Free Talk Live - Submitted news - Regulation

DHS Shuts Down Dwolla Payments to and From Mt. Gox

stuntmantdave — Tue, 14 May 2013 22:17:41 +0000

The Department of Homeland Security appears to have shut down the ability to use Dwolla, a mobile payment service, to withdraw and deposit money into Mt. Gox, a Bitcoin trading platform. A Dwolla representative confirmed the move to Betabeat. Chris Coyne, cofounder of OKCupid, posted a screenshot of an email he received from Dwolla, stating that due to recent orders from the Department of Homeland Security, Dwolla cannot complete the bank transfer to Mt. Gox.

So much for public service.

anothermark — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 13:10:35 +0000

Sen. Tommy Tucker of Waxhaw said a mouthful with just 13 words on Tuesday.

“I am the senator. You are the citizen. You need to be quiet.”

Should The Creepy Times Square Costumed Characters Be Regulated?

Jking8767 — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 11:16:16 +0000

The Disneyfication of Times Square really has come full circle—the formerly gritty crossroads of the world has become so family-friendly that it's starting to become seedy again, thanks to a mob of street hustlers dressed as cartoon characters demanding tips from tourists. On Sunday, a man dressed as Cookie Monster allegedly shoved a child and cursed at his mother when she didn't tip fast enough, and several other characters have been arrested in recent months. The situation has attracted so much media attention that now regulation is being considered.

Has DOG meat been found in our food?

WaxCrax — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 16:14:17 +0000

A mystery meat, which has defied the best efforts of scientists to identify it, has been found in a lamb curry as part of an investigation into food fraud.‘It did contain meat, but that meat was not lamb, not pork, nor was it chicken or beef. Not horse, and not goat either.’ The discovery raises new questions about just what is going into the nation’s takeaways and processed foods. The meat in a Beef in Black Bean Sauce dish turned out to contain high levels of chicken material including blood, while a burger contained no beef at all, other than blood and heart.

Pittsburgh Man Opens Ice Cream Shop/Bank and Refuses to Shut Down

Erin Jane — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 15:49:30 +0000

Despite threats of big fines by state banking regulators, the owner of a Shadyside (Pittsburgh, Pa) ice cream shop who opened his own version of a community bank last summer isn't abandoning his mission.

"We are taking on the challenge of transforming the retail banking industry," his website states.
"PA dept of banks threatening us ... we keep growing," he tweeted in late December.

Instead of deposits he is offering "never-ending gift cards." (More hilarious examples of how this ice cream shop/bank owner is getting around regulations in the article).

Technology is too complex for patents to work menaingfully

E in MN — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:51:49 +0000

"Dizzying but invisible depth" - an article on the complexity of technology, why the patent system is broken, and, indirectly, a demonstration of why central planning cannot be effective in complex settings.

US regulator: Bitcoin exchanges must comply with money-laundering laws

Cyphase — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 23:40:29 +0000

The federal agency charged with enforcing the nation's laws against money laundering has issued new guidelines suggesting that several parties in the Bitcoin economy qualify as Money Services Businesses under US law. MSBs must register with the federal government, collect information about their customers, and take steps to combat money laundering by their customers. The new guidelines do not mention Bitcoin by name, but there's little doubt which "de-centralized virtual currency" the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) had in mind when it drafted the new guidelines.

Write Gambling Software, Go to Prison

Cyphase — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:43:30 +0000

Could something like this happen to Bitcoin? FTA: "In a criminal case sure to make programmers nervous, a software maker who licenses a program used by online casinos and bookmakers overseas is being charged with promoting gambling in New York because authorities say his software was used by others for illegal betting in that state. New York authorities say that about $2.3 million that Robert Stuart and his company, Extension Software, received in cash and money orders for licensing his software constitutes direct proceeds of illegal, U.S.-based bookmaking operations."

MEPs to vote on EU 'ban on all forms of pornography'

iamodd999 — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 13:42:55 +0000

Controversy has erupted over next Tuesday's European Parliament resolution "on eliminating gender stereotypes in the EU", meant to mark international women's day, after libertarian Swedish MEPs from the Pirate Party spotted the call for a ban in the small print.
The proposal "calls on the EU and its member states to take concrete action on discrimination against women in advertising... [with] a ban on all forms of pornography in the media".

