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Topic: SEC Charges Bitcoin Savings and Trust (BTCST) as Ponzi Scheme (Read 24495 times)

newbie
Activity: 36
Merit: 0
Can I file a complaint with the SEC if I lose some NeoPoints on Neopets then ?
legendary
Activity: 1834
Merit: 1094
Learning the troll avoidance button :)

And 70% of American adults have not been in a bookstore in
the last five years (Candalmo, 2007).

Does browsing Amazon count?

What about a library? I borrow books from my library much more frequently than I go to a bookstore.

I assume it meant you went to the mall saw a bookstore and didn't enter it ;p
legendary
Activity: 1456
Merit: 1002
Despite what everyone says, BTC is still a un-licensed currency.
hero member
Activity: 756
Merit: 500
It's all fun and games until somebody loses an eye

And 70% of American adults have not been in a bookstore in
the last five years (Candalmo, 2007).

Does browsing Amazon count?

What about a library? I borrow books from my library much more frequently than I go to a bookstore.
legendary
Activity: 1204
Merit: 1002
Gresham's Lawyer
An AP-Ipsos poll
conducted August 6-8, 2007 showed that 27% of adults
admitted they had not read a book “last year” (Fram, 2007).

A recent report of reading in the U.S. indicates that 80%
of American families did not buy or read a book “last year,”

And 70% of American adults have not been in a bookstore in
the last five years (Candalmo, 2007).

This is sad.
I <3 books.
legendary
Activity: 896
Merit: 1006
First 100% Liquid Stablecoin Backed by Gold
Are you saying the judge lives in California and flies to Texas every now and again for work?  What I meant was he could've worded it in a number of different ways without actually putting to paper "bitcoin is money" and it's possible that his place of residency might have had something to do with it.
donator
Activity: 1218
Merit: 1079
Gerald Davis
The whole "Bitcoin is money" ruling was likely a Texas court being glib to the feds.

It isn't a "texas court" in any meaningful sense of the word.  It is a federal judge in a federal court ruling on the applicability of federal law in a federal lawsuit brought forward by federal agents (SEC) which just so happens to be physically located in Texas.  There are over 800 judges in the federal court system with courthouses in more than a dozen states if for no other reason than practicality.

The ruling sided with the arguments of the federal agents.  The SEC claimed Mr. Shaver's operated a ponzi scheme and issued unlicensed securities in violation of federal law. It was the defense claim that Bitcoin is not money and thus Bitcoin contracts can't be securities and the SEC had no basis for the lawsuit.  


legendary
Activity: 896
Merit: 1006
First 100% Liquid Stablecoin Backed by Gold
The whole "Bitcoin is money" ruling was likely a Texas court being glib to the feds.  The interesting issue might be if they rule that the stolen coins are stolen property and must be returned as in clawbacks.  Then use the blockchain to locate them and see if any of the large and public entities like the ones that were recently subpoenaed have them.  Now that would be interesting seeing that its over 700,000 coins involved and all are forever locatable and the entities that controlled those addresses are identifiable.
legendary
Activity: 1834
Merit: 1094
Learning the troll avoidance button :)
I used to work with a brilliant programmer who once mentioned that he had never read a book cover-to-cover. Very intelligent, very well written; self-made man, huge house, etc. Didn't like to read.

Some people just don't read books.

Not even a programming book?  Huh

Not cover-to-cover.  Tongue

(EDIT: besides, who reads programming books? Just google it!)

A programming book technically is a book, I presume the statistic meant casual reading not reading your university books browsing through your work notes etc.
And also finished reading said book completely cover to cover not just skimming pages here and there even if it is a programming book and you just need a few lines.
This almost seems like it should go to Meta and screw with this statistic 90% chance it will be a lot higher than the average, just need to think about how to write the question in a bitcoin format to avoid an off-topic ^^.

But the key lines were one was measuring families one measured adults, and the other statistic included babies?

An AP-Ipsos poll
conducted August 6-8, 2007 showed that 27% of adults
admitted they had not read a book “last year” (Fram, 2007).

