Archive - 2016

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MiamiHerald July 25, 2016 Judge ruled: Bitcoin is not actually money
In a case closely watched in financial and tech circles, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Teresa Mary Pooler ruled that Bitcoin was not backed by any government or bank, and was not “tangible wealth” and “cannot be hidden under a mattress like cash and gold bars.”

A Miami-Dade judge ruled Monday that Bitcoin is not actually money, a decision hailed by proponents of the virtual currency that has become popular across the world.

In a case closely watched in financial and tech circles, the judge threw out the felony charges against website designer Michell Espinoza, who had been charged with illegally transmitting and laundering $1,500 worth of Bitcoins. He sold them to undercover detectives who told him they wanted to use the money to buy stolen credit-card numbers.

But Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Teresa Mary Pooler ruled that Bitcoin was not backed by any government or bank, and was not “tangible wealth” and “cannot be hidden under a mattress like cash and gold bars.”

“The court is not an expert in economics; however, it is very clear, even to someone with limited knowledge in the area, the Bitcoin has a long way to go before it the equivalent of money,” Pooler wrote in an eight-page order.

The judge also wrote that Florida law — which says someone can be charged with money laundering if they engage in a financial transaction that will “promote” illegal activity — is way too vague to apply to Bitcoin.  read more »

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Fox July 30, 2016 - In 1955, Eisenhower signed a bill that mandated all U.S. currency and coins bear the inscription "In God We Trust," but it wasn't officially adopted as the national motto until one year later.
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Image courtesy Wikipedia

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National Geographic July 18, 2016 - Although the feat has yet to be certified by Guinness World Records, Indian officials have reported that volunteers planted a whopping 49.3 million tree saplings on July 11, blowing past the previous record for most trees planted in a single day.

That record of 847,275 trees was set by Pakistan in 2013.

A reported 800,000 volunteers from Uttar Pradesh worked for 24 hours planting 80 different species of trees along roads, railways, and on public land. The saplings were raised on local nurseries.
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Photo courtesy Rajesh Kumar Singh / Associated Press

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March 20, 2016 - When Pierro asked the TV star why he endorsed The Donald, Baio replied @ScottBaio replied: "It's very simple… the things that he[Trump]'s saying are just common sense stuff." Actor Scott Baio, who last month endorsed Donald Trump for president, wants the billionaire in charge of the country because it does not take a "political decoder ring" to decode what the businessman is saying.
"He's a straight shooter when he talks to me," the 55-year-old "Happy Days" and "Charles in Charge" star said Sunday morning on Fox News. "When he talks, I understand him." "It's a very sort of direct language," Baio said. "I don't need a political decoder ring to understand what the guy is saying."  read more »