.es/14jYD5w)
The Guardian
George Osborne sought to fend off a political onslaught from Labour over tumbling oil prices by insisting big British companies should pass on the benefits to their customers. (http://bit.ly/1w0TiGw)
The administrators of the collapsed parcel carrier City Link have started selling off the company's assets. And the rival firm DX (Group) Plc has paid just over 1 million pounds for some of its equipment and intellectual property. (http://bit.ly/1Aof8eA)
The Telegraph
Sterling has slumped to a 17-month low against the dollar after a closely-watched economic survey suggested growth in the UK slowed to just 0.5 percent in the final quarter of the year. (http://bit.ly/1wSO0wX)
Four thousand Britons a week are lodging complaints about mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI), leaving the financial ombudsman with several more years of wading through disputes, at a cost of hundreds of millions of pounds. (http://bit.ly/1wSO7IX)
Sky News
The executive in charge of Barclays' non-core unit is to retire after 17 years at the UK lender, Sky News understands. (http://bit.ly/1tMR2Zj)
A major Chinese food group is to swallow a 40 percent stake in Weetabix, giving it full control of the cereal maker. (http://bit.ly/1wSOxyR)
The Independent
Bitcoin has been dealt another blow after a major European bitcoin exchange admitted it was targeted by hackers, who stole £3.4 million worth of the cryptocurrency. (http://ind.pn/1BFnNXk)
Rangers International Football Club Plc has rejected a more than 18 million pounds takeover bid from Robert Sarver - but said they would welcome financial support from the businessman with funds likely to run out before the end of this month. (http://ind.pn/1wiSaPA) ($1 = 0.6611 pounds) (Compiled by Luke Koshi in Bengaluru; editing by Andrew Hay)
| 2015-01-07 |
1,420,650,000 | 2015-01-07T17:00:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [6675]}
|
{}
|
Web Poets Society
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/poets-society-170000516.html
|
The Atlantic
|
http://www.theatlantic.com/
|
It’s 3 a.m. and the emails are coming in fast and furious. My iPhone is pinging like a Vegas slot machine that’s come up all cherries. What’s the emergency? I had just joined a discussion thread for a popular online poetry class—ModPo—and Emily Dickinson’s "Volcanoes Be in Sicily" is the subject of hot debate. Within 24 hours, there are over a hundred posts about this poem alone: "Why the archaic use of 'be'?" "What of the perplexing 'lava steps'?"One participant lapses into German and has started a discussion group in Switzerland. Another gushes,"ModPo=cyber peyote."
It’s the third year of theModern & Contemporary American Poetrycourse, the brainchild of University of Pennsylvania English professorAl Filreis.ModPois taught out of UPenn but it’s delivered as aMOOC—also known as a "massive open online course"—meaning it’s a virtual, free class available to Internet users around the world.ModPoenrolled 42,000 students in its first year and some 38,000 this past semester. Enrollees get access to a syllabus, links to texts, and prerecorded discussions of the poems, along with other video clips. They take periodic quizzes and write optional essays. And every Wednesday features a live webcast from UPenn’sKelly Writers Housein Philadelphia. Filreis stresses that the community aspect—study and meetup groups, real or virtual—is integral to the online coursework, and he and his team strive to make themselves available to students. After our recent phone interview, Filreis even invited me to a meetup in Manhattan to seeModPoin action.
I shuffled down a dark stairwell into the basement of the Hudson Park branch of the New York Public Library, one ofModPo’snewest partners. Nearly 50 people of all ages were already sitting in a circle under blinking fluorescent lights by the time I arrived, a few minutes late; more students streamed in after. Like an AA meeting, we introduced ourselves one-by-one and then divulged our secret—that we were, in fact, interested in poetry.
Gregarious and welcoming, Filreis listened carefully as we identified ourselves and explained our backgrounds. The group included architects and archivists, lawyers and therapists, business people and more than one "science-y guy." Few of the attendees actually majored in English, though many were repeat offenders toModPo. After reading Dickinson’s poem aloud, we each received our assignment—a word or phrase from the text for discussion. (Someone even got the word "I.") This meetup proceeded just like any ofModPo’s online sessions, the main difference being the time spent on each poem and the in-person interaction we shared with Filreis and his cadre of graduate students. The online course, which lasts 10 weeks, covers the whole canon of modern and postmodern poetry, from Allen Ginsberg to Rae Armantrout.
Contrary to popular belief, the "MOOC need not be impersonal," said Filreis, who describes close reading as "a social act." Filreis isn’t a fan of conventional lectures. Instead, he wants to show students a new way of consuming literature, how to "slow down and read intensely, get excitement out of aesthetics and form, not content." Filreis wants to engage a range of of people—not just students and educators, but doctors and engineers, immigrants who are still learning English. The diversity of the discussion groups isn’t surprising;ModPodiscussion groups have exploded in popularity nationally and even internationally. As of last Fall, Filreis or otherModPostaff were moderating groups in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, D.C., San Francisco, and Prague. That’s on top of the dozens of user-led groups hosted around the world.
ButModPooffers just one example of how poetry is increasingly making its mark on the online-education world. Harvard University literature professor Elisa New, for example, has launched a similar virtual course calledPoetry in America. Now in its third year, the class is being expanded to include a two-year exploration of the entire American poet tradition. Like Filreis, New’s mission is to make poetry resonate with a broader audience: "We have to get outside the gates. What we have [in poetry] is too precious. We have to stop beating ourselves up about how the humanities are dying and instead ask, 'How do we reach all those intelligent people who love language, all those kids who delight in the rhymes of hip hop?'"
New is also interested inhow poetry "creates a sense of cultural self-understanding"—how it’s used as a tool to reflect on identity, relationships, society, and history.To help guide members of the Harvard basketball team through Edward Hirsch’s poem "Fast Break," for example, New dons an athletic t-shirt. She talks about Hirsch’s use of adverbs, the effect of the long "i" sounds, high and gliding; she concludes by comparing basketball to a poem and life itself, each of which has an "overall form that can be seen if we pause to look at it."
And now, in addition to the online class, New is targeting even more "casual" learners: She just developed a television show based on her course. The pilot features well-known public figures ranging from Bill Clinton to Sonya Sanchez reading their favorite poems.LikeModPo,New’s course is popular among users around the world, with students representing nearly 150 countries. Certain topics, such as Whitman, are more popular among participants than others. Others, meanwhile, have attracted specific populations. The section on Puritan poetry, for example, gained particular traction with users in the Middle East.
But skeptics of online education still question if academic subjects, let alone poetry, can be taught on the web. They stress that true scholarship takes patience and time—values that aren’t inherent to online education. Even though many MOOCs offer certificates of completion, only 5 percent of of those who enroll actually stick to it. And, despite their popularity, both UPenn and Harvard’s poetry classes have experienced high dropout rates as well.
But Filreis suggests that the courses’ objectives are more important than their measurable outcomes.ModPo, he said, isn’t about the number of people who complete it—and it certainly isn’t designed to replace a traditional college seminar. After all, data indicates that most of the students who sign up already have some formal higher education under their belt. Rather, ModPo—and Poetry in America—are about reaching more minds and opening more people to the possibilities of language. They're about finding Whitman not only under boot soles but on smartphones, too.
ReadWeb Poets Societyon theatlantic.com
More From The Atlantic
• Homeless and Hoarding
• Why Are So Few Black People Using Bitcoin?
• Suburbs and the New American Poverty
| 2015-01-07 |
1,420,654,530 | 2015-01-07T18:15:30Z |
{"Bitcoin": [61, 98, 210, 353, 1369, 1430, 2281, 2467, 2493, 2589], "BTC": [8]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [1]}
|
'Bitcoin Jesus' Renounced His American Citizenship So Now The U.S. Isn't Letting Him In
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-jesus-renounced-american-citizenship-131500813.html
|
Business Insider
|
http://www.businessinsider.com/
|
bitcoin BTC Keychain Roger Ver, a high-profile member of the Bitcoin community commonly known as "Bitcoin Jesus," has been denied a U.S. visa despite having been born in the country. Ver is well-known in the Bitcoin community as an entrepreneur and angel investor, having funded products including Blockchain, Ripple and Blockpay. He became known as "Bitcoin Jesus" after giving thousands of coins of the virtual currency away for free. He was born in the U.S. and was a citizen until he renounced his citizenship in March 2014and now Ver says the Government isn't letting him back in. As Coindesk is reporting , Ver has posted on Twitter that the U.S. government has refused his recent request for a non-immigrant visa, leaving him "effectively locked out of his native USA." Here's Ver's tweet: Ver complains that the decision has forced him to miss speaking appointments at conferences in the States, and that the U.S. Embassy in Barbados refused to even consider the evidence for his application. The official reasoning behind Ver's rejection is that he doesn't have sufficient "ties" to his home country in the Caribbean, and has not "demonstrated that [he] have the ties that will compel [him] to return to your home country after your travel to the United States," according to a picture he tweeted of a letter that appears to be from the embassy . Roger Ver Bitcoin Jesus Conference Flickr/OFFICIAL LEWEB PHOTOS Roger "Bitcoin Jesus" Ver In short, U.S. officials are worried that Ver might choose not to leave, and become an illegal immigrant in his home country. Ver can't appeal the decision, but he is able to apply all over again, according to Coindesk. He has an American criminal record that could count against him, however he's previously been jailed for 10 months for selling illegal firecrackers to farmers. The fiercely libertarian entrepreneur has also appealed for others to follow his lead on citizenship, launching a website in June 2014 that helps wealthy people pay their way to citizenship on his new island home of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis in the West Indies. Story continues He had originally surrendered his American citizenship a month after moving to the islands, in February 2014. In an interview in 2013 , Ver claimed discovering Bitcoin landed him in hospital, after he "stayed up nights reading about the currency and the lack of sleep made him sick." More From Business Insider Hackers Steal £3.4 Million From UK Bitcoin Exchange Bitstamp Bitcoin Is Getting Smoked To Start The New Year Police Are Investigating Whether A $730 Million Bitcoin Heist Was Actually An Inside Job
| 2015-01-07 |
1,420,725,600 | 2015-01-08T14:00:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [217, 1561, 2513]}
|
{}
|
Avra, Inc. Appoints Industry Expert Barry Johnson as Data Security Manager
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/avra-inc-appoints-industry-expert-140000302.html
|
Marketwired
|
http://www.marketwired.com/
|
GREENVILLE, SC--(Marketwired - Jan 8, 2015) -Avra, Inc.(OTCQB:AVRND) ("Avra" or the "Company") a development stage company engaging in product innovation and activation of merchant and consumer commerce in the global Bitcoin-related digital currencies market, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Barry Johnson to the position of Consulting Data Security Manager.
Mr. Johnson brings over twenty years of managerial, security, and engineering experience for commercial and government organizations. He has advised Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies on a number of security and technology issues.
"Mr. Johnson is an industry leader in data security and we are pleased to have him join the team here at Avra," states Steve Shepherd, Avra, Inc. CEO. "His experience, qualifications and reputation throughout the industry are impeccable. Barry will significantly aid Avra to provide the highest level of protection to both our consumers and industry partners."
"Avra has committed to the application of data security at a level that meets or exceeds the current Payment Card Industry data security standards. The Company's voluntary accountability through the strict adherence to these standards, is truly what the digital currency industry needs today," stated Mr. Johnson. He went on to comment, "I am excited to join Avra, Inc. in the delivery of their platform. Their desire to implement security measures above and beyond those found in today's published standards within their solution only cements their commitment of security and privacy to the Bitcoin community."
Mr. Johnson is certified as a PCI-DSS & P2PE Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) and Payment Card Information Professional (PCIP), Payment Application Qualified Security Assessor (PA-QSA), and ISO 27001 Lead Auditor. He possesses broad experience in regulatory requirements at the state, federal and industry levels, including the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), CJIS compliance, Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), Family Education and Rights Privacy Act (FERPA), and Payment Card Industry (PCI).
For more information please visit our website at:www.avraglobal.com.
About Avra, Inc.(OTCQB:AVRN)Avra, Inc. is focused on solutions in the digital currency markets, particularly in offering payment solutions to businesses worldwide. The Company's business model is divided into four distinct categories: AvraPay: to develop a complete, turn-key and painless way for merchants to accept Bitcoin as Payment; AvraATM: to promote usage and acceptance of digital currencies through the Company's proposed network of ATMs; AvraTourism: to provide cryptocurrency payment processing solutions for merchants such as hotels and casinos; AvraNews: to provide a news portal focusing on digital currency news. For more information about the Company please visit:www.avraglobal.com.
Additional information regarding Avra, Inc. and its regulatory filings can be found atwww.sec.gov.
Forward Looking StatementsSome information in this document constitutes forward-looking statements or statements which may be deemed or construed to be forward-looking statements, such as the closing of the share exchange agreement. The words "plan", "forecast", "anticipates", "estimate", "project", "intend", "expect", "should", "believe", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve, and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the Company's actual results, performance (financial or operating) or achievements to differ from the future results, performance (financial or operating) or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The risks, uncertainties and other factors are more fully discussed in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements attributable to Avra Inc., herein are expressly qualified in their entirety by the above-mentioned cautionary statement. Avra Inc., disclaims any obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this estimate, except as may be required by law.
| 2015-01-08 |
1,420,686,900 | 2015-01-08T03:15:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [31, 217, 361, 1059, 1802, 2007, 2117]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [24]}
|
SilentVault's Anonymous Bitcoin Multi-Asset Wallet & Exchange Platform Welcomes New Operations Lead Seamus O'Pearse
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/silentvaults-anonymous-bitcoin-multi-asset-031500220.html
|
ACCESSWIRE
|
https://www.accesswire.com/
|
Anonymous peer-to-peer instant Bitcoin wallet and exchange platform SilentVault has a new Operations Lead Seamus O'Pearse Switzerland / ACCESSWIRE / January 7, 2015 / SilentVault's anonymous peer-to-peer, multi-asset Bitcoin wallet and exchange platform uses sophisticated technology to enable anonymous communication and secure off-blockchain transactions for Bitcoin and Litecoin. The company is now announcing a change in personnel with the the transition of SilentVault founder Sean Daley who is leaving his position as Operations Lead to take the role of the company's general counsel (non-practising). Law and business expert Seamus O'Pearse will take over the Operations role as of 1 January 2015 maintaining the uncompromising professionalism and commitment to privacy associated with SilentVault. New Operations Lead Seamus O'Pearse is an attorney experienced in alternative online payment systems with 15 years of experience in digital currency businesses. Seamus was one of the earliest legal adopters of digital gold currency and has now embraced Bitcoin and its fast-evolving, censorship-resistant descendants. One of Seamus's favourite quotes is from a poem of rebellion by freedom-fighter Patrick Henry Pearse (Padraic Mac Piarais): "Did ye think to conquer the people, or that Law is stronger than life and than men's desire to be free?" Seamus is currently dedicated to and immensely enjoying a sabbatical term 'unlawyering in the new badlands' with the support and protection of some very technically adept friends. Seamus is now ready to invest decades of past experiences and professional expertise as 'Operations Lead' at SilentVault where he has now relieved the Founder, Sean Daley, effective January 2015. About SilentVault: SilentVault is an open source peer-to-peer anonymous Bitcoin wallet with built-in exchange and embedded escrow ; the wallets are multi-asset and can hold any supported asset types side-by-side. SilentVault allows cryptocurrency adopters to spend and receive Bitcoin and Litecoin entirely off the blockchain enabling users to freely transfer assets to and from regular Bitcoin and Litecoin addresses rapidly and anonymously. Story continues Unlike ordinary exchanges which require the user to hold their entire balances within the exchange and use a browser to log in and trade, SilentVault uses a built-in trading floor within the anonymous wallet. Users can exchange assets with other users anonymously and choose to fund escrow for the trades they enter or accept. Assets traded with SilentVault are stored in the wallets at all times if the user doesn't choose to trade using escrow. SilentVault provides a completely private client network and considers all aspects of conducting business including communication. SilentVault wallets communicate using XMPP (Jabber chat), within private servers with no public-facing IPs. End-to-end peer-to-peer encryption ensures that not even SilentVault can monitor private chats or access other wallet related information bringing complete anonymity and privacy to users. For more information about us, please visit https://silentvault.com/ Contact Info: Name: Tyrone Johnson Email: [email protected] Organization: Silent Vault SOURCE: Silent Vault
| 2015-01-08 |
1,420,686,900 | 2015-01-08T03:15:00Z |
{}
|
{"Bitcoin": [24]}
|
SilentVault's Anonymous Bitcoin Multi-Asset Wallet & Exchange Platform Welcomes New Operations Lead Seamus O'Pearse
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/silentvaults-anonymous-bitcoin-multi-asset-031500220.html
|
ACCESSWIRE
|
https://www.accesswire.com/
|
Anonymous peer-to-peer instant Bitcoin wallet and exchange platform SilentVault has a new Operations Lead Seamus O'Pearse
Switzerland / ACCESSWIRE / January 7, 2015 /SilentVault's anonymous peer-to-peer, multi-asset Bitcoin wallet and exchange platformuses sophisticated technology to enable anonymous communication and secure off-blockchain transactions for Bitcoin and Litecoin. The company is now announcing a change in personnel with the the transition of SilentVault founder Sean Daley who is leaving his position as Operations Lead to take the role of the company's general counsel (non-practising). Law and business expert Seamus O'Pearse will take over the Operations role as of 1 January 2015 maintaining the uncompromising professionalism and commitment to privacy associated with SilentVault.
New Operations Lead Seamus O'Pearse is an attorney experienced in alternative online payment systems with 15 years of experience in digital currency businesses. Seamus was one of the earliest legal adopters of digital gold currency and has now embraced Bitcoin and its fast-evolving, censorship-resistant descendants. One of Seamus's favourite quotes is from a poem of rebellion by freedom-fighter Patrick Henry Pearse (Padraic Mac Piarais):
"Did ye think to conquer the people, or that Law is stronger than life and than men's desire to be free?"
Seamus is currently dedicated to and immensely enjoying a sabbatical term 'unlawyering in the new badlands' with the support and protection of some very technically adept friends. Seamus is now ready to invest decades of past experiences and professional expertise as 'Operations Lead' at SilentVault where he has now relieved the Founder, Sean Daley, effective January 2015.
About SilentVault:
SilentVault is an open source peer-to-peer anonymous Bitcoin wallet with built-in exchange and embedded escrow; the wallets are multi-asset and can hold any supported asset types side-by-side. SilentVault allows cryptocurrency adopters to spend and receive Bitcoin and Litecoin entirely off the blockchain enabling users to freely transfer assets to and from regular Bitcoin and Litecoin addresses rapidly and anonymously.
Unlike ordinary exchanges which require the user to hold their entire balances within the exchange and use a browser to log in and trade, SilentVault uses a built-in trading floor within the anonymous wallet. Users can exchange assets with other users anonymously and choose to fund escrow for the trades they enter or accept. Assets traded with SilentVault are stored in the wallets at all times if the user doesn't choose to trade using escrow.
SilentVault provides a completely private client networkand considers all aspects of conducting business including communication. SilentVault wallets communicate using XMPP (Jabber chat), within private servers with no public-facing IPs. End-to-end peer-to-peer encryption ensures that not even SilentVault can monitor private chats or access other wallet related information bringing complete anonymity and privacy to users.