N.C. Mountain Man Fights To Preserve Old Ways

Brockacre — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 06:24:26 +0000

N.C. Mountain Man Fights To Preserve Old Ways

Primitive retreat too primitive for government officials

By Don Carrington Dec. 17th, 2012

More | 3

BOONE — Watauga County mountain man Eustace Conway’s passion for teaching primitive living came to a sudden halt in October when local government officials shut down his operation, citing safety and health

City of Austin goes after SideCar ride sharing service.

matthewglennwells — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 18:06:43 +0000

A ride sharing service called SideCar that is very popular in San Francisco and Seattle is under attack by the Austin City Council for being an unregulated taxi service. The City wants to conduct Sting operations to bust, fine, and impound the vehicle of volunteers who give rides to people on a donation basis only. This would be conducted during South by Southwest when the company plans to launch in Austin. The service is offered through a smartphone app and no cash is exchanged.

FBI Raids The Scooter Store

askbillmitchell — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 06:46:06 +0000

The FBI must be really bored these days because on Wednesday they storm the Texas offices of "The Scooter Store". Their crime? Approving people for scooters that the government says didn't need the scooters.

Why Buying A Car Never Changes

Jking8767 — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 11:24:51 +0000

"Buying a car sucks," Scott Painter says. "It's something that most consumers fear."

Back in the '90s, Painter started a company to try to change this. "The name of the company was Cars Direct," he says. "The mission was to sell cars directly." Painter wanted his company to build virtual dealerships that would let people go online and buy cars. But after talking with a few car execs, he realized nobody would even consider his idea. Painter was stopped by a web of state laws that make it very, very difficult to change the way cars are sold.

Free market gets weed to Colorado ahead of regulated market.

ianCredible — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 02:18:05 +0000

Legislators in Colorado are still working out how to regulate recreational marijuana. Until new guidelines are announced medical dispensaries are still playing by the old rule book and only selling to those with valid registrations. While sales will be regulated, Amendment 64 clearly states that its legal for anyone 21+ to possess or gift up to an ounce (and grow 6 of their own plants) the free market has come up with an innovative 64 compliant solution.

Why Police Officers Lie Under Oath - NYTimes.com

stuntmantdave — Sun, 03 Feb 2013 19:43:06 +0000

In the war on drugs, federal grant programs like the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program have encouraged state and local law enforcement agencies to boost drug arrests in order to compete for millions of dollars in funding. Agencies receive cash rewards for arresting high numbers of people for drug offenses, no matter how minor the offenses or how weak the evidence.

Electronic Cigarettes to be Regulated as Tobacco Products, FDA Says

Jking8767 — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 11:30:47 +0000

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to oversee electronic cigarettes marketed for non-therapeutic use as tobacco products after a court ruled the products can’t be regulated as drugs or medical devices. The FDA will propose subjecting e-cigarette companies to rules that already cover the makers of regular cigarettes, such as providing the government with lists of product ingredients, the agency said today in a letter on its website.

Police Refuse To Respond To Burglary In Progress

mport1 — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 05:44:59 +0000

“The Chief or authorized designee (i.e. Communications Division) shall refuse police response to any alarm notification from an alarm site that does not have a valid permit,” reads the ordinance.

Commissioners approve regulations governing sexy coffee stands

Jking8767 — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 11:33:13 +0000

Owners of adult-themed coffee stands in unincorporated Kitsap County will have to post signs warning would-be customers about their scantily-clad baristas, and they'll have to do more to protect passers-by from seeing into their businesses. That's according to an ordinance passed Monday in a unanimous vote of the Kitsap County commissioners. The stands have 60 days to comply with the changes, which include a site visit by county planning staff to check the signs are posted and additional screening is added.

FDA: New rules will make food safer

seejase — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 19:59:20 +0000

The FDA says its new guidelines would make the food Americans eat safer and help prevent the kinds of food borne disease outbreaks that sicken or kill thousands of consumers each year. The rules could cost manufacturers up to $475 million annually. The bill also authorized more surprise inspections by the FDA and gave the agency additional powers to shut down food facilities. In addition, the law required stricter standards on imported foods.