Free Republic

A new report by researchers at ETH Zurich University in Switzerland has concluded that the now-bankrupt Japan-based bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox may have lost only 386 bitcoins ($203,000) due to issues stemming from transaction malleability. The finding provides new evidence that Mt. Gox’s continued claims that issues with the Bitcoin protocol were the primary reason for its insolvency are perhaps misleading or untrue. Released on 26th March, the report was authored by Christian Decker and Professor Roger Wattenhofer, both of the university’s Distributed Computing Group (DCG). Overall, the authors found that only 302,000 bitcoins could have ever been involved in...

After Pressure, World Vision Reverses Policy on Hiring Gays By Julio Severo After a backlash from Evangelicals, World Vision, an international nonprofit ministry, has reversed its decision to allow those in same-sex marriages to be employed. Organization board leaders said in a letter to supporters Wednesday that they had made a “mistake” by changing its policy. “We are brokenhearted over the pain and confusion we have caused many of our friends, who saw this decision as a reversal of our strong commitment to Biblical authority,” the board said in the letter. The quick reversal was result of a firestorm...

World Vision to Hire Married Gay Christians By Julio Severo The prominent Christian relief agency World Vision said Monday it will hire Christians who are in homosexual marriages, a dramatic policy change on one of the most divisive moral issues facing Christian churches. World Vision President Richard Stearns told that his organization will be changing its employment policies with regard to individuals in a homosexual lifestyle. The organization previously required its some 1,100 employees at the American branch to abide by a policy that required fidelity within marriage and abstinence outside of marriage, and only recognized marriage between a...

The Bitcoin Tipping Point is coming and it will be the Big Bang of disruption in financial services, money and payments as we know them! I often think about the “tipping-point” in Bitcoin’s journey to mass adoption and regularly as myself several questions. When will it be noticeable and what will trigger it? Has it already begun or if not, how far away are we? How do you define or measure “mass adoption” of Bitcoin? A bitcoin meme of Morpheus and Neo posted online recently got me thinking again about how Bitcoin’s true exit most likely itself. Once a significant...

The prophet David gave us an insightful overview of the Torah, “He made known His acts unto Israel – His ways unto Moses.” Moses pled for the Almighty to reveal Himself to him, so the Almighty moved Moses into the cleft of the rock and covered him with His hand as the glory of YHVH approached. Moses was only allowed to see Him after He passed by. So it is, that we are seldom allowed to see what He is doing – or going to do – but in “hindsight” we can see His “ways” that so profoundly affect our...

Notoriously tight-lipped bitcoin exchange and CoinDesk Bitcoin Price Index member BTC-e is now allowing customers to withdraw funds to Visa and MasterCard debit and credit cards, with some exceptions. The company blog post, issued on 21st March, indicated that the new program is now available to customers in any country, using any currency. All customers will pay a 5% fee for the service. The new functionality is noteworthy as it will allow customers to send money to debit and credit cards issued by two of the largest and most commonly used international card issuers. At present, the transfer of funds...

A new report suggests that Mt. Gox, the now-bankrupt Japan-based exchange said to have lost 850,000 BTC in customer funds may actually still be in possession of 200,000 BTC ($118m at press time). The news, published by Yahoo Japan, allegedly comes from the exchange’s bankruptcy lawyer who suggests the bitcoins were found on 7th March in a wallet used by Mt. Gox prior to June 2011. The 200,000 bitcoins would equate to just over 23% of the entirety of the funds presumed lost by the company in the wake of widespread theft that is said to have occurred on the...

What we see in the book of Judges are prophetic shadow pictures for our time. Everything that was recorded was done so for you, so you may know the truth. Soon prophecy will be fulfilled, Babylon will fall, and your understanding of the prophetic shadow pictures will be what keeps you standing in the end.

Remember the internet in 1996, everyone kinda knew what it was about. It was something big, new, and vast—but what exactly it did for you was unclear. Bitcoin is in a similar state: It’s fairly new, unclear, and holds enormous promise just like the early Internet. The only difference is you can actually buy a piece of the Bitcoin network. This article is for the professional that has a reasonable savings (whatever that means to you) and at least a basic understanding of investing. You may likely invest in stocks, bonds, real estate, your own business, and many other things....

Save money and give your baby the best by making homemade baby food recipes! We are here to help make the process of making baby recipes simple and fun. Start your baby off with healthy habits to last a lifetime by providing them with homemade food. Browse hundreds of baby food recipes for your baby’s first year and beyond. Watch videos on how to make our baby recipes. Start giving your little one the best by making and serving our baby recipes today! Making baby recipes for your little one protects them from harmful additives such as nitrates, artificial coloring,...