For more information about us, please visithttps://silentvault.com/
Contact Info:
Name: Tyrone JohnsonEmail:[email protected]: Silent Vault
SOURCE:Silent Vault
| 2015-01-08 |
1,420,688,892 | 2015-01-08T03:48:12Z |
{"Bitcoin": [491]}
|
{}
|
Hands On with the Nymi Band: A Bracelet That Lets You Pay with Your Heartbeat
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/hands-on-with-the-nymi-band-a-bracelet-that-lets-107469641829.html
|
Yahoo Tech
|
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/
|
Nymi Band The Nymi Band in black. (Alyssa Bereznak/Yahoo Tech) Sure, its convenient to buy things with a fingerprint . But you know whats even easier? Using your heartbeat. At least thats the pitch from the makers of Nymi , a smart bracelet that uses your heartbeat to help you gain access to all your private accounts and information. I first wrote about the Nymi Band nearly a year ago , when the company announced it was developing the ability to use the gadget as a method to protect Bitcoin transactions. Now, its creators have finalized the bands hardware form and are showing it off for the first time at this years Consumer Electronics Show. I got to try it on and see a brief demo Wednesday. Though it still has a long way to go before its ready for commercial use, the gadget will be pretty freaking awesome come shipping day. In theory, Nymi works like this: You wake up, get ready, and strap the gadget to your wrist. The thin band of the bracelet is light and comfortable, and though you wouldnt notice is comprised of an electrical circuit. When you close the magnetized clasp, that circuit is complete. On the side of the clasp, there are LED lights that flash the battery life of the bracelet (it lasts about a week and takes two hours to charge). The Nymi Band is now shipping to developers for $150. (Courtesy of Nymi) Then you open up an app called Nymi Companion (though theres currently only a Windows desktop version of it now, the company plans to make mobile Android and iOS versions as well). Click A ctivate My Nymi Band , and itll begin searching for the unique electrocardiography of your heartbeat (or ECG). After a few seconds pass, itll recognize you, and then youre free to move about your day, authorizing transactions, unlocking cars, or accessing your office building by simply wearing the band. As long as the band stays clasped, you can use it for any application you approve. You have to prove that you are you so many times during the day by entering a password, unlocking a door, using an access card, Nymi marketing rep Shawn Chance said. All of those friction points, once you put this on, can seamlessly melt away. You dont need to fiddle with a key, you dont need to look for a badge in your pocket, you dont need to do any of those things. And if your band falls into the wrong hands, its useless to that person. Story continues In practice, however, Nymi doesnt quite fulfill that fantasy. Currently, its only working app is a WIndows login. But theres a pilot program to connect MasterCard and RBC Bank with the bracelet, so people can make contactless payments. Chance is also hopeful that, now that Nymis development kit is public, enterprising coders will begin developing cool applications for the gadget. Nymi contains a haptic feedback motor so that it can vibrate when transactions are approved. It also features a gyroscope and accelerometer. Though those sensors arent currently being put to use, Chance says those features are up for grabs for zealous developers, too. Follow Alyssa Bereznak on Twitter or email her .
| 2015-01-08 |
1,420,725,600 | 2015-01-08T14:00:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [223, 1567, 2543]}
|
{}
|
Avra, Inc. Appoints Industry Expert Barry Johnson as Data Security Manager
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/avra-inc-appoints-industry-expert-140000302.html
|
Marketwired
|
http://www.marketwired.com/
|
GREENVILLE, SC--(Marketwired - Jan 8, 2015) - Avra, Inc. ( OTCQB : AVRND ) ("Avra" or the "Company") a development stage company engaging in product innovation and activation of merchant and consumer commerce in the global Bitcoin-related digital currencies market, is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Barry Johnson to the position of Consulting Data Security Manager. Mr. Johnson brings over twenty years of managerial, security, and engineering experience for commercial and government organizations. He has advised Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies on a number of security and technology issues. "Mr. Johnson is an industry leader in data security and we are pleased to have him join the team here at Avra," states Steve Shepherd, Avra, Inc. CEO. "His experience, qualifications and reputation throughout the industry are impeccable. Barry will significantly aid Avra to provide the highest level of protection to both our consumers and industry partners." "Avra has committed to the application of data security at a level that meets or exceeds the current Payment Card Industry data security standards. The Company's voluntary accountability through the strict adherence to these standards, is truly what the digital currency industry needs today," stated Mr. Johnson. He went on to comment, "I am excited to join Avra, Inc. in the delivery of their platform. Their desire to implement security measures above and beyond those found in today's published standards within their solution only cements their commitment of security and privacy to the Bitcoin community." Mr. Johnson is certified as a PCI-DSS & P2PE Qualified Security Assessor (QSA) and Payment Card Information Professional (PCIP), Payment Application Qualified Security Assessor (PA-QSA), and ISO 27001 Lead Auditor. He possesses broad experience in regulatory requirements at the state, federal and industry levels, including the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), CJIS compliance, Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), Family Education and Rights Privacy Act (FERPA), and Payment Card Industry (PCI). Story continues For more information please visit our website at: www.avraglobal.com . About Avra, Inc. ( OTCQB : AVRN ) Avra, Inc. is focused on solutions in the digital currency markets, particularly in offering payment solutions to businesses worldwide. The Company's business model is divided into four distinct categories: AvraPay: to develop a complete, turn-key and painless way for merchants to accept Bitcoin as Payment; AvraATM: to promote usage and acceptance of digital currencies through the Company's proposed network of ATMs; AvraTourism: to provide cryptocurrency payment processing solutions for merchants such as hotels and casinos; AvraNews: to provide a news portal focusing on digital currency news. For more information about the Company please visit: www.avraglobal.com . Additional information regarding Avra, Inc. and its regulatory filings can be found at www.sec.gov . Forward Looking Statements Some information in this document constitutes forward-looking statements or statements which may be deemed or construed to be forward-looking statements, such as the closing of the share exchange agreement. The words "plan", "forecast", "anticipates", "estimate", "project", "intend", "expect", "should", "believe", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve, and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the Company's actual results, performance (financial or operating) or achievements to differ from the future results, performance (financial or operating) or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The risks, uncertainties and other factors are more fully discussed in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements attributable to Avra Inc., herein are expressly qualified in their entirety by the above-mentioned cautionary statement. Avra Inc., disclaims any obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this estimate, except as may be required by law.
| 2015-01-08 |
1,420,688,892 | 2015-01-08T03:48:12Z |
{"Bitcoin": [491]}
|
{}
|
Hands On with the Nymi Band: A Bracelet That Lets You Pay with Your Heartbeat
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/hands-on-with-the-nymi-band-a-bracelet-that-lets-107469641829.html
|
Yahoo Tech
|
https://www.yahoo.com/tech/
|
Nymi Band The Nymi Band in black. (Alyssa Bereznak/Yahoo Tech) Sure, its convenient to buy things with a fingerprint . But you know whats even easier? Using your heartbeat. At least thats the pitch from the makers of Nymi , a smart bracelet that uses your heartbeat to help you gain access to all your private accounts and information. I first wrote about the Nymi Band nearly a year ago , when the company announced it was developing the ability to use the gadget as a method to protect Bitcoin transactions. Now, its creators have finalized the bands hardware form and are showing it off for the first time at this years Consumer Electronics Show. I got to try it on and see a brief demo Wednesday. Though it still has a long way to go before its ready for commercial use, the gadget will be pretty freaking awesome come shipping day. In theory, Nymi works like this: You wake up, get ready, and strap the gadget to your wrist. The thin band of the bracelet is light and comfortable, and though you wouldnt notice is comprised of an electrical circuit. When you close the magnetized clasp, that circuit is complete. On the side of the clasp, there are LED lights that flash the battery life of the bracelet (it lasts about a week and takes two hours to charge). The Nymi Band is now shipping to developers for $150. (Courtesy of Nymi) Then you open up an app called Nymi Companion (though theres currently only a Windows desktop version of it now, the company plans to make mobile Android and iOS versions as well). Click A ctivate My Nymi Band , and itll begin searching for the unique electrocardiography of your heartbeat (or ECG). After a few seconds pass, itll recognize you, and then youre free to move about your day, authorizing transactions, unlocking cars, or accessing your office building by simply wearing the band. As long as the band stays clasped, you can use it for any application you approve. You have to prove that you are you so many times during the day by entering a password, unlocking a door, using an access card, Nymi marketing rep Shawn Chance said. All of those friction points, once you put this on, can seamlessly melt away. You dont need to fiddle with a key, you dont need to look for a badge in your pocket, you dont need to do any of those things. And if your band falls into the wrong hands, its useless to that person. Story continues In practice, however, Nymi doesnt quite fulfill that fantasy. Currently, its only working app is a WIndows login. But theres a pilot program to connect MasterCard and RBC Bank with the bracelet, so people can make contactless payments. Chance is also hopeful that, now that Nymis development kit is public, enterprising coders will begin developing cool applications for the gadget. Nymi contains a haptic feedback motor so that it can vibrate when transactions are approved. It also features a gyroscope and accelerometer. Though those sensors arent currently being put to use, Chance says those features are up for grabs for zealous developers, too. Follow Alyssa Bereznak on Twitter or email her .
| 2015-01-08 |
1,420,686,900 | 2015-01-08T03:15:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [31, 216, 359, 1057, 1800, 2004, 2114]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [24]}
|
SilentVault's Anonymous Bitcoin Multi-Asset Wallet & Exchange Platform Welcomes New Operations Lead Seamus O'Pearse
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/silentvaults-anonymous-bitcoin-multi-asset-031500220.html
|
ACCESSWIRE
|
https://www.accesswire.com/
|
Anonymous peer-to-peer instant Bitcoin wallet and exchange platform SilentVault has a new Operations Lead Seamus O'Pearse
Switzerland / ACCESSWIRE / January 7, 2015 /SilentVault's anonymous peer-to-peer, multi-asset Bitcoin wallet and exchange platformuses sophisticated technology to enable anonymous communication and secure off-blockchain transactions for Bitcoin and Litecoin. The company is now announcing a change in personnel with the the transition of SilentVault founder Sean Daley who is leaving his position as Operations Lead to take the role of the company's general counsel (non-practising). Law and business expert Seamus O'Pearse will take over the Operations role as of 1 January 2015 maintaining the uncompromising professionalism and commitment to privacy associated with SilentVault.
New Operations Lead Seamus O'Pearse is an attorney experienced in alternative online payment systems with 15 years of experience in digital currency businesses. Seamus was one of the earliest legal adopters of digital gold currency and has now embraced Bitcoin and its fast-evolving, censorship-resistant descendants. One of Seamus's favourite quotes is from a poem of rebellion by freedom-fighter Patrick Henry Pearse (Padraic Mac Piarais):
"Did ye think to conquer the people, or that Law is stronger than life and than men's desire to be free?"
Seamus is currently dedicated to and immensely enjoying a sabbatical term 'unlawyering in the new badlands' with the support and protection of some very technically adept friends. Seamus is now ready to invest decades of past experiences and professional expertise as 'Operations Lead' at SilentVault where he has now relieved the Founder, Sean Daley, effective January 2015.
About SilentVault:
SilentVault is an open source peer-to-peer anonymous Bitcoin wallet with built-in exchange and embedded escrow; the wallets are multi-asset and can hold any supported asset types side-by-side. SilentVault allows cryptocurrency adopters to spend and receive Bitcoin and Litecoin entirely off the blockchain enabling users to freely transfer assets to and from regular Bitcoin and Litecoin addresses rapidly and anonymously.
Unlike ordinary exchanges which require the user to hold their entire balances within the exchange and use a browser to log in and trade, SilentVault uses a built-in trading floor within the anonymous wallet. Users can exchange assets with other users anonymously and choose to fund escrow for the trades they enter or accept. Assets traded with SilentVault are stored in the wallets at all times if the user doesn't choose to trade using escrow.
SilentVault provides a completely private client networkand considers all aspects of conducting business including communication. SilentVault wallets communicate using XMPP (Jabber chat), within private servers with no public-facing IPs. End-to-end peer-to-peer encryption ensures that not even SilentVault can monitor private chats or access other wallet related information bringing complete anonymity and privacy to users.
For more information about us, please visithttps://silentvault.com/
Contact Info:
Name: Tyrone JohnsonEmail:[email protected]: Silent Vault
SOURCE:Silent Vault
| 2015-01-08 |
1,420,730,100 | 2015-01-08T15:15:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [45]}
|
{}
|
BTCS Provides Mining Update, Receives Two Digital Currency ATMs and Introduces New Logo to Reflect Universal Strategy
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/btcs-provides-mining-receives-two-151500075.html
|
Marketwired
|
http://www.marketwired.com/
|
ARLINGTON, VA--(Marketwired - Jan 8, 2015) - Bitcoin Shop, Inc. ( OTCQB : BTCS ) ("BTCS" or the "Company"), the operator of the digital currency ecommerce marketplace www.btcs.com , which is undertaking the build-out of a universal digital currency ecosystem, announced today that, the Company has increased its mining capacity, received two digital currency ATMs and changed its logo. The Company has increased its digital currency mining efforts and currently has 176 Th/s running and anticipates having an additional 341 Th/s running in 1-2 weeks, a 5x increase over our initial starting capacity of 66 Th/s. BTCS has received two bitcoin automated teller machines ("ATMs") from GFT GmbH, the owners of BitXatm, making BTCS the first U.S. company to receive such ATMs. BTCS plans to work with Coin Outlet to operate our ATMs. Charles Allen, stated, "Once deployed our ATMs should allow consumers an easy way to exchange fiat currency for bitcoins. Additionally, we plan to leverage this technology and work closely with BitXatm and Coin Outlet to customize the experience and use the ATMs as an onramp to grow our customer base. This is another step towards introducing the passive user to the digital currency world through an ATM which many are already accustomed to using." Lastly Charles Allen, stated, "We have changed our Company logo to better reflect what we've been building for the last year; a universal digital currency ecosystem. Blockchain Technology Consumer Solutions i.e. BTCS, which is our web domain and our stock ticker symbol." About BTCS: BTCS plans to build a universal digital currency platform with the goal of enabling users to engage in the digital currency ecosystem through one point of access. We currently operate our legacy ecommerce website ( www.bitcoinshop.us ) and are operating our public beta site ( www.btcs.com ) where consumers can purchase products using digital currency such as bitcoin, litecoin and dogecoin, by searching through a selection of over 250,000 items. We provide our customers competitive pricing options from 256 retailers through our "Intelligent Shopping Engine". All ecommerce customer orders are fulfilled by third party vendors. We plan to use our ecommerce platform as a customer on-ramp for a broader digital currency platform. We have been actively partnering with strategic digital currency companies who have technologies, services or products that are complementary to our business strategy by making investments in them and integrating with them. Digital currencies use peer-to-peer networks to facilitate instant payments. They are categorized as cryptocurrencies, as they use cryptography as a security measure. Digital currency issuances and transactions are carried out collectively by the network, with no central authority, and allow users to make verified transfers. Forward Looking Statements: Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "predict," "forecast," "project," "plan," "intend" or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation those set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, not limited to Risk Factors relating to its digital currency business contained therein. Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
| 2015-01-08 |
1,420,730,100 | 2015-01-08T15:15:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [45]}
|
{}
|
BTCS Provides Mining Update, Receives Two Digital Currency ATMs and Introduces New Logo to Reflect Universal Strategy
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/btcs-provides-mining-receives-two-151500075.html
|
Marketwired
|
http://www.marketwired.com/
|
ARLINGTON, VA--(Marketwired - Jan 8, 2015) - Bitcoin Shop, Inc. (OTCQB:BTCS) ("BTCS" or the "Company"), the operator of the digital currency ecommerce marketplacewww.btcs.com, which is undertaking the build-out of a universal digital currency ecosystem, announced today that, the Company has increased its mining capacity, received two digital currency ATMs and changed its logo.
The Company has increased its digital currency mining efforts and currently has 176 Th/s running and anticipates having an additional 341 Th/s running in 1-2 weeks, a 5x increase over our initial starting capacity of 66 Th/s.
BTCS has received two bitcoin automated teller machines ("ATMs") from GFT GmbH, the owners of BitXatm, making BTCS the first U.S. company to receive such ATMs. BTCS plans to work with Coin Outlet to operate our ATMs.
Charles Allen, stated, "Once deployed our ATMs should allow consumers an easy way to exchange fiat currency for bitcoins. Additionally, we plan to leverage this technology and work closely with BitXatm and Coin Outlet to customize the experience and use the ATMs as an onramp to grow our customer base. This is another step towards introducing the passive user to the digital currency world through an ATM which many are already accustomed to using."
Lastly Charles Allen, stated, "We have changed our Company logo to better reflect what we've been building for the last year; a universal digital currency ecosystem. Blockchain Technology Consumer Solutions i.e. BTCS, which is our web domain and our stock ticker symbol."
About BTCS:BTCS plans to build a universal digital currency platform with the goal of enabling users to engage in the digital currency ecosystem through one point of access. We currently operate our legacy ecommerce website (www.bitcoinshop.us) and are operating our public beta site (www.btcs.com) where consumers can purchase products using digital currency such as bitcoin, litecoin and dogecoin, by searching through a selection of over 250,000 items. We provide our customers competitive pricing options from 256 retailers through our "Intelligent Shopping Engine". All ecommerce customer orders are fulfilled by third party vendors. We plan to use our ecommerce platform as a customer on-ramp for a broader digital currency platform. We have been actively partnering with strategic digital currency companies who have technologies, services or products that are complementary to our business strategy by making investments in them and integrating with them.
Digital currencies use peer-to-peer networks to facilitate instant payments. They are categorized as cryptocurrencies, as they use cryptography as a security measure. Digital currency issuances and transactions are carried out collectively by the network, with no central authority, and allow users to make verified transfers.
Forward Looking Statements:Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "predict," "forecast," "project," "plan," "intend" or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to us on the date of this release. These forward looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation those set forth in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, not limited to Risk Factors relating to its digital currency business contained therein. Thus, actual results could be materially different. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
| 2015-01-08 |
1,420,774,380 | 2015-01-09T03:33:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [629, 2621]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [75]}
|
Internet of Coins Releases Whitepaper For Infrastructure To Connect Entire Bitcoin And Cryptocurrency Ecosystem
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/internet-coins-releases-whitepaper-infrastructure-033300174.html
|
ACCESSWIRE
|
https://www.accesswire.com/
|
Newly founded organization Internet of Coins is developing an infrastructure supporting inter-blockchain transactions between different cryptocurrencies Amsterdam, Netherlands / ACCESSWIRE / January 8, 2015 / Internet of Coins strives to create a decentralized, self-sustaining economy by implementing intersystemic connectivity sustained by a hybrid P2P meta-network. The system will help to leverage each of its participant's strength in numbers hence supporting both the stability of alt coins and the cryptocurrency community as a whole. Internet of Coins had an official Whitepaper launch party on the 3rd of January at the Bitcoin Embassy Amsterdam. The Whitepaper is available for download on http://internetofcoins.org . Internet of Coins has partnered-up with security oriented cryptoexchange and service provider Bitalo since November of last year for continuous development and funding of the project. The open source system will soon be released for non-commercial purposes and be easily accessible to the public; supporting continuous decentralization and empowering the cryptocurrency ecosystem to evolve. Internet of Coins will be offering an inter-systemic and cross-blockchain solution using 'hybrid assets' allowing users to make trust-less transactions in a cryptocurrency of their choosing while remaining anonymous. It will be possible to connect to the Internet of Coins decentralized network and make transactions without the need to update or adapt existing wallets, blockchains or value systems. Businesses also benefit by the new infrastructure which will allow them to accept a wider range of cryptocurrencies hence reaching more potential customers or clients. Internet of Coins will offer a peer-to-peer, distributed, inter-systemic and inter-blockchain exchange server to mediate the transfer of value between digital currency systems replacing the trust model. This will solve multiple problems that occur when cryptocurrencies are transacted using trusted third parties like in many exchange and transaction models seen today. The trust model causes a re-introduction of the constructional weaknesses of the traditional centralized financial model. Another issue that Internet of Coins will combat is the risk of price manipulation that is possible when different altcoins are isolated from each other. Story continues With the detailed release of Internet of Coins Whitepaper and the anticipated release of an open source system that can support inter-blockchain transactions without the influence of third parties; Internet of Coins might very well soon be an integral part of the wider Bitcoin and cryptocurrency ecosystem. For more information about us, please visit http://internetofcoins.org/ Contact Info: Name: Robert de Groot Email: [email protected] Organization: Internet of Coins SOURCE: Internet of Coins
| 2015-01-09 |
1,420,800,205 | 2015-01-09T10:43:25Z |
{"Bitcoin": [1376]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [0]}
|
Bitcoin exchange Bitstamp says to resume trading on Friday
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-exchange-bitstamp-says-resume-104325790.html
|
Reuters
|
https://www.reuters.com/
|
LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - Bitstamp, one of the largest exchanges for the digital bitcoin currency, said it would resume trading later on Friday after suspending operations because of a security breach on Sunday. Bitstamp had suspended its service after the breach resulted in the loss of around 19,000 bitcoins with a value of some $5 million. "Trading will resume during the day today," Damijan Merlak, one of Bitstamp's two Slovenian founders, told Reuters in an emailed message on Friday. On Wednesday Bitstamp had said it expected that trading could resume within 24 hours and added that customers would not lose money because of the breach and that security would be increased. Merlak said various institutions from the European Union and the United States were investigating the security breach without naming them. The Slovenian police told Reuters it was not involved in the investigation. Last February, Bitstamp claimed that developers had come up with a solution to thwart cyber attacks against its platform after Mt. Gox, once the world's biggest bitcoin exchanges, lost an estimated $650 million worth of the virtual currency when its computer system was hacked. The Bitstamp breach represented a small fraction of its total bitcoin reserve and the majority was held in secure offline systems, the Slovenia-based firm posted on its website. ( http://bit.ly/1eTIPEt ) Bitcoin, the best-known virtual currency, started circulating in 2009. Unlike conventional money, bitcoin is generated by computers and is independent of control or backing by any government. A bitcoin is currently worth $276.80. Merlak, 28, and his colleague Nejc Kodric, 25, both computer experts, founded Bitstamp in 2011. According to the Slovenian media the two had earned about 23 million euros ($27.2 million) from the enterprise which places them among the 50 richest Slovenians. ($1 = 0.8469 euros) (Reporting By Marja Novak; editing by Keith Weir)
| 2015-01-09 |
1,420,774,380 | 2015-01-09T03:33:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [628, 2599]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [75]}
|
Internet of Coins Releases Whitepaper For Infrastructure To Connect Entire Bitcoin And Cryptocurrency Ecosystem
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/internet-coins-releases-whitepaper-infrastructure-033300174.html
|
ACCESSWIRE
|
https://www.accesswire.com/
|
Newly founded organization Internet of Coins is developing an infrastructure supporting inter-blockchain transactions between different cryptocurrencies
Amsterdam, Netherlands / ACCESSWIRE / January 8, 2015 /Internet of Coins strives to create a decentralized, self-sustaining economy by implementing intersystemic connectivity sustained by a hybrid P2P meta-network. The system will help to leverage each of its participant's strength in numbers hence supporting both the stability of alt coins and the cryptocurrency community as a whole. Internet of Coins had an official Whitepaper launch party on the 3rd of January at the Bitcoin Embassy Amsterdam.The Whitepaper is available for download on http://internetofcoins.org. Internet of Coins has partnered-up with security oriented cryptoexchange and service provider Bitalo since November of last year for continuous development and funding of the project. The open source system will soon be released for non-commercial purposes and be easily accessible to the public; supporting continuous decentralization and empowering the cryptocurrency ecosystem to evolve.
Internet of Coins will be offering an inter-systemic and cross-blockchain solution using 'hybrid assets' allowing users to make trust-less transactions in a cryptocurrency of their choosing while remaining anonymous. It will be possible to connect to the Internet of Coins decentralized network and make transactions without the need to update or adapt existing wallets, blockchains or value systems. Businesses also benefit by the new infrastructure which will allow them to accept a wider range of cryptocurrencies hence reaching more potential customers or clients.
Internet of Coins will offer a peer-to-peer, distributed, inter-systemic and inter-blockchain exchangeserver to mediate the transfer of value between digital currency systems replacing the trust model. This will solve multiple problems that occur when cryptocurrencies are transacted using trusted third parties like in many exchange and transaction models seen today. The trust model causes a re-introduction of the constructional weaknesses of the traditional centralized financial model. Another issue that Internet of Coins will combat is the risk of price manipulation that is possible when different altcoins are isolated from each other.
With the detailedrelease of Internet of Coins Whitepaper and the anticipated release of an open source system that can support inter-blockchain transactionswithout the influence of third parties; Internet of Coins might very well soon be an integral part of the wider Bitcoin and cryptocurrency ecosystem.
