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I wonder, why can't the database be torrented in its original form (the way it appears after it is imported), so it only needs to be verified within perhaps half an hour or so and not "imported" over several days?
Because that would require trust. Would you trust strangers on the internet that the data on your copy of the blockchain is legit? Your clients needs to verifiy each block. If you think its such a hassle you can allways use thin/lite clients like electrum or multibit. They offer the security of a local wallet yet dont require you to download the complete blockchain.