A recent report of reading in the U.S. indicates that 80%
of American families did not buy or read a book “last year,”

And 70% of American adults have not been in a bookstore in
the last five years (Candalmo, 2007).
legendary
Activity: 1554
Merit: 1009
I used to work with a brilliant programmer who once mentioned that he had never read a book cover-to-cover. Very intelligent, very well written; self-made man, huge house, etc. Didn't like to read.

Some people just don't read books.

Not even a programming book?  Huh

Not cover-to-cover.  Tongue

(EDIT: besides, who reads programming books? Just google it!)
hero member
Activity: 784
Merit: 501
I used to work with a brilliant programmer who once mentioned that he had never read a book cover-to-cover. Very intelligent, very well written; self-made man, huge house, etc. Didn't like to read.

Some people just don't read books.

Not even a programming book?  Huh
legendary
Activity: 1554
Merit: 1009
80% of Americans did not buy or read a book this year
70% of American adults have NOT been in a bookstore in the last five years
58% of American adults have never read a book after high-school

Sigh.
Now no joy that lacks salt that is not dashed with pain.

And what % of Americans have had their shoes shined this year?

Maybe people are reading electronic media.

I haven't bought a CD in about 15 years (or even patronized iTunes for that matter). Doesn't mean I forgot how to listen to music.

I used to work with a brilliant programmer who once mentioned that he had never read a book cover-to-cover. Very intelligent, very well written; self-made man, huge house, etc. Didn't like to read.

Some people just don't read books.
hero member
Activity: 630
Merit: 500
80% of Americans did not buy or read a book this year
70% of American adults have NOT been in a bookstore in the last five years
58% of American adults have never read a book after high-school

Sigh.
Now no joy that lacks salt that is not dashed with pain.

And what % of Americans have had their shoes shined this year?

Maybe people are reading electronic media.

I haven't bought a CD in about 15 years (or even patronized iTunes for that matter). Doesn't mean I forgot how to listen to music.
legendary
Activity: 1834
Merit: 1094
Learning the troll avoidance button :)
By the modern standard our ancestors would be labeled idiotic.

Nope.

Misquote Smiley
Since we know this to not be true we just need to evaluate WISC and raven trends to determine that the cognitive gulf between the generations should be huge.

However I did find the intelligence data
Figure 1 Page 8
http://books.google.ca/books?id=qvBipuypYUkC&pg=PA8&lpg=PA8&dq=flynn+1998a+figure+3&source=bl&ots=dJaEVmX356&sig=c_HYFrJ-il6PAI3S1JvjfEPyjf8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=qkYJUpaKIq7cigKW54E4&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=flynn%201998a%20figure%203&f=false

Data: Read Page 9-10
Then you can continue to page 19 or read all
My quote on the US Schoolchildren is from page 20
Read the full excerpt ^_^
Honestly it keeps going for a good 20 + pages but I don't want to wall of text you guys Smiley

80% of Americans did not buy or read a book this year
70% of American adults have NOT been in a bookstore in the last five years
58% of American adults have never read a book after high-school
How many Americans without a high school diploma read a book that they have not purchased in the last 3 years?  Show your work.

Can't find the FU money source data aka the google book online
However I did find the places where they got the information from so saying my sources are completely incorrect would be erroneous but I will concede that this data seems to be a Pain to find
http://roborant42.appspot.com/show/entry/4021
http://buzzmachine.com/2006/07/21/the-book-on-books/
http://books.google.ca/books/about/F_U_Money.html?id=vdpePgAACAAJ&redir_esc=y
Candalmo, 2007 http://www.benthamscience.com/open/topolisj/articles/V003/1TOPOLISJ.pdf

