To anyone of the board members that was present during the recent "black money" crisis in India, did you see any spike in local peer to peer bitcoin transactions? I'm trying to discern exactly how people utilize bitcoin during capital flight/capital emergencies, and this particular scenario is a model example. Bitcoin isn't the best thing for something like this (gold is), but being able to move value onto the blockchain during this crisis had to be an advantage.

While your funds could have been tainted in some way, which will flag a transaction on this platform, you most likely are running into problems because of the amount of money involved with your account/that transaction. Transactions that large invoke AML/KYC procedures automatically, so they will most likely need you to answer a few questions and possibly identify yourself. Otherwise, they would be breaking the law (they may have to fill out a questionnaire for the transaction to cover everything on their end).

The protocol can't be restricted, if that's what you mean, but you can certainly get your funds frozen on an exchange if the exchange gets a court order to do so. Whatever country the exchange operates out of, they are beholden to the financial laws of that country. In fact, they have frozen the funds from high level crypto heist multiple times already.

So if you hold your own coins, no. But if it's on an exchange, yes, yes indeed they can be frozen.

I can attest (though not for so long a time as that) this does work. Technology use nowadays (which is mostly entertainment or convenience) is mostly habitual. Unconditioning those habits, or replacing them, is healthy. And a note on privacy from state actors. Even if you could hear all the voices in the room, it would be hard to separate a single voice and hear it clearly through the cacophony. That's the current state of affairs with government surveillance. You are psuedo anon, like bitcoin, because it's hard to single out one person with all the noise. When you listen to all the Facebook posts, from the LOL cats to the fight clips, eventually, you tune out everything that isn't "I am a crazy head and intend to do harm to myself, or others".

So, just be aware you are always on record, if you use an electronic medium of communication. It doesn't diminish you, which is the most important thing. But it does give you some considerations.

But when they tune in, you are quite fucked.

And Brietbart. You can't forget Breitbart 

If this wasn't so amusing, all my warning bells would be going off in a way that would keep me up at night. The White House has plainly called the established media liars. The implications of this outceed Russia, IMO.

It's a per state thing here, but depending on the 'class' of the litigant, their class may be protected federally from discrimination. Homosexuals for example, or the disabled. It wouldn't be illegal per se here, but the injured party could file a civil suit that would have implications in federal case law. But if you accept state funds, even the lottery (which is a state institution), you cannot discriminate. Entirely private institutions are a different matter, but the same civil suit could be filed by the injured party. Might not get the same traction, but it could. So not worth the liability, in my opinion.

Despite the injustice, I pretty much have to concur with this. I don't believe in discrimination, but if you don't accept government subsidy for your business, you should have the right to serve who you want to. If you were black, and someone asked you to bake a "Kill the Blacks" cake, would you do it? Or if you were Jewish and someone wanted a "Cook the Jews" pie? Or even if you are human and someone asked for a "I fucked the baker's mom last night" cupcake arrangement?  No, you wouldn't. No one would. And this is why personal freedoms matter. But, when actions like this become public, you may have to explain to said public why you chose your particular course of action.

I concur. Putin is a creature of his nature. I would think less of him, to be honest, if all those years in intelligence didn't turn him into what he is today. You have an agent of one of the most brutally effective intelligence agencies in the entire world. Of course he is going to be a bit of a dick. Being a dick kept him and his country alive during a nuclear standoff. You don't fix what isnt broken.

With that being said, I don't agree with his ideology. He brings a dated perspective to prominence, and his message is a bit diluted by the rampant corruption present in his government. I'd say he is effectively strippibg state assets for personal enrichment. But nothing that isn't happening in the good old US of A. Nowadays, this is the way politics are conducted. For personal enrichment.

The majority of our Congress became Russia-philes overnight.

These are strange days, friends.

Yes indeed. I could eat a human with a knife and a fork. Or tartar sauce. I'm not a barbarian, but when we have gotten to this point, we are assuming two things:

1) said tender, delicious human has died of natural causes and at this point is a burden/liability

2) there is a lack of other available food, IE a "shit hit the fan" situation

In this scenario, im not so much seeing a human as much as I'm seeing a readily available, rapidly spoiling source of macronutrients. If we put the body outside, something is going to eat it. Why let all that meat go to waste? If I die, I say, eat me with gusto. I suggest lime and cilantro.

Oh, we are racist as hell. Make no mistake.

We are a nation built on stolen land. Forged by stolen/forced labor. And tempered with stolen culture.

We are the product of a melting pot, yet some of us would insist that America once existed in a pure state. A segregated state, a harkening back to when we were a divided people.

Minorities are asked to assimilate into cultures they helped create. And visitors are asked to support a government that doesn't want them there.

We have forgotten our fathers' faces. 

So to answer your question, no. We aren't all racist. Some of us care enough for the future to look past temporary shortcomings/obstacles. But unfortunately, enough of us are. And like Islam, unfortunately sometimes the worst of your clan, is represented as a prime example of your ilk.

Be careful. We in America thought the same thing. Surely they won't elect this guy. He's talking about grabbing chicks in the bikini area.

And then he got sworn in.

We severely underestimated how badly a certain part of our country felt threatened.

