UK Family Living Off-the-Grid Facing Prison Over Faux Environmental Issues

Injunction to move by the end the of month

Dinah and Stig Mason to be evicted from their own land

Devon Gazette

A COUPLE living an "off-grid" lifestyle say they face prison unless they move from their own land in Willand and return to an existence in the benefits trap.

Stig and Dinah Mason bought Muxbeare Orchard after a sudden windfall allowed them to quit their impoverished lives on a Hertfordshire council estate two years ago.

The Masons have transformed what they described as a derelict four-acre plot into a haven of self-sufficiency boasting a 400 sq m allotment, a polytunnel and greenhouses to grow fruit and vegetables, chickens for egg production and an orchard they have regenerated by planting around 14 new apple trees of various species.

The couple, who have two boys, aged eight and nine, say because they moved onto the site in order to work the land, Mid Devon District Council is turfing them off as officers do not consider them to be conserving an agricultural area.

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Seized Domains Fight Back

Abigail Phillips
EFF

Since last year, we’ve watched withdismay Immigration and Customs Enforcement's increasing use of domain name seizures as part of its stepped-up IP enforcement strategy. Today, one of the seized domains is taking the issue to court.

Puerto 80, the Spanish company behind Rojadirecta.com and Rojadirecta.org, which were seized in January of this year, today filed apetition in the Southern District of New York for the return of those domains. The Rojadirecta site, which is made up of user forums and link indexes, has been found by two Spanish courts specifically not to violate copyright. The substantive brief in support of the petition outlines not only the reasons why the domains should be returned, but also the absurd roadblocks Puerto 80 has encountered in its efforts to work with government authorities to get this matter resolved without judicial intervention.

We're very glad that Rojadirecta is fighting back so that this and other domain name seizures can receive more careful judicial consideration. We'll be following the case closely and expect to weigh in as amicus as well.

Attachment                                                                       Size
Petition for Release of Seized Goods Final.pdf            96.55 KB
MPA ISO Petition For Return of Property.pdf              208.51 KB

Visit Electronic Frontier Foundation to support Internet Freedom.

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Private Property ASSAULT: City Government demands all keys to properties (Video)

Youtube

Ordinance #2740 (An unfunded city-wide mandate) was passed with a resounding 6 to 1 vote, and it allows for the citizens of Cedar Falls to forcefully give the government keys to their comercial properties through universal 'lock boxes'. The intent of the program is to provide increased safety and protection to personal, private property which include businesses, apartments and some rental houses-- which by the way-- comes at the expense of furthering wayward erosion of fundamental constitutional rights.

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CA Officials say man must tear down ‘Phonehenge’ house or face jail

Yahoo image

Liz Goodwin
Yahoo

Los Angeles county officials are demanding that a creative homeowner tear down a 20,000-square-foot domicile he calls "Phonehenge West"--or face up to seven years in jail.

Former telephone technician Alan Kimble Fahey began building the structure three decades ago in Acton, the Los Angeles Times reports. Fahey, who christened the project "Phonehenge" because it sits atop pilings modified from phone utility poles, says he intends to turn the compound into a museum.

The labyrinthine network of buildings where Fahey, his wife, and teenage son live even includes a 70-foot tower covered in Italian stained-glass windows, and a barn. Fahey uses a "motorized cart" to get between buildings, an earlier report said.

The paper describes the compound as "a hodgepodge of reddish buildings braced with scores of utility poles and steel beams and connected by bridges and ramps." Inside, the castle is filled with more than 20,000 books, and a yurt--though Fahey and his wife sleep on a single-sized water bed and cook on a tiny stove. Tourists come from all over to gaze at the creation, Fahey says, and Glamour magazine even staged a photo shoot there.

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Supporters of DHS Domain Name Seizures Undervalue Important Constitutional Protections

David Makarewicz, Contributing Writer
Activist Post

This site has been generally critical of recent United States policy toward copyright issues.  We have expressed discomfort with the Obama Administration's statements in support of Internet freedom, which seem to clash with a proposal to wiretap suspected infringers and the introduction of COICA legislation.

The most troubling issue has undoubtedly been the series of Government domain name seizures, through which the DHS takes the domain names of accused infringers without first giving the accused a chance to defend their site at a hearing.

Although we question the Constitutionality of the seizures, these issues deserve a vigorous debate that presents the well-reasoned arguments of all sides, including those that are convinced that the Government seizures are right and legal.  Unfortunately, last week, Terry Hart of Copyhype, who has been a vocal defender of the domain name seizures, chose to go beyond that defense to question the motives of the critics of the domain name seizures such as SitesAndBlogs.com and Techdirt.comand attempted to dismiss the importance of the Constitutional issues we have raised.

Madison County Man Being Evicted Off His Own Land for Living Too Simply

Youtube -Wish
Madison County officials are forcing a man out of his home — a recreational trailer — because they say he's breaking several ordinances.

If you would like to contact the Madison County officials to express your outrage please click here.

To contact Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels office, please click here.

Phone Contact:

Madison County Community "Justice" Center at  765-649-7341

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels  1-317-232-4567

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Big Banks, Hedge Funds Become Surrogate Tax Collectors

Youtube - HuffPostFund
Wall Street titans have a new sweet spot -- as surrogate tax collectors. They see profits in tacking on fees and threatening to foreclose when homeowners fall behind on property taxes.

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