For more information about us, please visithttp://internetofcoins.org/
Contact Info:
Name: Robert de GrootEmail:[email protected]: Internet of Coins
SOURCE:Internet of Coins
| 2015-01-09 |
1,420,800,670 | 2015-01-09T10:51:10Z |
{"Bitcoin": [1376]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [0]}
|
Bitcoin exchange Bitstamp says to resume trading on Friday
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-exchange-bitstamp-says-resume-105110886.html
|
Reuters
|
https://www.reuters.com/
|
LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - Bitstamp, one of the largest exchanges for the digital bitcoin currency, said it would resume trading later on Friday after suspending operations because of a security breach on Sunday. Bitstamp had suspended its service after the breach resulted in the loss of around 19,000 bitcoins with a value of some $5 million. "Trading will resume during the day today," Damijan Merlak, one of Bitstamp's two Slovenian founders, told Reuters in an emailed message on Friday. On Wednesday Bitstamp had said it expected that trading could resume within 24 hours and added that customers would not lose money because of the breach and that security would be increased. Merlak said various institutions from the European Union and the United States were investigating the security breach without naming them. The Slovenian police told Reuters it was not involved in the investigation. Last February, Bitstamp claimed that developers had come up with a solution to thwart cyber attacks against its platform after Mt. Gox, once the world's biggest bitcoin exchanges, lost an estimated $650 million worth of the virtual currency when its computer system was hacked. The Bitstamp breach represented a small fraction of its total bitcoin reserve and the majority was held in secure offline systems, the Slovenia-based firm posted on its website. ( http://bit.ly/1eTIPEt ) Bitcoin, the best-known virtual currency, started circulating in 2009. Unlike conventional money, bitcoin is generated by computers and is independent of control or backing by any government. A bitcoin is currently worth $276.80. Merlak, 28, and his colleague Nejc Kodric, 25, both computer experts, founded Bitstamp in 2011. According to the Slovenian media the two had earned about 23 million euros ($27.2 million) from the enterprise which places them among the 50 richest Slovenians. ($1 = 0.8469 euros) (Reporting By Marja Novak; editing by Keith Weir)
| 2015-01-09 |
1,420,833,444 | 2015-01-09T19:57:24Z |
{"Bitcoin": [1065]}
|
{}
|
George Takei Talks Tech, Social-Media Stardom and More During Microsoft's Inaugural Podcast
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/george-takei-talks-tech-social-195724309.html
|
Entrepreneur
|
http://www.entrepreneur.com/
|
Serialthis isn’t. But tech-giant Microsoft has just announced its foray into the podcasting arena with a brand new series entitled "Next at Microsoft."
The show will “bring in some of the industry’s most interesting people to talk about tech,” host (and Microsoft executive) David Chen wrote in ablog postannouncing the initiative.
Judging from the first episode, however -- featuring actor, activist and social-media phenom George Takei -- the conversation is likely to stray into promotional fodder for Microsoft products and ventures.
While Takei discussed his unexpected rise as a belovedFacebook personality, where he currently counts more than 8 million followers, he was also sure to make mention of a recent visit to Microsoft’s campus in Washington. There, he says, he toured The Garage, a space where “very young innovators gathered together as a team and worked on marathon projects” including tech that allowed paralyzed NFL star Steve Gleason to control his wheelchair with his eyes.
Related:Microsoft Is Now the Largest Company in the World to Accept Bitcoin
Takei, who had ventured to Microsoft as part of his own YouTube series with the AARP entitledTakei’s Take, also extolled the virtues of Microsoft's Skype Translator -- a concept first broached onStar Trek, he says, as an imaginary device to communicate with alien species called the "universal translator."
In addition to all the tech talk, Takei, who is 77, discussed his recent career resurgence. All of his activity on social media, he says, actually stems from what he calls his “legacy project,” a musical drama about Japanese American internment calledAllegiance. To promote the piece, Takei sought to reach out to his core audience of sci-fi geeks and Internet nerds. A Grumpy Cat meme was the first share that truly broke through, he says.
However, for the openly gay LGBT activist, it isn’t all fun and games.
“With humor, I’ve been able to grow [my audience] large enough that I can inject commentary on campaign finance reform or other issues that seem a little finger waggling, but are important for Americans to be thinking about,” he said.
Related:Microsoft Says 11-Hour Azure Outage Was Caused by System Update
| 2015-01-09 |
1,420,800,205 | 2015-01-09T10:43:25Z |
{"Bitcoin": [1376]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [0]}
|
Bitcoin exchange Bitstamp says to resume trading on Friday
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-exchange-bitstamp-says-resume-104325645.html
|
Reuters
|
http://www.reuters.com/
|
LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - Bitstamp, one of the largest exchanges for the digital bitcoin currency, said it would resume trading later on Friday after suspending operations because of a security breach on Sunday. Bitstamp had suspended its service after the breach resulted in the loss of around 19,000 bitcoins with a value of some $5 million. "Trading will resume during the day today," Damijan Merlak, one of Bitstamp's two Slovenian founders, told Reuters in an emailed message on Friday. On Wednesday Bitstamp had said it expected that trading could resume within 24 hours and added that customers would not lose money because of the breach and that security would be increased. Merlak said various institutions from the European Union and the United States were investigating the security breach without naming them. The Slovenian police told Reuters it was not involved in the investigation. Last February, Bitstamp claimed that developers had come up with a solution to thwart cyber attacks against its platform after Mt. Gox, once the world's biggest bitcoin exchanges, lost an estimated $650 million worth of the virtual currency when its computer system was hacked. The Bitstamp breach represented a small fraction of its total bitcoin reserve and the majority was held in secure offline systems, the Slovenia-based firm posted on its website. ( http://bit.ly/1eTIPEt ) Bitcoin, the best-known virtual currency, started circulating in 2009. Unlike conventional money, bitcoin is generated by computers and is independent of control or backing by any government. A bitcoin is currently worth $276.80. Merlak, 28, and his colleague Nejc Kodric, 25, both computer experts, founded Bitstamp in 2011. According to the Slovenian media the two had earned about 23 million euros ($27.2 million) from the enterprise which places them among the 50 richest Slovenians. ($1 = 0.8469 euros) (Reporting By Marja Novak; editing by Keith Weir)
| 2015-01-09 |
1,420,800,205 | 2015-01-09T10:43:25Z |
{"Bitcoin": [1374]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [0]}
|
Bitcoin exchange Bitstamp says to resume trading on Friday
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-exchange-bitstamp-says-resume-104325645.html
|
Reuters
|
http://www.reuters.com/
|
LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - Bitstamp, one of the largest exchanges for the digital bitcoin currency, said it would resume trading later on Friday after suspending operations because of a security breach on Sunday.
Bitstamp had suspended its service after the breach resulted in the loss of around 19,000 bitcoins with a value of some $5 million.
"Trading will resume during the day today," Damijan Merlak, one of Bitstamp's two Slovenian founders, told Reuters in an emailed message on Friday.
On Wednesday Bitstamp had said it expected that trading could resume within 24 hours and added that customers would not lose money because of the breach and that security would be increased.
Merlak said various institutions from the European Union and the United States were investigating the security breach without naming them. The Slovenian police told Reuters it was not involved in the investigation.
Last February, Bitstamp claimed that developers had come up with a solution to thwart cyber attacks against its platform after Mt. Gox, once the world's biggest bitcoin exchanges, lost an estimated $650 million worth of the virtual currency when its computer system was hacked.
The Bitstamp breach represented a small fraction of its total bitcoin reserve and the majority was held in secure offline systems, the Slovenia-based firm posted on its website. (http://bit.ly/1eTIPEt)
Bitcoin, the best-known virtual currency, started circulating in 2009. Unlike conventional money, bitcoin is generated by computers and is independent of control or backing by any government.
A bitcoin is currently worth $276.80.
Merlak, 28, and his colleague Nejc Kodric, 25, both computer experts, founded Bitstamp in 2011. According to the Slovenian media the two had earned about 23 million euros ($27.2 million) from the enterprise which places them among the 50 richest Slovenians.
($1 = 0.8469 euros)
(Reporting By Marja Novak; editing by Keith Weir)
| 2015-01-09 |
1,420,800,670 | 2015-01-09T10:51:10Z |
{}
|
{"Bitcoin": [0]}
|
Bitcoin exchange Bitstamp says to resume trading on Friday
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-exchange-bitstamp-says-resume-105110886.html
|
Reuters
|
https://www.reuters.com/
|
LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - Bitstamp, one of the largest exchanges for the digital bitcoin currency, said it would resume trading later on Friday after suspending operations because of a security breach on Sunday. Bitstamp had suspended its service after the breach resulted in the loss of around 19,000 bitcoins with a value of some $5 million. "Trading will resume during the day today," Damijan Merlak, one of Bitstamp's two Slovenian founders, told Reuters in an emailed message on Friday. On Wednesday Bitstamp had said it expected that trading could resume within 24 hours and added that customers would not lose money because of the breach and that security would be increased. Merlak said various institutions from the European Union and the United States were investigating the security breach without naming them. The Slovenian police told Reuters it was not involved in the investigation. Last February, Bitstamp claimed that developers had come up with a solution to thwart cyber attacks against its platform after Mt. Gox, once the world's biggest bitcoin exchanges, lost an estimated $650 million worth of the virtual currency when its computer system was hacked. The Bitstamp breach represented a small fraction of its total bitcoin reserve and the majority was held in secure offline systems, the Slovenia-based firm posted on its website. ( http://bit.ly/1eTIPEt ) Bitcoin, the best-known virtual currency, started circulating in 2009. Unlike conventional money, bitcoin is generated by computers and is independent of control or backing by any government. A bitcoin is currently worth $276.80. Merlak, 28, and his colleague Nejc Kodric, 25, both computer experts, founded Bitstamp in 2011. According to the Slovenian media the two had earned about 23 million euros ($27.2 million) from the enterprise which places them among the 50 richest Slovenians. ($1 = 0.8469 euros) (Reporting By Marja Novak; editing by Keith Weir)
| 2015-01-09 |
1,420,844,160 | 2015-01-09T22:56:00Z |
{"BTC": [950]}
|
{}
|
Your first trade for Monday
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/first-trade-monday-january-12-225600687.html
|
CNBC
|
http://www.cnbc.com/
|
The " Fast Money " traders unveiled their final trades of the day. Tim Seymour was a buyer of LGF. ( LGF )Steve Grasso was a buyer of TWTR ( TWTR ).Brian Kelly was a buyer of TIP (NYSE Arca: TIP).Guy Adami was a buyer of LLY. ( LLY ) Trader disclosure: On Jan. 9, 2015, the following stocks and commodities mentioned or intended to be mentioned on CNBC's "Fast Money" were owned by the "Fast Money" traders: Tim Seymour is long AAPL, BAC, C, DIS, F, GE, GM, GOOGL, INTC, LGF, BX, SUNE, Tim's firm is long BABA, BIDU, CCU, DSKY, KNDI, MCD, NKE, NOK, SINA, SBUX, TSL, VIP, Tim's firm is short DNKN, today he bought LGF. Steve Grasso is long AAPL, BA, CLVS, EVGN, FB, GDX, GOOGL, IMMR, KBH, KDUS, MBLY, MHY, MJNA, NVIV, PFE, POT, SO, T, TMUS, TWTR, YHOO, his kids are long EFG, EFA, EWJ, IJR, SPY his firm is long ABX, NEM, BP, TWTR, SBUX.Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS, INTC, Guy Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck. Brian Kelly is long BBRY calls, BTC=, CTRL calls, GDX calls, HYG puts, TWTR call spreads, he is short EWA, EWG, EWQ, EWQ, EWZ, EWH, EWW, Yuan, HGH5. Raymond James Analyst Aaron Kessler: Raymond James expects to receive or intends to seek compensation for investment banking services from Twitter in the next three months. Raymond James & Associates makes a market in shares of TWTR. Raymond James expects to receive or intends to seek compensation for investment banking services from Google in the next three months.
| 2015-01-09 |
1,420,800,670 | 2015-01-09T10:51:10Z |
{"Bitcoin": [1376]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [0]}
|
Bitcoin exchange Bitstamp says to resume trading on Friday
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-exchange-bitstamp-says-resume-105110886.html
|
Reuters
|
https://www.reuters.com/
|
LJUBLJANA (Reuters) - Bitstamp, one of the largest exchanges for the digital bitcoin currency, said it would resume trading later on Friday after suspending operations because of a security breach on Sunday. Bitstamp had suspended its service after the breach resulted in the loss of around 19,000 bitcoins with a value of some $5 million. "Trading will resume during the day today," Damijan Merlak, one of Bitstamp's two Slovenian founders, told Reuters in an emailed message on Friday. On Wednesday Bitstamp had said it expected that trading could resume within 24 hours and added that customers would not lose money because of the breach and that security would be increased. Merlak said various institutions from the European Union and the United States were investigating the security breach without naming them. The Slovenian police told Reuters it was not involved in the investigation. Last February, Bitstamp claimed that developers had come up with a solution to thwart cyber attacks against its platform after Mt. Gox, once the world's biggest bitcoin exchanges, lost an estimated $650 million worth of the virtual currency when its computer system was hacked. The Bitstamp breach represented a small fraction of its total bitcoin reserve and the majority was held in secure offline systems, the Slovenia-based firm posted on its website. ( http://bit.ly/1eTIPEt ) Bitcoin, the best-known virtual currency, started circulating in 2009. Unlike conventional money, bitcoin is generated by computers and is independent of control or backing by any government. A bitcoin is currently worth $276.80. Merlak, 28, and his colleague Nejc Kodric, 25, both computer experts, founded Bitstamp in 2011. According to the Slovenian media the two had earned about 23 million euros ($27.2 million) from the enterprise which places them among the 50 richest Slovenians. ($1 = 0.8469 euros) (Reporting By Marja Novak; editing by Keith Weir)
| 2015-01-09 |
1,421,060,820 | 2015-01-12T11:07:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [150, 321, 864], "BTC": [2021]}
|
{}
|
NXT Monetary System Infrastructure Allows Creation of New Cryptocurrencies On NXT Blockchain
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nxt-monetary-system-infrastructure-allows-110700344.html
|
ACCESSWIRE
|
https://www.accesswire.com/
|
NXT's long-awaited Monetary System - an innovative platform that allows the fast and straightforward creation of completely new cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin on top of NXT – will go live on 10 January 2015
LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / January 12, 2015 /TheNXT Monetary System (MS) allows users to launch new currencies like Bitcoin, securing them with the NXT blockchainusing the second-generation cryptocurrency's established network, rather than requiring that developers create a coin from scratch and bootstrap it with its own network. The ultimate value of the coin is determined by the market, depending on adoption and demand, and by the parameters set by the issuer. However, coins may also be created by 'locking' a certain amount of NXT, thereby giving a floor value to the issued currency. The idea is similar to the sidechains development taking place in Bitcoin – with the difference that the additional functionality is all contained within the NXT platform, without the need for an external two-way peg.
Real-world application
The NXT Monetary System brings a high degree of speed and convenience to a process that can otherwise be lengthy and complex– and inaccessible to most users. MS is tailored to real-world applications as well as the cryptocurrency community, and aims to make it as simple as possible for individuals and businesses to launch a new cryptocurrency. The range of potential use cases includes loyalty points, crowdfunding efforts and fiat- or commodity-backed tokens, as well as new altcoins.
Highly customizableThe Monetary System allows the creation and launch of coins and tokens in as little as two minutes. Coin features are selected from a list to give the currency the required properties, making the process not only extremely fast but remarkably flexible.
The full list of parameters (with potential use cases) includes:
- Exchangeable: Currencies can be exchanged all within the NXT platform or on traditional exchanges, each identified by unique name and ticker symbols (e.g. BTC, USD).- Controllable: Currencies may optionally only be traded with the issuing account (e.g. backed tokens such as gift vouchers).- Reserveable: Currency units are released and distributed if funding requirements are met within the given timescale, if not funds are automatically returned (e.g. crowdfunding).- Claimable: Reserveable units can later be exchanged at an agreed rate.- Mintable: Currencies can be mined by proof-of-work algorithms (SHA-256, SHA-3, Scrypt and keccak), whilst still being secured by NXT's proof-of-stake algorithm.- Shuffleable: Coins can be shuffled when this feature is implemented (anonymity).Macro implications
The Monetary System improves the distribution of wealth across the NXT ecosystem, each currency unit possessing its own financial value.
MS also allows for the further decentralization of cyptocurrency and the wider economic landscape, achieved by:- Importing: First generation cryptocurrencies can transition into an MS currency, allowing them to take advantage of the many powerful features of the NXT platform and ecosystem – including the Asset Exchange, Marketplace, encrypted messaging and Alias registration, as well as a fast-growing list of third-party applications and services.- Exporting: In the future a whole economy based on a MS currency could be transferred out of the NXT system to another platform should the necessity arise.For more information about us, please visithttp://nxt.org/.
Contact Info:Name: Ben Catlin, Head of Marketing at the NXT OrganizationEmail:[email protected]: NXT
SOURCE:NXT
| 2015-01-12 |
1,421,060,820 | 2015-01-12T11:07:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [150, 323, 867], "BTC": [2027]}
|
{}
|
NXT Monetary System Infrastructure Allows Creation of New Cryptocurrencies On NXT Blockchain
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/nxt-monetary-system-infrastructure-allows-110700344.html
|
ACCESSWIRE
|
https://www.accesswire.com/
|
NXT's long-awaited Monetary System - an innovative platform that allows the fast and straightforward creation of completely new cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin on top of NXT will go live on 10 January 2015 LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / January 12, 2015 / The NXT Monetary System (MS) allows users to launch new currencies like Bitcoin, securing them with the NXT blockchain using the second-generation cryptocurrency's established network, rather than requiring that developers create a coin from scratch and bootstrap it with its own network. The ultimate value of the coin is determined by the market, depending on adoption and demand, and by the parameters set by the issuer. However, coins may also be created by 'locking' a certain amount of NXT, thereby giving a floor value to the issued currency. The idea is similar to the sidechains development taking place in Bitcoin with the difference that the additional functionality is all contained within the NXT platform, without the need for an external two-way peg. Real-world application The NXT Monetary System brings a high degree of speed and convenience to a process that can otherwise be lengthy and complex and inaccessible to most users. MS is tailored to real-world applications as well as the cryptocurrency community, and aims to make it as simple as possible for individuals and businesses to launch a new cryptocurrency. The range of potential use cases includes loyalty points, crowdfunding efforts and fiat- or commodity-backed tokens, as well as new altcoins. Highly customizable The Monetary System allows the creation and launch of coins and tokens in as little as two minutes . Coin features are selected from a list to give the currency the required properties, making the process not only extremely fast but remarkably flexible. The full list of parameters (with potential use cases) includes: - Exchangeable: Currencies can be exchanged all within the NXT platform or on traditional exchanges, each identified by unique name and ticker symbols (e.g. BTC, USD). - Controllable: Currencies may optionally only be traded with the issuing account (e.g. backed tokens such as gift vouchers). - Reserveable: Currency units are released and distributed if funding requirements are met within the given timescale, if not funds are automatically returned (e.g. crowdfunding). - Claimable: Reserveable units can later be exchanged at an agreed rate. - Mintable: Currencies can be mined by proof-of-work algorithms (SHA-256, SHA-3, Scrypt and keccak), whilst still being secured by NXT's proof-of-stake algorithm. - Shuffleable: Coins can be shuffled when this feature is implemented (anonymity). Macro implications Story continues The Monetary System improves the distribution of wealth across the NXT ecosystem, each currency unit possessing its own financial value. MS also allows for the further decentralization of cyptocurrency and the wider economic landscape, achieved by: - Importing: First generation cryptocurrencies can transition into an MS currency, allowing them to take advantage of the many powerful features of the NXT platform and ecosystem including the Asset Exchange, Marketplace, encrypted messaging and Alias registration, as well as a fast-growing list of third-party applications and services. - Exporting: In the future a whole economy based on a MS currency could be transferred out of the NXT system to another platform should the necessity arise. For more information about us, please visit http://nxt.org/ . Contact Info: Name: Ben Catlin, Head of Marketing at the NXT Organization Email: [email protected] Organization: NXT SOURCE: NXT
| 2015-01-12 |
1,421,085,600 | 2015-01-12T18:00:00Z |
{}
|
{"Bitcoin": [72]}
|
New Cryptocurrency iPhone And Android App SendChat Allows Users To Send Bitcoin, DOGE, DRK And Sendcoin With Ease
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cryptocurrency-iphone-android-app-sendchat-180000591.html
|
ACCESSWIRE
|
https://www.accesswire.com/
|
New fully transparent start-up SendChat - supported by the same team that is behind Sendcoin - is preparing to launch a unique cryptocurrency messenger app that will allow users to send and receive cryptocurrencies effortlessly parallel to messaging.
Amsterdam, Netherlands / ACCESSWIRE / January 12, 2015 /The SendChat release is due after an initial crowdfunding period held by blockchain crowd-funding and project certification platform BlockTrust.SendChat builds on popular open source messenger network Telegram with the added feature of sending Bitcoin, Sendcoin, Dogecoin and Darkcoin. The SendChat and Sendcoin white paper is available online for download on sendchat.org. The company began a public sale on the 8th of January 2015 to help raise funds to cover expenses associated with the release. SendChat is now excited to present an infrastructure that will aid the mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies.
The user-friendly SendChat app uses the same open source script and infrastructure as Telegram that currently has over 50 million users. SendChat will include Telegram's features such as sending messages, files, photos, videos and much more while being able to send and receive Bitcoin, Sendcoin, Dogecoin and Darkcoin simply by clicking on a contact. SendChat members will be able to send and receive messages to Telegram users but sending cryptocurrencies requires both users to have SendChat. SendChat's cryptocurrency function does not require wallet addresses or technical expertise. SendChat will be fully compatible with MAC, Android, iOS, PC, Linux and Smart Watches.
SendChat will be cooperating with third party blockchain crowd-funding platform and project certification service BlockTrust that utilizes multi-sig Bitcoin escrow. Crowdfunding via BlockTrust follows strict timelines and necessary guidelines to ensure a safe and professional crowdfunding period. SendChat crowdfunding opened to the public on the 8th of January.
The complete version ofSendChat will work as its own ecosystem complete with the shared Telegram communication system, a Cryptocurrency To Fiat Exchange, Creators Market, Send Chat Store and personalized news all inside the same app. SendChat plans to use some of the revenue to sponsor education about Bitcoin by setting up Bitcoin Embassies worldwide. A project that will further expand the reach and possibilities of Bitcoin. As tech entrepreneur and mathematician Charles Hoskinson explained in a recent TED talk; the spread of a decentralized technology such as Bitcoin might have a huge impact on the quality of life for many people especially in developing nations. Future plans also involve helping non-profit organizations and NGOs to receive cryptocurrency donations and advertise for fee using the app.
