Yearly Archives: 2013

Is The ECB Responsible For The Second Coming Of Bitcoin?

"Why the ECB suddenly felt threatened so much by Bitcoin, it felt an imperative to issue a 55 page paper decrying such electronic currencies we will never know. What we do know, however, courtesy of a reminder by Bloomberg's Max Raskin, is that since the publication of said paper, the value of Bitcoin as tracked by the Mtgox exchange, has soared some 40% in just under three months, from a 'fiat equivalent value' of $13 to a most recent closing price of $18.50, and has doubled in the past 12 months alone." Continue reading →

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Bitcoin’s Gains May Fuel Central Bank Concerns

"An increase in the value of bitcoin, the world’s largest online currency, may fuel concerns that virtual money could undermine the role of central banks. Bitcoin has more than doubled in the past 12 months, strengthening to $16.37 from $5.88, according to data from Mt. Gox, the world’s largest bitcoin exchange. Greater demand for virtual currencies could have a negative impact on the reputation of central banks, according to a report published by the European Central Bank in October last year. Since the report was released, bitcoin has risen more than 55 percent against the dollar and use of the currency has surged." Continue reading →

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Two Chess Moves Away from Capital Controls

"Is it really so far-fetched to think politicians wouldn't somehow restrict the movement of gold if their currencies and/or economies were failing? Transferring dollars internationally would certainly be tightly restricted as well. Moving almost any asset across borders could be declared illegal. Even your movement outside your country could come under increased scrutiny and restriction. The hint that all this is about to take place would be when politicians publicly declare they would do no such a thing. You could quite literally have 24 hours to make a move. Even the most nimble of us would have a very hard time making arrangements." Continue reading →

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The Doomsday Preppers of New York

"New York hardly seems like a natural location for what has become known as the prepper movement, but in fact the city’s prepping community is not only large and remarkably diverse, its leaders say, it’s also growing rapidly. To the unprepared, the very word 'prepper' is likely to summon images of armed zealots hunkered down in bunkers awaiting the End of Days, but the reality, at least here in New York, is less dramatic. Local Preppers are doctors, doormen, charter school executives, subway conductors, advertising writers and happily married couples from the Bronx. They are no doubt people that you know — your acquaintances and neighbors." Continue reading →

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Marine recruiter ‘sexually assaulted two teen recruits’ at his office and home where he lives with wife and two children

"One of the victims, a 17-year-old girl who was not named, told the station that she had met Percival four or five times to discuss joining the Marine Corps. She said that early Sunday morning Percival forced her to have oral sex with him and threatened to kill her if she told anyone. Another recruit, a friend of the first alleged victim, said that Percival had asked her to show him her breasts and give him oral sex when she visited the recruiting office he worked at." Continue reading →

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US Stem Cell Company Heads to Mexico After FDA Reprimand

"The attack on stem cell research has driven at least one regenerative medicine company to seek friendlier climes south of the border. Six months after the federal government forced it to stop its treatments, the Houston-based Celltex Therapeutics moved its operations to Mexico to avoid the long arm of the law. In moving to Mexico, Celltex enters a country where stem cell research is not as heavily regulated as in the U.S, though a facility is required to have an International Health Department Permit (COFEPRIS). The permit allocates the use of stem-cell types beyond those in the U.S." Continue reading →

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IRS: Cheapest Obamacare Plan Will Cost $20,000 per Family by 2016

"The Internal Revenue Service issued a report Wednesday in which it estimated that under Obamacare, the least expensive health insurance plan available to a family in 2016 would cost $20,000 annually according to CNSNews.com. Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act all U.S. citizens are required to have health insurance, either through their employer or by purchasing it directly from the government. Individuals who don't have it by 2016 face a penalty amounting to either 2.5 percent of a person's taxable income or approximately $2,000 per family, depending on their income." Continue reading →

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Report details ‘callous’ lack of sexual assault investigation by D.C. police

"Victims of sexual assault in Washington DC too often endure 'callous and traumatising' treatment from the police while attacks are dismissed on the spot and never investigated, according to a bombshell report. More than 40% of reviewed cases of sexual assault reported to the police by the city’s central hospital, after victims received forensic examinations, 'appear never to have been investigated' or even documented by the MPD, today’s report says." Continue reading →

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