If you didn't already think the Internet was truly weird, and totally amazing, the marriage of dogecoin and NASCAR will convince you.Just over a week ago, Reddit user /u/Reddit_Racing noticed that up-and-coming NASCAR driver Josh Wise was still without a sponsor, and proposed a crowdfunding effort to have dogecoin sponsor Josh's car.See also: Dogecoin Is One Step Closer to Being Real Money Dogecoin is a cryptocurrency that functions similarly to bitcoin, but it is based on the popular "Doge" Internet meme.For those unfamiliar with the popular dog, this Tweet exemplifies the typical language that has been associated with the wide-eyed pooch.Wow Much Wednes Very day So midweek Where is weekend?— Doge (@DogeTheDog) March 26, 2014 So, what on Earth does this have to do with sponsoring a NASCAR driver?The dogecoin community has demonstrated previous fundraising success with efforts that have built clean water wells in Kenya and, more recently, sent the Jamaican Bobsled team to the Sochi Olympics.

Once the entire dogecoin community got involved, it was clear this crazy idea could become reality.As Kevin Dusenberry, organizer of the dogecoin community, said, "Josh is an underdog in the NASCAR world.Dogecoin is an underdog in the crypto world.It was a match made in heaven."Dusenberry's instincts proved to be correct, as the community reached its $55,000 (or 67 million dogecoin) fundraising goal, officially making dogecoin the sponsor of Wise's No.bitcoin preis 2015Wise expressed his enthusiasm and gratitude, saying "I can't thank the dogecoin and Reddit community enough for the support.bitcoin wallet best redditWise's dogemobile will debut at the Aarons 499 Sprint Series Cup race on May 4.bitcoin open source web wallet

A potential design for the dogecoin-sponsored car is pictured above, but there's a still a contest open for those who wish to submit their wow-filled designs.If all of this sounds a bit crazy to you, Dusenberry won't argue your point."I feel like this fundraiser brought dogecoin back to its roots," said Dusenberry.bitcoin amazon coins"We had an idea that was just crazy enough to work."why litecoin price dropThe Greatest Investment Opportunity Since Dogecoin Dogecoin, a joke cryptocurrency based on an internet dog meme, exploded last week.tipo de cambio bitcoin a pesosNow it's Ponzicoin's turn.bitcoin atm machine near meBusiness Share Tweet … Flickr: dilettantiquityDEAR MOST SAVVY AND RESPECTED INVESTOR:I AM WRITING TO YOU TO INFORM YOU ABOUT AN EXCITING AND ENRICHING INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY THAT WILL MOST ASSUREDLY EXCITE AND ENRICH YOU.I HUMBLY REQUEST YOUR STRICTEST AND MOST CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIALITY IN THIS "TOP SECRET" MATTER.bitcoin inventor killed

I HAVE MOST EXTREME CONFIDENCE YOU WILL UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR DAGGERS AND CLOAKS IN THIS "TRANSACTION" GIVEN REDDIT'S ESTEEM FOR YOUR FINANCIAL ACUMEN.I AM SATOSHI PONZIMOTO, TOP OFFICIAL OF NEW AND MOST LUCRATIVE CRYPTOCURRENCY.I HAVE DOUBT SMALLER THAN A BREADBOX THAT YOU HAVE HEARD OF OTHERS LIKE BITCOIN.irs bitcoin reportingDESIGNED AS DIGITAL GOLD, THESE VIRTUAL CURRENCIES ARE FREE FROM INFLATING HAND OF THE BEN BERNANK.THEIR MATHEMATICALLY LIMITED SUPPLY MEANS THEIR PRICES GO UP EXPONENTIALLY IN TERMS OF DOOMED FIAT CURRENCIES.THE BEST MONEY GOES UP SO MUCH THAT IT HAS NO USE AS MONEY.BITCOIN IS THE DIGITAL GOLD STANDARD OF THIS USELESSNESS.ITS FANBOYS THINK IT WILL ALWAYS BUY MORE TOMORROW SO THERE'S NEVER A REASON TO SPEND IT TODAY.SMART INVESTORS HOARD BITCOINS AND ONLY USE THEM TO TRY TO WIN MORE ON GAMBLING SITES.EVEN SMARTER INVESTORS HOARD A DIVERSIFIED MIX OF NEWER CRYPTOCURRENCIES THAT HAVEN'T GONE UP AS MUCH YET.BUT I HAVE UTMOST CONFIDENCE THAT YOU ARE EVEN SMARTER THAN EVEN SMARTER INVESTORS.

