For cutting down six trees on his newly bought property in Woodside without a permit, Rajiv Gujral will have to pay a $26,250 fine.

But it could have been worse.

Woodside officials asked the town council to fine him twice that amount -- $52,500.

"What follows is my response to a question that was posted on the Rugatu website asking, "What is the legal status of Bitcoin?" After composing this over the course of 10 minutes or so, I realized I liked the response, and decided I want to "polish it up" into a better op-ed style article. Any feedback, positive or negative (though keep it constructive, please) is appreciated.

The bill would empower states to require online retailers to collect state and local sales taxes for purchases made over the Internet. The sales taxes would be sent to the states where a shopper lives.

Annie and Christer Johannson haven't seen their son, Domenic, in nearly four years. He was just seven when he was taken away from them at gunpoint in June 2009. The family was on an airplane about to leave Sweden for their new home in India, where Annie's family is from.

Alcohol consumption is banned in Qatar, except in hotels and for non Muslims who obtain special licenses.