Is the National Security Agency behind Bitcoin?

"Recently a 1996 NSA report surfaced, ‘predicting’ a crypto-cyber unit eerily close to Bitcoin. The NSA report goes deeply into the challenges a crypto currency faces and lists the various security and implicated regulatory risks. Amazingly, a key writer of the report is called Tatsuaki Okamoto. In the Bitcoin community this has been picked up as remarkably similar to Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonym of the enigmatic developer of Bitcoin. An interesting issue is In-Q-Tel’s involvement. In-Q-Tel is the ‘not for profit’ investment arm of the CIA. In-Q-Tel is investing or planning on investing in Bitcoin, presumably by buying some of them." Continue reading

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Silver found to be key weapon in fight against antibiotics resistance

"Silver may be a key weapon in the fight against drug-resistant bacteria, according to Boston University scientists. A team of researchers lead by biomedical engineer James Collins, say adding silver to antibiotics can make them up to 1,000 times more effective, especially when it comes to combating Gram-negative bacteria — one of the hardest pathogens to kill. The findings, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, comes only weeks after Britain’s top doctor, Sally Davies, began its media campaign to warn about the rise of drug-resistant superbugs, which she considers a risk for humankind of 'apocalyptic consequences.'" Continue reading

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Jim Rogers: I Bought More Gold Today; Bull Market Far From Over

"I bought more today, as a matter of fact. I bought a little bit, not much, over the last few days in case this was the bottom. I would not be surprised if there's another chance to buy lower later on, but I'm buying and I own it. I haven't sold any. Long bull markets always end in a bubble or mania before it’s over with. And when there's a bubble in gold, I hope I'm smart enough to get out. We haven't seen a bubble yet. Until recently, if you went around any U.S. city, you would see signs outside many jewelry stores saying 'We buy gold.' Later there’ll be signs there saying, 'We sell gold,' and people will be lining up to buy it in big ways." Continue reading

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Contrarians “Would Buy Gold & Bonds” Says Marc Faber as Rising Dollar Dents All Asset Prices

"'Right now equities, bonds and gold are very over-sold,' said Dr.Marc Faber – author of the Gloom, Boom & Doom Report – to Bloomberg on Friday, 'and they could easily rally.' Compared to the stock market however, 'sentiment in bonds and gold is incredibly negative. In other words, as a contrarian I would rather buy bonds and gold than equities.' Also giving a reading contrary to the headlines about ending QE which followed Ben Bernanke's press conference last Wednesday, 'Unless the economy has essentially fully recovered by mid-2014, more QE will be forthcoming,' said Faber." Continue reading

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When ETF Paper Beats Gold Rock

Demand for physical gold across the world continues to surge at an unprecedented pace leading India to blame its soaring current account deficit, sliding currency and even deteriorating economy on it (even if failing in its attempts to regulate demand for the yellow metal), and yet gold continues to slide. How come? One word - paper, or rather, ETF paper." Continue reading

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Bill Bonner: An Important Lesson from Tony Soprano

"Whew! The Fed is number one in central banking. And it's finding out just how tough it can be to meddle with a $16 trillion economy. On Wednesday, Ben Bernanke came out with a public statement. He said that if all went well... and he didn't change his mind... and nothing unexpected came up...and the Fed's Open Market Committee felt like it... the Fed would begin tapering its bond buying sometime soon. That was all it took to send a shiver up investors' spines... and a sell signal to Wall Street. Everything sold off – stocks, bonds, commodities, gold... you name it." Continue reading

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China Central Bank Warns Banks on Liquidity

"China's central bank, breaking its long silence on a liquidity squeeze that has strained funding at many of the nation's banks, suggested they shouldn't look to authorities to solve their cash shortage. The surge in the cost of short-term funds, which banks use to lend to each other, stemmed from an overstretched financial sector—as inflows of funds from abroad slowed—and a mismatch between banks' short-term funding needs and long-term loans. On Monday, concerns over the funding problems led to a wave of selling in shares of midsize banks, many of them heavily reliant on the interbank market for their funds." Continue reading

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Here’s Why Bernanke is Clueless…

"The only place to hide last week was in cash – all thanks to the Fed. Last Wednesday, it updated its forecast, saying it expects economic growth to improve. If its forecast is correct, the Fed expects to conclude its bond purchase program, known as QE, by mid-2014. But there’s a big problem with the Fed’s forecast… The Fed basically said it will end its bond purchase program if its economic forecast becomes a reality. The market is reacting as if the Fed will be right this time. That’s a huge assumption to make because the Fed’s forecast is almost always wrong." Continue reading

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The Wrong and Right Way to Buy Gold, Part III

"If you do put most or all of your money in all at once, when the time does come to back up the truck and buy in big amounts, you’re going to be gun shy. You’re going to miss one of the best chances in a couple of decades to snap up bargain prices — not only for gold, but also for silver and other precious metals … not only for bullion, but also for shares … not only with long-term, buy-and-hold approaches, but more importantly, for major trading opportunities. As I said before and I’ll say again, that’s the wrong way to buy gold." Continue reading

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