YOU DON'T NEED TO DIVERSIFY.YOUR SAGE SAGACITY AND KNOWLEDGE OF LUDWIG VON MISES (REDUNDANT I KNOW) WILL LET YOU PICK OUT THE BEST "ALTCOIN."WHATIS THE BEST ALTCOIN IS THE QUESTION I AM SURE YOU ARE ASKING AND NOW I WILL TELL YOU ... IF YOU MAKE FOUR EASY PAYMENTS OF $19.99.JUST KIDDING THAT IS A HUMOROUS "JOKE."THIS IS NOT A SCAM.THE BEST ALTCOIN IS THE ONE WITH THE MOST LIMITED SUPPLY SO IT GOES UP THE MOST.THAT IS THE GREAT LESSON OF THE GREAT DOGECOIN CRASH OF 2013.DOGECOIN IS A JOKE CRYPTOCURRENCY THAT WENT BOOM AND THEN BUST AND WAS THEN STOLEN.IT IS AN INSPIRATION AND A CAUTIONARY TALE THAT HAS INSPIRED AND CAUTIONED ME.IT BEGAN AS A FARCICAL COMBINATION OF THE INTERWEB MEME DOGE AND BITCOIN.THAT MEME INVOLVES "COMICAL" PICTURES OF SHIBA INUS DOGS WITH CANINE THOUGHT BUBBLES IN COMIC SANS FONT.SO DOGECOIN IS A VIRTUAL CURRENCY REPRESENTED BY DOG PICTURES WITH CUTESY CAPTIONS.WOW SUCH INNOVATE./u/entosseBUT THE INTERNET IS LIKE 10,000 DOLLARS WHEN ALL YOU NEED IS A BITCOIN.SO THE DOGECOIN SPOOF QUICKLY BECAME REAL.

DENIZENS OF REDDIT BEGAN USING THEM TO TIP ONE ANOTHER FOR "WITTY" COMMENTS AND "GOOD" DEEDS.THEN DOGECOIN'S PRICE WENT UP 400 PERCENT IN A SINGLE DAY TO BE WORTH $10 MILLION IN TOTAL.BUT IT HAD A FLAW OF THE FATAL VARIETY.IT WAS TOO EASY TO "MINE" NEW DOGECOINS.NOBODY DID WHEN THE PRICE WAS SO LOW BUT EVERYBODY DID WHEN THE PRICE WAS SO HIGH.NEW ONES FLOODED THE INTERWEBS AND DOGECOIN'S PRICE COLLAPSED 80 PERCENT OVERNIGHT.BUT IT HAD ANOTHER FLAW OF THE EVEN MORE FATAL VARIETY.IT WAS TOO EASY TO STEAL DOGECOINS.DAYS AFTER THE CRASH HACKERS LOOTED 30 MILLION DOGECOINS FROM DIGITAL WALLETS.THESE WERE WORTH $6,000 IN WORTHLESS DOLLARS.I HAVE USED MY DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF AUSTRIAN ECONOMICS TO INVENT THE BEST OF ALL POSSIBLE CRYPTOCURRENCIES.IT IS CALLED PONZICOIN.WHAT MAKES IT BETTER THAN BITCOIN OR DOGECOIN OR ANY OTHER COIN IS THE QUESTION YOU ARE WONDERING AND NOW I WILL TELL YOU FREE OF CHARGE.PONZICOIN HAS THE MOST LIMITED SUPPLY POSSIBLE AND THE MOST SECURE LOCATION POSSIBLE.AT ANY TIME THERE IS AT MOST ONE PONZICOIN AND IT ALWAYS STAYS WITH ME.

BUT IT IS INFINITELY DIVISIBLE SO YOU CAN BUY AS SMALL A PART AS YOU LIKE AND I WILL SEND YOU A CODE TO VERIFY YOUR HOLDING.PONZICOIN HAS LITERALLY UNLIMITED USES BUT THE PRIMARY ONES ARE SELLING IT TO THE GREATER FOOL AND BUYING STAMPS.REST ASSURED THIS IS A 100 PERCENT "LEGITIMATE" RISK-FREE ENTERPRISE THAT WILL MOST ASSUREDLY EXCITE AND ENRICH YOU.I ONCE AGAIN REQUEST THAT YOU MAINTAIN THE HIGHEST LEVELS OF TOP SECRECY UNLESS YOU KNOW EQUALLY SAVVY INVESTORS WHO WOULD ALSO BE INTERESTED.PLEASE SEND ALL YOUR MONEY.Carlos Barria / Reuters What Happens When a Presidency Loses Its Legitimacy?Mounting evidence that Trump’s election was aided by Russian interference presents a challenge to the American system of government—with lasting consequences for democracy.Day by day, revelation after revelation, the legitimacy of the Trump presidency is seeping away.The question of what to do about this loss is becoming ever more urgent and frightening.The already thick cloud of discredit over the Trump presidency thickened deeper Friday, June 23.

