“• European Parliament, Brussels, 21 November 2013 • Speaker: Godfrey Bloom MEP, Ind. (Yorkshire & Lincolnshire), Europe of Freedom and Democracy (EFD) group –http://www.godfreybloommep.co.uk • Debate: Action programme for taxation in the European Union for the period 2014-2020.”
“With the legal status of bitcoin still under debate in Poland, a recent announcement by an official from the country’s Ministry of Finance sheds more light on the complex issue. On 18th December, a seminar on the legality of bitcoin was held at the Warsaw School of Economics. Based in the Polish capital Warsaw, SGH is one of the country’s leading business universities. Speaking at the seminar, Szymon Woźniak, an official from the Polish Ministry of Finance, said that the ministry does not consider bitcoin to be illegal, although it does not consider it to be a legal currency either. The ministry is carefully observing the development of bitcoin, according to the ministry official.”
http://www.coindesk.com/polish-official-bitcoin-not-illegal/
“The National Australia Bank (NAB), one of Australia’s ‘Big Four’ banking groups, published a three-page research paper on 19th December titled ‘Bitcoin to replace AUD?’ (Australian dollars). Despite the provocative title, the paper does not suggest replacing the national currency with bitcoin, nor say it could happen in the near future. Rather, it is an explanation of bitcoin and a comparison of the nature of digital currencies with existing sovereign currencies, and how they fit into the current international financial system. Bitcoin could well become a widely accepted medium of exchange, the paper said, but it would take many more years to achieve mainstream acceptance.”
http://www.coindesk.com/australian-bank-report-bitcoin-replace-dollars/
“The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the country’s central bank, has decided not to intervene on whether businesses can accept Bitcoin as a means of transacting goods and services. ‘Whether or not businesses accept Bitcoins in exchange for their goods and services is a commercial decision in which MAS does not intervene,’ it told Singapore-based Bitcoin trading platform Coin Republic in an email. Singapore is one of the world’s top finanacial hubs that is increasingly seen as a challenger to Switzerland’s private baking dominance. The last time MAS issued a statement on Bitcoin was in September, when it warned speculators about the risks of trading the cryptocurrency.”
http://www.techinasia.com/singapore-government-decides-interfere-bitcoin/
“There are 62 sheriffs in Colorado, and 55 of them are challenging the law in a court case. Most are unwilling to enforce the state’s anti-gun laws. They refuse to arrest known violators, or else they let them loose. The voters in rural counties prefer it this way. One of them publicly carries a pair of banned 30-round magazines for rifles, called assault rifles by the media.”
http://teapartyeconomist.com/2013/12/17/colorado-sheriffs-refuse-enforce-gun-control-law/
“A federal judge ruled Monday that the National Security Agency program which collects information on nearly all telephone calls made to, from or within the United States is likely unconstitutional. U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon found that the program appears to violate the Fourth Amendment ban on unreasonable searches and seizures. He also said the Justice Department had failed to demonstrate that collecting the information had helped to head off terrorist attacks. Acting on a lawsuit brought by Larry Klayman, Leon issued a preliminary injunction barring the NSA from collecting so-called metadata pertaining to the Verizon accounts of Klayman and one of his clients.”
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/12/national-security-agency-phones-judge-101203.html
“In April 2011, two years shy of its 100th birthday, the Fed held its first press conference in history in response to mounting criticism of its lack of transparency. In other words, the Fed felt that it had to walk out into the sunshine and defend itself. And, as no doubt part of the same public relations effort, recent Fed publications reveal a concerted effort to perpetuate the myth that the Federal Reserve System is not a central bank at all, but a system of banks that serve ‘our local communities.’ What’s different this time is that, with the help of the web, Ron Paul’s 2012 campaign, and of course, the Mises Institute, the Austrian School of economics is no longer an obscure and ignored minority.”
http://mises.org/daily/6613/Being-an-Austrian-Is-Easier-Than-Ever
“Forget decriminalization or medical marijuana. Bolstered by state ballot victories, top-tier contenders in 2014 are seeking full legalization, the drug’s highest-profile advocacy ever. Advocates for marijuana legalization say the 2014 elections represent the first time that serious, top-tier candidates for major state and federal offices are advocating for full legalization of the drug. In Pennsylvania and Maryland, top contenders for the Democratic nomination for governor are calling for legalization, as is the likely Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine. And earlier this week, a legalization bill was introduced in the Legislature in New York, making the state the sixth with an active bill.”
“You may have thought the Geneva deal struck last month between Iran and the P5+1 nations was a sweet one for Tehran — getting billions in sanctions relief in exchange for mere promises to halt its nuclear program. But Turkey may be an even bigger winner. It just needs to open its doors and wait for Iranian funds to pour in. Iran was Turkey’s third largest export market in 2012. In fact, Turkey is reportedly exporting more than 20,000 products to Iran right now; among them gold and silver. It turns out that the Geneva deal also loosened sanctions on precious metals. The White House estimates that [the deal] could generate $1.5 billion in government revenues for Tehran.”
http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2013/12/12/turkey-cashes-in-on-the-iran-talks/
“Partisanship and waste. Corruption and scandal. Hyper regulation that stifles entrepreneurship. It seems the only news coming out of Washington these days is bad news. Does it have to be this way? History says no. For an example, flash back to the 1970s. Government control—and scandal—were the new normal. High unemployment had joined high inflation at the hip. Economic malaise had set in, as it has in some ways today. Yet by the end of the decade, something good happened: We saw massive regulatory reform in airlines, trucking, and other industries—to the great benefit of consumers and the nation. How did it happen?”
http://www.independent.org/newsroom/article.asp?id=4815