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Some of businesses with layoffs so far include Vox Media 169 1/20/2023 Digital media, journalism Washington, DC CNN Private Axios reported less than 2% of staff were laid off (which amounted to 39 employees), back in July. In January, the company laid off an additional 130 people (7% of the workforce) Alphabet 12000 1/20/2023 Big tech, internet services Mountain View, CA CNBC Public WeWork 300 1/19/2023 Real Estate, PropTech New…

It was a simple thing, and one that was one of my first. Not that good, but seeing it with someone else's name on it as if they were the creator, gives me an odd feeling about it. Not a Pleasant one. I named it 'As apples of gold in silver carvings, so is a word spoken at the right time for it.' Its from the Bible, Proverbs, about how our speech can affect us and those around us, if done in a pleasant way. The name at the bottom of my work says." Bible Speaks" I take it that this is the persons ID. SMH Just....I dont know, weird

“Ten years on from the global financial crisis (and nine years into a U.S. expansion), economies remain at risk.” No, not our favorite quote…but an important one from the World Economic Forum (WEF). Every year, WEF gathers for its Global Competitiveness Report. Think of it as a stat sheet, ranking 137 economies around the world on 12 factors including quality of institutions, education, infrastructure, and innovation. This year, Switzerland, the U.S., and Singapore took the podium (in that order). But there was a darker underlying message. Put simply, global financial infrastructure is “ill prepared for the next wave of innovation and automation.” Economies lik…

According to data from CoinATMRadar, Australia deployed 99 crypto ATMs in the last three months of 2022. As a result, Australia now has 219 operational crypto ATMs, 7 more than El Salvador at the time of writing, effectively displacing El Salvador as the fourth-largest crypto ATM hub. At this rate, Australia will soon surpass Asia's 312 crypto ATMs. The total number of crypto ATMs worldwide is 38,602, out of which 6,071 ATMs were installed in 2022 alone. https://cointelegraph.com/news/australia-overtakes-el-salvador-to-become-4th-largest-crypto-atm-hub

According to a report by CoinDesk, the U.K. will be enforcing a tax exemption for foreign investors purchasing crypto through local investment managers or brokers from Sunday. The tax exemption is part of U.K Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plan to turn the country into a crypto hub. In an email to CoinDesk, the government's tax arm, the HM Revenue and Customs, stated “This exemption is an important factor in attracting global investors, meaning foreign investors won’t be brought into U.K. tax simply by appointing U.K.-based investment managers. To build upon the U.K.’s position as an investment management hub, this exemption has been extended to include crypto ass…

According to reports, FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried will likely plead not guilty to the alleged FTX and Alameda-related financial frauds at his arraignment on Jan 3rd before U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan in Manhattan. The reports cite an unnamed source familiar with the matter. However, even if SBF pleads not guilty during initial court hearings, he is allowed to change his plea in due time. https://www.wsj.com/articles/sam-bankman-fried-likely-to-enter-plea-of-not-guilty-11672431309

Metaverse and gaming-focused firm Animoca Brands has reportedly been allowed an extension to file its audited financial report for 2020, which was originally due to Australian regulators by the end of 2022. The new deadline is set to the end of the first quarter with subsequent years' accounts to be filed later in 2023. Animoca's chief communications officer, Ibrahim El Mouelhy, stated “We do not expect to miss our filing deadlines — as of right now we are on track for the schedule agreed upon with ASIC, our regulator with whom we are working closely.” https://www.theblock.co/post/198445/animoca-brands-allowed-deadline-extension-for-filing-results

In his first tweet since being arrested, former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) has denied any involvement in the recent movement of funds in wallets linked to Alameda Research. Over $684,000 in crypto has been cashed out of the Alameda-linked wallets via. an exchange in Seychelles, according to an on-chain investigation conducted by DeFi educator BowTiedIguana. SBF tweeted, "None of these are me. I'm not and couldn't be moving any of those funds; I don't have access to them anymore." https://decrypt.co/118193/sam-bankman-fried-denies-moving-alameda-linked-funds

