Monthly Archives: August 2014

Sending Money Home: Technology or Bureaucracy?

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“Some of the world’s poorest people depend on the money they receive from relatives working in developed countries. In fact, this money dwarfs the world’s official foreign aid budget, and the gap is increasing.  In 2011, total private flows of aid totaled $680 billion—almost five times the $138 billion official figure.  This increase in private aid is great news for all concerned.  Except, perhaps, for bureaucrats, who are loath to let good deeds go unpunished. World Bank and United Nations bean counters are denouncing remittance transfer fees as exploitative. The U.S. C.F.P.B. has issued a rule to crack down on supposed fraud and exploitation affecting the existing remittance-transfer infrastructure.”

http://www.fee.org/the_freeman/detail/sending-money-home-technology-or-bureaucracy

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Revolt of the Luddites: Berlin Moves Against Uber and Airbnb

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“Vested interests may be harmed by the injection of consumer choice into the market, but the reaction – to ban and aggressively regulate – may not stem the appearance of flexible electronic facilities that enable consumer choice in a variety of industries. Electronic aps like Airbnb and Uber are bringing down prices and contributing to traveling convenience. Despite efforts to do away with such services, the likelihood of long-term success is probably no better than that of Luddites who used to smash machines with pickaxes and sledgehammers. The ‘machine age’ survived and so probably will Airbnb and Uber – or at least variants.”

http://www.thedailybell.com/news-analysis/35595/Revolt-of-the-Luddites-Berlin-Moves-Against-Uber-and-Airbnb/

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Is America Becoming a Third World Country?

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“A recent study by the London Business School (LBS) examined more than 7,300 instances when U.S. corporations issued significant corrections to their financial statements between 1996 and 2006.  The LBS study cross-referenced these restatements with campaign contributions and lobbying expenditures by the firms and their executives. It found that ‘politically connected firms are on average less likely to be involved in an SEC enforcement action, and face lower penalties if they are prosecuted by the SEC.’ Specifically, firms that increased their political contributions by $1 million over five years cut their chances of being prosecuted in half.”

http://thesovereigninvestor.com/asset-protection/is-america-becoming-a-third-world-country/

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Senator calls for Burger King boycott over tax inversion move to Canada

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“The push for a boycott comes as Burger King plans to renounce its corporate citizenship in the United States and reincorporate in Canada.  Known as a ‘tax inversion,’ the move will allow Burger King to evade the 35% corporate tax rate in the US – the highest in the world, though most large corporations end up paying a significantly lower rate. In Canada, the corporate tax rate is 15%.  Sen. Sherrod Brown said a global minimum tax needs to be implemented to prevent companies from avoiding taxes.  Burger King is not currently being run by an American firm.  ‘The private equity fund that currently runs Burger King, 3G Capital, is Brazilian,” wrote Mark Gongloff.”

http://rt.com/usa/182984-boycott-burger-king-tax-dodge/

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NSA/GCHQ: The HACIENDA Program for Internet Colonization

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“Since the early days of TCP, port scanning has been used by computer saboteurs to locate vulnerable systems. In a new set of top secret documents seen by Heise, it is revealed that in 2009, the British spy agency GCHQ made port scans a ‘standard tool’ to be applied against entire nations. Twenty-seven countries are listed as targets of the HACIENDA program in the presentation, which comes with a promotional offer: readers desiring to do reconnaissance against another country need simply send an e-mail.  The documents do not spell out details for a review process or the need to justify such an action.”

http://www.heise.de/ct/artikel/NSA-GCHQ-The-HACIENDA-Program-for-Internet-Colonization-2292681.html

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Venezuela To Mandate Fingerprinting Grocery Shoppers By Year End

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“Venezuelans could soon have to scan their fingerprints to buy bread.  President Nicolas Maduro says a mandatory fingerprinting system is being implemented at grocery stores to combat food shortages by keeping people from buying too much of a single item. He calls it an ‘anti-fraud system’ like the fingerprint scan the country uses for voting.  Critics said the new system is tantamount to rationing and constitutes a breach of privacy.  Venezuela has been grappling with shortages of basic goods like cooking oil and flour for more than a year. In the spring, the administration tried out a similar system in government-run supermarkets on a voluntary basis.”

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/venezuela-proposes-fingerprinting-shoppers-25073950

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How many grenade launchers did Michigan police departments receive?

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“Nationally, more than $4.3 billion worth of property has been transferred to law enforcement since the program’s inception in fiscal year 1997, according to Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), which oversees the Law Enforcement Support Office (or 1033) program out of its office in Battle Creek. More than 8,000 agencies participate nationwide.  Michigan law enforcement agencies have received 17 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles or MRAPs; 1,795 M16 rifles (5.56mm), the U.S. military’s combat weapon of choice; 696 M14 rifles (7.62 mm); 530 bayonet and scabbards; 165 utility trucks; 32 12-gauge, riot-type shotguns; nine grenade launchers; and three observation helicopters.”

http://www.freep.com/article/20140817/NEWS06/140726001/

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Understand the Emergence of the Marijuana Meme – Even In China

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“We can see once more how misleading it is to characterize countries as people. ‘China’ may seem to be monolithically opposed to legal marijuana but its entrepreneurial class is already anticipating the possibility of participating in a post-prohibition world. And in Canada, certain business interests are obviously pressuring the current regime to be more flexible about marijuana consumption, especially in small amounts. Analyze political behaviors or entrepreneurial activities from the standpoint of culture and people rather than ‘lines on a map.’ When it comes to marijuana or any other industrial trend – large or small – a look behind the “curtain” is both beneficial and enlightening.”

http://www.thedailybell.com/editorials/35584/Anthony-Wile-Look-to-Human-Action-to-Understand-the-Emergence-of-the-Marijuana-Meme-Even-in-China/

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Legal Marijuana: China Competing With U.S. Cannabis Companies?

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“The battle over marijuana may become East vs. West since Dr. Luc Duchesne, an Ottawa-based businessman and biochemist, claims Chinese medical marijuana may be the biggest competitor in the U.S.:  ‘Because cannabis in Western medicine is becoming accepted, the predominance of Chinese patents suggests that pharmaceutical sciences are evolving quickly in China, outpacing Western capabilities. CTM [Chinese traditional medicine] is poised to take advantage of a growing trend. The writing is on the wall: Westernised Chinese traditional medicine is coming to a dispensary near you.’ According to WIPO, Chinese firms have filed 309 of the 606 patents relating to medical marijuana.”

http://www.inquisitr.com/1404612/marijuana-legalization-may-have-chinas-big-pot-competing-with-american-cannabis-companies/

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