The Washington Post reported that the CIA told President Obama last year that Vladimir Putin had personally and specifically instructed his intelligence agencies to intervene in the U.S.presidential election to hurt Hillary Clinton and help Donald Trump.Whether the Trump campaign knowingly coordinated its activities with the Russians remains uncertain.The Trump campaign may have been a wholly passive and unwitting beneficiary.Yes, it’s curious that the Russians allegedly directed their resources to the Rust Belt states also targeted by the Trump campaign.But it’s conceivable they were all just reading the same polls on FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics.Continue Reading Andrew Harnik / AP The Kremlin's Investment in Trump Is Paying Off The president’s policies in office have aligned almost perfectly with Vladimir Putin’s goals.Fifty-four years ago this month, former President John F. Kennedy delivered the “Strategy of Peace,” a powerful address that captured America’s indispensable leadership at the height of the Cold War.

Kennedy knew that our country could not guard against the Soviet Union alone, for he believed that “genuine peace must be the product of many nations, the sum of many acts.” Incredibly, the man who now leads the United States seems to find himself locked in an alarming and perilous embrace with the Russian government.These ties threaten to weaken a system of alliances that have held Russia—and countless other threats to the international community—at bay since the conclusion of the Second World War.Continue Reading Gene J. Puskar / AP Teenagers Have Stopped Getting Summer Jobs—Why?Most used to work in July and August.Now the vast majority don’t.Are they being lazy, or strategic?The summer job is considered a rite of passage for the American Teenager.It is a time when tossing newspaper bundles and bussing restaurant tables acts as a rehearsal for weightier adult responsibilities, like bundling investments and bussing dinner-party plates.But in the last few decades, the summer job has been disappearing.

In the summer of 1978, 60 percent of teens were working or looking for work.Last summer, just 35 percent were.Why did American teens stop trying to get summer jobs?One typical answer is: They’re just kids, and kids are getting lazier.One can rule out that hypothesis pretty quickly.The number of teens in the workforce has collapsed since 2000, as the graph below shows.But the share of NEETs—young people who are “Neither in Education, Employment, or Training”—has been extraordinarily steady.In fact, it has not budged more than 0.1 percentage point since the late 1990s.Just 7 percent of American teens are NEETs, which is lower than France and about the same as the mean of all advanced economies in the OECD.The supposed laziness of American teenagers is unchanging and, literally, average.Continue Reading AP Watergate Lawyer: I Witnessed Nixon's Downfall—and I've Got a Warning for Trump Richard Ben-Veniste on the uncanny parallels between the scandal he investigated and the controversy over the White House’s alleged links to Russia Watching the national controversy over the White House and Russia unfold, I’m reminded of Karl Marx’s oft-quoted observation: “History repeats itself: first as tragedy, second as farce.” I was a close witness to the national tragedy that was Richard Nixon’s self-inflicted downfall as president, and I’ve recently contemplated whether a repeat of his “Saturday Night Massacre” may already be in the offing.

Given how that incident doomed one president, Trump would do well to resist repeating his predecessor’s mistakes—and avoid his presidency’s descent into a quasi-Watergate parody.The massacre began when Nixon gave the order to fire Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox, a desperate effort to prevent him from hearing tape-recorded evidence that proved the White House’s involvement in a conspiracy to obstruct the investigation of a break-in at Democratic National Committee headquarters.Nixon’s misuse of executive power backfired, immediately costing him two highly respected members of his administration: Attorney General Elliot Richardson and his deputy William Ruckelshaus, who both resigned rather than follow Nixon’s directive.Third in command at the Justice Department was Solicitor General Robert Bork, who agreed to do the dirty deed and fired Cox.Continue Reading Lisk Feng What Mormon Family Trees Tell Us About Cancer By searching the church's famed family trees, scientists have tracked down a cancer-causing mutation that came west with a pioneer couple—just in time to save the lives of their great-great-great-great grandchildren.

Nobody knew it then, but the genetic mutation came to Utah by wagon with the Hinman family.Lyman Hinman found the Mormon faith in 1840.Amid a surge of religious fervor, he persuaded his wife, Aurelia, and five children to abandon their 21-room Massachusetts house in search of Zion.They went first to Nauvoo, Illinois, where the faith’s prophet and founder, Joseph Smith, was holding forth—until Smith was murdered by a mob and his followers were run out of town.They kept going west and west until there were no towns to be run out of.They boiled elk horns.The children’s mouths erupted in sores from scurvy.Aurelia lost all her teeth.And so did the mutation.Continue Reading Kevin Lamarque / Reuters It Took Two to Make Russian Meddling Effective A Washington Post report on 2016 election interference raises the question: What could Obama have done differently?If there is one thing The Washington Post’s story on the Obama administration’s anemic response to Russian meddling in the 2016 election makes clear, it’s that it took two to make the meddling effective.

