Free Republic

'China, Iran discussing barter system to bypass sanctions' By REUTERS 25/07/2011 Sanctions forbid dealing with Iran in dollar trading; trading services, goods, softer currencies could undermine process, according to report. Iran and China are discussing using a barter system to exchange Iranian oil for Chinese goods and services, as US sanctions have blocked China from paying at least $20 billion for oil, the Financial Times said. The paper, citing people familiar with the problem, said US financial sanctions against Iran, which make it hard to conduct dollar-denominated business, meant China might owe the oil-rich country as much as $30 billion....

Top Post-Collapse Barter Items And Trade Skills Brandon Smith June 10th, 2011 The concept of private barter and alternative economies has been so far removed from our daily existence here in America that the very idea of participating in commerce without the use of dollars or without the inclusion of corporate chains seems almost outlandish to many people.However, the fact remains that up until very recently (perhaps the last three to four decades) barter and independent trade was commonplace in this country. Without it, many families could not have survived. Whether we like it or not, such economic methods will...

The dollar doesn’t have much clout these days. The greenback has lost 12 percent of its value against foreign currencies since the chaotic period after the failure of Lehman Brothers in 2008, and nearly 5 percent since the end of 2010. Economists are debating the end of the era of the dollar, while news organizations paint it as a 98-pound weakling. Our so-called “fiat” currency, backed only by the full faith and credit of the government, no longer commands respect. So wouldn’t we be better off without it? Imagine you woke up tomorrow and the dollar had vanished. The Federal...

The leader of a group that marketed a fake currency called Liberty Dollars in the Asheville area and elsewhere has been found guilty by a federal jury of conspiracy against the government in a case of “domestic terrorism.” Bernard von NotHaus was convicted Friday at the conclusion of an eight-day trial in U.S. District Court in Statesville. The jury deliberated less than two hours, according to the Department of Justice. Charges remain pending against William Kevin Innes, an Asheville man who authorities said recruited merchants in Western North Carolina willing to accept the “barter” currency, according to court records. Innes...

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- The same shop that made national headlines for opening America's first sex toy drive-thru is offering customers another tantalizing deal just in time for Valentine's Day: Trade your guns for "romance-inspiring gifts," aka vibrators and other intimate items. The handguns for hand toys and other items offer is good Feb. 8 through 15 at Pleasures, located at 4008 University Drive in Huntsville. Owner Sherri Williams promises gifts equal to the value of the guns as determined by licensed gun dealer David Smith of Blue Steel Gun Works, who will be onsite from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m....

LANCASTER, Pa., Dec. 20, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today's declining economy creates ever increasing financial stress and pressures, causing a struggle to make ends meet. To help solve this problem, a new public service is making its debut nationwide. Community Clearinghouse Agency Inc. is sponsoring a Barter Trade Exchange Network forming a new type of barter service. The new program not only provides income but things people need without spending their money. The agency plans to create some 1500 jobs hiring in all fifty states pumping over $50 million into the economy.Bartering is thousands of years old, people traded vegetables for...

WASHINGTON — Veteran New York Rep. Charles Rangel said Thursday there's no deal yet to settle his ethics case and avoid an election-season trial on charges of violating House rules.

Per Foxnews, a local affiliate is reporting Rangel has struck a deal. FNC is working to confirm...

Those already outraged by the president's health care legislation now have a new bone of contention -- a scarcely noticed tack-on provision to the law that puts gold coin buyers and sellers under closer government scrutiny. The issue is rising to the fore just as gold coin dealers are attracting attention over sales tactics. Section 9006 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will amend the Internal Revenue Code to expand the scope of Form 1099. Currently, 1099 forms are used to track and report the miscellaneous income associated with services rendered by independent contractors or self-employed individuals.

Over the past 30 years, Columbia artist Jeff Donovan has bartered for artwork, tuition for his daughter's private school, a custom-made suit and, most recently, a couple of visits to the dentist. Bartering gives Donovan a way to use his talent - instead of having to pay cash - to get things he might never buy for himself. Bartering, trading goods or services rather than charging cash, is an ancient practice. But it has gained popularity during the economic meltdown that left many short on cash but rich in talent or treasures. The number of online barter ads has increased...

