An increase in the value of bitcoin, the world’s largest online currency, may fuel concerns that virtual money could undermine the role of central banks.

European Union to criminalize cash transactions over 500 EUROs. Banking is the primary tool they use to control us. Free people transacting outside of their control is their biggest fear. As the original Rothschild said in 1838: "Let me issue and control a Nation's money and I care not who makes its laws".

Bernard von NotHaus faces up to 20 years in prison for his ‘conviction’ of the crime of minting $60 million worth of constitutionally legal private silver coins. Naturally, since von NotHaus made the mistake of minting the word dollar on the coins, the Feds threw the book at him, confiscated the phyzz, and labeled the patriot a ‘domestic terrorist’.

Privatizing nearly every aspect of governmental services except police and fire (and not falling into the debt trap of budget busting pension plans) has taken a city budget from high debt to a surplus - and improved the quality of life and lowered property as well. Exactly what the Libertarian philosophy predicts.

This story involves 2 of my great passions. The pursuit of liberty and craft beer! The state (New Hampshire in this case) is barring sale of Founders Breakfast Stout because the label shows a baby eating it's oatmeal... an obvious reference to this being an oatmeal stout.

HSBC provided a conduit for "drug kingpins and rogue nations", according to a US Senate committee investigating money laundering claims at the bank. Its report said suspicious funds from countries including Mexico, Iran and Syria had passed through the bank. The president and chief executive of HSBC Bank USA, Irene Dorner, apologised to the committee for the behaviour which she said deeply regretted. Earlier, HSBC's head of compliance, David Bagley, resigned at the hearing.

Already bigger than many sovereign currencies, Bitcoin has broken the $1 billion in value mark this week. In the wake of continuing economic crises and liquidity shortages, this new virtual currency is poised to challenge the euro and US dollar.
By not being tied to any particular financial institution and independent from world governments, Bitcoin will become a safe haven for anyone trying to save their money from the crippled international banking system, claimed Max Keiser, the host of RT's Keiser Report.

Tradehill is a U.S-based exchange that falls within the definition of FinCEN’s regulations for virtual currency exchange operators. “Bitcoin’s primary use is value transmission and financial technology in the U.S. is a very regulated space,” according to Tradehill COO Ryan Singer. The company has anticipated this regulation and the recent guidance from FinCEN “really helps the startups in the space build a compliance game plan,” he added.

It seems that FinCEN has finally decided to opine on Bitcoin, without naming it specifically. This US pronouncement spells death to all “compliant” US Bitcoin companies that choose to remain based in the USA.

China has been recasting their gold reserves, currently in 12.4 kg bars into smaller 1 kg bars, allegedly to lay the foundation a gold backed currency, and new banking reserve system.