The user-friendly SendChat app does not compromise on user safety. SendChat will be using an Amazon EC2 DdoS mitigation provider to guarantee network stability and prevent DDoS attacks. All platform data will be encrypted and stored safely as well as SSL encryption for internet traffic, widely used multi-sign functions, and many more tech savvy safety features.
Sendcoin adopters will see many benefits when using Sendcoin in SendChat like added discounts when making purchases, discounts for stores accepting Sendcoin, free Creators Market vouchers for first time Sendcoin users and prizes in Sendcoin exclusively on SendChat. Energy efficient Sendcoin provides 30x faster transactions than Bitcoin and has a low inflation rate. With only 21 million coins in total and 1% yearly interest, multi-signature features and 60 second transactions; Sendcoin will be embedded in the SendChat ecosystem and is a user efficient cryptocurrency.
SendChat hopes their groundbreaking Bitcoin and cryptocurrency app will aid in the mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies; while SendChat itself becomes an integral part of the cryptocurrency ecosystem worldwide.
* This press release is for informational purposes only. The information does not constitute investment advice or an offer to invest.
For more information about us, please visithttp://sendchat.org/
Contact Info:
Name: Alejandro De La Torre, founder and CEOEmail: [email protected]: SendChatVideo URL:https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZWLj_yGHKu0.
SOURCE:SendChat
| 2015-01-12 |
1,421,085,600 | 2015-01-12T18:00:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [553, 1200, 1747, 2283, 2305, 2400, 2547, 3489, 3768]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [72]}
|
New Cryptocurrency iPhone And Android App SendChat Allows Users To Send Bitcoin, DOGE, DRK And Sendcoin With Ease
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cryptocurrency-iphone-android-app-sendchat-180000591.html
|
ACCESSWIRE
|
https://www.accesswire.com/
|
New fully transparent start-up SendChat - supported by the same team that is behind Sendcoin - is preparing to launch a unique cryptocurrency messenger app that will allow users to send and receive cryptocurrencies effortlessly parallel to messaging. Amsterdam, Netherlands / ACCESSWIRE / January 12, 2015 / The SendChat release is due after an initial crowdfunding period held by blockchain crowd-funding and project certification platform BlockTrust. SendChat builds on popular open source messenger network Telegram with the added feature of sending Bitcoin, Sendcoin, Dogecoin and Darkcoin . The SendChat and Sendcoin white paper is available online for download on sendchat.org. The company began a public sale on the 8th of January 2015 to help raise funds to cover expenses associated with the release. SendChat is now excited to present an infrastructure that will aid the mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies. The user-friendly SendChat app uses the same open source script and infrastructure as Telegram that currently has over 50 million users. SendChat will include Telegram's features such as sending messages, files, photos, videos and much more while being able to send and receive Bitcoin, Sendcoin, Dogecoin and Darkcoin simply by clicking on a contact. SendChat members will be able to send and receive messages to Telegram users but sending cryptocurrencies requires both users to have SendChat. SendChat's cryptocurrency function does not require wallet addresses or technical expertise. SendChat will be fully compatible with MAC, Android, iOS, PC, Linux and Smart Watches. SendChat will be cooperating with third party blockchain crowd-funding platform and project certification service BlockTrust that utilizes multi-sig Bitcoin escrow. Crowdfunding via BlockTrust follows strict timelines and necessary guidelines to ensure a safe and professional crowdfunding period. SendChat crowdfunding opened to the public on the 8th of January. Story continues The complete version of SendChat will work as its own ecosystem complete with the shared Telegram communication system, a Cryptocurrency To Fiat Exchange, Creators Market, Send Chat Store and personalized news all inside the same app . SendChat plans to use some of the revenue to sponsor education about Bitcoin by setting up Bitcoin Embassies worldwide. A project that will further expand the reach and possibilities of Bitcoin. As tech entrepreneur and mathematician Charles Hoskinson explained in a recent TED talk; the spread of a decentralized technology such as Bitcoin might have a huge impact on the quality of life for many people especially in developing nations. Future plans also involve helping non-profit organizations and NGOs to receive cryptocurrency donations and advertise for fee using the app. The user-friendly SendChat app does not compromise on user safety. SendChat will be using an Amazon EC2 DdoS mitigation provider to guarantee network stability and prevent DDoS attacks. All platform data will be encrypted and stored safely as well as SSL encryption for internet traffic, widely used multi-sign functions, and many more tech savvy safety features. Sendcoin adopters will see many benefits when using Sendcoin in SendChat like added discounts when making purchases, discounts for stores accepting Sendcoin , free Creators Market vouchers for first time Sendcoin users and prizes in Sendcoin exclusively on SendChat. Energy efficient Sendcoin provides 30x faster transactions than Bitcoin and has a low inflation rate. With only 21 million coins in total and 1% yearly interest, multi-signature features and 60 second transactions; Sendcoin will be embedded in the SendChat ecosystem and is a user efficient cryptocurrency. SendChat hopes their groundbreaking Bitcoin and cryptocurrency app will aid in the mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies; while SendChat itself becomes an integral part of the cryptocurrency ecosystem worldwide. * This press release is for informational purposes only. The information does not constitute investment advice or an offer to invest. For more information about us, please visit http://sendchat.org/ Contact Info: Name: Alejandro De La Torre, founder and CEO Email: [email protected] Organization: SendChat Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZWLj_yGHKu0 . SOURCE: SendChat
| 2015-01-12 |
1,421,085,600 | 2015-01-12T18:00:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [551, 1197, 1744, 2262, 2284, 2379, 2526, 3467, 3746]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [72]}
|
New Cryptocurrency iPhone And Android App SendChat Allows Users To Send Bitcoin, DOGE, DRK And Sendcoin With Ease
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cryptocurrency-iphone-android-app-sendchat-180000591.html
|
ACCESSWIRE
|
https://www.accesswire.com/
|
New fully transparent start-up SendChat - supported by the same team that is behind Sendcoin - is preparing to launch a unique cryptocurrency messenger app that will allow users to send and receive cryptocurrencies effortlessly parallel to messaging.
Amsterdam, Netherlands / ACCESSWIRE / January 12, 2015 /The SendChat release is due after an initial crowdfunding period held by blockchain crowd-funding and project certification platform BlockTrust.SendChat builds on popular open source messenger network Telegram with the added feature of sending Bitcoin, Sendcoin, Dogecoin and Darkcoin. The SendChat and Sendcoin white paper is available online for download on sendchat.org. The company began a public sale on the 8th of January 2015 to help raise funds to cover expenses associated with the release. SendChat is now excited to present an infrastructure that will aid the mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies.
The user-friendly SendChat app uses the same open source script and infrastructure as Telegram that currently has over 50 million users. SendChat will include Telegram's features such as sending messages, files, photos, videos and much more while being able to send and receive Bitcoin, Sendcoin, Dogecoin and Darkcoin simply by clicking on a contact. SendChat members will be able to send and receive messages to Telegram users but sending cryptocurrencies requires both users to have SendChat. SendChat's cryptocurrency function does not require wallet addresses or technical expertise. SendChat will be fully compatible with MAC, Android, iOS, PC, Linux and Smart Watches.
SendChat will be cooperating with third party blockchain crowd-funding platform and project certification service BlockTrust that utilizes multi-sig Bitcoin escrow. Crowdfunding via BlockTrust follows strict timelines and necessary guidelines to ensure a safe and professional crowdfunding period. SendChat crowdfunding opened to the public on the 8th of January.
The complete version ofSendChat will work as its own ecosystem complete with the shared Telegram communication system, a Cryptocurrency To Fiat Exchange, Creators Market, Send Chat Store and personalized news all inside the same app. SendChat plans to use some of the revenue to sponsor education about Bitcoin by setting up Bitcoin Embassies worldwide. A project that will further expand the reach and possibilities of Bitcoin. As tech entrepreneur and mathematician Charles Hoskinson explained in a recent TED talk; the spread of a decentralized technology such as Bitcoin might have a huge impact on the quality of life for many people especially in developing nations. Future plans also involve helping non-profit organizations and NGOs to receive cryptocurrency donations and advertise for fee using the app.
The user-friendly SendChat app does not compromise on user safety. SendChat will be using an Amazon EC2 DdoS mitigation provider to guarantee network stability and prevent DDoS attacks. All platform data will be encrypted and stored safely as well as SSL encryption for internet traffic, widely used multi-sign functions, and many more tech savvy safety features.
Sendcoin adopters will see many benefits when using Sendcoin in SendChat like added discounts when making purchases, discounts for stores accepting Sendcoin, free Creators Market vouchers for first time Sendcoin users and prizes in Sendcoin exclusively on SendChat. Energy efficient Sendcoin provides 30x faster transactions than Bitcoin and has a low inflation rate. With only 21 million coins in total and 1% yearly interest, multi-signature features and 60 second transactions; Sendcoin will be embedded in the SendChat ecosystem and is a user efficient cryptocurrency.
SendChat hopes their groundbreaking Bitcoin and cryptocurrency app will aid in the mainstream adoption of cryptocurrencies; while SendChat itself becomes an integral part of the cryptocurrency ecosystem worldwide.
* This press release is for informational purposes only. The information does not constitute investment advice or an offer to invest.
For more information about us, please visithttp://sendchat.org/
Contact Info:
Name: Alejandro De La Torre, founder and CEOEmail: [email protected]: SendChatVideo URL:https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZWLj_yGHKu0.
SOURCE:SendChat
| 2015-01-12 |
1,421,157,660 | 2015-01-13T14:01:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [240, 3422]}
|
{}
|
Avra, Inc. Engages SightSpan as Global Risk, Security and Compliance Consultants
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/avra-inc-engages-sightspan-global-140100947.html
|
Marketwired
|
http://www.marketwired.com/
|
GREENVILLE, SC--(Marketwired - Jan 13, 2015) - Avra, Inc. ( OTCQB : AVRN ) ("Avra" or the "Company"), a development stage company engaging in the business of product innovation and activation of merchant and consumer commerce in the global Bitcoin-related digital currencies market, is pleased to announce that it has engaged SightSpan, Inc. ( "SightSpan" ) , a provider of risk management and security solutions, to oversee the development of the Company's compliance policy and related activities. Mr. John Walsh, SightSpan CEO will personally act as the Company's Consulting Compliance Manager. SightSpan ( www.SightSpan.com ) will work closely with Avra's management team, in developing Anti-Money Laundering and Office of Foreign Assets Control (AML/OFAC) policies, compliance training plans, risk assessment and risk management practices of the Company. This will further include implementing a number of related strategies aimed at building and positioning the Company as a trusted brand leader in this developing industry. "Speaking on behalf of the growing team here at Avra, we are extremely pleased that SightSpan has joined with us. Their extensive experience in the compliance field will be a high value asset." stated Steve Shepherd, Avra, Inc., CEO. "We believe SightSpan brings a dynamic team able to operate nimbly in this emerging sector, and with Mr. Walsh at the helm, we are confident that Avra can achieve a leading role at the forefront of industry development. He has proposed a well-considered, efficient and managed approach to risk whilst ensuring ongoing and airtight compliance." "For the marketplace to adopt digital assets, the use of bank-grade security, advanced risk management techniques and globally accepted compliance solutions have to be firmly in place," stated Mr. Walsh. "This is an absolute must-have for digital currencies and related assets in order to build trust and emerge as a common financial instrument. We are really pleased to join the Avra team at this early stage in order to guide and strengthen the Company's global compliance risk management strategy." About SightSpan, Inc. SightSpan, Inc. ( www.SightSpan.com ) is a multinational risk management advisory group with international expertise focused on risk management and security matters. SightSpan services include conducting AML/BSA reviews and providing technical consulting and stress testing services for banks, money service businesses and non-financial organizations, government and law enforcement agencies. They also train and provide consulting services to more than 10,000 financial professionals, law enforcement personnel and government agencies staff around the world. The SightSpan team has conducted over 500 independent examinations of Anti-Money Laundering and Bank Secrecy Act Compliance programs for a wide range of financial and non-financial businesses and their associates have testified as expert witnesses, and have taught complex money laundering and Bank Secrecy Act investigative techniques to enforcement agencies around the world. Story continues About Avra, Inc. ( OTCQB : AVRN ) Avra, Inc. is focused on solutions in the digital currency markets, particularly in the provisioning of payment solutions to businesses worldwide. The Company's business model is divided into four distinct categories: AvraPay: to develop a complete, turn-key and painless way for merchants to process Bitcoin payment transactions; AvraATM: to promote usage and acceptance of digital currencies through the Company's proposed network of ATMs; AvraTourism: to provide cryptocurrency payment processing solutions for high volume merchants such as hotels and casinos; AvraNews: to provide a news portal focusing on digital currency news. For more information about the Company please visit: www.avraglobal.com . Additional information regarding Avra, Inc. and its filings can be found at www.sec.gov . Forward Looking Statements Some information in this document constitutes forward-looking statements or statements which may be deemed or construed to be forward-looking statements, such as the closing of the share exchange agreement. The words "plan", "forecast", "anticipates", "estimate", "project", "intend", "expect", "should", "believe", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve, and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the Company's actual results, performance (financial or operating) or achievements to differ from the future results, performance (financial or operating) or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The risks, uncertainties and other factors are more fully discussed in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements attributable to Avra Inc., herein are expressly qualified in their entirety by the above-mentioned cautionary statement. Avra Inc., disclaims any obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this estimate, except as may be required by law. View comments
| 2015-01-13 |
1,421,157,660 | 2015-01-13T14:01:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [240, 3422]}
|
{}
|
Avra, Inc. Engages SightSpan as Global Risk, Security and Compliance Consultants
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/avra-inc-engages-sightspan-global-140100947.html
|
Marketwired
|
http://www.marketwired.com/
|
GREENVILLE, SC--(Marketwired - Jan 13, 2015) - Avra, Inc. ( OTCQB : AVRN ) ("Avra" or the "Company"), a development stage company engaging in the business of product innovation and activation of merchant and consumer commerce in the global Bitcoin-related digital currencies market, is pleased to announce that it has engaged SightSpan, Inc. ( "SightSpan" ) , a provider of risk management and security solutions, to oversee the development of the Company's compliance policy and related activities. Mr. John Walsh, SightSpan CEO will personally act as the Company's Consulting Compliance Manager. SightSpan ( www.SightSpan.com ) will work closely with Avra's management team, in developing Anti-Money Laundering and Office of Foreign Assets Control (AML/OFAC) policies, compliance training plans, risk assessment and risk management practices of the Company. This will further include implementing a number of related strategies aimed at building and positioning the Company as a trusted brand leader in this developing industry. "Speaking on behalf of the growing team here at Avra, we are extremely pleased that SightSpan has joined with us. Their extensive experience in the compliance field will be a high value asset." stated Steve Shepherd, Avra, Inc., CEO. "We believe SightSpan brings a dynamic team able to operate nimbly in this emerging sector, and with Mr. Walsh at the helm, we are confident that Avra can achieve a leading role at the forefront of industry development. He has proposed a well-considered, efficient and managed approach to risk whilst ensuring ongoing and airtight compliance." "For the marketplace to adopt digital assets, the use of bank-grade security, advanced risk management techniques and globally accepted compliance solutions have to be firmly in place," stated Mr. Walsh. "This is an absolute must-have for digital currencies and related assets in order to build trust and emerge as a common financial instrument. We are really pleased to join the Avra team at this early stage in order to guide and strengthen the Company's global compliance risk management strategy." About SightSpan, Inc. SightSpan, Inc. ( www.SightSpan.com ) is a multinational risk management advisory group with international expertise focused on risk management and security matters. SightSpan services include conducting AML/BSA reviews and providing technical consulting and stress testing services for banks, money service businesses and non-financial organizations, government and law enforcement agencies. They also train and provide consulting services to more than 10,000 financial professionals, law enforcement personnel and government agencies staff around the world. The SightSpan team has conducted over 500 independent examinations of Anti-Money Laundering and Bank Secrecy Act Compliance programs for a wide range of financial and non-financial businesses and their associates have testified as expert witnesses, and have taught complex money laundering and Bank Secrecy Act investigative techniques to enforcement agencies around the world. Story continues About Avra, Inc. ( OTCQB : AVRN ) Avra, Inc. is focused on solutions in the digital currency markets, particularly in the provisioning of payment solutions to businesses worldwide. The Company's business model is divided into four distinct categories: AvraPay: to develop a complete, turn-key and painless way for merchants to process Bitcoin payment transactions; AvraATM: to promote usage and acceptance of digital currencies through the Company's proposed network of ATMs; AvraTourism: to provide cryptocurrency payment processing solutions for high volume merchants such as hotels and casinos; AvraNews: to provide a news portal focusing on digital currency news. For more information about the Company please visit: www.avraglobal.com . Additional information regarding Avra, Inc. and its filings can be found at www.sec.gov . Forward Looking Statements Some information in this document constitutes forward-looking statements or statements which may be deemed or construed to be forward-looking statements, such as the closing of the share exchange agreement. The words "plan", "forecast", "anticipates", "estimate", "project", "intend", "expect", "should", "believe", and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve, and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which could cause the Company's actual results, performance (financial or operating) or achievements to differ from the future results, performance (financial or operating) or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The risks, uncertainties and other factors are more fully discussed in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements attributable to Avra Inc., herein are expressly qualified in their entirety by the above-mentioned cautionary statement. Avra Inc., disclaims any obligation to update forward-looking statements contained in this estimate, except as may be required by law. View comments
| 2015-01-13 |
1,421,146,800 | 2015-01-13T11:00:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [4642]}
|
{}
|
Ziftr and RedDotNet Form Cedar Point Solutions to Simplify Cryptocurrency and Fiat Currency Transactions
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ziftr-reddotnet-form-cedar-point-110000227.html
|
Marketwired
|
http://www.marketwired.com/
|
MILFORD, NH--(Marketwired - Jan 13, 2015) - Ziftr® (http://www.ziftr.com/), a company that develops products, tools and apps to revolutionize the shopping experience, and RedDotNet, a leading manufacturer of small form-factor kiosks, today announced the formation of Cedar Point Solutions, a Hooksett, New Hampshire-based company that aims to simplify cryptocurrency and fiat currency transactions. Cedar Point Solutions is run by founder and CEO George Kassas, a multi-lingual executive with over 25 years of experience in technology, telecom, communications, software applications, analytics and government affairs.
"Cedar Point Solutions merges the sophisticated technologies developed by two prominent and successful New Hampshire companies and brings together the talented entrepreneurs behind them," said Kassas. "We're thrilled to provide a unique solution that will enable financial transactions anywhere, anytime, in any medium."
Established in 2008, Ziftr revolutionizes the shopping experience through the development of innovative products, tools and apps that make life easier for both consumers and retailers. Ziftr's price-comparison tool, which is available as an Android app and browser add-on, has more than 2 million downloads. Ziftr recently launchedziftrCOIN, the gateway coin to mainstream cryptocurrency adoption;ziftrPAY, an API that processes cryptocurrency and credit card transactions, andziftrWALLET, a multicoin digital wallet.
"We can't wait to launch the first Cedar Point Solutions kiosks and give consumers the opportunity to use cryptocurrency in a much easier way than ever before," said Bob Wilkins, CEO of Ziftr. "The kiosks will integrate with the ziftrPAY and ziftrWALLET technologies to simplify the process of buying and transferring cryptocurrencies and converting cryptocurrency into fiat currency."
RedDotNetis a leading custom kiosk manufacturer specializing in purpose-built, highly reliable, small form-factor kiosks. Since its beginnings in 1998, RedDotNet has built a reputation for providing class-leading hardware solutions proven to stand up in the harshest of retail environments. In addition to hardware, RedDotNet offers a full suite of deployment, installation, remote monitoring and maintenance services.
"We're extremely excited to announce the creation of Cedar Point Solutions," said Scott Johnson, managing partner of RedDotNet. "By combining the strengths of our companies, we are poised to bring cryptocurrency to the average consumer in a manner to which they are accustomed with our self-service kiosks. Making the purchase process easy on the consumer is going to be critical to the success of cryptocurrency, and we feel that we have the team and the platform to do just that."
Members of the Cedar Point Solutions team will be in attendance atRetail's Big Show 2015, the National Retail Federation's flagship industry event taking place in New York City from January 11-14, 2015.
About Ziftr®Established in 2008 and based in Milford, New Hampshire, Ziftr revolutionizes the online shopping experience through the development of innovative products, tools and apps that make life easier for both consumers and retailers. The company's first tools, a browser add-on and mobile app that connect shoppers with the best deals at their favorite online retailers, have had more than 2.5 million downloads.
Ziftr is a product of myVBO®, a full-service design, marketing and development company that helps businesses turn their ambitions into realities.
For more information about Ziftr, visitwww.ziftr.com.
About ziftrCOIN™
ziftrCOIN, the first digital currency developed for online shoppers, aims to revolutionize e-commerce by putting cryptocurrency into the hands of consumers and enabling them to conduct simple, secure transactions at their favorite online retailers.
For more information about ziftrCOIN, visit:www.ziftrCOIN.com.
About ziftrPAY™
ziftrPAY is a computer application software that connects credit card processors and cryptocurrency exchanges with retailers to facilitate the processing of consumer transactions. ziftrPAY enables retailers to accept both cryptocurrency and credit card payments without having to view or store the customer's credit card information.
For more information about ziftrPAY, visit:http://www.ziftr.com/retailers/.
About ziftrWALLET™
ziftrWALLET Mobile, the first multicoin digital wallet to combine the security and control of a desktop wallet with the speed and convenience of a cloud wallet, stores multiple cryptocurrencies and traditional fiat currencies in one secure location. While in beta mode, ziftrWALLET Mobile works with Bitcoin, Litecoin and Dogecoin, with other popular altcoins like Primecoin, Peercoin, StartCOIN and ziftrCOIN to be added soon.
For more information about ziftrWALLET Mobile, visithttp://www.ziftrWALLET.com.
About RedDotNet
Based in Carlsbad, California, and Dover, New Hampshire, RedDotNet is a key player in the design, manufacture and deployment of interactive kiosks. The company has deployed over 20,000 kiosks worldwide in a wide range of environments. In the last two years, RedDodNet kiosks were used over 200 million times, and there are units in the field that have been in continuous operation for over 10 years.
