Germany will think twice before saving France next time

"The Franco-German axis that has driven EU affairs ever since Schuman and Adenauer in the early 1950s is collapsing before our eyes. This was inevitable. Their interests have become incompatible under monetary union. The currency that was supposed to bind them is turning them into enemies, as this newspaper long warned. The latest argument gaining traction – advanced by Prof Bernd Lücke and the German eurosceptic party AfD among others – is that the only way to save the Franco-German relationship and therefore the EU is to break up the euro before it does more damage. Interesting twist." Continue reading

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Going Global 2013 – Internationalizing Your Assets – By Casey Research

"Featured Speaker includes: Doug Casey; Peter Schiff; Mike Maloney; David Galland; & Kevin Brekke. Going Global 2013 Report - Not only for Americans but all people of the world to consider in preserving their wealth legally against corrupted Governments." Continue reading

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BitCoin Is Gold 2.0: Venture Capitalist

"The bitcoin boom is just getting started, two venture capitalists said Monday at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference. Get ready for a wave of new bitcoin start-ups, said Chris Dixon, general partner at Andreessen Horowitz. Dixon, who said he has a 'fair amount' invested in bitcoins, said that tech entrepreneurs have historically struggled to get into the financial tech space because of its massive size and the rigid regulations related to the finance industry. But the anonymous payment network that bitcoin provides helps avoid these obstacles and that has entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley excited, Dixon said." Continue reading

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U.S. Bill Seeks Steel Cents, Nickels, Dimes, and Quarters

"On April 25, 2013, Rep. Steve Stivers of Ohio introduced a bill in the House of Representatives which seeks to immediately alter the metallic composition of the one-cent, five cent, ten-cent, and twenty-five cent coins. The legislation would require all four coins to be minted in American steel, with the cent coated in copper to preserve the current appearance. The cent costs the United States Mint 2.0 cents to produce and distribute. The five-cent coin or 'nickel' cost the US Mint 10.09 cents to produce and distribute in the latest fiscal year. The bill would specifically require the coins be made of American steel going forward." Continue reading

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Who Are the Monarchs of Money?

"Quietly, without much public fuss or discussion, a new ruling class has risen in the richer nations. These men and women are unelected and tend to shun the publicity hogged by the politicians with whom they co-exist. They are the world's central bankers. Every six weeks or so, they gather in Basel, Switzerland, for secret discussions and, to an extent at least, they act in concert. The decisions that emerge from those meetings affect the entire world. And yet the broad public has a dim understanding, if any, of the job they do. In fact, these individuals now wield at least as much influence over the lives of ordinary citizens as prime ministers and presidents." Continue reading

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Canada to tax Bitcoin transactions

"Canadians using bitcoins, the decentralized crypto-currency that recently went mainstream, must report their incomes and pay taxes as with other earnings, Canada's Revenue Agency (CRA) confirmed following a media request. The issue was clarified in response to a letter by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) ahead of the country's tax season. Two separate tax rules are applicable to the electronic currency. When bitcoins are used as money to buy goods and services, the transaction is treated as barter and is taxable as such. When they are traded at a market for profit, they may be taxed as capital gains." Continue reading

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Kenya’s new cellphone money model could disrupt global banking industry

"M-Shwari is a new banking platform that allows subscribers of Kenya’s biggest mobile network, Safaricom, to operate savings accounts, earn interest on deposits, and borrow money using their mobile phones. It expands on Kenya’s revolutionary use of sending money by mobile phone — known as M-Pesa, 'mobile money' in Swahili — launched in 2007 and now widely used across the east African nation, where some 70 percent of people have mobile phones. With a minimum transfer of cash set at five shillings — around five US cents — the application revolutionised day-to-day banking for millions left out of the formal system." Continue reading

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Bitcoin Dealers Are Running Into Problems In Canada

"Two Canadian businessmen recently got some bad news from their banks. James Grant, owner of Canadian Bitcoins, got a letter. Melvin Ng, proprietor of CADBitcoin, got a phone call. Both men run online exchanges where you can purchase Bitcoins for Canadian dollars. And both were informed their businesses’ accounts frozen by Canada’s largest banks. 'It’s a weird situation,' Ng told us by phone recently. 'We’re a normal Canadian business, we’re registered with the government, and a Canadian bank can just block it off.' Grant was more blunt: 'They just don’t like Bitcoins.'" Continue reading

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