CLibertyC

Austria Turns Rat Fink

"Europe moved closer to ending banking secrecy on Wednesday after Austria dropped objections to sharing data on foreign depositors and the EU focused on negotiating a similar agreement with Switzerland. 'It's a bad day for tax cheats,' Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann told reporters at a meeting of EU leaders to discuss fighting tax fraud. 'We will act jointly and I believe we will manage the exchange of data by the end of the year.' Luxembourg and Austria had not wanted to reveal the names of account holders to other countries and instead allow banks to withhold tax, but under pressure from their European partners both have now agreed to." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAustria Turns Rat Fink

US Department of Treasury Targets Bitcoin Poker Sites

"In March, FinCEN exercised its power under the Bank Secrecy Act to clarify its position on convertible virtual currencies. The clarification means bitcoin poker sites that accept US players could find themselves in hot water if they facilitate the transfer of convertible virtual currency, which occurs whenever a player gains from or loses to another bitcoin poker player. Regardless of where they are based, bitcoin poker rooms could face prosecution under 18 USC 1960 (prohibition of unlicensed money transmitting businesses). The legislation was originally written to combat money laundering, but the clarification by FinCEN brings bitcoin services within its scope." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS Department of Treasury Targets Bitcoin Poker Sites

Swiss banks face massive fines over Americans’ untaxed bank accounts

"Swiss banks holding US citizens’ funds that are not declared to American tax authorities are set to have to pay a massive fine, under a deal between Switzerland and Washington, a newspaper reported Wednesday. The Swiss daily Neue Zuercher Zeitung, quoting sources familiar with the talks, said that the fine could reach 40 percent of the funds in question. Swiss media have reported that under a compromise hammered out by negotiators, the 300 banks in Switzerland would be classed according to their level of alleged complicity in tax evasion. The dozen banks seen as the main perpetrators would reportedly be forced to make a case-by-case deal with the United States." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSwiss banks face massive fines over Americans’ untaxed bank accounts

Runaway goat leads New Jersey police on 90-minute highway chase

"A runaway goat on a New Jersey highway caused a four-car pileup Tuesday after leading police on an hour-and-a-half chase across a major highway. Now nicknamed 'Sky' for Tuesday’s episode on the Pulaski Skyway, the goat has been turned over to a rescue farm in Wantage, New Jersey, according to The Jersey Journal. But for a little while there, it didn’t look good for Sky as she was jumping over the highway’s divider and leaping atop cars trying to dodge police. While unharmed through the incident, it’s likely that she was on her way to a slaughterhouse and somehow escaped." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRunaway goat leads New Jersey police on 90-minute highway chase

While questioning him, FBI shoots and kills man connected to Marathon bombing suspect

"The Federal Bureau of Investigation visited the man, identified by CBS and an Orlando news outlet as 26-year-old Chechnyan national Ibragim Todashev, early Wednesday morning. WKMG-TV reported that Todashev was being observed by the Bureau because of a past association with Tamerlan Tsarnaev, a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing case who was killed in a firefight with police on April 19. CBS News senior correspondent John Miller reported that 'something went wrong' while Todashev was being interviewed by agents. The Associated Press reported on Twitter that he became violent during questioning." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhile questioning him, FBI shoots and kills man connected to Marathon bombing suspect

Using a Gun to Save a Child’s Life in DC Will Get You a $1,000 Fine

"We have what at first seems like a feel-good story. A little boy is attacked by some vicious pit bulls. Other people in the neighborhood flee to protect themselves. But one man acts quickly and saves the child’s life. Mr. Srigley seems like a great guy. Or at least a guy who did something great. Surely he was rewarded, right? Did he get a commendation from the police department? A ceremonial key to the city from the Mayor? Don’t be silly. We’re talking about Washington, DC." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUsing a Gun to Save a Child’s Life in DC Will Get You a $1,000 Fine

* ACTION ITEM * Push for NITC/DRIC Bridge & ObamaCare Navigators is On!

  And to preserve their (people’s) independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our election between economy and liberty, or profusion and servitude.“ Thomas Jefferson ~ July 12, 1816 “I favor the policy of economy, not because I wish to save money, but because I wish to …

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Continue Reading* ACTION ITEM * Push for NITC/DRIC Bridge & ObamaCare Navigators is On!

Bio-engineered kidney offers new hope to patients suffering renal failure

"Researchers in the United States on Sunday said they had bio-engineered a kidney and transplanted it into rats, marking a step forward in a quest to help patients suffering from kidney failure. The prototype proves that a 'bio-kidney' can work, emulating breakthroughs elsewhere to build replacement structures for livers, hearts and lungs, they said. The team transplanted the organ into living rats from which a kidney had been removed. The new kidney started filtering blood and producing urine through the ureter as soon as the bloody supply was restored, and there was no evidence of bleeding or clots." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBio-engineered kidney offers new hope to patients suffering renal failure

Breakthrough process turns skin cells into protective brain cells

"Researchers explained that a new process allows them to take common skin cells and engineer them to morph into myelinating brain cells that help protect the nervous system and keep it function properly. In diseases like multiple sclerosis, the myelin layer of cells that coat nerves gets destroyed, and scientists have worked for years trying to figure out how to make it regenerate. Now, it looks like researchers at Ohio’s Case Western Reserve University have figured out how to do just that in rats, and they’re aiming to replicate their results with human cells next." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBreakthrough process turns skin cells into protective brain cells

Spiny parasitic worm helps doctors devise patch to keep skin grafts in place

"A parasitic worm that latches onto the intestines of fish by inflating its head has led to a remarkable invention for keeping skin grafts in place, even when the surface of the wound is wet. US researchers devised a patch studded with tiny cone-shaped needles as a replacement for surgical staples, a potential source of tissue damage and infection. The needles are made of a stiff core made of plastic and a tip that is rigid when dry but swells up on contact with water in surface tissue. Within 10 minutes, the tips are plumped up and secure the patch firmly on the skin, clamping grafts on burns and other injuries." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSpiny parasitic worm helps doctors devise patch to keep skin grafts in place