sound money

Georgia prepares to execute mentally disabled prisoner under secrecy law

"The second legal challenge, put before Georgia state courts last Friday, concerns the new Lethal Injection Secrecy Law passed recently by the Georgia assembly that allows the department of corrections to obtain supplies of the sedative pentobarbital in secret. The legislation bypasses normal freedom of information rules by declaring the identity of drug suppliers a 'state secret' in an attempt to circumvent a growing boycott of medical drugs used in executions. The Georgia department of corrections is understood to be seeking pentobarbital to kill Hill through a compounding pharmacy, though it is using the new secrecy law to keep details of the supplier obscured." Continue reading →

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Republican governor pushes to restore vote to nonviolent felons in Virginia

"While Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) touted his plan to restore voting rights to the state’s nonviolent felons, advocacy groups were split in their assessment as to how much impact it could have. The Washington Post reported on Monday that the plan could impact about 100,000 former prisoners. Since 2010, McDonnell’s administration has approved 5,235 to return to the voting pool. But without electronic records before 1995, state officials also have a hard time locating former felons who are potentially eligible to renew their voting rights, and are turning to felons’ rights groups for assistance." Continue reading →

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All True Journalism is Adversarial

"Last spring, the Monitor learned that the McAllen city government was negotiating with the GEO Group, a Florida-based private prison corporation, about building a 1,000-bed jail that would accept federal inmates. The paper didn’t report on the discussions until July 2, in a story that contained the following admission: 'At the city’s request, The Monitor didn’t report the news to avoid tipping off potential competitors and skunking the deal.' Were The Monitor an actual newspaper, rather than a propaganda organ, its editorial board would understand that its job is to disclose things the city government seeks to conceal, especially when taxpayer money is involved." Continue reading →

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Vietnamese boat people return as entrepreneurs [2003]

"Once the world knew them as boat people, some 2 million Vietnamese who fled the communist regime in their country, most of them in rickety vessels, paying for their perilous passages with hoarded family gold. Their traumatic odysseys at sea, where they were targeted by pirates and other bandits, made dramatic news for years. Most boat people found a home in the West; 1 million settled in the United States. Now, thousands of those who fled after the Vietnam War ended in 1975 have been drifting back to Vietnam as Viet-kieu (overseas Vietnamese), bringing entrepreneurial know-how, foreign passports and ambition." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingVietnamese boat people return as entrepreneurs [2003]

The Gold Roller Coaster

"About a year ago, we began to advise readers that we are in for the economic roller coaster ride of the century and that gold will be on that roller coaster. Those who are on the ride will need to keep their nerve – to remember that, as wild as the fluctuations may become, gold is not in the same category as stocks and bonds. It retains value when other more conventional forms of wealth disappear. Its true value to the investor is as an insurance policy – to make sure that if economies collapse, it might still be possible to buy some freedom and put food on the table – to ride out the economic storm." Continue reading →

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Gold! $250K in centuries-old coins found

"The coins, called escudos, were part of the treasure aboard a fleet of 11 Spanish galleons wrecked by a hurricane off the Florida coast on July 31, 1715. It was this famous shipwreck that gave this part of Florida its nickname, The Treasure Coast. The coins appear to be in good condition, and still have some legible dates and markings. The oldest bears the date 1697; the youngest is dated 1714. The 48 coins have an estimated value of $200,000 to $250,000, said Brisben. Perhaps the most surprising thing about the expedition is that the coins were found just 100 feet from the shoreline, in only six feet of water." Continue reading →

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Bitcoin developer Jeff Garzik on altcoins, ASICs and bitcoin usability

"'It took the nations of the Eurozone ten years or so to deploy the Euro, and that was introducing an entirely new currency,' he says. 'We’re trying to do the same thing with bitcoin. We’re trying to roll out a currency from scratch. And as the experience with the Euro showed, it takes an incredible amount of time to change over POS systems and cash registers, to train end of line merchant workers with this new payment system.' Garzik believes that this is just the start. If his vision comes true, then maybe bitcoin could be as big as the Euro. Only, you know, without centralized banking and dysfunctional national economies gumming up the works." Continue reading →

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Federal Reserve studying effect of Paypal and Bitcoin on banking

"The U.S. is studying the potential risk from online payment mechanisms like PayPal and Bitcoin, a top US Federal Reserve official told an international conference on Monday. Some bankers have expressed worries that newer players in the online marketplace could have negative implications for the financial system. 'We have been talking… with banking organisations over the last year or two, trying more carefully to understand what the concerns are with these new payment mechanisms,' Federal Reserve Vice Chair Janet Yellen said. Some officials fear the virtual currency can be used by criminals or terrorists, or could be vulnerable to hackers." Continue reading →

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Feeding Stray Cats In Philly Town Could Leave You Responsible For Their Health

"A proposed law in a town along the Main Line could punish people who feed stray cats. The new law would dictate if you feed it, you own it. And if you own it, you’re responsible for its vaccinations, says the proposal here in Radnor Township. In introducing the changes to current law here earlier this week, president of Radnor Township’s Board of Commissioners, Elaine Schaeffer says it’s not a feeding ban, instead it’s designed to protect against rabies. 'It requires those who choose to feed feral cats with a very minimum modicum standard of care.' Violation of the ordinance could carry a $300 to $1,000 fine." Continue reading →

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San Francisco requires licensing, insurance for dog walkers

"A series of regulations went into effect earlier this month that will place new restrictions on San Francisco’s professional dog walkers. The new rules require dog walkers to obtain a city-issued permit, puts a limit on the number of dogs that can be walked at a time and requires dog walkers to have any vehicles used to transport dogs to be inspected, approved and carry $1 million in liability insurance." Continue reading →

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