A recent report of reading in the U.S. indicates that 80%
of American families did not buy or read a book “last year,”
and 70% of American adults have not been in a bookstore in
the last five years (Candalmo, 2007). An AP-Ipsos poll
conducted August 6-8, 2007 showed that 27% of adults
admitted they had not read a book “last year” (Fram, 2007).
 Polls between 1994 and 2006 also show that people aged
18-29 were less likely to report reading a book for pleasure
“yesterday” than were their elders, although the differences
are small on occasion. In 2006, however, not only were those
aged 18-29 slightly more likely to report reading a book for
pleasure “yesterday” than those between 30 and 44 years of
age (40% vs. 36%), young people were just as likely as those
over 45 to report reading a book.
 When we looked at the simultaneous impact of formal
schooling and age on book reading, we found that higher
education made less difference among the youngest age
grouping than among those aged 30 or older. In 2006, the
gap between the best educated young and their age-peers
who had never attended an institution of higher education
was 19 percentage points. Among those 65 or older, the
difference was 36 percentage points. The spread among
those aged 45 to 64 was 25 percentage points. Finally, the
difference among those aged 30 to 44 was 24 percentage
points.
 The Pew Research Center’s question asks about books
read “yesterday” that were not connected to schooling or
work. Perhaps young people who attend college or university
are so preoccupied with reading as part of their courses that
they do not have time to read for pleasure. In addition, since
reading books for pleasure inversely correlates with
performance in college/university (Astin, 1997, pp. 190-
191), students seeking better grades may prefer to “hit the
textbooks.”
 Before exculpating young people attending institutions of
higher learning, however, consider Bauerlein’s observation
that the average college student watches TV for 3 hours and
41 minutes per day (2006, p. B6). Given low levels of
knowledge of history, literature and the arts, politics, and
geography among young people with higher education
exposure (Bauerlein, 2006, pp. B7-B8; ISI, 2006, 2007,
2008), we are hard-pressed to believe that college students
spend much  time reading to acquire information on these
subjects.

...it's about time we start working on decentralized share issuing Smiley https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SH5OUtWMeZc

Nothing has changed re "decentralized" issuing since January.

And for that matter, nothing has changed with regard to the SEC's relevance to Bitcoin financials since 2012, the ignorant flailings of a magistrate judge in Bumfuck notwithstanding.
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=96118.40
full member
Activity: 210
Merit: 100
80% of Americans did not buy or read a book this year
70% of American adults have NOT been in a bookstore in the last five years
58% of American adults have never read a book after high-school
How many Americans without a high school diploma read a book that they have not purchased in the last 3 years?  Show your work.
sr. member
Activity: 420
Merit: 250
80% of Americans did not buy or read a book this year
70% of American adults have NOT been in a bookstore in the last five years
58% of American adults have never read a book after high-school

Sigh.
Now no joy that lacks salt that is not dashed with pain.
hero member
Activity: 756
Merit: 522
By the modern standard our ancestors would be labeled idiotic.

Nope.
legendary
Activity: 1834
Merit: 1094
Learning the troll avoidance button :)
Would have went with a cowboy hat on

Apparently you got a post out of it.

First time I made trilema I guess the right of passage is completed.

Regarding intelligence
By the modern standard our ancestors would be labeled idiotic.
Since we know this to not be true we just need to evaluate WISC and raven trends to determine that the cognitive gulf between the generations should be huge.

An example: Excerpt from What Is Intelligence: James R. Flynn

Between 1972 and 2002, US schoolchildren made no gain in their store of general information and only minimal vocabulary gains. Therefore, while today's children may learn to master pre-adult literature at a younger age, they are no better prepared for reading more demanding adult literature.

You cannot enjoy War and Peace if you have to run to the dictionary or encyclopedia every other paragraph. Take Kipling's poem

Over the Kremlin's serpentine pavement white
Strode five generals
Each simultaneously taking snuff
Which softness itself was yet the stuff
To leave the grand white neck no gash
Where a chain might snap

If you do not know what the Kremlin is, or what "serpentine" means, or that taking snuff involves using a snuff rag, you will hardly realize these generals caught the Czar unaware and strangled him.
But by age 17, their grandparents had caught up. And since current students are no better than their grandparents in terms of vocabulary and general information, the two generations at 17 are dead equal in their ability to read the adult literature expected of a senior in high school.

Simply put the acceleration of knowledge is dependent on external factors just as much as genetic ones.

Then again to quote a part from F.U. Money: Make As Much Money As You Damn Well Want And Live Your Life As You Damn Well Please by Dan The Man Lok
I'm sure MP would love this person since you two come from a common style and thread of thought.

