The Case for the Bitcoin Cryptocurrency

"Bitcoin takes the basic theorem that anything that be done with a trusted authority can be done without a trusted authority and applies the theorem to the combined fields of cryptography and currency, which is now known as cryptocurrency. Bitcoin is the most popular cryptocurrency that exists today. Bitcoin is a free open source peer-to-peer electronic cash system that is completely decentralized, without the need for a central server or trusted parties. Users hold the crypto keys to their own money and transact directly with each other, with the help of a P2P network to check for double-spending." Continue reading

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Vatican Goes ‘Cash Only’ Because of Lack of Money-Laundering Controls

"Museums and businesses in the Holy See have been declining credit card and debit card purchases following a decision by the Bank of Italy that is reportedly linked to concerns over inadequate money-laundering controls. Cash machines have also been shut down after the Italian central bank refused authorization for Deutsche Bank’s Italian unit to continue operating services it provided within the Vatican’s walls. The banking freeze, which has prompted the move to cash-only transactions, has prompted speculation in the Italian press that a fresh scandal is about to erupt involving the ministate’s still-shadowy finances." Continue reading

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US Fires Back In Antiguan Gambling Spat

"The United States has warned Antigua and Barbuda not to pursue compensation agreed by the World Trade Organization (WTO) following a 2004 ruling against US laws prohibiting the provision of online gambling services to the United States market. In a landmark decision in 2004, the WTO agreed that these laws were in violation of the US's international treaty obligations. However, to date, the government of Antigua and Barbuda has said that 'it has been unable, despite sustained efforts, to either get the United States to comply with the WTO ruling or negotiate any reasonable compromise to settle the dispute.'" Continue reading

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IRS ramps up audits of taxpayers in Israel

"Americans filing their tax returns from Israel are being audited by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service with a frequency that industry professionals have never seen before, according to several certified public accountants. While some of the accountants are not convinced Americans living in Israel are being singled out for audits more than other Americans living abroad, some maintain that the IRS has given indications it will pay more attention to Israel, Hong Kong and Singapore. All are cautioning filers to take note of a new 'vigilance' among U.S. tax authorities less than two months before the June 15 filing deadline for taxpayers living outside the U.S." Continue reading

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Take Steps Today To Say “Adieu” Tomorrow

"Governments are becoming increasingly hostile toward citizens that leave for greener pastures, and they will use any means to prevent the outflow. They will publicly humiliate expats; Hollande has called Depardieu 'pathetic' and 'unpatriotic.' They will enact laws to specifically punish expats for leaving; the US Congress attempted to pass a law aimed at punishing Eduardo Saverin, the Brazilian-born co-founder of Facebook who renounced his US citizenship. They will even take proactive steps to prevent citizens from leaving, either by limiting their citizens' ability to freely travel or by limiting their citizens' ability to relocate their capital abroad." Continue reading

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Retired Couple Turn Into World Traveling Nomads

"This couple sold their home in Paso Robles, California, and started touring the world. We hear about people like this. These people have done it. The wife started a blog site about their travels: http://homefreeadventures.com. They were worried about old age. They wanted to see the world. So, they are doing just that." Continue reading

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U.S media brings glitz to increasingly urbane Mongolia

"Mongolians are avid readers and the country’s literacy rate is over 97 percent, a legacy of the Soviet-era education system which saw village boarding schools set up for nomads’ children. Even in the vast nation’s distant grasslands herdsmen are to be found reading crumpled two-week-old newspapers inside their felt-covered yurts. With its economy roaring on the back of a mining boom that fuelled 11 percent growth last year publishers now see opportunities from targeting newly wealthy Mongolians with premium-priced, Western-linked products." Continue reading

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The Basket Case Sometimes Known as Japan

"Japan may be the poster child for reckless and irresponsible tax and spending policy. Even though the public sector already is far too big and even though the government has incurred more debt than any other developed economy, the new Prime Minister thinks another Keynesian stimulus package is the recipe for economic revival. I’m not joking. Even though the economy has been stagnant for 20 years – a period that has seen several so-called stimulus schemes, the government wants to throw good money after bad." Continue reading

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It’s Fast Becoming the Entitlement-Crony Complex

"The crony military-industrial complex still exists, but it is quickly becoming second fiddle to the Entitlement-Crony Complex. From Social Security, to Medicare to food stamps and free cell phones, the voting public is being manipulated for its vote. At the same time the crony elitists have expanded well beyond the military, and include Big Pharma and crony insurance, among many others. And, of course, the banksters always collect their fees." Continue reading

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Anthony Gregory: Newtown and the Bipartisan Police State

"The way that one mass murderer has been turned into a poster boy for the agenda of depriving millions of Americans of the right to own weapons that virtually none of them will ever use to commit a crime is disgusting, and seems to be rooted in some sort of cultural bigotry. Nothing else would easily explain the invincible resistance to logical arguments such as: rifles are rarely used in crimes, gun control empowers the police state over the weak, and such laws simply do not work against criminals, full stop. Rifles are easier to manufacture than methamphetamine, and we know how well the drug war has stopped its proliferation, and 3D printing will soon make it impossible to stop." Continue reading

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