XIAM007

Making Unique Observations in a Very Cluttered World

Tuesday, 23 October 2012

Fake gold bars discovered at Australia’s Perth Mint, Chinese forgery factory uncovered -

Fake gold bars discovered at Australia’s Perth Mint, Chinese forgery factory uncovered - 



Less than a month ago news broke that 10 PAMP gold bars filled with tungsten had been discovered in Manhattan.  An SD reader then discovered a Chinese firm openly promoting the sale and production of tungsten filled gold bars and coins.
The tungsten filled gold scandal has just gotten exponentially larger, as an Australian Seven News investigation discovered 300 fake Perth Mint gold bars and uncovered a Chinese gold ‘forgery factory’.
The investigators were able to purchase 300 Chinese sourced 1oz gold bars for a total of $300- and to no one’s surprise, when the investigators melted down the bars, all 300 were discovered to contain roughly the same gold content as Fort Knox. 
Seven News reports:

An Australian mint has called in the Federal Police after being shown evidence by Seven News that its gold bars are being counterfeited.
The investigation uncovered Chinese ‘forgery factories’ that will churn out fake bullion and even Australian coins, for a fraction of their face value.
Just one of the bars (seen below) should be worth more than $1,700.

The fake bars discovered are reportedly Perth Mint Kangaroos:

“There are some poor people out there who have gone and bought these products thinking they’ve got a bargain and have actually been ripped off,” Ron Currie from the Perth Mint said.
At Wenzhou, in China’s south east, a suspicious discovery is made after taking a tour of one factory that makes medals and badges – there are thousands of samples.
On the front is stamped “Perth Mint Australia”, on the back are kangaroos – a close copy of the actual design used by the mint.
The tour guide doesn’t hold back when quizzed about the procedure.
“First we did the silver plating, then the gold plating,” he said.
What should be valued at $510,000, is actually counterfeited gold bars that Seven News paid $300 for (300 pieces at $1 each).
Mr Currie says while the number reaching Australia is relatively small, the damage can be significant – but there are tell-tale signs.
“If it looks like a deal that’s too good to refuse – you should refuse it. Secondly the quality – the quality is nowhere near as good as the real product,” he said.
“We’ll of course follow it through and take it up with the Australian Federal Police.
“The Australian Federal police are very helpful and are very interested in stopping counterfeits or copies coming into Australia.”
China has long forged Western products, but this is altogether different because it has the potential to do so much harm.
We again stress to our readers the importance of purchasing your bullion from a reputable dealer that purchases its product DIRECTLY from major wholesalers and refiners.
In other news, the Chinese forgery factory reported Monday a record 150 ton order from long time client the NY Fed. Chinese forgery factory reported Monday a record 150 ton order from long time client the NY Fed.

Read more -
http://www.silverdoctors.com/300-fake-perth-mint-gold-bars-discovered-in-australia-as-chinese-gold-forgery-factory-uncovered/

Message in a bottle from Canada arrives in Ireland after 8 years at sea -

Message in a bottle from Canada arrives in Ireland after 8 years at sea - 



Oisin Millea can hardly believe his luck — and instant fame he’s gained — from sorting through “rubbish” along the shoreline near his home in Ireland.

The nine-year-old schoolboy, along with his photographer mother Aoife Millea, 31, was looking at the flotsam and jetsam washed up on the shores of the tiny village of Passage East, County Waterford, last week by a particularly high tide when he discovered a two-litre green plastic pop bottle with something inside it.

It turned out to be a note, written in French, from two 12-year-old Montreal girls, Charlaine and Claudia, tossed into the Gulf of St, Lawrence in 2004 while they were vacationing in the Gaspe.

Eight years and 5,100 kilometres later, it arrived.

“I only thought it was a piece of rubbish . . . I really didn’t think anything until I opened it,” Oisin told the Toronto Star from his home on the east coast of Ireland, southeast of Waterford town.

The two scrambled back home to run the note through Google translate. The date was all they could make out.

Oisin’s surprising find has now made him “famous” among his classmates and launched a search for the two girls (no last names), now women, who said in their note they got idea from a TV show about young people putting messages in bottles. The mystery bottle has captured the attention of media on both sides of the Atlantic.

“If you find our bottle, tell us when and how you found our bottle. Also tell us your name, age, place of residence. Example: Paris, Miami, etc . . . To contact us write to us at: cheval-rouge95@hotmail.com,” the message read. Unfortunately the email address not longer works.