Just the fact that you're reading this book means you have to be a little on the "weird" side. Why? Because according to the American Book-Sellers Association:

80% of Americans did not buy or read a book this year
70% of American adults have NOT been in a bookstore in the last five years
58% of American adults have never read a book after high-school

For fun here's a few for you save them useful retorts.

A penny Saved is Sill Just a Penny
 "Waste not, want not. Be tight, be frugal. Cut up your credit cards. Live below your means. Don't drink the latte coffee in the morning. Save that few dollars"

"A penny saved is a penny earned"

BULLSHIT. A penny saved is still just a fucking penny.

AREN'T RICH PEOPLE MEAN AND GREEDY?

If you actually meet some rich people you'll find out they give back. They give to charities and often have businesses that provide for communities in terms of providing jobs, as well as tax revenue for the city and state. How can they do it? Because they aren't thinking ONLY about themselves. Since they have more than enough they CAN think about other people and therefore make a difference in the lives of many. Rich people who use their wealth for the betterment of others can accomplish so much more, which brings even more success and happiness in other areas.
Think about it. Look at Bill Gates- now you can say whatever you want about him, that Microsoft is a monopoly, that he's greedy that he's "crushing small business" and taking over the world - whatever. I dare you to try to find anyone who has been MORE charitable than Bill Gates. In the years since Microsoft went public, Gates has donated billions of dollars to charities. I guess the only one more charitable would be Warren Buffet. He gives away 97% of his net worth - billions and billions if dollars! There are poor people who will STILL criticize these men. They feel justified in their stupidity by saying, "Hell, they're RICH! They SHOULD give their money away." So, instead, I want to know - what the HELL have poor people done for society lately? Nothing! Why? Because they can't afford to do anything! And yet they try to sit in judgement of those who ARE doing something because they CAN. People are fucking nuts. I've found that it's the same poor people, who sit in judgement of rich people like this, that have a welfare mentality. Poor people have a sense of entitlement. They think the world owes them something. They are selfish as hell. These same people wouldn't be caught dead reading a book like this, acquiring new knowledge and trying to improve their miserable lives. They're the same people who wouldn't set foot in a public library if their lives depended on it. (a place where they could LEARN SKILLS to improve their financial situation - for FREE!) They're living paycheck to paycheck, and yet they still would rather spend every last penny on junk food, video games, romance novels, cigarettes, and illegal drugs. They waste their time watching Jerry Springer reruns on TV and surfing porn on the internet. In fact, it's been my experience that it's poor people who have lied, cheated, and stolen throughout the years. They are the salesmen trying to sell me crap I don't need. The con-artists who try to rip me off when I go to get my car fixed. The lazy employees who surf the Internet and work as little as possible when the boss isn't looking. The Medicaid recipients who clog up emergency rooms when they have a slight case of the sniffles or a headache - and force healthcare costs to skyrocket for everyone else. Now, are ALL poor people lazy and are ALL rich people generous? Of course not. Just don't let the media brainwash you. Why not find out yourself what rich people are really like? Go and talk to some of them.

Motivated by a cowboy hat Smiley
legendary
Activity: 2324
Merit: 1125
EV doesn't even live in the US, they can't touch him

Just like Kim Schmidt?

Kim Dotcom succesfully fought extradition charges in New Zealand.

http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/partner-zone-infosecurity/kim-dotcom-wins-round-extradition

He'll do wise not to travel to any country that extradites people to the US though.

They stole all his property though and lost millions.

Fortunately that's not nearly so easy to do with Bitcoin.

Indeed. Progress Smiley
hero member
Activity: 756
Merit: 522
EV doesn't even live in the US, they can't touch him

Just like Kim Schmidt?

Kim Dotcom succesfully fought extradition charges in New Zealand.

http://www.theguardian.com/media-network/partner-zone-infosecurity/kim-dotcom-wins-round-extradition

He'll do wise not to travel to any country that extradites people to the US though.

They stole all his property though and lost millions.

Fortunately that's not nearly so easy to do with Bitcoin.
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