For more information about RedDotNet, visit:http://www.reddotnet.com/.
DisclaimerAll statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts that address future ziftrCOIN availability, or developments that the ziftrCOIN expects are forward looking statements. Although the Corporation believes the expectations expressed in such forward looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward looking statements. Factors that could cause results to differ materially from those in the forward looking statements include, but are not limited to: market volatility; continued availability of capital, financing and personnel; government regulation and laws; and general economic, market or business conditions.
| 2015-01-13 |
1,421,146,800 | 2015-01-13T11:00:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [4678]}
|
{}
|
Ziftr and RedDotNet Form Cedar Point Solutions to Simplify Cryptocurrency and Fiat Currency Transactions
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ziftr-reddotnet-form-cedar-point-110000227.html
|
Marketwired
|
http://www.marketwired.com/
|
MILFORD, NH--(Marketwired - Jan 13, 2015) - Ziftr® ( http://www.ziftr.com/ ), a company that develops products, tools and apps to revolutionize the shopping experience, and RedDotNet, a leading manufacturer of small form-factor kiosks, today announced the formation of Cedar Point Solutions, a Hooksett, New Hampshire-based company that aims to simplify cryptocurrency and fiat currency transactions. Cedar Point Solutions is run by founder and CEO George Kassas, a multi-lingual executive with over 25 years of experience in technology, telecom, communications, software applications, analytics and government affairs. "Cedar Point Solutions merges the sophisticated technologies developed by two prominent and successful New Hampshire companies and brings together the talented entrepreneurs behind them," said Kassas. "We're thrilled to provide a unique solution that will enable financial transactions anywhere, anytime, in any medium." Established in 2008, Ziftr revolutionizes the shopping experience through the development of innovative products, tools and apps that make life easier for both consumers and retailers. Ziftr's price-comparison tool, which is available as an Android app and browser add-on, has more than 2 million downloads. Ziftr recently launched ziftrCOIN , the gateway coin to mainstream cryptocurrency adoption; ziftrPAY , an API that processes cryptocurrency and credit card transactions, and ziftrWALLET , a multicoin digital wallet. "We can't wait to launch the first Cedar Point Solutions kiosks and give consumers the opportunity to use cryptocurrency in a much easier way than ever before," said Bob Wilkins, CEO of Ziftr. "The kiosks will integrate with the ziftrPAY and ziftrWALLET technologies to simplify the process of buying and transferring cryptocurrencies and converting cryptocurrency into fiat currency." RedDotNet is a leading custom kiosk manufacturer specializing in purpose-built, highly reliable, small form-factor kiosks. Since its beginnings in 1998, RedDotNet has built a reputation for providing class-leading hardware solutions proven to stand up in the harshest of retail environments. In addition to hardware, RedDotNet offers a full suite of deployment, installation, remote monitoring and maintenance services. Story continues "We're extremely excited to announce the creation of Cedar Point Solutions," said Scott Johnson, managing partner of RedDotNet. "By combining the strengths of our companies, we are poised to bring cryptocurrency to the average consumer in a manner to which they are accustomed with our self-service kiosks. Making the purchase process easy on the consumer is going to be critical to the success of cryptocurrency, and we feel that we have the team and the platform to do just that." Members of the Cedar Point Solutions team will be in attendance at Retail's Big Show 2015 , the National Retail Federation's flagship industry event taking place in New York City from January 11-14, 2015. About Ziftr ® Established in 2008 and based in Milford, New Hampshire, Ziftr revolutionizes the online shopping experience through the development of innovative products, tools and apps that make life easier for both consumers and retailers. The company's first tools, a browser add-on and mobile app that connect shoppers with the best deals at their favorite online retailers, have had more than 2.5 million downloads. Ziftr is a product of myVBO®, a full-service design, marketing and development company that helps businesses turn their ambitions into realities. For more information about Ziftr, visit www.ziftr.com . About ziftrCOIN ™ ziftrCOIN, the first digital currency developed for online shoppers, aims to revolutionize e-commerce by putting cryptocurrency into the hands of consumers and enabling them to conduct simple, secure transactions at their favorite online retailers. For more information about ziftrCOIN, visit: www.ziftrCOIN.com . About ziftrPAY™ ziftrPAY is a computer application software that connects credit card processors and cryptocurrency exchanges with retailers to facilitate the processing of consumer transactions. ziftrPAY enables retailers to accept both cryptocurrency and credit card payments without having to view or store the customer's credit card information. For more information about ziftrPAY, visit: http://www.ziftr.com/retailers/ . About ziftrWALLET™ ziftrWALLET Mobile, the first multicoin digital wallet to combine the security and control of a desktop wallet with the speed and convenience of a cloud wallet, stores multiple cryptocurrencies and traditional fiat currencies in one secure location. While in beta mode, ziftrWALLET Mobile works with Bitcoin, Litecoin and Dogecoin, with other popular altcoins like Primecoin, Peercoin, StartCOIN and ziftrCOIN to be added soon. For more information about ziftrWALLET Mobile, visit http://www.ziftrWALLET.com . About RedDotNet Based in Carlsbad, California, and Dover, New Hampshire, RedDotNet is a key player in the design, manufacture and deployment of interactive kiosks. The company has deployed over 20,000 kiosks worldwide in a wide range of environments. In the last two years, RedDodNet kiosks were used over 200 million times, and there are units in the field that have been in continuous operation for over 10 years. For more information about RedDotNet, visit: http://www.reddotnet.com/ . Disclaimer All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts that address future ziftrCOIN availability, or developments that the ziftrCOIN expects are forward looking statements. Although the Corporation believes the expectations expressed in such forward looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward looking statements. Factors that could cause results to differ materially from those in the forward looking statements include, but are not limited to: market volatility; continued availability of capital, financing and personnel; government regulation and laws; and general economic, market or business conditions.
| 2015-01-13 |
1,421,182,283 | 2015-01-13T20:51:23Z |
{"Bitcoin": [4714]}
|
{}
|
Genius wants to be like Wikipedia, but for the entire internet
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/genius-wants-wikipedia-entire-internet-205123223.html
|
Gigaom
|
http://gigaom.com/
|
A noticeable tremor went through the U.S. media establishment on Monday, when well-respectedNew Yorkermusic critic Sasha Frere-Jonesannounced that he was leavingthe venerable magazine to become the executive editor of a site many people have probably never heard of: calledGenius, it was formerly known as Rap Genius. In a nutshell, it allows virtually anyone to annotate or make notes on any kind of text document, anywhere on the internet. Sounds like chaos, right?
As Foster Kamer and a number of other media insiderspointed outfollowing the news, the fact that Frere-Jones might be interested in jumping from the magazine to an unproven digital-media startup shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, given that he did more or less the same thing in 2010, when he left theNew Yorkerto join The Daily —Rupert Murdoch’s ultimately futile(and expensive) attempt to build a tablet-based news organization.
Genius may not be backed by Rupert Murdoch, but it also isn’t a tiny, struggling startup: after raising money from leading Silicon Valley VC Andreessen Horowitz in 2012, the companyraised a fairly massive $40 millionlast year, which valued the venture at about $500 million. Frere-Jones certainly wouldn’t be the first traditional journalist to be seduced by the prospect of a payoff in startup equity, along with the challenge of trying something new.
The holy grail of annotation
In a post at the Genius site, Frere-Jonestalks about whyhe decided to join the company, including the fact that it appealed to him as a former musician (in an interview with theNew York Times, he also said he was looking forward tonot having to work so many nights). But one part of his post stuck out for me, and that was the part where he talked about how Genius is in sync with the essential nature of the web and “remix culture.”
“One of the web’s strengths is that it revises itself, admitting new information and incorporating dissenting views, rather than simply waving at them, regally. Genius is, by design, an open and unfinished text — a reader who doesn’t think an annotation is strong enough can log on and make that song page more robust.”
Over the past decade, there have been a number of attempts to “annotate the web,” including browser plugins that would display user-contributed notes beside a page and widgets that would pop up windows when you hit a site — Google evenhad one for awhile called Sidewiki— but not enough people ever used them. The impulse is a fundamentally web-like one, however: to allow anyone to contribute their knowledge on a topic, just as Wikipedia does.
In fact, Marc Andreessen of Andreesen Horowitz said when he invested in Genius that his interest in the companystemmed from the earliest daysof his involvement in the consumer web, when he developed one of the first graphic web browsers, known as Mosaic. “It seemed obvious to us that users would want to annotate all text on the web – our idea was that each web page would be a launchpad for insight and debate about its own contents.” But the feature known as “group annotations” was too expensive to implement.
Like web comments, but better
As part of its attempt to bring this ability to everyone with a browser, Genius recently launched a newfeature that allows a user to postan annotated version of a web page to the site with highlighted sections pointing to comments, as someone has done (predictably enough) with theNew York Timesstory about Frere-Jones joining the site:
The problem with this kind of approach, of course, should be fairly obvious to anyone who has followed the evolution of Wikipedia — not to mention anyone who has seenand been repulsed by reader commentson news stories. The issue with comments is that plenty of people think they know something but actually don’t (or just want to scrawl the equivalent of verbal graffiti where everyone can see it), but the downside of the Wikipedia approach is that editing or contributing becomes something thatonly a tiny cabalactually does.
Genius inadvertently became an example of the downside of its free-for-all approach when co-founder Mahbod Moghadamposted some offensive and misogynisticcomments on the manifesto written by multiple killer Elliott Rodger. Moghadam was eventually forced to resign, and the episode only reinforced the impression that Genius was run by “bro-grammers” with an over-inflated sense of their own worth (those who knew them in university, meanwhile,have described them as“potheads who debated Kierkegaard”).
How will it monetize?
At its best, Genius does something similar to what Quorahas also been trying to do: it allows experts to add their perspective on a topic, like when finance experts annotated a pieceabout the future of Bitcoin. And to some extent it sounds like what Sasha Frere-Jones will be doing is acting as a kind of curator — selecting contributors who can add value — as well as helping site moderators determine which annotations to keep and which to jettison:
“I’ll bring in artists to tell the stories behind recordings and help correct errors. That doesn’t mean every artist annotation has to be a tablet delivered from on high – some of my favorites are nothing like that, and show that stars can be self-deprecating, too. I’ll also be looking to expand our circle of contributors as well — people who’ve lurked, people who’ve been curious, some who’ve been critical.”
Much like early web communities such as Slashdot, Genius deputizes its own members to moderate the annotations: annotations must be approved by users, and over time regular contributors can earnwhat the site calls IQ points— which in turn allow them to remove comments or put users in the “penalty box,” a form ofsanction that prevents themfrom doing anything for a specific period of time (Slashdot’s approach involves what it calls “karma” points, which give users the right to moderate).
Moderating bad behavior is one challenge, but what could be an even bigger one is monetizing the content that it annotates,as Vox writer Timothy Lee points out. Editing song lyrics or even web pages isn’t likely to be something that appeals to a vast number of people — just as only a tiny number of contributors ever edit a Wikipedia page. So where will Genius get the kind of engaged readership that will appeal to advertisers?
Image copyrightShutterstock / B Calkins.
Related research and analysis from Gigaom Research:Subscriber content.Sign up for a free trial.
• How cloud-based analytics can help companies crowdsource intelligence
• How to utilize cloud computing, big data, and crowdsourcing for an agile enterprise
• Applying lean startup theory in large enterprises
More From paidContent.org
• Virtual reality opens new storytelling challenges for animators
| 2015-01-13 |
1,421,182,283 | 2015-01-13T20:51:23Z |
{"Bitcoin": [4769]}
|
{}
|
Genius wants to be like Wikipedia, but for the entire internet
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/genius-wants-wikipedia-entire-internet-205123223.html
|
Gigaom
|
http://gigaom.com/
|
A noticeable tremor went through the U.S. media establishment on Monday, when well-respected New Yorker music critic Sasha Frere-Jones announced that he was leaving the venerable magazine to become the executive editor of a site many people have probably never heard of: called Genius , it was formerly known as Rap Genius. In a nutshell, it allows virtually anyone to annotate or make notes on any kind of text document, anywhere on the internet. Sounds like chaos, right? As Foster Kamer and a number of other media insiders pointed out following the news, the fact that Frere-Jones might be interested in jumping from the magazine to an unproven digital-media startup shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, given that he did more or less the same thing in 2010, when he left the New Yorker to join The Daily — Rupert Murdoch’s ultimately futile (and expensive) attempt to build a tablet-based news organization. Genius may not be backed by Rupert Murdoch, but it also isn’t a tiny, struggling startup: after raising money from leading Silicon Valley VC Andreessen Horowitz in 2012, the company raised a fairly massive $40 million last year, which valued the venture at about $500 million. Frere-Jones certainly wouldn’t be the first traditional journalist to be seduced by the prospect of a payoff in startup equity, along with the challenge of trying something new. The holy grail of annotation In a post at the Genius site, Frere-Jones talks about why he decided to join the company, including the fact that it appealed to him as a former musician (in an interview with the New York Times , he also said he was looking forward to not having to work so many nights ). But one part of his post stuck out for me, and that was the part where he talked about how Genius is in sync with the essential nature of the web and “remix culture.” “One of the web’s strengths is that it revises itself, admitting new information and incorporating dissenting views, rather than simply waving at them, regally. Genius is, by design, an open and unfinished text — a reader who doesn’t think an annotation is strong enough can log on and make that song page more robust.” Story continues Over the past decade, there have been a number of attempts to “annotate the web,” including browser plugins that would display user-contributed notes beside a page and widgets that would pop up windows when you hit a site — Google even had one for awhile called Sidewiki — but not enough people ever used them. The impulse is a fundamentally web-like one, however: to allow anyone to contribute their knowledge on a topic, just as Wikipedia does. In fact, Marc Andreessen of Andreesen Horowitz said when he invested in Genius that his interest in the company stemmed from the earliest days of his involvement in the consumer web, when he developed one of the first graphic web browsers, known as Mosaic. “It seemed obvious to us that users would want to annotate all text on the web – our idea was that each web page would be a launchpad for insight and debate about its own contents.” But the feature known as “group annotations” was too expensive to implement. Like web comments, but better As part of its attempt to bring this ability to everyone with a browser, Genius recently launched a new feature that allows a user to post an annotated version of a web page to the site with highlighted sections pointing to comments, as someone has done (predictably enough) with the New York Times story about Frere-Jones joining the site: The problem with this kind of approach, of course, should be fairly obvious to anyone who has followed the evolution of Wikipedia — not to mention anyone who has seen and been repulsed by reader comments on news stories. The issue with comments is that plenty of people think they know something but actually don’t (or just want to scrawl the equivalent of verbal graffiti where everyone can see it), but the downside of the Wikipedia approach is that editing or contributing becomes something that only a tiny cabal actually does. Genius inadvertently became an example of the downside of its free-for-all approach when co-founder Mahbod Moghadam posted some offensive and misogynistic comments on the manifesto written by multiple killer Elliott Rodger. Moghadam was eventually forced to resign, and the episode only reinforced the impression that Genius was run by “bro-grammers” with an over-inflated sense of their own worth (those who knew them in university, meanwhile, have described them as “potheads who debated Kierkegaard”). How will it monetize? At its best, Genius does something similar to what Quora has also been trying to do : it allows experts to add their perspective on a topic, like when finance experts annotated a piece about the future of Bitcoin . And to some extent it sounds like what Sasha Frere-Jones will be doing is acting as a kind of curator — selecting contributors who can add value — as well as helping site moderators determine which annotations to keep and which to jettison: “I’ll bring in artists to tell the stories behind recordings and help correct errors. That doesn’t mean every artist annotation has to be a tablet delivered from on high – some of my favorites are nothing like that, and show that stars can be self-deprecating, too. I’ll also be looking to expand our circle of contributors as well — people who’ve lurked, people who’ve been curious, some who’ve been critical.” Much like early web communities such as Slashdot, Genius deputizes its own members to moderate the annotations: annotations must be approved by users, and over time regular contributors can earn what the site calls IQ points — which in turn allow them to remove comments or put users in the “penalty box,” a form of sanction that prevents them from doing anything for a specific period of time (Slashdot’s approach involves what it calls “karma” points, which give users the right to moderate). Moderating bad behavior is one challenge, but what could be an even bigger one is monetizing the content that it annotates, as Vox writer Timothy Lee points out . Editing song lyrics or even web pages isn’t likely to be something that appeals to a vast number of people — just as only a tiny number of contributors ever edit a Wikipedia page. So where will Genius get the kind of engaged readership that will appeal to advertisers? Image copyright Shutterstock / B Calkins . Related research and analysis from Gigaom Research: Subscriber content. Sign up for a free trial . How cloud-based analytics can help companies crowdsource intelligence How to utilize cloud computing, big data, and crowdsourcing for an agile enterprise Applying lean startup theory in large enterprises More From paidContent.org Virtual reality opens new storytelling challenges for animators
| 2015-01-13 |
1,421,252,040 | 2015-01-14T16:14:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [0, 535, 676, 698, 866, 1011, 1071, 1089, 1171, 1717]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [0]}
|
Bitcoin Continues Downward Spiral, Plunges Below $200
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-continues-downward-spiral-plunges-161412071.html
|
Entrepreneur
|
http://www.entrepreneur.com/
|
Bitcoin continues to kick off the new year on an appalling note. Just two weeks after being named the worst-performing currency of 2014 -- and only a day after opening statements took place in the trial of the Silk Roads alleged creator -- the virtual currency has plummeted below the $200 mark. It fell with a consumer confidence-shaking thud to a low of $170.08 early this morning, down from around $244 one day earlier, nosediving by 30 percent. Related: NYC Wants Drivers to Pay For Parking Tickets Via Apple Pay, Mobile Apps and Bitcoin The price of the rapidly declining cryptochash is now inching back toward $200, hovering around $194 at press time, per the CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index . Bitcoins value hasnt dipped below $200 since October 2013. It peaked at $1,130 in December 2013, a record high for the 4-year-old digital currency. Meanwhile, global Bitcoin exchange trading volumes -- mainly sell orders -- spiked amid the price crash, tripling in the number of trades per minute, according to Bitcoinity . Related: New York Regulator Lays Out Tweaks to Bitcoin Rules The Bitcoin price freefall, along with increased mining difficulty, this week spurred Bitcoin cloud mining company CEX.IO to temporarily halt its services. Suspension of CEX.IO cloud mining service is only a forced temporary measure, the result of cloud mining costs exceeding mining profit, the startup stated in a Jan. 12 announcement . A CEX.IO representative told CoinDesk that the firm would only resume mining operations if the price of the virtual currency rises above $320. In the meantime, CEX.IO says it will continue operating its exchange platform. Related: Microsoft Is Now the Largest Company in the World to Accept Bitcoin
| 2015-01-14 |
1,421,260,733 | 2015-01-14T18:38:53Z |
{"Bitcoin": [176, 348, 1379], "BTC": [64]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [0]}
|
Bitcoin plunges 22 percent, worries keep rising
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-keeps-falling-worries-keep-150458399.html
|
CNBC
|
http://www.cnbc.com/
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Following a 15 percent drop on Tuesday, the price of bitcoin (: BTC=) took another hammering on Wednesday, making some traders worry about the stability of the cryptocurrency. Bitcoin-which saw levels above $400 in November and topped out at $1,150 in 2013-briefly fell as low as $170 in Wednesday morning trading before edging back a few dollars. Bitcoin is notoriously volatile, but its swings are often linked to news about the technological ecosystem that supports it. This time, however, the source of the day's 22 percent drop is less obvious.
Read More Major bitcoin exchange suspended after price plunge Brendan O'Connor, managing director for trading at SecondMarket, told CNBC after Tuesday's plunge that there was "no huge negative catalyst" for the move. He theorized, however, that some of the selling could be "delayed aftermath" of last week's exchange drama: Bitstamp, the second-largest bitcoin-dollar exchange, temporarily suspended its services after it said it was hacked. The exchange ultimately resumed services after admitting that about $5 million worth of bitcoins had been stolen. O'Connor said the development may have spooked some cryptocurrency speculators, as Bitstamp had a reputation as one of the more professional outfits in the bitcoin community. "I would imagine they were inundated with requests for withdrawal on Friday," he said.
Read More Bitcoin breaks another key level Another factor weighing on the cryptocurrency is that Russia is beginning to ban bitcoin-related websites, "Fast Money" trader Brian Kelly pointed out in a blog post. Still, the selling that continued into Wednesday may also be part of a vicious cycle, as some have theorized on the influential Reddit bitcoin forum. In other words, the low prices may be forcing volunteers who "mine" new bitcoins to cut their losses. If the price falls below the electricity and hardware costs of "mining" bitcoins-a process that involves solving highly complex mathematical algorithms-then the enterprise becomes unprofitable, and some miners will be forced to sell their holdings and give up. That said, bitcoin's death has been predicted many times (one site has counted 29 obituaries), and some predict that the technology behind the system could live well beyond the currency it now supports.
| 2015-01-14 |
1,421,259,470 | 2015-01-14T18:17:50Z |
{}
|
{"Bitcoin": [10]}
|
3 Reasons Bitcoin Is Having An Awful 2015
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/3-reasons-bitcoin-having-awful-181750980.html
|
Benzinga
|
http://www.benzinga.com/
|
Bitcoin fell sharply lower this week, dropping from $267 to $224 on Tuesday. The crypto-currency is down another 21 percent on Wednesday, and now trades near $177.
The coin, said to usher the world into a digital age, seems to be losing momentum as consumers lose confidence in the currency’s validity and security.
1. Hacking Attacks
The currency has proven extremely vulnerable to online hacking groups that are able to break into exchange databases and steal large amounts of Bitcoin.
Earlier this year, UK-basedBitstampwas breached and 19,000 Bitcoin were stolen. The attack served to remind the public of last year’sMt Goxhacking attack and added to the perception that Bitcoin exchanges are unsafe.
Related Link:Which Companies Accept Bitcoin?
2. Mining Issues
Bitcoin is made possible because of the people who "mine" the currency. Miners generate new Bitcoin by doing calculations and adding to Blockchain, Bitcoin’s ledger.
Because the price of Bitcoin has dropped so dramatically, many firms no longer turn a profit from these mining operations.
