Entrepreneurship

Government Fees, Parking Tickets May Soon Be Paid in Bitcoin

"While some call Bitcoin an 'existential threat to the state,' local governments could soon embrace the digital currency and payment system as a practical alternative to credit and debit cards. E-Gov Link, an Ohio company that helps municipalities accept payments online for parking tickets, permits, and the like, now allows its customers to take bitcoin.- Bitcoin transactions can be processed at a fraction of the cost of other payment methods because they avoid the interchange structure of the legacy card processors." Continue reading →

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Trust in Gold Not Bernanke as U.S. States Promote Bullion

"Lawmakers in Arizona are poised to follow Utah, which authorized bullion for currency in 2011. Similar bills are advancing in Kansas, South Carolina and other states. The Utah Precious Metals Association, established after passage of the 2011 law to advocate for the use of gold and silver coins, has about two dozen members enrolled in a two month-old bill-pay service in which their accounts are held in gold, said Lawrence Hilton, the group’s chairman. Hilton envisions a future with an alternative monetary system based on precious metals in which merchants accept silver coin while gold mostly backs electronic transfers." Continue reading →

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AFP: Bitcoin price bubble soars to record as investors grow nervous

"A cottage industry of stores buying and reselling goods online for Bitcoins has emerged, and some high-profile transactions have helped push the currency into mainstream consciousness. One Canadian man reportedly hoped to sell his house for Bitcoins, and a US man claimed to have traded his 2007 Porsche for 300 Bitcoins. The Cyprus banking crisis – which saw the tiny nation agree a bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund, European Commission and European Central Bank that will shrink the banking sector and lead to losses on deposits of more than 100,000 euros – also coincided with a run-up in Bitcoin valuation." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAFP: Bitcoin price bubble soars to record as investors grow nervous

Investors Pile Into Housing, This Time as Landlords

"U.S. housing recoveries almost always have been ignited by rising demand from families and individuals looking for a place to live. This recovery is different. Investors—including some big Wall Street players—are leading the way, say industry executives and analysts. Their role is noteworthy given that flippers and speculators were blamed for helping to inflate the housing bubble of the past decade. Today's investors are mostly buying with the intention of holding on to the homes and renting them out. Fear of buying homes when prices are dropping has been replaced by the fear of missing out on cheap homes." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingInvestors Pile Into Housing, This Time as Landlords

As marijuana goes legit, investors rush in

What's striking is how conventional many of the business people's backgrounds — and their plans — increasingly are. Instead of backing marijuana dispensaries, investors such as Privateer and San Francisco-based ArcView Group are rushing to find consulting firms, software companies and insurance agencies to serve the new market. Even Privateer's strategy of merging small companies to form a big one is familiar: In traditional buyout shops, it's called a 'roll-up.' Just don't say that word to Kennedy, unless you want him to blush. Scratch the term 'growing the business' — he catches that one in midsentence, correcting his wording to 'expand.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAs marijuana goes legit, investors rush in

San Diego mayor OK with a certain company’s marijuana vending machines

"The San Diego mayor’s office accepts the use of some marijuana vending machines, according to a major manufacturer of the drug-dispensing devices. Though the company’s automated dispensing machine resembles typical vending machines, it differs in key ways. The touch-screen Canna MedBox can only be accessed via a special pre-paid card and fingerprint scan. The machine is also armored to prevent thefts and keeps a record of every transaction." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSan Diego mayor OK with a certain company’s marijuana vending machines

Odorless ‘weed candies’ in high schools worry Oregon authorities

"Small hard candy infused with marijuana has popped up in high schools in northwestern Oregon, authorities have warned. The sugary green candy is frequently shaped as a skull, Gresham police officer Rick Blake told local news station KGW. 'They just sit and suck on it,' Blake added. 'And, the biggest thing is its odorless, and having no odor, they can sit in class and have this thing and by the end of class, they’re high.' The drug-infused treat is reportedly being sold to high school students for $1 to $5 a piece. Blake told the Portland Tribune the 'weed candy' was relatively easy to make, requiring only marijuana and a few common household ingredients." Continue reading →

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The Rocky Mountain Road to Legal Marijuana Commerce

"The clock is ticking in Colorado. The voters have already voted to legalize marijuana. Either the legislature passes regulations to implement it -- and quite possibly puts anticipated taxes on the ballot, as required by state law for any new taxes -- and Colorado has legal, taxed and regulated marijuana commerce, or it simply has legal marijuana possession with no taxes and no regulations. The threat of the latter should be enough to ensure the success of the former." Continue reading →

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Pawn Stars Rick Harrison tells how the feds are keeping him from filming on govt land

"I’ve been watching Pawn Stars for a while now and I love the show. I’ve sat for hours in front of the TV watching rerun after rerun until I think I’ve just about seen them all. Tonight Rick Harrison was on Mark Levin’s radio show said he had a great idea to film out in Southern California at the Glamis Sand Dunes. He’d be employing around 100 or so people to film the show and had all kinds of ideas as to what he could do. But it’s on federal government land run by the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) so he had to apply for a permit to film there. He said he just found out yesterday that he was denied, and the reason they gave him was ‘budget cuts’." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPawn Stars Rick Harrison tells how the feds are keeping him from filming on govt land

Jeff Berwick on FOX Business: Varney and Co. talking Bitcoin ATM

"Jeff Berwick is on FOX Business: Varney and Co. discussing the value of Bitcoin and his recently announced BitcoinATM project set to launch in Cyprus very soon. Read more about BitcoinATM at www.BitcoinATM.com and read the original press release at The Dollar Vigilante: http://dollarvigilante.com/blog/2013/3/25/worlds-first-bitcoin-atm-is-announced-first-location-cyprus.html " Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJeff Berwick on FOX Business: Varney and Co. talking Bitcoin ATM