US wants to combat anti-homosexuality movement worldwide By Julio Severo The Associated Press reported on February 26 that the United States, “troubled” by an anti-homosexuality movement in Uganda and across much of the world, is launching a new effort to combat what Secretary of State John Kerry described as a “threat to human rights.” Comparing a Ugandan anti-homosexuality law to oppressive government crackdowns on German Jews in the 1930s, Kerry said that according to the AP report, he was going to direct American ambassadors to look at “how we deal with this human rights challenge on a global basis.”...

Michael Rood begins to explore the book of Judges in this week's episode: The Last Judges. The context and lessons gleaned are vital even for our lives today. The people ask for a king, and they get one. But man ruling over man will eventually cause disaster. If only the people had understood they had a king all along...

Almost half of the states have open primaries. Why do states like Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas have open republican primaries? It's like having a death wish to turn purple, blue, and asphyxiated by democrat and independent voters. One of the first things the Tea Party needs to do is turn more states into closed primaries. The theory is that open primaries will bring more voters to our tent. I don't buy it. Or maybe the republican brand name is so bad that people don't want to register as republicans and be stigmatized. But then you would...

Is nationalism a good thing or a bad thing? Some people say that nationalism is bad, whereas patriotism is good. In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, "patriotism" is defined as love for one's country or devotion for it, even to the point of sacrifice. It seems that there is no excess of patriotism in this sense, as it's always positive. The Merriam-Webster gives this example of use of the term: "You may not agree with him politically, but no one can question his patriotism." The two examples offered by the same source for "nationalism", on the other hand, are: "The war...

Has the word "expert" superceded the word "monarch"? It has, if you have ever taken the time to read the writings of William Henry Smyth, the original postulate of the concept of a technocracy. If you read the Wikipedia page for "Technocracy", it tries to persuade the reader that a technocracy is an advanced form of meritocracy. That's a bunch of cuss words. Seriously, what an insult to everybody who reads the page. A "technocrat" is not any different than a bureaucrat. A bureaucrat with an engineering degree is still a bureaucrat. They just use one label to camouflage the...

Join Michael Rood for the February 21, 2014 episode of Shabbat Night Live: Babylon Has Fallen or The Demise of the New World Order Out of the twenty-two chapters of the book of the Revelation, two of them are dedicated to the description of "mystery Babylon" and its ultimate destruction. Two entire chapters boil down to the very reason that the entire economic system of Planet Earth must be and will be destroyed before the Messiah reigns. Now, at last, you will understand why Abraham was told to "come out of Babylon" in the book of Genesis - and finally...

The White House released the following statement: The United States is closely monitoring developments in Ukraine. We have consistently advocated a de-escalation of violence, constitutional change, a coalition government, and early elections, and today’s developments could move us closer to that goal. The unshakeable principle guiding events must be that the people of Ukraine determine their own future. We welcome constructive work in the Rada and continue to urge the prompt formation of a broad, technocratic government of national unity. We welcome former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko’s release from a prison hospital today, and we wish her a speedy recovery...

Hey guys. The wife and I just created a new website for those of you who are new parents. Making baby recipes for your little one protects them from harmful additives such as nitrates, artificial coloring, and preservatives including BHA, BHT, and TBHQ. In addition to protecting your baby from the unnatural additives, you save a great deal of money making your own homemade baby food. For example, buying store bought organic food costs on average $1.40 for a 4 ounce jar. Making the same amount at home costs about $.30. Store bought non-organic food costs about $1.05 per 4...

Hey guys. The wife and I just created a new website for those of you who are new parents. Making baby recipes for your little one protects them from harmful additives such as nitrates, artificial coloring, and preservatives including BHA, BHT, and TBHQ. In addition to protecting your baby from the unnatural additives, you save a great deal of money making your own homemade baby food. For example, buying store bought organic food costs on average $1.40 for a 4 ounce jar. Making the same amount at home costs about $.30. Store bought non-organic food costs about $1.05 per 4...

The 10 Days of Awe begin on the Day of Trumpets. The movie that plays out during this time is more intense and meaningful than any you've ever seen. While the righteous are on the Sea of Fire and Glass, the Wrath of the Almighty is poured out, causing devastation on the earth. But His judgment is righteous and true, and the power and glory that is to come will bring you to your knees.