Bitcoin Tops $1,000 as Virtual Money Gains Popularity

The price of Bitcoin surpassed $1,000 on the Mt. Gox online exchange, fueled by speculators snapping up the virtual currency as it gains wider acceptance.

Bitcoins, which exist as software and aren’t regulated by any country or banking authority, surged to a record $1,073 today, up more than 80-fold from a year earlier.

The currency has rallied on growing interest from investors in China and the U.S., while merchants are starting to accept Bitcoins for everything from Gummi bears to tuition fees.

The virtual currency gained credibility this month after law enforcement and securities agencies said in U.S. Senate hearings that Bitcoin could be a legitimate means of exchange.

The rally had gathered steam last month after regulators shut down the Silk Road Hidden Website, where people could obtain guns, drugs and other illicit goods using Bitcoins. That generated optimism the digital money would become more widely used for legal purposes.

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POLL: Ted Cruz 3rd 'most influential' world leader, behind pope, Obama.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has had the best year of any Republican and virtually anyone in the world, ranking third in Rasmussen Report’s new poll of the of the “most influential” people in the world, behind Pope Francis and President Obama.

In the new poll, Cruz, who made headlines for trying to dismantle Obamacare, was the pick for the most influential of 11 percent. The pope was tops at 23 percent, Obama second at 21 percent.

 FULL ARTICLE

Sights and sounds of Morocco through time-lapse

The mesmerizing and fast-paced journey (with music by John Adams) entitled "Watchtower of Morocco" was posted by Vimeo.. FULL STORY

Only 15 States Opt to Run Obamacare Exchanges

Only 15 states have told the federal government they plan to operate health insurance exchanges under President Barack Obama's reform law, leaving Washington with the daunting task of creating online marketplaces for two-thirds of the country.

FULL STORY

Bloomberg: The Fiscal Cliff Will Drive the U.S. Into Recession

House Speaker John Boehner says he was "flabbergasted" when Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner pitched the White House plan to save the nation from the "fiscal cliff." FULL STORY

6 Ways The Fiscal Cliff Could Affect You

Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke used the term "fiscal cliff," it quickly became the newest Washington buzzphrase.

As the deadline to avert the cliff nears, it has overtaken the European debt crisis as the most talked-about story in the financial media.

The fiscal cliff refers to the enactment of a number of laws that would, if not changed before Jan. 1, 2013.

The U.S. Recovery Has Been Spectacular*

We need a real recovery. That's what Mitt Romney said during the campaign, and he was right. Five years since the start of the Great Recession, unemployment is still far too high. It's not for a lack of optimism among policymakers. As Evan Soltas pointed out, the Federal Reserve keeps predicting that prosperity is just around the corner, only to find it's not. Catchup growth is the new Godot. FULL STORY *Compared to almost every other rich country and almost every other financial crisis.

Fiscal cliff would drive the U.S. economy back into recession.

Fiscal cliff would drive the U.S. economy back into recession before end of 2013, a new report from the Congressional Budget Office said. Congressional Budget Office released a report showing that the most harmful consequences of the fiscal cliff, a fully armed and operational fiscal cliff would cost us 3.4 million jobs. Obama Fiscal Cliff Deal Risks Brush With Recession

Barack Obama wins election for second term as president

President Barack Obama handily defeated Gov. Mitt Romney and won himself a second term Tuesday after a bitter and historically expensive race that was primarily fought in just a handful of battleground states. Networks project that Obama beat Romney after nabbing the crucial state of Ohio. FULL STORY

Apple's iPad Mini targets Goldilocks, but leaves some readers wanting

You've probably heard the story of Goldilocks and the three tech-savvy bears. Goldi is wandering through the forest when she comes to a house and enters, unannounced, in search of a mobile device to pass the time. FULL STORY

Closest planet found outside solar system

The hunt for planets like our own has come up with a striking discovery: There’s a planet about the same size as Earth in the nearby Alpha Centauri system, and it's the closest planet found outside our solar system. FULL STORY

'The Hunger Games' Catch Fire

From Deadline Hollywood...

Lionsgate just revised upwards its worldwide total to a massive $214.25 million for The Hunger Games which was projected to be the No. 1 title in virtually every single market globally...

Source: www.deadline.com
Nikki Finke

Publisher and Author Andrew Breitbart Dead at 43

Andrew Breitbart, the conservative Internet publisher and blogger, died early this morning at age 43. A statement posted on his website said that Breitbart died "unexpectedly from natural causes" this morning...

Source: http://abcnews.go.com

Bloggingheads: North Korea’s Choice

Heather Hurlburt of the National Security Network and Daniel Drezner of Foreign Policy debate the future of North Korea...

Source: www.nytimes.com

China GPS Service Becomes Operational

China's Beidou begins GPS coverage of China, eyes covering world by 2020...

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Israel TV Station’s Troubles Reflect a Larger Political Battleground

Channel 10’s defenders see the agenda of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at work, but those around him deny any motive of revenge for negative coverage...

Source: www.nytimes.com

Rick Perry collects early retirement, owes student loan

Texas Gov. Rick Perry makes nearly $225,000 a year, but a good chunk of it comes not from his state salary..

Source: www.latimes.com

One-third of young U.S. adults have been arrested: study

Close to one in three American teens and young adults get arrested by age 23..

Source: http://ca.news.yahoo.com

GRAPHIC: WHITE HOUSE TO RELEASE BIN LADEN DEATH PHOTO

The images, being described as 'graphic', are bound to stir emotions in the east and the west, and will likely become the most viewed photographs in modern history...

Source: www.drudgereport.com

Bin Laden: Shots to Head and Chest.Final Tape Coming Soon

U.S. intelligence officials believe Osama bin Laden made a propaganda recording shortly before his death and expect that tape to surface soon..

Source: www.google.com/hostednews