Network Archives

LinkedIn’s anti-prostitution policy angers legal Nevada brothel owner

"The recent decision by professional networking site LinkedIn to bar sex workers from posting profiles has led to a disagreement between brothel owners in Nevada, where escorts can legally ply their trade, the Huffington Post reported on Wednesday. 'Are you then going to shut down Steve Wynn’s casino in Vegas, where gambling is legal?' asked Dennis Hof, owner of the Moonlight Bunny Ranch. 'Don’t paint me the same as the people who are doing things illegally.' LinkedIn, which informed users of the new policy on Monday, now forbids escorts from using the site to look for business." Continue reading →

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Cops Bust Prostitution Ring … at Senior Citizen Home

"The suspects are accused of running a prostitution ring out of their apartments, using cocaine, and ultimately causing drunks and drug addicts to bother others living in the building, pass out in the halls, and leave used condoms in the rec room. Oh, the building in question? It's a senior citizen housing complex in New Jersey, and the two main suspects who were arrested after a drug and prostitution sting last month are 75 and 66 years old, the Record reports. James Parham and neighbor Cheryl Chaney are suspected of being behind the recent increase in crime; a third suspect, 54, was also arrested on drug charges." Continue reading →

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Is Underwear a Legitimate Function of the Federal Government?

"Why is Uncle Sam wasting $400,000-plus on ugly and clunky underwear? The excuse for this boondoggle is that it will help monitor whether people smoke. I fail to see how this would promote smoking cessation. I assume 99.99 percent of smokers are aware that they smoke. Or are we going to have some sort of nanny-state program with the government forcing people to wear the underwear so the snoops in DC can monitor our private lives. But even if that type of intrusive system would work, why is smoking any business of the federal government? It’s certainly not one of the enumerated powers in Article I, Section VIII." Continue reading →

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Oklahoma ABLE Commission agents bust south Tulsa brewpub for making too-strong beer

"The Oklahoma ABLE Commission cracked down on a south Tulsa brewery Tuesday afternoon. Agents say Pi Pizzeria and Craft Beer House is only licensed to make and sell low-point beer, but some customers complained it's too strong. 'Through the sampling process, we sent those samples to the lab and did determine they were making an alcoholic beverage, not low-point beer,' said Erik Smoot, ABLE Commission agent. The agents seized everything Pi used to make and brew its product. They say the manager is being charged with making and selling strong beer without a license." Continue reading →

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The IRS War on Medical Marijuana Providers

"The IRS employs Section 280E, a 1982 addition to the tax code that was a response to a drug dealer's successful effort to claim his yacht, weapons purchases, and even illicit bribes as business expenses. Under 280E, individuals involved in the illicit sale of controlled substances -- including marijuana, even medical marijuana in states where it is legal -- cannot claim standard business expenses on their federal taxes. Oakland's Harborside Health Center was hit with a $2 million IRS assessment in 2011 after the tax agency employed Section 280E against it. Similarly, when the feds raided Oaksterdam University, it wasn't just DEA, but also IRS agents." Continue reading →

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Hey Ron Paul: Bitcoins really do fit in your pocket! May I explain?

"A concise explanation of what Bitcoin is, in terms of everyday items like rocks and real estate. I am Mike Caldwell, the creator of Casascius Coins, the most widely known functional physical Bitcoin collectible in the hands of Bitcoin enthusiasts. Today, my coins are appearing in the press regularly. Casascius Coins were created as an educational pursuit to bring Bitcoins from minds like mine into minds like yours. This is a short video I recorded as a response to Ron Paul's saying he is uncomfortable with Bitcoin since he can't put it in his pocket. As the person responsible for more Bitcoins put in more pockets than anybody else, I think a reply from me is warranted." Continue reading →

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Peter Thiel & Founders Fund lead $2m funding round in BitPay

"Apart from ex-PayPal boss Peter Thiel, the fund’s advisers include Napster founder and Facebook adviser Sean Parker along with ex-Google and SpaceX staff. The company was started in May 2011 by two graduates from Georgia Tech. Their aim is to make taking bitcoin payments as easy as credit card transactions for businesses. It takes a set fee of 0.99 per cent on automated transactions. BitPay claimed 1,900 new merchants signed up in April and it continues to sign up over 100 new customers every day. It is currently processing around $5m of Bitcoin transactions per month." Continue reading →

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New Zealand Supreme Court to hear Kim Dotcom extradition appeal

"The Court of Appeal in March had overturned a decision ordering US prosecutors to hand over the evidence to Dotcom’s legal team as they seek to extradite him to face online piracy charges. The appeal court ruled that a summary of the case would suffice. Dotcom’s lawyers have sought to reinstate the original decision, arguing they could not effectively fight the extradition battle without full disclosure of the evidence against their client. The US Justice Department and FBI want Dotcom to face charges of racketeering, fraud, money-laundering and copyright theft in a US court, which could see him jailed for up to 20 years if convicted." Continue reading →

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11 Governments Are Meeting in Peru to Figure Out How They Can Control the Internet

"It appears that it’s going to be even easier for international copyright offenders to be tried in court by the interests–and lobbying power–of Hollywood. Starting today, 11 countries—Canada, America, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Vietnam, Singapore, Japan, Brunei, Malaysia, Australia, and New Zealand—are having a secret (no members of the public and no press) meeting in Lima, Peru to figure out what can be done about copyright offenders who transmit Hollywood’s precious content over the interweb’s tubes without paying for it. he meeting is held under the banner of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement." Continue reading →

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Florida deputy rehired, awarded back pay, despite checkered police past

"Sanchez was fired in July 2008 following accusations by a 21-year-old woman booked on drug charges that he tried to look down her shirt, asked for her phone number and asked her out on a date upon her release. He had received three written reprimands for propositioning a defendant’s pregnant girlfriend; allowing jury deliberations to be overheard in a courtroom, nearly causing a mistrial; and he received a two-day suspension without pay for allegedly using his status to intimidate a woman during a 'traffic incident.' Sanchez was also forced to resign in 1989 following allegations from four prostitutes that he would have sex with them while on duty." Continue reading →

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