On Monday,CEX.ioannounced the suspension of its mining operations, saying that prices below $320 made mining economically impractical. However, with bitcoin prices looking unlikely to recover anytime soon, CEX.io could face a difficult road ahead.
3. Legal Trouble
CoinTerra, a Bitcoin mining company, is wrapped up in legal trouble at the moment. The company is not paying customers after a lawsuit with C7 Data Centers, who is looking for over $4 million in unpaid costs.
CoinTerra is now suing C7, the data center that blocked its access.
Image credit:Public Domain
See more from Benzinga
• Mortgage Refinancing May Most Benefit The Little Guys
• How A Strong Dollar Boosts Foreign Auto Sales
• The Facebook Hustle
© 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
| 2015-01-14 |
1,421,193,691 | 2015-01-14T00:01:31Z |
{"Bitcoin": [2701]}
|
{}
|
Silk Road trial to turn on true identity of “Dread Pirate Roberts”
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/silk-road-trial-turn-true-000131418.html
|
Gigaom
|
http://gigaom.com/
|
Ross Ulbricht, a young man from Texas, created a massive online market for drugs and crime known as the Silk Road, got filthy rich off digital currency and tried to murder anyone who crossed him. And he did so under the swashbuckling moniker “Dread Pirate Roberts” — unless, that is, Ulbricht was played as a patsy by therealDread Pirate who not only did all those things, but also set up Ulbricht to take the fall.
This, in a nutshell, is what a jury will have to sort in a month long-trial that began Tuesday in Manhattan. I wasn’t in the courtroom, but aWired reportpoints to the defense strategy that will be employed by Ulbricht, who chose to plead not guilty following hisdramatic arrestin a San Francisco library more than a year ago.
That strategy amounts to Ulbricht conceding that he did indeed found the Silk Road website as an anonymous market where anyone could buy anything. But Ulbricht is also claiming that he is not the Dread Pirate Roberts — the person (or people) associated with the most notorious aspects of Silk Road. As Wired reports:
[Ulbricht’s lawyer] Dratel went on to explain that the site was meant merely to be a kind of ‘economic experiment’ that Ulbricht only controlled for a brief time. The eventual adoptive owners of the Silk Road, Dratel claimed, would later trick Ulbricht into serving as the ‘fall guy’ when they sensed an impending law enforcement crackdown.
‘After a few months, he found it too stressful for him, and he handed it over to others,’ Dratel told the jury, describing the Silk Road’s early days. ‘At the end, he was lured back by those operators to … take the fall for the people running the website.’
While the argument sounds improbable to those familiar withthe lawsuit, Ulbricht’s strategy may succeed if he can befuddle the jurors over the many technological dimensions of the case — online aliases, Tor networks, bitcoins, faulty CAPTCHAs. Any such confusion is also likely to get compounded by what legal scholar Sarah Jeongdescribesas the “strange ephemerality” of much of the evidence.
Such complexity and strangeness may make it hard for the jurors to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that Ulbricht is the Dread Pirate Roberts. On the other hand, the prosecution is arriving with strong ammunition of its own, after persuading the judge not to exclude damning evidence that suggests Ulbricht tried to arrange a series of murders to cover his tracks.
We’ll provide more updates over the coming weeks about a trial that will amount to a rare public probe of some of the darkest corners of the internet.
Image copyrightEverett Collection.
Related research and analysis from Gigaom Research:Subscriber content.Sign up for a free trial.
• Bitcoin: why digital currency is the future financial system
• How to move digital marketing beyond the “Like”
• End-user computing trends to watch in early 2015
More From paidContent.org
• Virtual reality opens new storytelling challenges for animators
| 2015-01-14 |
1,421,252,040 | 2015-01-14T16:14:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [0, 530, 670, 691, 859, 1003, 1061, 1079, 1161, 1702]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [0]}
|
Bitcoin Continues Downward Spiral, Plunges Below $200
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-continues-downward-spiral-plunges-161412071.html
|
Entrepreneur
|
http://www.entrepreneur.com/
|
Bitcoin continues to kick off the new year on an appalling note. Just two weeks after being named theworst-performing currency of 2014-- and only a day afteropening statementstook place in the trial of the Silk Road’s alleged creator -- the virtual currency has plummeted below the $200 mark. It fell with a consumer confidence-shaking thud to a low of $170.08 early this morning, down from around $244 one day earlier, nosediving by 30 percent.
Related:NYC Wants Drivers to Pay For Parking Tickets Via Apple Pay, Mobile Apps and Bitcoin
The price of the rapidly declining cryptochash is now inching back toward $200, hovering around $194 at press time, per theCoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index. Bitcoin’s value hasn’t dipped below $200 since October 2013. It peaked at $1,130 in December 2013, a record high for the 4-year-old digital currency.
Meanwhile, global Bitcoin exchange trading volumes -- mainly sell orders -- spiked amid the price crash, tripling in the number of trades per minute, according toBitcoinity.
Related:New York Regulator Lays Out Tweaks to Bitcoin Rules
The Bitcoin price freefall, along with increased mining difficulty, this week spurred Bitcoin cloud mining company CEX.IO to temporarily halt its services. “Suspension of CEX.IO cloud mining service is only a forced temporary measure, the result of cloud mining costs exceeding mining profit,” the startup stated in a Jan. 12announcement. A CEX.IO representativetold CoinDeskthat the firm would only resume mining operations if the price of the virtual currency rises above $320. In the meantime, CEX.IO says it will continue operating its exchange platform.
Related:Microsoft Is Now the Largest Company in the World to Accept Bitcoin
| 2015-01-14 |
1,421,252,040 | 2015-01-14T16:14:00Z |
{}
|
{"Bitcoin": [0]}
|
Bitcoin Continues Downward Spiral, Plunges Below $200
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-continues-downward-spiral-plunges-161412071.html
|
Entrepreneur
|
http://www.entrepreneur.com/
|
Bitcoin continues to kick off the new year on an appalling note. Just two weeks after being named theworst-performing currency of 2014-- and only a day afteropening statementstook place in the trial of the Silk Road’s alleged creator -- the virtual currency has plummeted below the $200 mark. It fell with a consumer confidence-shaking thud to a low of $170.08 early this morning, down from around $244 one day earlier, nosediving by 30 percent.
Related:NYC Wants Drivers to Pay For Parking Tickets Via Apple Pay, Mobile Apps and Bitcoin
The price of the rapidly declining cryptochash is now inching back toward $200, hovering around $194 at press time, per theCoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index. Bitcoin’s value hasn’t dipped below $200 since October 2013. It peaked at $1,130 in December 2013, a record high for the 4-year-old digital currency.
Meanwhile, global Bitcoin exchange trading volumes -- mainly sell orders -- spiked amid the price crash, tripling in the number of trades per minute, according toBitcoinity.
Related:New York Regulator Lays Out Tweaks to Bitcoin Rules
The Bitcoin price freefall, along with increased mining difficulty, this week spurred Bitcoin cloud mining company CEX.IO to temporarily halt its services. “Suspension of CEX.IO cloud mining service is only a forced temporary measure, the result of cloud mining costs exceeding mining profit,” the startup stated in a Jan. 12announcement. A CEX.IO representativetold CoinDeskthat the firm would only resume mining operations if the price of the virtual currency rises above $320. In the meantime, CEX.IO says it will continue operating its exchange platform.
Related:Microsoft Is Now the Largest Company in the World to Accept Bitcoin
| 2015-01-14 |
1,421,256,600 | 2015-01-14T17:30:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [9721]}
|
{}
|
How the Next Five Years Will Revolutionize Business
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/next-five-years-revolutionize-business-173000054.html
|
Entrepreneur
|
http://www.entrepreneur.com/
|
It’s 2015. The arrival of any new year inevitably provokes discussion on how the next 12 months will unfold, but with the pace of innovation accelerating faster than ever before, progressive entrepreneurs should be looking even further ahead and adapting their businesses for a new decade.
The period between 2015 and 2020 is poised to redefine virtually every facet of how we live and work. It probably won’t bring jetpacks and hoverboards, but it will usher in other radical technologies, business models, customer experiences and even a new breed of entrepreneurs—a wave of so-called digital natives who think and act differently from every generation before them.
Entrepreneurasked leading futurists and cultural anthropologists what this brave new world will be like, how it will evolve and what you need to know to thrive within it. In short: how to play chess while everyone else is playing checkers. Here are their forecasts, in their own words.
Tom Cheesewrightfounded the applied futurism practice Book of the Future and is a regular presence on U.K. TV and radio. He previously launched a series of technology-driven startups, including venture-backed big data analytics firm CANDDi.
Peter Diamandisis chairman and CEO of the XPrize innovation competition, executive chairman of Silicon Valley-based teaching organization Singularity University and the founder of more than a dozen high-tech organizations.
Steven Kotlerco-founded and serves as director of research for the Flow Genome Project. Diamandis and Kotler have teamed on two books:Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You ThinkandBold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth and Impact the World.
Bob Johansenis a distinguished fellow at nonprofit research organization Institute for the Future. His latest book,The Reciprocity Advantage: A New Way to Partner for Innovation and Growth(written with Karl Ronn), argues that businesses can gain a competitive advantage by sharing assets and forming collaborative relationships.
Brian Solisis a principalanalyst at research and advisory firm Altimeter Group whose work examines disruptive technology’s impact on business and society. His latest book isWhat’s the Future of Business? Changing the Way Businesses Create Experiences.
Johansen:Business is moving from products to services to experiences. If you think about the next five years, it’s going to get harder and harder to make money in transactional businesses, so you’ve got to figure out some way to break out of that. The future of small business is more and more about mutual-benefit partnering on a global scale, which we call “the reciprocity advantage.” It involves finding your right-of-way—the space where you can innovate; finding a partner to help you do the things you can’t do alone; experimenting to learn; and then scaling.
Diamandis:Over the next five years, we’ll go from 2.5 billion people online to upward of5 billion to 7 billion online. These people represent a long tail of the economy, and there are going to be billion-dollar companies serving people across the developing world on a micro-payment level: a penny here, 10 cents there. As we bring these 3 billion to 5 billion new minds online, these individuals are now able to become entrepreneurs themselves, and the tools they can access are extraordinary.
The best way to become a billionaire is to help a billion people. Identify a product or service that can impact a billion people, begin with a near-term revenue stream and grow it using scalable, exponential technologies, gamification, crowd and community—all the tools that enable you to take big swings at the problem without having to scale a huge number of people. If you’re passionate about solving a problem, you literally can be a guy or gal in a garage using the internet and exponential tools and technologies to take on any problem at scale. An individual has the potential to impact the lives of a billion people in a decade.
Kotler:There are also exponential organizational tools, like crowdsourcing, crowdfunding and online communities. [An] extremely personalized coffee shop in a tiny town can have a global reach in ways it couldn’t before, and if it wants to suddenly morph up to a giant chain, it will have access to crowdsourcing, crowdfunding and all the stuff it needs to scale up very, very quickly.
Johansen:Cloud-served supercomputing … will disrupt the concept of scaling. Computing will increasingly occur on the network, and that means the ability to scale—to amplify—will be dramatically better than anything we’ve had before. It’s going to get easier and easier to create businesses. It used to be that startups had to buy a server or get server time somehow, but now you get it off the cloud, and if you have an idea in the morning, you can start a company in the afternoon.
Solis:The older generation is making decisions based on their experience and how they went through life—going to college, getting a job, getting married, buying a house and buying a car. Today’s generation is rethinking whether or not college is important, and whether they want full-time jobs or want to be entrepreneurs. They’re rethinking whether to buy cars because they can take Uber everywhere. They’re shedding belongings because they don’t want the burdens of ownership. Their value system is profoundly different, and they’re forming relationships with products and services based on the things they value and appreciate. They want authenticity, they want transparency, and they want to know your business is thinking about questions like sustainability.
Johansen:Digital natives—people who are now 18 or younger—are the first generation becoming adults in the age of early-stage social media, early-stage cloud-served supercomputing and quite advanced video-gaming interfaces that are many times better than what we have in offices. The digital natives are a very disruptive force. They’re very entrepreneurial and tend to have a lot of global connectivity. They’re very interested in environmental issues and sustainability. They’re the ones to watch out for.
Another future force [is what] we call “socialstructing,” which is network-based organizational structures. It’s remarkable how people can form socialstructed organizations, and they can be very disruptive in positive ways and negative ways. The big socialstructed threat now is ISIS, which has a very old theology and a cutting-edge set of digital skills.
Cheesewright:I recently got involved in an exercise looking at the future of education. We spoke to a lot of employers, and they all came back with some version of what I ended up calling “the three C’s”—the skills they want from young employees. They want them to be able to curate, and discover and qualify information; they want them to be able to create, and synthesize something new from the information they’ve discovered; and they want them to communicate, tosell their ideas to their colleagues and customers. They don’t care about the knowledge in young employees’ heads—to employers, knowledge is just the context in which the skills are taught.
Johansen:Physical stores like hardware stores or coffee shops are going to get increasingly commoditized. You already see people coming into physical stores with smartphones and doing price comparisons. That means you have to figure out how to offer something they can’t get online. It’s a world of “and”—it’s not either in-store shopping or online shopping, it’s blended-reality shopping. The value is going to come from services, and the way of delivering the value is going to come from mutual-benefit partnering. Ask yourself, How can I partner with somebody to allow me to do something I couldn’t do alone?
Cheesewright:Maybe a mom-and-pop shop has a really good local delivery service that currently only serves its own products and clientele, but could serve others. Maybe they’ve got really good business administration—is that a service they could open to others? Maybe they’ve got a storefront—can they open up space to other retailers who can’t afford the rent on their own? Breaking open your business and thinking about each different component of value and whether it can be interfaced with and offered to other parties is a really interesting model for agility moving forward.
Kotler:It’s not just the tech that’s changing. The interfaces are becoming incredibly user-friendly, and when it comes to something like 3-D printing systems, it’s plug-and-play—if you can point a mouse and click, you can print objects.
The scale of what is possible is also changing considerably. When digital technologies first started to come up, what got democratized was information sharing: “Here’s a song; you can have it for free.” But 3-D printing can democratize the entire manufacturing industry.
Diamandis:We’re also going to see a real explosion in sensor technology. Sensors are becoming extraordinarily cheap, ubiquitous and accessible, and it’s going to lead to a real revolution in data and data mining, especially in healthcare and biomedicine. We’re going to see robots entering the workspace, and we’re going to see an explosion in drone applications, with entrepreneurs utilizing them for data gathering and for services.
Another meta-trend I see is extreme personalization, where data is about what I want, when I want it and where I want it, and consequently, service providers that can provide that to me. I’ll constantly be sensed for my biomedical chemistries—I walk into a restaurant and I’m being fed the amount of calories and the vitamins I need to consume that day. Or I’m at home 3-D printing the foods I need that day.
Every business will incorporate these new technologies. You’ll have coffee shops taking Bitcoin, or coffee shops that have big data knowledge of customers—as they walk in, the drink is being prepped, because they know that every day, Steven Kotler orders the same thing. There should never be a coffee shop out of banana bread at 10 a.m., because they know exactly what their usage patterns are on that day.
All companies are going to use these technologies to be as efficient as possible. Their job is to layer on top of that culture, comfort and familiarity—the human aspects of a fun place to go.
Solis:The way we go about business is slowly dying. Connected consumerism says that things are not only changing, but are so radically different that the business models we have today cannot support a much more dynamic approach to the market. Even if you’re over the age of 35, if you use an iPad or social networks or apps, you slowly start to act like a Millennial. It influences how you make decisions and where you go for information. All of this starts to add up differently from being a traditional customer: The touchpoints, the screens we use, our expectations—we become more demanding, more informed and more connected.
Johansen:[Another] force is gameful engagement. It’s not just gamifying, but changing the nature of work to add a playful and engaging element. It’s how you engage with people on their terms—not just pushing product at them, but something like the Doritos “Crash the Super Bowl” contest, which gives anybody the chance to do a commercial that Doritos will show during the Super Bowl. It’s the future of marketing and advertising, and the digitalnatives are going to require it.
Solis:The research you do around the digital customer experience allows you to understand where you’re going to make your investments. A lot of times, people go to market believing that the functions of sales and marketing and services are just the bolt-on pieces to go and be successful around your vision and your product, when in fact, it’s the opposite.
Solis:Ideas don’t really count until you can demonstrate relevance, engagement and momentum. Entrepreneurs who have a purpose will succeed, as opposed to entrepreneurs who have a product. If you don’t understand this, you’redestined to be irrelevant because you never tried to be relevant in the first place.
Cheesewright:If you give a kid a die-cast toy car for Christmas, chances are it won’t last a month as a favorite toy. But if you give him a box of Lego bricks, he’s probably going to get two, three, four, five or 10 years of use [out of them]. That’s because no matter what instructions are on the back of the Lego package or what picture is on the front, it can be adapted to be something else.
Historically, business has focused heavily on optimization: We tried to make every business as efficient as it could be at what it did. But I would argue that today it’s more important to change than it is to optimize, because the rate of change around us is accelerating. The better you become at one thing, the deeper into your rut you go, and the harder it is to get out of that rut when change comes.
Johansen:The future of small business is very bright, because you’ve got this potential to create new business models and partner with very small or very large organizations, and then to scale much more quickly than before. This is entrepreneurial heaven we’re approaching here. If you’ve got a great idea and the ability to pull together a company, there’s no better time in history to do it.
| 2015-01-14 |
1,421,260,733 | 2015-01-14T18:38:53Z |
{}
|
{"Bitcoin": [0]}
|
Bitcoin plunges 22 percent, worries keep rising
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-keeps-falling-worries-keep-150458399.html
|
CNBC
|
http://www.cnbc.com/
|
Following a 15 percent drop on Tuesday, the price of bitcoin (: BTC=) took another hammering on Wednesday, making some traders worry about the stability of the cryptocurrency. Bitcoin-which saw levels above $400 in November and topped out at $1,150 in 2013-briefly fell as low as $170 in Wednesday morning trading before edging back a few dollars. Bitcoin is notoriously volatile, but its swings are often linked to news about the technological ecosystem that supports it. This time, however, the source of the day's 22 percent drop is less obvious.
Read More Major bitcoin exchange suspended after price plunge Brendan O'Connor, managing director for trading at SecondMarket, told CNBC after Tuesday's plunge that there was "no huge negative catalyst" for the move. He theorized, however, that some of the selling could be "delayed aftermath" of last week's exchange drama: Bitstamp, the second-largest bitcoin-dollar exchange, temporarily suspended its services after it said it was hacked. The exchange ultimately resumed services after admitting that about $5 million worth of bitcoins had been stolen. O'Connor said the development may have spooked some cryptocurrency speculators, as Bitstamp had a reputation as one of the more professional outfits in the bitcoin community. "I would imagine they were inundated with requests for withdrawal on Friday," he said.
Read More Bitcoin breaks another key level Another factor weighing on the cryptocurrency is that Russia is beginning to ban bitcoin-related websites, "Fast Money" trader Brian Kelly pointed out in a blog post. Still, the selling that continued into Wednesday may also be part of a vicious cycle, as some have theorized on the influential Reddit bitcoin forum. In other words, the low prices may be forcing volunteers who "mine" new bitcoins to cut their losses. If the price falls below the electricity and hardware costs of "mining" bitcoins-a process that involves solving highly complex mathematical algorithms-then the enterprise becomes unprofitable, and some miners will be forced to sell their holdings and give up. That said, bitcoin's death has been predicted many times (one site has counted 29 obituaries), and some predict that the technology behind the system could live well beyond the currency it now supports.
| 2015-01-14 |
1,421,260,733 | 2015-01-14T18:38:53Z |
{"Bitcoin": [176, 348, 1379], "BTC": [64]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [0]}
|
Bitcoin plunges 22 percent, worries keep rising
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoin-keeps-falling-worries-keep-150458399.html
|
CNBC
|
http://www.cnbc.com/
|
Following a 15 percent drop on Tuesday, the price of bitcoin (: BTC=) took another hammering on Wednesday, making some traders worry about the stability of the cryptocurrency. Bitcoin-which saw levels above $400 in November and topped out at $1,150 in 2013-briefly fell as low as $170 in Wednesday morning trading before edging back a few dollars. Bitcoin is notoriously volatile, but its swings are often linked to news about the technological ecosystem that supports it. This time, however, the source of the day's 22 percent drop is less obvious. Read More Major bitcoin exchange suspended after price plunge Brendan O'Connor, managing director for trading at SecondMarket, told CNBC after Tuesday's plunge that there was "no huge negative catalyst" for the move. He theorized, however, that some of the selling could be "delayed aftermath" of last week's exchange drama: Bitstamp, the second-largest bitcoin-dollar exchange, temporarily suspended its services after it said it was hacked. The exchange ultimately resumed services after admitting that about $5 million worth of bitcoins had been stolen. O'Connor said the development may have spooked some cryptocurrency speculators, as Bitstamp had a reputation as one of the more professional outfits in the bitcoin community. "I would imagine they were inundated with requests for withdrawal on Friday," he said. Read More Bitcoin breaks another key level Another factor weighing on the cryptocurrency is that Russia is beginning to ban bitcoin-related websites, "Fast Money" trader Brian Kelly pointed out in a blog post. Still, the selling that continued into Wednesday may also be part of a vicious cycle, as some have theorized on the influential Reddit bitcoin forum. In other words, the low prices may be forcing volunteers who "mine" new bitcoins to cut their losses. If the price falls below the electricity and hardware costs of "mining" bitcoins-a process that involves solving highly complex mathematical algorithms-then the enterprise becomes unprofitable, and some miners will be forced to sell their holdings and give up. That said, bitcoin's death has been predicted many times (one site has counted 29 obituaries), and some predict that the technology behind the system could live well beyond the currency it now supports.
| 2015-01-14 |
1,421,259,470 | 2015-01-14T18:17:50Z |
{"Bitcoin": [0, 479, 549, 679, 746, 772, 864, 920, 959, 1342]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [10]}
|
3 Reasons Bitcoin Is Having An Awful 2015
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/3-reasons-bitcoin-having-awful-181750980.html
|
Benzinga
|
http://www.benzinga.com/
|
Bitcoin fell sharply lower this week, dropping from $267 to $224 on Tuesday. The crypto-currency is down another 21 percent on Wednesday, and now trades near $177. The coin, said to usher the world into a digital age, seems to be losing momentum as consumers lose confidence in the currency’s validity and security. 1. Hacking Attacks The currency has proven extremely vulnerable to online hacking groups that are able to break into exchange databases and steal large amounts of Bitcoin. Earlier this year, UK-based Bitstamp was breached and 19,000 Bitcoin were stolen. The attack served to remind the public of last year’s Mt Gox hacking attack and added to the perception that Bitcoin exchanges are unsafe. Related Link: Which Companies Accept Bitcoin? 2. Mining Issues Bitcoin is made possible because of the people who "mine" the currency. Miners generate new Bitcoin by doing calculations and adding to Blockchain, Bitcoin’s ledger. Because the price of Bitcoin has dropped so dramatically, many firms no longer turn a profit from these mining operations. On Monday, CEX.io announced the suspension of its mining operations, saying that prices below $320 made mining economically impractical. However, with bitcoin prices looking unlikely to recover anytime soon, CEX.io could face a difficult road ahead. 3. Legal Trouble CoinTerra , a Bitcoin mining company, is wrapped up in legal trouble at the moment. The company is not paying customers after a lawsuit with C7 Data Centers, who is looking for over $4 million in unpaid costs. CoinTerra is now suing C7, the data center that blocked its access. Image credit: Public Domain See more from Benzinga Mortgage Refinancing May Most Benefit The Little Guys How A Strong Dollar Boosts Foreign Auto Sales The Facebook Hustle © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
| 2015-01-14 |
1,421,324,100 | 2015-01-15T12:15:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [589, 841, 1307, 3511]}
|
{}
|
ziftrCOIN Now Accepting Dollars for Presale Cryptocurrency
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ziftrcoin-now-accepting-dollars-presale-121500073.html
|
Marketwired
|
http://www.marketwired.com/
|
BOSTON, MA--(Marketwired - Jan 15, 2015) - New Hampshire-based cryptocurrency startupziftrCOINtoday announced that it is accepting US dollars in the form of personal checks for its tokens for the remainder of theziftrCOIN presale, which runs until Jan. 23, or sooner if the coins run out.