Republican Reid challenger suggested twice recently that people should barter with their doctors for services. She mentioned--seriously--paying with chickens. See video.

Bartering is Back in North Korea By Yoo Gwan Hee, from South Pyongan in 2008 [2010-01-20 16:27 ] As predicted by experts on North Korea’s economy, since the authorities have yet to officially release state prices, the North Korean people are now surviving by bartering. A defector, who spoke with his family in North Hamkyung Province on Tuesday, reported the news to the Daily NK, “I called my family to send some money to them as I had heard they were in trouble, and they told me that the current situation is unspeakably terrible. They live only by bartering with...

Amongst the other topics for discussion on his daily talk radio show (The Good Day Show) on Tuesday morning this week, Doug Stephan and one of his co-hosts, Roberta Facinelli, highlighted the benefits of putting MBE-barter to good use. Featured ‘live via phone’ was Merchants Barter Exchange (MBE) founder and President, Steve Bolles, as a guest and expert on barter.

New video from Mr. Yankovic about the Internet site Craigslist in the style of Jim Morrison and the Doors. Enjoy!

Bartering makes a comeback for those short on cash The Associated Press Wednesday, February 25, 2009 BOISE, Idaho: Tired of her pink bathroom countertops but short on cash for a remodel, Rachel Alemany decided to get the work done the old-fashioned way: through bartering. Alemany has experience putting down flooring, so she and her husband traded flooring work with a neighbor who has tiling experience.

Yahoo ran an interesting article this morning indicating a rise in the number of survivalist communities cropping up around the country. I have been wondering myself how much of the recent energy crisis is causing people to do things like stockpile food and water, grow their own vegetables, etc. Could it be that there are many people out there stockpiling and their increased buying has caused food prices to increase? It’s an interesting theory, but I believe increased food prices have more to do with rising fuel prices as cost-to-market costs have increased and grocers are simply passing those increases...

[A] growing community — offline and online — [] is enthusiastically embracing bartering, particularly in this economy, when it is often more palatable to spend time than money. As we all know, exchanging goods and services goes back, well, forever. But being a neophyte barterer, I was surprised, once I started checking around, at the deals some friends, and friends of friends, have negotiated. Jane Heyman, an artist in Los Angeles who paints portraits, has traded her work for top-of-the-line haircuts, legal services and even plastic surgery. “I had a show, and the doctor liked my painting of Warhol, which...

CHICAGO - An attorney has been suspended for more than a year for accepting nude dances from a stripper as partial payment for the legal fees she owed him. The Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission on Thursday said Scott Robert Erwin will begin serving a 15-month suspension for misconduct next month. Erwin, who practices in the northern Illinois city of DeKalb, and his client mutually agreed that she'd perform nude dances for him in his office as a way to reduce her legal fees, the commission's report said. He credited her for $534 toward his bill for services of...

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that paper money illegally discriminates against the blind and ordered an immediate ban on its use. “Government services must be equally accessible to all Americans,” the Court wrote. “Since paper money is inaccessible to blind, it must be made inaccessible to everyone.” The Court rejected the demand that it was responsible for identifying a substitute for the now illegal currency, but suggested, unofficially, that “we might try bartering. Goods-for-goods exchange allows for tactile identification of the items in trade. This might pass muster in any future litigation of...

European, Asian and Canadian companies are taking advantage of the weaker dollar to buy their U.S. counterparts at a record pace, increasing investment in the United States but also raising fears about a potential loss of jobs and autonomy. "We could be looking at the world's largest tag sale if we continue to see declines in the dollar," said Donald Klepper-Smith, chief economist at DataCore Partners. In the latest large deal aided by a weak dollar, Commerce Bancorp, which is based in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, agreed Tuesday to be acquired by Toronto-Dominion Bank of Canada in a cash-and-shares deal...