But the two girls have been identified as Charlaine Dalpé and Claudia Garneau, according to the Montreal Gazette.

The original message from 2004 stated:

“Hello, we are two girls who had the idea to launch a bottle into the sea. We are called Charlaine and Claudia. We are both 12 and we live in Montreal. We are on vacation in the Gaspésie, in the village of Grande Vallée. We had the idea to launch a bottle into the sea because we saw a TV show about young people putting messages in bottles. If you find our bottle, tell us when and how you found our bottle. Also tell us your name, age, place of residence. Example: Paris, Miami, etc ... To contact us write to us at: cheval-rouge95@hotmail.com”

To finish, if you don’t have Internet, go to a friend’s or go to an Internet café because we are very curious to know if our bottle was found.

Charlaine and Claudia”

Aoife Millea said even after all those years, the note, which was rolled up and held together by a hair tie, was bone dry and written on the back of map of the area in the Gaspe where the bottle was launched.

“It was a really, really high tide that came in around the houses into the streets. This was the good news from the high tides,” she said, explaining the village is located on the River Suir estuary.

Millea said Oisin is “over the moon because he is quite the treasure hunter. This could not have happened to anyone better.”

“He was wondering if he was too famous to go to school today,” she told the Star.

It wasn’t until Millea and her son translated the note they realized it was from Quebec and not France. “He was even more excited that it came from Canada,” she said.

Millea said her son is eager to meet the women, now 20, who wrote the note, which he now plans to frame.

At last notice, Oisin was hoping to speak to Charlaine and Claudia by Skype sometime Tuesday.

Read more -
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1275913--message-in-a-bottle-from-canada-arrives-in-ireland-after-8-years-at-sea

Bank Of Canada Fires Shot Across Bow, Says "Withdrawal Of Stimulus Will Likely Be Required" -

Bank Of Canada Fires Shot Across Bow, Says "Withdrawal Of Stimulus Will Likely Be Required" - 




With the entire world engaged in global coordinated easing, slashing, burning, and overall lowering rates and printing money by the wheelbarrow, the Bank of Canada just fired a shot across the bow. Here is the kicker: "Reflecting all of these factors, the Bank has decided to maintain the target for the overnight rate at 1 per cent. Over time, some modest withdrawal of monetary policy stimulus will likely be required." Surely they must be punished for this blasphemy in the holy church of Saint John Maynard and the apostles of collapsing fiat.

The Loonie is happy:




Goldman is not. From GS' Andrew Tilton.

Keeping and strengthening the tightening bias, a hawkish surprise

The Bank of Canada today kept the target for the overnight rate unchanged, as was widely expected. Instead, the main focus today was on the language of the statement following Governor Carney’s speech last week at which he omitted mention of the BoC’s tightening bias. In the event, the tightening bias was strengthened, while the growth forecast was kept essentially unchanged. Overall, relative to the speech by Governor Carney last week, this represents a big surprise and suggests that concern over imbalances in the household sector may have grown.

In contrast to Governor Carney’s speech last week, where the tightening bias was omitted, the language of the tightening bias has been strengthened in two ways. First, language that conditioned tightening on the pace of the recovery has been dropped. Second, tightening is now called “likely,” where as before it was termed “may become appropriate.” The tightening bias language now reads: “Over time, some modest withdrawal of monetary policy stimulus will likely be required, consistent with achieving the 2 per cent inflation target.” The statement now explicitly also mentions the evolution of imbalances in the household sector, which suggests that concerns over household leverage have moved up the list of priorities for the Bank of Canada.

In this context, the Bank of Canada held its growth forecasts essentially unchanged. Growth for 2012 has been revised up to2.2% in 2012 (from 2.1%), was kept unchanged at 2.3% in 2013 and taken to 2.4% in 2014 (from 2.5%). Given Governor Carney’s emphasis on the deterioration in business sentiment and the investment outlook, this is also a hawkish surprise. The statement refers as it did previously to “very stimulative financial conditions” as sources of support for consumption and business investment. These seem to have trumped the concern over higher frequency indicators that were pointing to weakness. The output gap is now expected to close end-2013, slightly after the H2 2013 date given previously.

Overall, the statement stands in marked contrast to the Governor Carney speech last week and sounds more hawkish than we expected. However, we are sticking to our call of no rate hikes until Q4 2013
Full statement link here, and a side by side comparison with the last statement below.

