Monthly Archives: March 2014

Bitcoins Buy a $500,000 Villa in Bali

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“Bitcoin fans can use the virtual currency to buy a Subway sandwich in Allentown, Pa., get their teeth cleaned in Los Angeles or find a date on OKCupid.  Now one bitcoin enthusiast has handed over more than 800 bitcoins to buy a two-bedroom luxury villa in Bali, Indonesia.  The sale took place on Feb. 19 via BitPremier, a website that calls itself ‘the bitcoin luxury marketplace.’ Sellers list properties and other goods on the site, which prices them in bitcoins as well as traditional currencies. When an item sells, the site takes a 5% commission, paid in bitcoins.  The villa’s buyer is an ‘early bitcoin adopter’ who has chosen to remain anonymous, said Alan Silbert, chief executive of BitPremier.”

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304026304579449710288367366

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EU Passport for the “Right” Kind of Jew

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“Spain wants its Jews back. The government has proposed that the descendants of Jews expelled in 1492 be given the right to acquire Spanish citizenship and passport. It would be relatively easy to qualify – the bill provides several ways to demonstrate Sephardic origins. On the surface, Spain offering the right of return to Jews expelled more than 500 years ago seems like simple justice. And it may be, but the expulsion of the Jews in 1492 is only one of hundreds or even thousands of expulsions throughout history based on ethnic or religious origins. There’s no reason to think other countries that throughout history have expelled or exterminated ethnic or religious minorities will imitate it.”

http://www.nestmann.com/eu-passport-for-the-right-kind-of-jew

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Hanoi, Vietnam traffic adventures

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“The busy streets of the Old Quarter of Hanoi, Vietnam are endlessly fascinating, buzzing with activity and lots of small motorcycles in perpetual motion. We walk you through these narrow roads with a couple of local friends and share some tips for seeing Hanoi while surviving the traffic.”

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Hanoi, Vietnam Old Quarter Tour

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“Hanoi’s Old Quarter is one of the great destinations in Asia, densely packed with open store-fronts, lots of people, scooters buzzing by, many cheap places to eat, historic buildings and friendly people. The Old Quarter of Hanoi is often known as the 36 streets, but in fact, now there are more than 36 streets, each one providing rewards for the intrepid visitor. The old quarter is different from other places in Hanoi. Preserving the houses in the old quarter is very necessary, and according to the plan, the Hanoi people committee are planning to preserve the old houses in the old quarter, so it can keep the original state. However the planned renovations might change the existing historic character.”

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Why expats are ditching their U.S. passports

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“3,000 Americans around the world renounced their citizenship last year. Meet five U.S. citizens who have given up their passports — or are thinking about it — to escape an overly complicated tax code.”

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/expats-ditching-u-s–passports-151127757.html

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Luxembourg uses veto power to kill EU tax haven crackdown, for now

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“European Union finance ministers failed once again Tuesday to agree on a sweeping new policy to fight tax evasion because of resistance from Luxembourg, a tiny country that long has prospered from a secretive banking culture.  EU Taxation Commissioner Algirdas Semeta said their failure was disappointing because the legislation proposing an EU-wide automatic exchange of data on bank deposits would allow governments to ‘identify and chase up tax evaders.’  Luxembourg, a duchy of barely 500,000 people, was able to shelve the legislation for the 28-nation bloc and its 500 million citizens because the decision required unanimous approval at Tuesday’s meeting in Brussels.”

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/luxembourg-kills-eu-tax-haven-crackdown-1.2569871

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12 Countries That Will Punish You For Insulting Their Heads Of State

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“Even liberal little Netherlands has laws to protect its rulers’ honor. Intentionally insulting the monarch could earn you up to five years’ imprisonment or a fine, while the same offense against the monarch’s spouse, the heir apparent, the heir apparent’s spouse or the regent carries up to four years behind bars. And these laws don’t just sit gathering dust in the statute books, by the way: in 2007, two people were arrested for separately calling the then Queen Beatrix a ‘w–re,’ while in 2012 another two individuals found themselves with short prison sentences for making statements judged offensive to her dignity.”

http://www.businessinsider.com/these-12-countries-punish-you-for-insulting-heads-of-state-2014-3/

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Catalonia getting ready to divorce Spain

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“The referendum in Crimea is the first plebiscite in Europe dedicated to the issue of independence scheduled to take place this year. After Crimea, Scotland and Catalonia are planning to declare their right to self-determination. Enrique Ravello, a member of the Spanish parliament, even took part in the Crimean referendum as an observer. Back in January 2013 the parliament of Catalonia adopted the Declaration of sovereignty of that autonomous region, which allowed its citizens to independently determine its political future.”

http://voiceofrussia.com/2014_03_18/Catalonia-getting-ready-to-divorce-Spain-1173/

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Scotland’s Independence: A Glimpse of America’s Future

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“In September, Scots take to the polls to decide whether to end the Act of the Union of 1707 and leave the United Kingdom. Not much news on this possible secession makes it’s way to our shores, but we are watching it closely. The Scots push for freedom is fueled by feelings that being part of something bigger isn’t better.   It’s the age-old value for money proposition.  Nearly 40% are in favor with 14% being undecided. Those unsure voters will be the ones who decide if Scotland is better off alone. Scotland’s quest for independence, if successful, will be a blueprint for other European regions — or U.S. states — to do the same.”

http://thesovereigninvestor.com/2014/03/18/scotlands-independence-glimpse-americas-future/

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Supreme Court Confirms: You Really Are Guilty Until Proven Innocent

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“A grand jury indictment is now sufficient for the feds to throw you in prison and seize virtually everything you own.  Sure, the assets are supposed to be tainted in order for prosecutors to seize them. A grand jury must believe there is probable cause that you’re guilty of a crime, and that the assets in question were derived from that crime. But, as an old judge in Tennessee once told me, ‘A grand jury in the hands of a skilled prosecutor could indict a ham sandwich.’  Is this just? What happened to innocent-until-proven-guilty and the right to due process?”

http://www.nestmann.com/supreme-court-confirms-you-really-are-guilty-until-proven-innocent

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