There is a reason the tactics Russia used on the American elections—which are similar to things they’ve done in former Soviet republics and in Europe—are referred to as “asymmetric warfare”: They embody the art of leverage, of doing a lot with a little.As former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told Congress in May, the Russians “succeeded beyond their wildest dreams and at minimal cost.” The whole operation, according to Clapper, cost a mere $200 million—a pittance in military spending terms.But the Russians used that money not the way a conventional army would, but the way a band of guerrillas would, feeling around for pressure points, and pressing—or not.Though, as Bloomberg reported this month, the Russians were clearly exploring ways to attack voting infrastructure in parts of the country, it still appears they ultimately decided not to pull the trigger, sticking instead with the hack-and-dump and the manufacturing of fake news.“It was ad hoc,” an Obama administration official told me shortly after the inauguration.

“They were kind of throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what would stick.” Continue Reading J. Scott Applewhite / AP How the Senate's Health-Care Bill Would Cause Financial Ruin for People With Preexisting Conditions Republicans are going to insist otherwise, but that’s simply not the case.If there was one goal Senate Republicans had set out to achieve in developing their health bill to show they were less “mean” than their colleagues in the House, it was to take away the House Republicans’ green light for insurers to once again discriminate against those with pre-existing health conditions.Senate Republicans were willing to drive up deductibles and co-pays and be more draconian on Medicaid cuts, but on the one issue of pre-existing conditions they were intent on being less “mean,” as President Trump termed the House bill.Now that the text of the bill has been released, it’s clear that they have failed to achieve that.As they argue for the bill, Republicans are going to claim that it will not allow insurance plans to discriminate against people because they have a pre-existing condition.

But that just isn’t the case.The Republican plan may not allow insurers to discriminate against a pre-existing condition through the front door, but they’ve created a backdoor way in.Continue Reading All photos courtesy of Alex Tizon and his family My Family’s Slave She lived with us for 56 years.She raised me and my siblings without pay.I was 11, a typical American kid, before I realized who she was.The ashes filled a black plastic box about the size of a toaster.It weighed three and a half pounds.I put it in a canvas tote bag and packed it in my suitcase this past July for the transpacific flight to Manila.From there I would travel by car to a rural village.When I arrived, I would hand over all that was left of the woman who had spent 56 years as a slave in my family’s household.Continue Reading Joe Raedle / Getty Images Why Do Democrats Keep Losing in 2017?The party has made gains in special elections, but continues to fall short of outright victory.A string of special election defeats in each state, and with each one, a missed opportunity to take over a Republican House seat, has left Democrats facing the question: Why does the party keep losing elections, and when will that change?

The most obvious reason that Democrats fell short is that the special elections have taken place in conservative strongholds.In each case, Democratic candidates were vying to replace Republicans tapped by the president to serve in his administration, and in districts that Trump won.Despite the unfavorable terrain, Democrats improved on Hillary Clinton’s margin in every district except in Georgia.But if the party wants to take control of the House in 2018, it needs more than just a strong showing in Republican districts.It needs to win.Continue Reading Justin Renteria Power Causes Brain Damage How leaders lose mental capacities—most notably for reading other people—that were essential to their rise If power were a prescription drug, it would come with a long list of known side effects.It can even make Henry Kissinger believe that he’s sexually magnetic.But can it cause brain damage?When various lawmakers lit into John Stumpf at a congressional hearing last fall, each seemed to find a fresh way to flay the now-former CEO of Wells Fargo for failing to stop some 5,000 employees from setting up phony accounts for customers.

But it was Stumpf’s performance that stood out.Here was a man who had risen to the top of the world’s most valuable bank, yet he seemed utterly unable to read a room.Although he apologized, he didn’t appear chastened or remorseful.Nor did he seem defiant or smug or even insincere.He looked disoriented, like a jet-lagged space traveler just arrived from Planet Stumpf, where deference to him is a natural law and 5,000 a commendably small number.Even the most direct barbs—“You have got to be kidding me” (Sean Duffy of Wisconsin); “I can’t believe some of what I’m hearing here” (Gregory Meeks of New York)—failed to shake him awake.Continue Reading Why Are Humans Awkward?The science behind that cringeworthy feeling Watch Video Little White Lie Lacey Schwartz grew up in an upper-middle-class Jewish household, and never once questioned her whiteness—despite not looking like anyone in her family.Watch Video Which Animal Murders the Most?Humans aren't the only mammals who kill each other.