What I'm saying is, the people that would vote for a candidate like this, aren't stupid. They are afraid. Afraid they will lose their place in an ever advancing world. And I get that. But I think it's maladaptive thinking. We are involving into a global economy, a global community of peers. No one should stand alone. We should all stand on each other shoulders, and pull each other up. So rather than with draw from diversity, embrace it. Every culture has its gifts, but you have to sit down and break bread before this becomes evident.

Here. Educate yourself.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crusades

TLDR; the Pope sent an Army to take the Holy Land from Muslims. Not only did it end badly, but we managed to look like assholes as we raped, pillaged and destroyed a whole bunch of shit that had nothing to do with our "Holy Task". Killed a whole bunch of Jews in the Rhineland (admittedly, this was a rogue faction, but that kind of what I'm getting at). Assholes come in many flavors. White and Black. Christian, Jew and Muslim. Don't forget, assholism float to the top, like cream.

So, Church sanctioned terrorism vs some crazy guys. I'll take the crazies any day.

LOL, because her whole campaign was only about immigration (I'm being sarcastic). What about her stance on Jewish citizens revoking Israel? What about her plans to greatly increase prison infrastructure and police spending to preserve "law and order"? And why are people so damned afraid of Muslims? Don't they get that the average Muslim has a life, and bills and kids and shit, and doesn't have time to actively plot the demise of non Muslims? The people blowing shit up are fucking nutjobs, it would be akin to if I screamed out " What would Jesus do bitch?! " before committing some horrible crime. That would make me a crazy head. Not Christian.


What's your definition of humanity? If we meant people acting in their own interest at the expense of others, then yes, the current wave of populist fervor sweeping the globe is quite human

Can you link me to one of those stories? Because the first 30 or articles that pop up clearly state that this wasn't a peaceful protest. 

"The convoy of trucks passed by the victim's residence where the victims were grilling hot dogs and hamburgers while hosting a child's birthday party featuring a bouncy castle, snow-cone machines, and a DJ," the district attorney's office posted on its official Facebook page.

Yeah, you know, because people get bouncy castles, snow cone machines, and a DJ just for shits and giggles, huh? Definitely not a birthday party.

Damn, come to think if it, my parents never got me a bouncy castle or a DJ. I guess those ghetto dwellers make some decent salary. We obviously have to shut that shit down so we can make America great again, right?

Sounds to me like racial trolling that bit your white nationalist friends in the ass. LOL, Confederates should be proud. They stood with the flag all the way to a federal prison. Now that's devotion.

And please, please explain to me how the number one represented race in America is in minority.

Ideology plays a part in this as well as greed. While I'm certain there is financial motivation at the end of this path, there is a certain zeal to the killing of these poor addicts that speaks of a mission. This about cleaning things up. I can't even say this comes from a misguided place. But the process is all fucked up. You have to understand that anyone in the grips of addiction is a victim. And most dealers are addicts. Many people indeed "get high off their own supply". It's not so easy to make significant profits peddling drugs without drawing serious attention from law enforcement. THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE THAT SELL DRUGS DO SO TO SUPPORT THEIR OWN HABIT. So to be judge and executioner for people that are in such a fucked up state is likewise, pretty fucked up.

Alcohol is a substance. Like all substance, when abused, they sometimes have serious consequences. Alcohol will make you loopy and thirsty. Nothing more.
But taken to excess, you may hit a motherfucker.

As I have said, anything taken to excess can cause you harm. We are creatures of balance. As healthy as carrots are, try eating a diet solely of.  You wouldnt get far  

Exactly. If Trump can win, with a decidedly divisive campaign platform, well dammit, Miss Le Pen should do just swimmingly.

But how this augurs for the current state of humanity, is another topic entirely.

Lets talk about the Illuminati 

While I agree that there is a secret cabal of assholes plotting to enslave humanity (I really do), I have to concede that monolithic evil is not so possible when you are dealing with humans. From what I've experienced in my limited time in this earth, narcissistic assholes tend to be narcissistic assholes. What I'm saying is, you get enough very rich, very opinionated people in a room, you may find that they don't agree as much as you would think they would. You need common destiny to hatch a plot that spans generations. Just like bitcoin, you need a trustless system (or a system where allactors are exposed to the same risk). Kinda like a shared religion. Or a shared national origin. Which, taken to their extremes, are religious zeal, and extreme populism/nationalism. As we have seen, this tend to bring out the worst in us humans.

Eventually, every one will figure out that inner city crime isn't racial correlated, it's correlated with socio economic class. IE being poor. Same crime happens out in rural areas, where people are broke as fuck.

This will become evident, however, when the opiod crisis (which is a decidedly white, rural issue) escalates beyond its current very grave state. Funny how the opiod epidemic is a public health issue, while decidedly black crack epidemic was not (it prompted differential sentencing for cocaine/crack and a "tough on crime" stance against largely black urban populations).

I guess time makes vision clearer  the addicts are victims now, duh.

I don't get it myself. While I don't believe in discrimination for no good reason (I could give single fuck if someone is homosexual, more power to them), I certainly believe in any business owner's right to refuse service to anyone they choose. Just like I believe that homosexuals should boycott the dog shit out of this business. It's a two way street people. Why the hell would I want to spend my money at a place that doesn't want my business? Wouldn't want to enrich the fortunes of those bigoted assholes. So I say, make your voice heard with your wallet. I feel they (the Baker) would soon find how unpopular their attitude is amongst their customer base.

You can stand for whatever you want, but don't run when your ideology is called to task. Words and actions have serious, lasting consequences.