Tea partier at Ted Cruz town hall: ‘Canada is not really foreign soil’

“The Texas Tribune caught up with on of those birthers, Republican voter Christina Katok, at a tea party rally where Ted Cruz was speaking earlier this week. Earlier this week, Cruz released his Canadian birth certificate to The Dallas Morning News, proving that he was definitely born in a foreign country to an American mother. But Katok told the Tribune that she wouldn’t hesitate to vote for Cruz. ‘As far as I’m concerned, Canada is not really foreign soil,’ she explained, adding that she was more worried about the president’s ‘strong ties to Kenya.’ For his part, Cruz has vowed to renounce his Canadian citizenship, which could require a security check and an eight-month waiting period.” Continue reading

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Manufacturing of Zeppelins temporarily shut down sausage makers in World War I

“According to a new documentary, the quantity of cow intestines used in manufacturing the airships was so enormous – and the military appetite for the dirigibles so strong – that the making of sausages was temporarily outlawed in Germany and allied or occupied parts of Austria, Poland and northern France. With the guts from more than 250,000 cows needed to produce the bags that held the hydrogen gas in each Zeppelin, the German war machine had to choose between long-range bombing and wurst. It chose the former.” Continue reading

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Egyptian iron artifacts, earliest ever found, made from meteorite

“The earliest iron artefacts ever found — funeral beads strung around bodies in a 5,000-year-old Egyptian cemetery — were made from a meteorite, archaeologists said on Monday. The nine small beads come from two burial sites dated to around 3,200 BC, where they were found in necklaces along with exotic terrestrial minerals such as lapis lazuli, agate and gold. X-ray scanners, meanwhile, showed that the meteorite iron had been repeatedly heated and hammered to make the precious jewels for the afterlife. This shows that in the fourth millennium BC, the Egyptians were already advanced in the art in smithing, say the researchers.” Continue reading

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Obama in crossfire as battle for control of the Fed heats up

“At stake is the chairmanship of an organization whose global influence has grown ever larger in recent years. The impact of the Fed’s policies can be seen everywhere. On top of its global role, the Fed has beefed up its activities as regulator in the US. Whoever gets the job will be taking over a position more powerful than the one Bernanke inherited when he was appointed in 2006. Obama said recently that the appointment ‘is definitely one of the most important economic decisions I will make in the remainder of my presidency. The Federal Reserve chairman is not just one of the most important economic policymakers in America. He or she is one of the most important policymakers in the world.'” Continue reading

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Bitcoin’s complex and changing regulatory environment

“A compliant multi-state MSB needs all of the following: Maintaining a net worth greater than $1.5 Million; Securing millions of dollars in surety bond coverage to insure customer transactions in the event of insolvency; Completing a financial audit; Creating proper KYC, AML, and other compliance systems; Going through an independent compliance audit; Hiring a compliance officer with at least five years of experience; Extensive background checks and financial disclosures from officers and investors; Due diligence on every partner and intermediary that is involved in the flow of funds. After all these conditions are met, obtaining licenses can take as long as a year.” Continue reading

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Is FinCEN Leaking Your Personal Data?

“When citizens file their information with the federal government there is a law in place called the Privacy Act. This law is supposed to protect the information from disclosures. When I visited FinCEN I noticed an unusual link at the bottom labeled ‘Google Privacy.’ The page states ‘This website utilizes Google Analytics to get aggregate metrics on website usage’ and goes on to provide links to the Google privacy policy. Of course by the time you see the notice Google already has your info. If you were logged on to your personal account Google now knows you have an interest in Financial Crime networks. FinCEN provides ‘opt-out’ instructions but, guess what, it is too late.” Continue reading

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In-person Bitcoin exchanges make a splash in Berlin

“Supporters of Bitcoin spent Saturday engaging in personal exchanges in Berlin, taking place in a mobile art space which supports the cryptocurrency. Its official recognition by the German state earlier this month is only aiding its expansion. Bitcoin Exchange Berlin hosted their third meeting on Saturday at the city’s Platoon Kunsthalle (Platoon Art Hall) to launch a European hub where people can both buy and sell a selection of products using Bitcoin and buy and sell the currency itself in a stock-exchange type climate. Buyers attend with notebooks or electronic devices in order to create an account with the currency and buy it.” Continue reading

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Police Crackdown at Burning Man Alarms the Community

“Workers and volunteers who arrived early to Nevada’s Black Rock Desert for the annual art, self-reliance, and free-expression event called Burning Man are reporting an unprecedented police presence on the playa, and whispers of a police crackdown on the event are spreading. Burning Man has historically been a peaceful event with little to no incidents that would merit increased law enforcement. For example, at last year’s event, which had more than 52,000 attendees, a total of four drug-related arrests were made and 13 nonviolent misdemeanor citations were given (in lieu of arrests) according to the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office. No violent crimes were recorded.” Continue reading

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