Resistance

U.S. boss held captive by angry Chinese employees, released

"Chinese factory workers on Thursday released their U.S. boss, held captive for a week, after a compensation dispute was resolved. Chip Starnes, president of Specialty Medical Supplies, in the Beijing suburb of Huairou, was allowed to leave the factory and was resting in a hotel, the company official said. The workers had demanded severance packages identical to those offered to 30 employees who were recently laid off, even though the firm planned no further layoffs. The workers’ demands followed rumors that the entire plant was being closed after the company’s plastic injection molding division began a move to India to lower production costs." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. boss held captive by angry Chinese employees, released

A million engineers in India struggling to get placed in an extremely challenging market

"Somewhere between a fifth to a third of the million students graduating out of India's engineering colleges run the risk of being unemployed. Others will take jobs well below their technical qualifications in a market where there are few jobs for India's overflowing technical talent pool. India trains around 1.5 million engineers, which is more than the US and China combined. However, two key industries hiring these engineers -- information technology and manufacturing -- are actually hiring fewer people than before. Frustrated engineers are taking jobs for which they are overqualified and, therefore, underpaid. A few exceptions have even turned to crime." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA million engineers in India struggling to get placed in an extremely challenging market

Honduras Startup City Redux: from RED to ZEDE to … Freedom?

"The legislation triggered fierce opposition by municipalities, which feared competition. Those objections were answered in floor debate by the observation that municipalities could themselves convert to ZEDE, winning all the same advantages. On June 12, 2013, the ZEDE legislation passed by a vote of 102 to 26. In broad terms, the ZEDE legislation authorizes the creation of startup cities that will operate under the supervision, but not direct control, of the central government. The ZEDE might not sound much different from China’s special economic zones or Dubai’s International Financial Centre, but the Hondurans have authored a daring new approach to governance." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHonduras Startup City Redux: from RED to ZEDE to … Freedom?

Bitcoiniacs Bitcoin Store Opens In Vancouver

"Bitcoiniacs - The Bitcoin Store is Vancouver’s first physical bitcoin exchange. Our mission is to make the process of buying and selling bitcoins simple, safe, and secure for everyone. If you don’t quite understand how bitcoins work, don’t worry, all you need to do is get yourself down to the store and we’ll help you out. If you already have a bitcoin wallet, then please bring your wallet address or a mobile bitcoin wallet application with you. We have also partnered with BitPay, Bitcoin’s leading payment processor, to help merchants easily accept bitcoin payments from their customers. Bitcoiniacs is open to the public Saturday and Sunday from 12 – 4." Continue reading →

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With New Initiative ‘Galactic,’ PayPal Wants To Own Payments And Commerce In Space

"In a slightly bizarre announcement today, PayPal is debuting PayPal Galactic, an initiative to own universal payments and commerce in space. Yes, outer space. PayPal is looking to address and solve the problems of what the standard currency looks like in a cash-free interplanetary society, and how banking, risk and fraud management systems will adapt to this. The company says that there is already the need for a galactic payment system. Astronauts inhabiting space stations still need to pay for life’s necessities—from their bills back on Earth to their entertainment, like music and e-books, while in space." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWith New Initiative ‘Galactic,’ PayPal Wants To Own Payments And Commerce In Space

Germany: Parliamentary inquiry declares Bitcoins tax-exempt after one year holding time

"Thus, the digital money from the Treasury treated differently than, for example, stocks, bonds or certificates. All of these asset classes are subject to withholding tax of 25 percent plus solidarity surcharge and church tax. In bitcoins falls after a holding period of one year on the other hand, no such tax. The tax exemption of capital gains in Bitcoins findings of a parliamentary inquiry that has provided to the federal government the FDP financial expert Frank Schaeffler and the 'world' exists. 'It is good that investments in Bitcoins is finally legal certainty. Private profits from the sale of Bitcoins are tax-free after one year,' said Schaeffler." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGermany: Parliamentary inquiry declares Bitcoins tax-exempt after one year holding time

Bitcoin Exchange Berlin to Open on Saturday, June 29

"More and more people in Germany know that the Euro system will inevitably collapse, so they want to be prepared for what comes next. Germans are especially sensitive, as we went through two major monetary disasters in the last century, and the Euro will surely be the next one. So many people now think about getting their savings into gold, silver and Bitcoin. Platoon Kunsthalle is an ideal site for the Bitcoin Exchange Berlin as it serves as a communication consultancy specializing in mobilizing cultural movements and community events." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBitcoin Exchange Berlin to Open on Saturday, June 29

Bitcoin Black Market Competition Heats Up, With Pro Marketing And Millions At Stake

"Watch the cheery video ad for the latest dark-web drug marketplace today, and you’d be forgiven for thinking it was selling a service as mainstream as online dating or car insurance. Atlantis, which launched in March, is poised to take on the Silk Road, which remains by far the biggest drug sales site, with close to 60,000 unique visitors a day by one researcher’s rough measure and $22 million annual sales according to a study last year. Both run on the anonymity service Tor to hide the location of their servers and the identities of any visitors to their sites, and both accept Bitcoin to avoid having their transactions tracked through bank records." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBitcoin Black Market Competition Heats Up, With Pro Marketing And Millions At Stake

More Small Businesses Embrace Bitcoin

"Having the latest technology can help a small company stand out against the competition. And that is perhaps the biggest reason Bitcoin, a nascent system using virtual currency to make payments online, has drawn a strong following among small-business owners. It is unclear if business transactions were part of the original vision for Bitcoin, which was started in 2009 and isn't backed by a central bank. BitPay Inc., an Atlanta firm that processes Bitcoin payments, says it has signed up more than 8,000 merchants world-wide—all small companies—since it formed in May 2011." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMore Small Businesses Embrace Bitcoin