Obama Proposes Massive Gun Ban by Regulation Fiat
GOA prepares legislation to block implementation
All-Time High Unemployment: Depression In Europe Getting Deeper
"This week we learned that eurozone unemployment came in at an all-time high of 12.2 percent for September. Back in January 2012, it was sitting at just 10.4 percent. The funny thing is that the mainstream media will barely call what is going on in Europe a 'recession' even though the unemployment rates in both Spain and Greece are now much higher than anything that the United States ever experienced during the 'Great Depression' of the 1930s. A 25-year-old Spanish man with three college degrees that moved to London in a desperate search for a job is now cleaning up poop for a living. The economic collapse of Europe continues to march on, and there is no end in sight." Continue reading →
Tracking IMF Money Manipulation to Pakistan and Beyond
"The Nation magazine recently posted a small article entitled, 'Pakistan gets second tranche of $553.5m from IMF.' We are so used to these kinds of announcements that they hardly register anymore. But this is how the entrenched corruption of our day is carried out. This is magic money, of course. It will bolster foreign reserves, help Pakistan battle the Taliban (that it actually sponsors), aid the state in supporting its economy (whatever that means), 'solve' an energy crisis (really!) and support increased tax collection efforts. A Swiss green company is in line to soak up a good deal of this IMF tranche." Continue reading →
Keiser Report: Pickpockets Rule UK?
"In this episode of the Keiser Report, Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert discuss the beggar economy in which the biggest pickpockets rule. They look at the London Gold Fix, in particular, where every day for the past more than twenty years, pockets were picked every single day, according to the data. In the second half, Max interviews precious metals expert, James Turk, about his new book, 'The Money Bubble,' and about the dollar, gold and Bitcoin." Continue reading →
Who Needs Bitcoin? Venezuela Has Its ‘Sucre’
"The late Venezuelan president created the sucre, a virtual currency designed to dethrone the dollar as the main trading currency used with his country's regional trading partners: Ecuador, Cuba, Bolivia and Nicaragua. The sucre is managed by a board of central-bank representatives, which has helped bolster its use. Ecuadorean companies exported $737 million worth of goods to Venezuela using the sucre system in the first nine months of 2013, an 80% increase from the same period in 2012, according to Ecuador's central bank. That growth has drawn attention from the country's regulators, which are cracking down as fraud involving the virtual currency rises." Continue reading →
‘The Hazards of Lending to Bitcoin Users’
"Creditors are likely more concerned with restricting Bitcoin acquisition or use by borrowers due to the uncertain regulatory landscape, irreversible nature of payments, extreme volatility of value and anonymity of the system. Thus, credit agreements may contain covenants prohibiting borrowers from using or accepting Bitcoin, or operating Bitcoin accounts. In addition, diligence questionnaires and credit agreements may contain representations and warranties that the borrower does not use or accept Bitcoin, nor does the borrower have a Bitcoin wallet. Such provisions are just beginning to appear in credit agreements when use of an emerging payment system is apparent." Continue reading →
Taiwan Welcomes New Year with Bitcoin Warning
"The Financial Supervisory Commission of the Republic of China and the Central Bank of the ROC have issued a joint statement warning against the use of bitcoin in Taiwan. The regulators said bitcoin remains volatile, that it does not have any legal protection, and that it is not issued by a monetary authority. The regulators noted that bitcoin trading is highly speculative and that investors should be wary of volatility, cyber attacks, malicious defaults, theft and other risks. The regulators also announced that they may take 'necessary steps' if financial institutions engage in bitcoin operations." Continue reading →
Insatiable appetite for gold fuels India’s smuggling industry
"Indian gold smugglers are adopting the methods of drug couriers to sidestep a government crackdown on imports of the precious metal, stashing gold in imported vehicles and even using mules who swallow nuggets to try to get them past airport security. Stung by rules imposed this year to cut a high trade deficit and a record duty on imports, dealers and individual customers are fanning out across Asia to buy gold and sneak it back into the country. Sri Lanka, Thailand and Singapore are the latest hotspots as authorities crack down on travellers from Dubai, the traditional source of smuggled gold." Continue reading →
Debt hits 200-year high; IMF warns of ‘savings tax’ and mass write-offs
"Much of the Western world will require defaults, a savings tax and higher inflation to clear the way for recovery as debt levels reach a 200-year high, according to a new report by the International Monetary Fund. The IMF working paper said debt burdens in developed nations have become extreme by any historical measure and will require a wave of haircuts, either negotiated 1930s-style write-offs or the standard mix of measures used by the IMF in its 'toolkit' for emerging market blow-ups. Financial repression can take many forms, including capital controls, interest rate caps or the force-feeding of government debt to captive pension funds and insurance companies." Continue reading →
Four sites that monitor Japan Fukushima Radiation
Four Sites Where You Can Monitor U.S. Radiation Levels 18 comments, 10 called-out Comment Now Follow Comments EPA’s map of U.S. radiation monitoring stations EPA map of U.S. radiation monitoring stations UPDATED with a fourth site, EPA’s RadNet Lab Open Data system. Radiation from Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster has been detected in the air in […]