Recent social media uproar over a dentist's alleged killing of an African Lion referred to by persons as Cecil, in honor of Cecil Rhodes. Cecil was killed outside of the sanctuary within which his typical range was in Zimbabwe, a country which was also once named for Cecil Rhodes. The story was picked up by the social media outrage machine and amplified by mainstream media organs. Continue reading
Category Archives: Africa
After Petition Obama Still Wants to Try Snowden for Espionage
Two years after Barack Obama's Whitehouse closed a petition requesting Edward Snowden receive a pardon for generally making the world a better place, the Obama administration has finally issued a response. Deferring to Lisa Monaco Obama's adviser for matters concerning Homeland Security and Counterterrorism the response alleges that the Obama administration had undertaken some anomalous reforms though Snowden did not whistle blow on United States surveillance overreach until well into Obama's second term as the United States chief executive. Monaco also reiterated the Obama administration's intent to subject Snowden to prosecution under the Espionage Act. What more could a person really have expected though from an executive administration that serves as gardeners cultivating terrorists.
Microsoft Product Critical Vulnerability Week After Update End of Life
Microsoft has now announced a vulnerability in all of its Windows products a week after their Windows Server 2003 product has reached end of life for continued support. For what little it is worth Microsoft has issued an emergency patch to address this vulnerability in supported versions of their Windows family of products. The vulnerability exists in the way Microsoft products handle Microsoft's own "OpenType" format for fonts. This exploit via fonts affecting Windows desktops and servers follows an April exploit which rooted Windows servers using their flawed JPEG handling mechanisms. Microsoft stands to profit from users of Windows Server 2003 both upgrading to a supported version or opting for premium beyond end of life support contracts.
South African Tax Review Expresses Concerns Regarding Bitcoin
In February of 2013, former Minister of Finance Pravin Gordhan announced that the South African government would begin a review to assess the current tax policy framework and its role in supporting growth, employment, development and fiscal sustainability. The members who would make up that committee, which came to be known as The Davis Tax Committee, were announced in July of that year and their First Interim Report on BEPS1 was released for public comment late last month. Contained within the report are some concerns that Bitcoin might impact on tax compliance in the future. Continue reading
Base Erosion and Profit Shifting. ↩
BitPesa Enables NGO's To Easily Exchange Bitcoin Donations For Fiat
BitPesa, the Kenyan startup which aims to lower the cost of remittances in Africa, has introduced a new service which enables NGOs to automatically exchange their bitcoin donations into Kenyan shillings which are then deposited directly into "their corporate mobile money wallet." Continue reading