In a letter posted on its website, crypto asset manager Valkyrie Investments has revealed that it wants to become the sponsor and manager of the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), a product introduced by its rival firm Grayscale Investments. It included a set of proposals on how it intends to manage the product, which includes allowing investors to redeem GBTC at net-asset value via a Regulation M filing. Parts of the letter posted on the firm’s website reads as follows, “We are well-equipped to handle the unique challenges and opportunities presented by GBTC. Our combination of technical and regulatory knowledge and hands-on experience makes us the ideal choice to…

According to reports, Mr Park Mo, the vice president of Vidente, the biggest shareholder of the South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb, was discovered dead in front of his house around 4 am on December 30. Shortly before his death, Mr Mo had been identified as the primary suspect in a case involving stock price manipulation and money embezzlement at businesses connected to Bithumb. Authorities suspect that Mr Mo may have taken his own life due to the nature of the criminal allegations that had been brought against him. https://cointelegraph.com/news/bithumb-s-largest-shareholder-executive-found-dead-following-allegations-of-embezzlement

According to a statement by Bitfarms, the Canadian Bitcoin mining firm has promoted its COO Geoffrey Morphy to the position of CEO. The promotion follows the resignation of former CEO Emiliano Grodzki- who will reportedly remain as a director in the company. Bitfarms co-founder Bonta will also move from executive chairman to chairman of the board. Bonta stated, "In a little over two years, Geoff helped transform Bitfarms from a purely Canadian company trading on the TSX Venture Exchange with five farms in Quebec to an international powerhouse traded on both the Nasdaq and TSX with 10 operating farms in four countries driving over 4.4 exahash/second (EH/s) today.…

The Securities Commission of the Bahamas (SCB) has reportedly been holding more than $3.5 billion worth of FTX customer assets in custody since Nov. 12. The regulator stated that the assets will be held until the Bahamas Supreme Court directs the SCB to deliver them to the customers and creditors who own them. It further clarified that the assets were no longer in the control of FTX co-founders and that it had never directed them to prioritise fund withdrawals for Bahamas-based clients. https://www.theblock.co/post/198434/bahamian-regulator-holding-3-5-billion-of-ftx-customer-assets

According to local media reports, China’s first state-backed digital collectables marketplace, the "China Digital Asset Trading Platform," is set to be unveiled on January 1, 2023. The platform will be run by the government-backed China Technology Exchange and China Cultural Relics Exchange Center and the Huaban Digital Copyright Service Center. An official ceremony celebrating the launch of the marketplace will be held in Beijing. https://decrypt.co/118123/china-roll-out-state-backed-exchange-digital-collectibles

According to a statement released yesterday, the Central Bank of Turkey (CBRT) has successfully carried out the first test payment transactions of its central bank digital currency (CBDC), the Digital Turkish Lira, on its CBDC network. The CBRT has stated that it will continue to run “small-scale, closed-loop application pilot tests” with technology stakeholders in the first quarter of 2023. It will later expand the pilot to include selected banks and financial technology companies over the course of the year. https://cointelegraph.com/news/turkey-s-central-bank-completes-first-cbdc-test-with-more-to-come-in-2023

I’m not reading up on Lincoln anymore. I’m reading up on Grant. Pudgy would like both, I think and may already be well-versed. They both were raised in lowly circumstances. They both were unusually humble and defenders of the lowly. They both were continually sneered at by elites. They both made emancipation of slaves their chief mission. And they both . . . wait for it . . found occasion to suspect habeas corpus. I have a younger relative who is libertarian. By far, that is his overriding philosophy, motivating everything he does. The first factoid he ever learned about Lincoln was his suspension of habeas corpus. That was enough for him to permanently put Lincol…

What a beautiful interior!