"We think this move makes perfect sense since ziftrCOINs are meant to onboard the next 10 million cryptocurrency users, many of whom have never actually used cryptocurrency until now," said Bob Wilkins, CEO of ziftrCOIN. "By giving people the opportunity to buy ziftrCOINs with US dollars instead of Bitcoins if they so choose, we're simplifying the purchase process for millions of people who are currently unfamiliar with cryptocurrency but interested in starting to use it as a method of payment."
ziftrCOINs will still be available in exchange for Bitcoins, but presale participants will have the option of sending a check for orders of $250 or more. As of press time, nearly $675,000 of ziftrCOINs have been purchased.
The money raised during the ziftrCOIN presale will help Ziftr, the company behind ziftrCOIN, fund its goal of bringing cryptocurrency into the mainstream for both consumers and retailers. To accomplish this goal, Ziftr has developed a suite of tools and applications designed to integrate with Bitcoin, ziftrCOIN, Litecoin, Dogecoin and other popular altcoins. These includeziftrPAY, a secure API that enables retailers to accept cryptocurrency and credit card payments;ziftrWALLET, a multicoin digital wallet; andziftrSHOP, a worldwide online marketplace where consumers will be able to conduct transactions using credit cards or cryptocurrency.
During the ziftrCOIN presale, participants can buy ziftrCOINs at a low rate and earn rewards ranging from a limited-edition cold storage coin to 5 percent bonus ziftrCOINs. All purchased ziftrCOINs will become available for use in February 2015. Then, in late 2015, Ziftr will give away 300 million ziftrCOINs (a maximum of 100 ziftrCOINs to each individual) so that consumers who aren't familiar with cryptocurrency can become comfortable with it as a method of payment. Each ziftrCOIN will have a minimum redemption value of $1 when used within Ziftr's retailer network, functioning similarly to a coupon.
To participate in the ziftrCOIN presale, visithttp://www.ziftrCOIN.com/presale. To purchase ziftrCOINs via check, please visithttps://www.ziftrcoin.com/presale/?with-cash.
About ziftrCOIN™ziftrCOIN, the first digital currency developed for online shoppers, aims to revolutionize e-commerce by putting cryptocurrency into the hands of consumers and enabling them to conduct simple, secure transactions at their favorite online retailers.
For more information about ziftrCOIN, visit:www.ziftrCOIN.com.
About ziftrPAY™
ziftrPAY is a computer application software that connects credit card processors and cryptocurrency exchanges with retailers to facilitate the processing of consumer transactions. ziftrPAY enables retailers to accept both cryptocurrency and credit card payments without having to view or store the customer's credit card information.
For more information about ziftrPAY, visit:http://www.ziftr.com/retailers/.
About ziftrWALLET™
ziftrWALLET Mobile, the first multicoin digital wallet to combine the security and control of a desktop wallet with the speed and convenience of a cloud wallet, stores multiple cryptocurrencies and traditional fiat currency in one secure location. While in Beta mode, ziftrWALLET Mobile works with Bitcoin, Litecoin and Dogecoin, with other popular altcoins like Primecoin, Peercoin, StartCOIN and ziftrCOIN to be added soon.
For more information about ziftrWALLET Mobile, visithttp://www.ziftrWALLET.com.
About Ziftr®Established in 2008 and based in Milford, New Hampshire, Ziftr revolutionizes the online shopping experience through the development of innovative products, tools and apps that make life easier for both consumers and retailers. The company's first tools, a browser add-on and mobile app that connect shoppers with the best deals at their favorite online retailers, have had more than 2.5 million downloads.
Ziftr is a product of myVBO®, a full-service design, marketing and development company that helps businesses turn their ambitions into realities.
For more information about Ziftr, visitwww.ziftr.com.
DisclaimerAll statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts that address future ziftrCOIN availability, or developments that the ziftrCOIN expects are forward looking statements. Although the Corporation believes the expectations expressed in such forward looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward looking statements. Factors that could cause results to differ materially from those in the forward looking statements include, but are not limited to: market volatility; continued availability of capital, financing and personnel; government regulation and laws; and general economic, market or business conditions.
| 2015-01-15 |
1,421,339,298 | 2015-01-15T16:28:18Z |
{"Bitcoin": [1840]}
|
{}
|
1 Commodity Bulls Are Running From (Hint: It's Not Oil)
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/1-commodity-bulls-running-hint-162818328.html
|
Benzinga
|
http://www.benzinga.com/
|
Falling crude prices have caused market volatility over the past few months as investors worry about how the commodity’s slide will impact the global economy in the long run. However, many economists say it isn’t oil traders should be worried about: It's copper. Copper Sinks Copper prices plunged on Wednesday, falling to $2.5055 per pound. The fall was the commodity’s largest one-day drop in three years and sparked worries about the health of the global economy. Prices rebounded marginally on Thursday, but the question remained: Was Wednesday’s dip a sign of things to come? Economic Barometer Markets closely follow the price of copper as it is used in several industries, and therefore provides some insight into the health of the economy. On Wednesday, lackluster retail sales data from the US, and the World Bank’s decision to trim its 2015 global growth forecast all contributed to the commodity’s fall. What’s Next? While prices made a modest comeback on Thursday morning, some analysts believe copper has further to fall before hitting the bottom. Related Link: Think Twice Before Buying A Top Oil ETF According to Bloomberg, mining companies spurred on by historically high prices are expected to produce an additional 1.6 million metric tons of copper in 2015, something that could further weigh on prices. Despite that, others are optimistic that demand will recover through the second quarter. The end of China’s Lunar New Year on February 19 should help increase the nation’s appetite for the commodity as well. Some analysts are even predicting a supply deficit in 2016, suggesting copper’s roller coaster ride is near its end. Image credit: Public Domain See more from Benzinga What The Market's Reading: An Iraq Ramp-Up & Biotech Moves A Currency Question Worth Asking: Will The ECB Ease In January Or March? 3 Reasons Bitcoin Is Having An Awful 2015 © 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. View comments
| 2015-01-15 |
1,421,337,600 | 2015-01-15T16:00:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [109, 1551, 2256]}
|
{}
|
Tether Introduces Real-World Currency to the Blockchain by Going Live on Bitfinex
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tether-introduces-real-world-currency-160000085.html
|
Marketwired
|
http://www.marketwired.com/
|
HONG KONG, CHINA--(Marketwired - Jan 15, 2015) - Tether, the first real-world currency platform built on the Bitcoin blockchain and currently in private beta, today announced its first live integration with Bitfinex, the leading US Dollar digital currency exchange. For the first time, verified exchange clients can fund accounts and withdraw US Dollar balances directly and securely without using traditional financial institutions. Tether Co-Founder and CEO Reeve Collins stated, "This integration with Bitfinex is the first step into a world where traditional currencies move like bitcoins. Dollars have now inherited the portability benefits of cryptocurrency." Tether aims to accelerate the adoption of blockchain technologies by enabling individuals to use the currencies with which they are familiar on a robust, decentralized network. Users of Tether leverage a secure platform that allows deposited US Dollars (and soon Euros, Japanese Yen and others) to be converted into Tether currency on a 1-to-1 basis and held in their online or offline wallet. A spokesperson for Bitfinex said, "We see Tether as a significant optimization for the problems that plague bitcoin traders and exchanges when interfacing with the traditional banking system. We proudly support Tether and encourage other exchanges, OTC traders, and arbitrageurs to also use Tether. We believe that widespread adoption of a secure Blockchain-compatible 'crypto-dollar' will lead to better price discovery, market transparency and liquidity." A new financial platform for the Bitcoin ecosystem Each Tether is backed 1-to-1 by its corresponding currency, which can be viewed and verified in real-time via the Tether.to website and on the Blockchain. Tether will be fully transparent and audited to demonstrate 100% reserves at all times. The near-zero fees for creating and redeeming tethers, and zero-fee transfer ability incentivizes rapid adoption and widespread use. Craig Sellars, Tether Co-Founder and CTO added, "We built Tether as a non-competitive technology platform to enhance the features of all Blockchain companies by focusing on one premise -- to provide access to fiat currency on the Blockchain. A simple integration with Tether enables a new foundational layer on Bitcoin and offers a powerful utility for everyone in the ecosystem." View comments
| 2015-01-15 |
1,421,334,862 | 2015-01-15T15:14:22Z |
{"BTC": [88]}
|
{}
|
Benton Capital Terminates Agreement to Acquire Folium Life Science Inc. and Provides Update
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https://finance.yahoo.com/news/benton-capital-terminates-agreement-acquire-151422552.html
|
Marketwired
|
http://www.marketwired.com/
|
THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Jan 15, 2015) - Benton Capital Corp. (TSX VENTURE:BTC) ("Benton" or "the Company") would like to provide an update on its previously announced intent to acquire a 100% interest in Folium Life Science Inc. ("Folium"), a private company, with its head office located in Abbotsford, British Columbia. As stated in the Company's April 24, 2014 news release, the closing of the transaction is subject to obtaining all applicable regulatory and shareholder approvals in addition to Folium receiving its Ready-to-Build letter from Health Canada to become a Licensed Producer under the new Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations ("MMPR"). Folium has still not received its security clearances from Health Canada as of the closing date of the initial agreement with Benton and the timeframes for receipt of such clearances remain uncertain. Benton and Folium were unable to arrive at amenable terms in order to negotiate an extension of the acquisition agreement and as a result the agreement was terminated. The Company wishes Folium much success in the future. Benton remains committed to delivering new value to shareholders of the Company and is currently evaluating opportunities both inside and outside of the mining space and will update shareholders should something materialize. The Company remains well funded with a minimal burn rate and as such management feels Benton is well positioned to capitalize on strategic opportunities that will benefit its shareholders. About Benton Capital Corp.: The Company has over $1 million in cash, holds 1,566,623 warrants of Coro exercisable at $0.15 until December 20, 2016. In addition, Benton holds no debt and has a very low burn rate. Benton also holds the Goodchild-PGM-Copper-Nickel project located less than 4km from Stillwater's Marathon Copper-PGM deposit which is currently under development near Marathon Ontario. On behalf of the Board of Directors of Benton Capital Corp, Story continues Stephen Stares, President and CEO THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE. The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to gold price and other commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections.
| 2015-01-15 |
1,421,348,400 | 2015-01-15T19:00:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [85, 155, 828, 1366, 2028, 2542, 4402, 5146, 5227, 5572]}
|
{}
|
Gem Brings Multi-Signature Security to expresscoin's Exchange Platform, Builds New Full-Service Wallet for Digital Currency Retailer
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gem-brings-multi-signature-security-190000650.html
|
Marketwired
|
http://www.marketwired.com/
|
VENICE, CA--(Marketwired - Jan 15, 2015) - Gem ( https://gem.co/ ), the Venice-based Bitcoin startup offering a multi-signature based security platform to Bitcoin developers, today announced a progressive partnership with expresscoin ( https://www.expresscoin.com ), the fastest, easiest, and safest way to buy bitcoin, litecoin, dogecoin, blackcoin, and darkcoin. The partnership will offer Gem's scalable and secure API wallet to expresscoin users, initially powering internal accounts and operations and eventually powering co-branded end-user wallets with Gem's multi-signature security solution, thus providing an alternative to expresscoin's current bring-your-own-wallet environment. "Expresscoin has gone out of their way to increase access to bitcoin as much as possible, which is in line with our philosophy of making Bitcoin security easy for developers. From the very beginning, we wanted Gem to empower digital currency companies to focus on building great user experiences, instead of focusing on infrastructure," said Gem CEO and founder Micah Winkelspecht. "Partnering with expresscoin, one of the industry's most prominent digital currency retailers, is the next big step in showcasing how seamlessly Gem's API can integrate into other apps and services while maintaining the level of security consumers demand." Expresscoin is a Santa Monica-based Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dogecoin, Blackcoin, and Darkcoin retailer that makes the digital currency buying experience fast, safe and easy. Previously, the company required users to bring their own wallet to the site, allowing them to test various wallet offerings on the market. However, as multi-signature, hierarchical-deterministic (HD) wallets are increasingly recognized and adopted as an industry best practice, expresscoin has partnered with Gem to be able to offer a multi-sig, HD wallet as their default. Since launching at TechCrunch Disrupt's Startup Battlefield last September, Gem has already been hailed as a "game-changer" in the increasingly saturated Bitcoin and payments space. Gem's focus on developer happiness sets it apart from the rest, with an easy to use API that can be integrated into a variety of apps and services with less than ten lines of code. With their core philosophy of empowering individual sovereignty, Gem's multi-signature API wallet also stands out from typical industry custodial wallets in that Gem is never in possession of enough keys to move a customer's funds without their approval. Simplicity and security are in high demand in the Bitcoin ecosystem, which is why Gem's innovative combination of multi-signature technology, multi-factor authentication and monitoring capabilities make Gem a top API wallet choice for expresscoin and the entire digital currency community. Story continues Gem's partnership with expresscoin consists of two phases. Phase one will equip all current expresscoin internal operational wallets with Gem's multi-signature security platform. Phase two includes the release of a new, co-branded wallet that will be the default wallet for new expresscoin customers. This wallet will also be made available to existing expresscoin customers who would like to switch to the new multi-sig HD wallet from their existing wallet. This integration makes expresscoin the first major bitcoin retailer to adopt multi-sig as their security standard. The benefit of the new collaborative wallet is ultimately more security and control as it features Gem's multi-signature key system through which Gem issues three keys: two that the customer holds (one online and one stored securely offline), and a third key held by Gem as a cosigner. The three-key system ensures that the customer always has control over their funds, with possession of enough keys to move funds without Gem. Since Gem only holds one key, it can never transfer funds without the customer's approval. On the other hand, if a customer's online key becomes compromised, the attacker would be unsuccessful moving funds without Gem's cosigning key or the customer's offline key. "Keeping our customers' funds safe while allowing them full control and manageability of their coins is our number one priority," said expresscoin CEO Will Wheeler. "Gem's cutting-edge platform offers our customers the security and flexibility they desire and allows us to focus on providing a superior service." "There are thousands of Bitcoin apps with many more currently in development, but none of them will resonate with users unless they are secure and easy to use," said Gem COO Ken Miller. "2014 was a monumental year for legitimizing bitcoin as a currency. 2015 should be the year it becomes mainstream; however, crucial to its wide adoption and advancement is trust in its security, and we're excited to provide that security to expresscoin and all other apps and services." For more information about Gem, please visit: https://gem.co Twitter: @GemHQ Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gemhq LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gem-hq Github: https://github.com/gemhq Instagram: @GemHQ About Gem Gem, founded in 2014 by Micah Winkelspecht, is a simple and secure Bitcoin and cryptocurrency platform that allows developers to build feature-rich Bitcoin applications in minutes using less than ten lines of code. Gem's mission is to empower individuals to be sovereign over their own assets, starting with bitcoin. The Gem API leverages a host of security features such as multi-signature wallets and multifactor authentication to provide an easy to use, comprehensive security solution for Bitcoin and cryptocurrency apps, without ever taking possession of funds. Gem is located in Venice, CA.
| 2015-01-15 |
1,421,348,400 | 2015-01-15T19:00:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [83, 153, 824, 1362, 2024, 2538, 4382, 5116, 5197, 5542]}
|
{}
|
Gem Brings Multi-Signature Security to expresscoin's Exchange Platform, Builds New Full-Service Wallet for Digital Currency Retailer
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/gem-brings-multi-signature-security-190000650.html
|
Marketwired
|
http://www.marketwired.com/
|
VENICE, CA--(Marketwired - Jan 15, 2015) - Gem (https://gem.co/), the Venice-based Bitcoin startup offering a multi-signature based security platform to Bitcoin developers, today announced a progressive partnership with expresscoin (https://www.expresscoin.com), the fastest, easiest, and safest way to buy bitcoin, litecoin, dogecoin, blackcoin, and darkcoin. The partnership will offer Gem's scalable and secure API wallet to expresscoin users, initially powering internal accounts and operations and eventually powering co-branded end-user wallets with Gem's multi-signature security solution, thus providing an alternative to expresscoin's current bring-your-own-wallet environment.
"Expresscoin has gone out of their way to increase access to bitcoin as much as possible, which is in line with our philosophy of making Bitcoin security easy for developers. From the very beginning, we wanted Gem to empower digital currency companies to focus on building great user experiences, instead of focusing on infrastructure," said Gem CEO and founder Micah Winkelspecht. "Partnering with expresscoin, one of the industry's most prominent digital currency retailers, is the next big step in showcasing how seamlessly Gem's API can integrate into other apps and services while maintaining the level of security consumers demand."
Expresscoin is a Santa Monica-based Bitcoin, Litecoin, Dogecoin, Blackcoin, and Darkcoin retailer that makes the digital currency buying experience fast, safe and easy. Previously, the company required users to bring their own wallet to the site, allowing them to test various wallet offerings on the market. However, as multi-signature, hierarchical-deterministic (HD) wallets are increasingly recognized and adopted as an industry best practice, expresscoin has partnered with Gem to be able to offer a multi-sig, HD wallet as their default.
Since launching at TechCrunch Disrupt's Startup Battlefield last September, Gem has already been hailed as a "game-changer" in the increasingly saturated Bitcoin and payments space. Gem's focus on developer happiness sets it apart from the rest, with an easy to use API that can be integrated into a variety of apps and services with less than ten lines of code. With their core philosophy of empowering individual sovereignty, Gem's multi-signature API wallet also stands out from typical industry custodial wallets in that Gem is never in possession of enough keys to move a customer's funds without their approval. Simplicity and security are in high demand in the Bitcoin ecosystem, which is why Gem's innovative combination of multi-signature technology, multi-factor authentication and monitoring capabilities make Gem a top API wallet choice for expresscoin and the entire digital currency community.
Gem's partnership with expresscoin consists of two phases. Phase one will equip all current expresscoin internal operational wallets with Gem's multi-signature security platform. Phase two includes the release of a new, co-branded wallet that will be the default wallet for new expresscoin customers. This wallet will also be made available to existing expresscoin customers who would like to switch to the new multi-sig HD wallet from their existing wallet. This integration makes expresscoin the first major bitcoin retailer to adopt multi-sig as their security standard.
The benefit of the new collaborative wallet is ultimately more security and control as it features Gem's multi-signature key system through which Gem issues three keys: two that the customer holds (one online and one stored securely offline), and a third key held by Gem as a cosigner. The three-key system ensures that the customer always has control over their funds, with possession of enough keys to move funds without Gem. Since Gem only holds one key, it can never transfer funds without the customer's approval. On the other hand, if a customer's online key becomes compromised, the attacker would be unsuccessful moving funds without Gem's cosigning key or the customer's offline key.
"Keeping our customers' funds safe while allowing them full control and manageability of their coins is our number one priority," said expresscoin CEO Will Wheeler. "Gem's cutting-edge platform offers our customers the security and flexibility they desire and allows us to focus on providing a superior service."
"There are thousands of Bitcoin apps with many more currently in development, but none of them will resonate with users unless they are secure and easy to use," said Gem COO Ken Miller. "2014 was a monumental year for legitimizing bitcoin as a currency. 2015 should be the year it becomes mainstream; however, crucial to its wide adoption and advancement is trust in its security, and we're excited to provide that security to expresscoin and all other apps and services."
For more information about Gem, please visit:https://gem.coTwitter: @GemHQFacebook:http://www.facebook.com/gemhqLinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/gem-hqGithub:https://github.com/gemhqInstagram: @GemHQ
About GemGem, founded in 2014 by Micah Winkelspecht, is a simple and secure Bitcoin and cryptocurrency platform that allows developers to build feature-rich Bitcoin applications in minutes using less than ten lines of code. Gem's mission is to empower individuals to be sovereign over their own assets, starting with bitcoin. The Gem API leverages a host of security features such as multi-signature wallets and multifactor authentication to provide an easy to use, comprehensive security solution for Bitcoin and cryptocurrency apps, without ever taking possession of funds. Gem is located in Venice, CA.
| 2015-01-15 |
1,421,334,862 | 2015-01-15T15:14:22Z |
{"BTC": [88]}
|
{}
|
Benton Capital Terminates Agreement to Acquire Folium Life Science Inc. and Provides Update
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/benton-capital-terminates-agreement-acquire-151422552.html
|
Marketwired
|
http://www.marketwired.com/
|
THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Jan 15, 2015) - Benton Capital Corp. (TSX VENTURE:BTC) ("Benton" or "the Company") would like to provide an update on its previously announced intent to acquire a 100% interest in Folium Life Science Inc. ("Folium"), a private company, with its head office located in Abbotsford, British Columbia. As stated in the Company's April 24, 2014 news release, the closing of the transaction is subject to obtaining all applicable regulatory and shareholder approvals in addition to Folium receiving its Ready-to-Build letter from Health Canada to become a Licensed Producer under the new Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations ("MMPR").
Folium has still not received its security clearances from Health Canada as of the closing date of the initial agreement with Benton and the timeframes for receipt of such clearances remain uncertain. Benton and Folium were unable to arrive at amenable terms in order to negotiate an extension of the acquisition agreement and as a result the agreement was terminated. The Company wishes Folium much success in the future.
Benton remains committed to delivering new value to shareholders of the Company and is currently evaluating opportunities both inside and outside of the mining space and will update shareholders should something materialize. The Company remains well funded with a minimal burn rate and as such management feels Benton is well positioned to capitalize on strategic opportunities that will benefit its shareholders.
About Benton Capital Corp.:
The Company has over $1 million in cash, holds 1,566,623 warrants of Coro exercisable at $0.15 until December 20, 2016. In addition, Benton holds no debt and has a very low burn rate. Benton also holds the Goodchild-PGM-Copper-Nickel project located less than 4km from Stillwater's Marathon Copper-PGM deposit which is currently under development near Marathon Ontario.
On behalf of the Board of Directors of Benton Capital Corp,
Stephen Stares, President and CEO
THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE HAS NOT REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.
The information contained herein contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking statements relate to information that is based on assumptions of management, forecasts of future results, and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. Any statements that express predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not statements of historical fact and may be "forward-looking statements."
Forward-looking statements are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements, including, without limitation: risks related to failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis and on acceptable terms; risks related to the outcome of legal proceedings; political and regulatory risks associated with mining and exploration; risks related to the maintenance of stock exchange listings; risks related to environmental regulation and liability; the potential for delays in exploration or development activities or the completion of feasibility studies; the uncertainty of profitability; risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results, the geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits; risks related to the inherent uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses; results of prefeasibility and feasibility studies, and the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations; risks related to gold price and other commodity price fluctuations; and other risks and uncertainties related to the Company's prospects, properties and business detailed elsewhere in the Company's disclosure record. Should one or more of these risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty to forward-looking statements. These forward looking statements are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances. Actual events or results could differ materially from the Company's expectations or projections.
| 2015-01-15 |
1,421,337,600 | 2015-01-15T16:00:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [109, 1551, 2256]}
|
{}
|
Tether Introduces Real-World Currency to the Blockchain by Going Live on Bitfinex
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/tether-introduces-real-world-currency-160000085.html
|
Marketwired
|
http://www.marketwired.com/
|
HONG KONG, CHINA--(Marketwired - Jan 15, 2015) - Tether, the first real-world currency platform built on the Bitcoin blockchain and currently in private beta, today announced its first live integration with Bitfinex, the leading US Dollar digital currency exchange. For the first time, verified exchange clients can fund accounts and withdraw US Dollar balances directly and securely without using traditional financial institutions.
Tether Co-Founder and CEO Reeve Collins stated, "This integration with Bitfinex is the first step into a world where traditional currencies move like bitcoins. Dollars have now inherited the portability benefits of cryptocurrency."
Tether aims to accelerate the adoption of blockchain technologies by enabling individuals to use the currencies with which they are familiar on a robust, decentralized network. Users of Tether leverage a secure platform that allows deposited US Dollars (and soon Euros, Japanese Yen and others) to be converted into Tether currency on a 1-to-1 basis and held in their online or offline wallet.
A spokesperson for Bitfinex said, "We see Tether as a significant optimization for the problems that plague bitcoin traders and exchanges when interfacing with the traditional banking system. We proudly support Tether and encourage other exchanges, OTC traders, and arbitrageurs to also use Tether. We believe that widespread adoption of a secure Blockchain-compatible 'crypto-dollar' will lead to better price discovery, market transparency and liquidity."
A new financial platform for the Bitcoin ecosystem
Each Tether is backed 1-to-1 by its corresponding currency, which can be viewed and verified in real-time via the Tether.to website and on the Blockchain. Tether will be fully transparent and audited to demonstrate 100% reserves at all times. The near-zero fees for creating and redeeming tethers, and zero-fee transfer ability incentivizes rapid adoption and widespread use.
Craig Sellars, Tether Co-Founder and CTO added, "We built Tether as a non-competitive technology platform to enhance the features of all Blockchain companies by focusing on one premise -- to provide access to fiat currency on the Blockchain. A simple integration with Tether enables a new foundational layer on Bitcoin and offers a powerful utility for everyone in the ecosystem."
| 2015-01-15 |
1,421,324,100 | 2015-01-15T12:15:00Z |
{"Bitcoin": [593, 845, 1311, 3547]}
|
{}
|
ziftrCOIN Now Accepting Dollars for Presale Cryptocurrency
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ziftrcoin-now-accepting-dollars-presale-121500073.html
|
Marketwired
|
http://www.marketwired.com/
|
BOSTON, MA--(Marketwired - Jan 15, 2015) - New Hampshire-based cryptocurrency startup ziftrCOIN today announced that it is accepting US dollars in the form of personal checks for its tokens for the remainder of the ziftrCOIN presale , which runs until Jan. 23, or sooner if the coins run out. "We think this move makes perfect sense since ziftrCOINs are meant to onboard the next 10 million cryptocurrency users, many of whom have never actually used cryptocurrency until now," said Bob Wilkins, CEO of ziftrCOIN. "By giving people the opportunity to buy ziftrCOINs with US dollars instead of Bitcoins if they so choose, we're simplifying the purchase process for millions of people who are currently unfamiliar with cryptocurrency but interested in starting to use it as a method of payment." ziftrCOINs will still be available in exchange for Bitcoins, but presale participants will have the option of sending a check for orders of $250 or more. As of press time, nearly $675,000 of ziftrCOINs have been purchased. The money raised during the ziftrCOIN presale will help Ziftr, the company behind ziftrCOIN, fund its goal of bringing cryptocurrency into the mainstream for both consumers and retailers. To accomplish this goal, Ziftr has developed a suite of tools and applications designed to integrate with Bitcoin, ziftrCOIN, Litecoin, Dogecoin and other popular altcoins. These include ziftrPAY , a secure API that enables retailers to accept cryptocurrency and credit card payments; ziftrWALLET , a multicoin digital wallet; and ziftrSHOP , a worldwide online marketplace where consumers will be able to conduct transactions using credit cards or cryptocurrency. During the ziftrCOIN presale, participants can buy ziftrCOINs at a low rate and earn rewards ranging from a limited-edition cold storage coin to 5 percent bonus ziftrCOINs. All purchased ziftrCOINs will become available for use in February 2015. Then, in late 2015, Ziftr will give away 300 million ziftrCOINs (a maximum of 100 ziftrCOINs to each individual) so that consumers who aren't familiar with cryptocurrency can become comfortable with it as a method of payment. Each ziftrCOIN will have a minimum redemption value of $1 when used within Ziftr's retailer network, functioning similarly to a coupon. Story continues To participate in the ziftrCOIN presale, visit http://www.ziftrCOIN.com/presale . To purchase ziftrCOINs via check, please visit https://www.ziftrcoin.com/presale/?with-cash . About ziftrCOIN ™ ziftrCOIN, the first digital currency developed for online shoppers, aims to revolutionize e-commerce by putting cryptocurrency into the hands of consumers and enabling them to conduct simple, secure transactions at their favorite online retailers. For more information about ziftrCOIN, visit: www.ziftrCOIN.com . About ziftrPAY™ ziftrPAY is a computer application software that connects credit card processors and cryptocurrency exchanges with retailers to facilitate the processing of consumer transactions. ziftrPAY enables retailers to accept both cryptocurrency and credit card payments without having to view or store the customer's credit card information. For more information about ziftrPAY, visit: http://www.ziftr.com/retailers/ . About ziftrWALLET™ ziftrWALLET Mobile, the first multicoin digital wallet to combine the security and control of a desktop wallet with the speed and convenience of a cloud wallet, stores multiple cryptocurrencies and traditional fiat currency in one secure location. While in Beta mode, ziftrWALLET Mobile works with Bitcoin, Litecoin and Dogecoin, with other popular altcoins like Primecoin, Peercoin, StartCOIN and ziftrCOIN to be added soon. For more information about ziftrWALLET Mobile, visit http://www.ziftrWALLET.com . About Ziftr ® Established in 2008 and based in Milford, New Hampshire, Ziftr revolutionizes the online shopping experience through the development of innovative products, tools and apps that make life easier for both consumers and retailers. The company's first tools, a browser add-on and mobile app that connect shoppers with the best deals at their favorite online retailers, have had more than 2.5 million downloads. Ziftr is a product of myVBO®, a full-service design, marketing and development company that helps businesses turn their ambitions into realities. For more information about Ziftr, visit www.ziftr.com . Disclaimer All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts that address future ziftrCOIN availability, or developments that the ziftrCOIN expects are forward looking statements. Although the Corporation believes the expectations expressed in such forward looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward looking statements. Factors that could cause results to differ materially from those in the forward looking statements include, but are not limited to: market volatility; continued availability of capital, financing and personnel; government regulation and laws; and general economic, market or business conditions.
| 2015-01-15 |
1,421,339,298 | 2015-01-15T16:28:18Z |
{"Bitcoin": [1844]}
|
{}
|
1 Commodity Bulls Are Running From (Hint: It's Not Oil)
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/1-commodity-bulls-running-hint-162818328.html
|
Benzinga
|
http://www.benzinga.com/
|
Falling crude prices have caused market volatility over the past few months as investors worry about how the commodity’s slide will impact the global economy in the long run. However, many economists say it isn’t oil traders should be worried about: It's copper.
Copper Sinks
Copper prices plunged on Wednesday, falling to $2.5055 per pound. The fall was the commodity’s largest one-day drop in three years and sparked worries about the health of the global economy.
Prices rebounded marginally on Thursday, but the question remained: Was Wednesday’s dip a sign of things to come?
Economic Barometer
Markets closely follow the price of copper as it is used in several industries, and therefore provides some insight into the health of the economy.
On Wednesday, lackluster retail sales data from the US, and the World Bank’s decision to trim its 2015 global growth forecast all contributed to the commodity’s fall.
What’s Next?
While prices made a modest comeback on Thursday morning, some analysts believe copper has further to fall before hitting the bottom.
Related Link:Think Twice Before Buying A Top Oil ETF
According to Bloomberg, mining companies spurred on by historically high prices are expected to produce an additional 1.6 million metric tons of copper in 2015, something that could further weigh on prices.
Despite that, others are optimistic that demand will recover through the second quarter.
The end of China’s Lunar New Year on February 19 should help increase the nation’s appetite for the commodity as well. Some analysts are even predicting a supply deficit in 2016, suggesting copper’s roller coaster ride is near its end.
Image credit:Public Domain
See more from Benzinga
• What The Market's Reading: An Iraq Ramp-Up & Biotech Moves
• A Currency Question Worth Asking: Will The ECB Ease In January Or March?
• 3 Reasons Bitcoin Is Having An Awful 2015
© 2015 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
| 2015-01-15 |
1,421,452,269 | 2015-01-16T23:51:09Z |
{"BTC": [2542]}
|
{}
|
7 ways to play the Swiss franc fallout
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/7-ways-play-swiss-franc-235109198.html
|
CNBC
|
http://www.cnbc.com/
|
The Swiss National Bank's decision to remove its peg of the Swiss franc's value to the euro disrupted markets for a second day on Friday. Among the biggest losers was retail foreign exchange broker FXCM, which took huge losses before Leucadia National(LUK)gave it a $300 million bailout on Friday afternoon.
Effects continue to pop up around the globe, and CNBC's "Fast Money" traders looked at how to play the ongoing uncertainty. Trader Brian Kelly set his sights on the next big currency move, which he believes could be the devaluation of the Chinese yuan(Exchange:CNY=).
Read MoreLeucadia to provide $300M in financing to FXCM
The yuan has started to move lower against the dollar, and the falling currency could provide a short move, he argued.
"To boost exports, they are going to need a weaker currency, and they're already starting to do it," Kelly said.
For the second straight day, gold's reaction to global events caught trader Guy Adami's eye. Gold(CEC:Commodities Exchange Centre: @GC.1), which ended at $1,276 on Friday, should continue to surge in the wake of the Swiss central bank's decision.
"I think the gold market wants to go higher. I think there's definitely a blue sky there," Adami said.
Read MoreSwiss shock no 'game changer' for gold?
A rise in gold should prove a boon to gold miners, Adami said. He continues to tout the Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF(NYSE Arca: GDX), which jumped more than 3 percent on Friday.
The wider commodities market should also climb from its current point, trader Tim Seymour said. He pointed to the Commodity Research Bureau Index, which he believes has hit a key level that signals commodities have neared a bottom.
"People are missing the fact that demand does increase, even though this has been a supply event. I think commodities are going higher," Seymour said.
Read MoreWhy commodities are taking a beating again
With some potential promise in commodities and construction, Caterpillar(CAT)has room to rebound on the upside, the traders said. The stock has fallen about 8 percent in the last year.
"No way would I be shorting Caterpillar here. Actually, it's a place you might be taking a look," Seymour said.
Trader disclosure: On January 16, 2015, the following stocks and commodities mentioned or intended to be mentioned on CNBC's "Fast Money" were owned by the "Fast Money" traders: Tim Seymour is long AAPL, BAC, C, DIS, F, GE, GM, GOOGL, INTC, BX, SUNE, Tim's firm is long BABA, BIDU, CCU, DSKY, KNDI, MCD, NKE, NOK, PBR, SINA, TSL, VIP. Brian Kelly is long BBRY calls, BTC=, CTRL calls, GCG5, HYG puts, Yen, TWTR call spreads, he is short EWA, EWG, EWQ, EWZ, EWH, EWW, US Dollar, Yuan, HGH5, today he bought GCG5, today he sold TLT, ZBH15, ZBH, today he covered his short in ESH5. Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS, INTC, Guy Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck. Steve Grasso is long AAPL, BA, CLVS, EVGN, FB, GDX, GOOGL, IMMR, KBH, KDUS, MBLY, MHY, MJNA, NVIV, PFE, POT, SO, T, TMUS, TWTR, YHOO, his kids are long EFG, EFA, EWJ, IJR, SPY his firm is long APA, APC, DHI, DNR, OXY, MTH.
| 2015-01-16 |
1,421,441,282 | 2015-01-16T20:48:02Z |
{"Bitcoin": [227, 659, 831, 949, 1190, 1770, 1847, 1926, 2102, 2302, 2728, 3945]}
|
{"Bitcoin": [49]}
|
Deep Web Drug Dealers Are Freaking Out About The Bitcoin Crash
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/deep-drug-dealers-freaking-bitcoin-204802883.html
|
Business Insider
|
http://www.businessinsider.com/
|
REUTERS/Enrique Castro-Mendivil All manner of illegal drugs are available on the deep web.
"Fantastic!"
That's the sarcastic reaction of one deep web dealer after losing $1,000 in a single night due to this week's catastrophic Bitcoin price crash.
The virtual currency has been declining in value for all of 2014, but it began 2015 particularly badly —losing 30% of its value in a matter of days. At the time of writing, the cryptocurrency is sitting relatively stably around the $205-mark. But it's a level not seen since the end of October 2013, and well below its $350 valuation just a month ago.
The price drop has had a damaging impact on the mainstream Bitcoin economy. One mining operation has already beenforced to temporarily close its doorsbecause it's no longer profitable. Other businesses are being forced to sell off Bitcoin reserves in order to stay afloat —risking driving prices down further.
But that’s just legitimate businesses. Bitcoin’s growth has been built upon far more nefarious uses — chief among them: buying and selling drugs online. And it turns out drug dealers are freaking out about the price crash just as much as everyone else.
CoinDesk A recent chart of Bitcoin's price decline over the past month.
Drug dealers and their customers have spent days lamenting over the decline using forums accessible only through anonymising software Tor. “Out a couple of thousand over this,” writes one dealer. “Bad f---ing time to start up. I really hope it bounces back and stays there. I can’t believe how fast they’re dropping. $330 to 280 to 220 in just a few weeks. Bye bye profit.”
“I am losing losing 10-20% on all orders in escrow now!” says another. “Make that 30%!!! There goes all profit! FML.”
Deep web markets almost exclusively accept Bitcoin as payment, and typically adjust prices automatically to account for Bitcoin’s fluctuations. The customer will always pay the same dollars-worth of Bitcoin, the amount varying depending on the exact price of the virtual currency at the time of purchase. It means that if a vendor makes some big sales, and then the price of Bitcoin plummets before they cash out, they can find their profits slashed, or even losing significant amounts of money.
Deep web
One user suggests that vendors should weather the storm and buy up in Bitcoin, in anticipation of a rise. “The people this is bad for is buyers who are getting less and less for the coins they bought,” they argue. Another says they’ve “bought a chunk to last me 6 months. Surely it won’t go lower.”
But others disagree. “Some of the really big sellers might be able to do that,” a dealer writes, “but many of us have overhead costs that need to be paid to keep the business running! I believe in Bitcoin’s future and try to hold, but when you have been holding since around $800 and you need to cash out under 200, it hurts!”
Evolution
One deep web cocaine dealer spoke to Business Insider about the price crash. “It’s pretty damn sad,” they said. “We have worked so hard over the past 3 months, and for profits to get halved? It’s hard to swallow, simple as that, but what can you do. It’s a gamble, whether you hold or sell.”
They'd cashed out and had a massive payday during the bubble in November 2013, so they weren't immediately hurt by the dropping prices. But it’s still “hard work down the toilet.” And other, newer dealers don't have that luxury: they’ll be forced to sell reserves at a loss just to keep going (and potentially forcing the price down even more in the process).
There's been a "slight drop" in sales over the last few days, the dealer said, but it's too early to say what's the cause. As for the future, “it might drop a little or might go up a little… we will just have to ride it out :)”
More From Business Insider
• Major Silk Road Drug Dealer Known As 'CALIGIRL' Sentenced To Nearly 6 Years In Prison
• Both Of The Men Accused Of Running The Silk Road Made The Exact Same Mistake
• 'Bitcoin Jesus' Renounced His American Citizenship — So Now The US Isn't Letting Him In
| 2015-01-16 |
1,421,449,102 | 2015-01-16T22:58:22Z |
{"BTC": [669]}
|
{}
|
Your first trade for Tuesday
|
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/first-trade-tuesday-january-20-225822781.html
|
CNBC
|
http://www.cnbc.com/
|
The " Fast Money " traders announced their final trades of the day. Tim Seymour was a buyer ofITUB (Sao Paulo Stock Exchange: ITUB'-BR).Steve Grasso was a buyer of KBH (KBH).Brian Kelly was a seller of TLT (NYSE Arca: TLT).Guy Adami looked at another gold play. He was a buyer of GDX (NYSE Arca: GDX).
Trader disclosure: On January 16, 2015, the following stocks and commodities mentioned or intended to be mentioned on CNBC's "Fast Money" were owned by the "Fast Money" traders: Tim Seymour is long AAPL, BAC, C, DIS, F, GE, GM, GOOGL, INTC, BX, SUNE, Tim's firm is long BABA, BIDU, CCU, DSKY, KNDI, MCD, NKE, NOK, PBR, SINA, TSL, VIP. Brian Kelly is long BBRY calls, BTC=, CTRL calls, GCG5, HYG puts, Yen, TWTR call spreads, he is short EWA, EWG, EWQ, EWZ, EWH, EWW, US Dollar, Yuan, HGH5, today he bought GCG5, today he sold TLT, ZBH15, ZBH, today he covered his short in ESH5. Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS, INTC, Guy Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck. Steve Grasso is long AAPL, BA, CLVS, EVGN, FB, GDX, GOOGL, IMMR, KBH, KDUS, MBLY, MHY, MJNA, NVIV, PFE, POT, SO, T, TMUS, TWTR, YHOO, his kids are long EFG, EFA, EWJ, IJR, SPY his firm is long APA, APC, DHI, DNR, OXY, MTH.
| 2015-01-16 |
1,421,449,102 | 2015-01-16T22:58:22Z |
{"BTC": [671]}
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{}
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Your first trade for Tuesday
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https://finance.yahoo.com/news/first-trade-tuesday-january-20-225822781.html
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CNBC
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http://www.cnbc.com/
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The " Fast Money " traders announced their final trades of the day. Tim Seymour was a buyer ofITUB (Sao Paulo Stock Exchange: ITUB'-BR).Steve Grasso was a buyer of KBH ( KBH ).Brian Kelly was a seller of TLT (NYSE Arca: TLT).Guy Adami looked at another gold play. He was a buyer of GDX (NYSE Arca: GDX). Trader disclosure: On January 16, 2015, the following stocks and commodities mentioned or intended to be mentioned on CNBC's "Fast Money" were owned by the "Fast Money" traders: Tim Seymour is long AAPL, BAC, C, DIS, F, GE, GM, GOOGL, INTC, BX, SUNE, Tim's firm is long BABA, BIDU, CCU, DSKY, KNDI, MCD, NKE, NOK, PBR, SINA, TSL, VIP. Brian Kelly is long BBRY calls, BTC=, CTRL calls, GCG5, HYG puts, Yen, TWTR call spreads, he is short EWA, EWG, EWQ, EWZ, EWH, EWW, US Dollar, Yuan, HGH5, today he bought GCG5, today he sold TLT, ZBH15, ZBH, today he covered his short in ESH5. Guy Adami is long CELG, EXAS, INTC, Guy Adami's wife, Linda Snow, works at Merck. Steve Grasso is long AAPL, BA, CLVS, EVGN, FB, GDX, GOOGL, IMMR, KBH, KDUS, MBLY, MHY, MJNA, NVIV, PFE, POT, SO, T, TMUS, TWTR, YHOO, his kids are long EFG, EFA, EWJ, IJR, SPY his firm is long APA, APC, DHI, DNR, OXY, MTH.
| 2015-01-16 |
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