Bank of Canada

Read more -
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2012-10-23/bank-canada-fires-shot-across-bow-says-withdrawal-stimulus-will-likely-be-required

Why A Balanced Budget Is Impossible In America -

Why A Balanced Budget Is Impossible In America - 

If the US government cut all government services except Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and interest payments, federal spending would still outpace revenues. As we noted here, these four mandatory items dominate costs. All the arguing over sequestration and the fiscal cliff are moot since as Professor Antony Davis notes in this brief clip, there are no specific cust that will enable government to balance the budget; in fact "nothing less than a complete redesign will solve the problem." That redesign begins with determing the proper role of government.



Read more -
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2012-10-16/why-balanced-budget-impossible-america

Monday, 22 October 2012

CBS News affiliate calls 2012 presidential race for Barack Obama weeks ahead of election -

CBS News affiliate calls 2012 presidential race for Barack Obama weeks ahead of election - 




The 2012 presidential election is still more than two weeks away, but on Friday a CBS News affiliate in Arizona called the race for President Barack Obama.

For 17 seconds, Phoenix, Arizona CBS News affiliate KPHO ran a lower third graphic that showed that Obama had won the Nov. 6 election over Gov. Mitt Romney with 99% of the precincts reporting. The lower third graphic appeared around 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 19, during an episode of “The People’s Court.”

The CBS News graphic showed Obama winning the election with 43 percent of the vote nationwide to Romney’s 40 percent -– or 40,237,966 votes to 38,116,216. It is unclear who garnered the other 17 percent in the fictional election results.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/10/21/cbs-news-affiliate-calls-2012-presidential-race-for-barack-obama-weeks-ahead-of-election/

British engineers create gasoline from thin air -

British engineers create gasoline from thin air - 



Genius Brit engineers have pioneered a new technology that produces petrol – from air.
Experts hailed the breakthrough as a potential “game-changer” as scientists seek to solve the world’s energy crisis.
The small company from the north England has developed “air capture” technology which creates synthetic petrol with only air and electricity.
Company chiefs say they have produced five litres of petrol in less than three months at a small refinery in Stockton-on-Tees, Teesside by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
They now hope to build a large plant generating more than a tonne of petrol per day within two years – and a refinery size operation within the next 15 years.
The fuel works in any petrol tank and promises to be “completely carbon neutral” so long as renewable energy is used to provide the electricity.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/10/22/british-engineers-create-gasoline-from-thin-air/?intcmp=features

Sunday, 21 October 2012

How sugar may make you stupid

How sugar may make you stupid - 



Bad news sugar lovers: a diet high in fructose won’t just make you fat, it may also make you stupid, according to research out of California.

A steady high-fructose diet disrupts the brain’s cognitive abilities, leading to poor learning and memory retention, says a study by Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, a neurosurgery professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Rahul Agrawal, a visiting UCLA postdoctoral fellow from India.

“This type of diet. . . (affects) the transmission of information across cells. . . learning and memory and practically any type of brain function depends very much on how transmission is transported across cells,” Gomez-Pinilla said in an interview with the Star.

Health concerns

Their study, published in the May 15 edition of the Journal of Physiology, looked at high sugar consumption, focusing less on naturally occurring fructose in fruits and more on the fructose in high-fructose corn syrup.

Research has already proven a high-fructose diet leads to a slew of health concerns, including obesity, diabetes and fatty liver.

The U.S. is the world’s largest consumer of sweeteners.

High-fructose corn syrup, which acts as a preservative and sweetener, is found in a variety of processed foods, from soft drinks and baby food to salad dressings and condiments.

The average American consumes approximately 21 kilograms of cane sugar and 16 kilograms of high-fructose corn syrup annually, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Role of fatty acids

Gomez-Pinilla and Agrawal studied two groups of rats, both of which drank a fructose solution in their drinking water for six weeks. One of the groups also consumed omega-3 fatty acids, from flaxseed oil and a DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) capsule. Omega-3 fatty acids have been found to guard against heat disease, high cholesterol and mental conditions such as bipolar disorder and depression, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Both rat groups were trained on a maze for five days before starting their new diet. After six weeks, Gomez-Pinilla and Agrawal retested the rats on the maze to monitor brain function and memory retention, noting the rats that consumed the fructose solution without the omega-3 fatty acids had problems with how they were able to think and recall routes in the maze.

Those rats also showed a resistance to insulin, a hormone that regulates sugar levels in the body.

“Rats fed on a (omega-3 fatty acids) deficient diet showed memory deficits in a Barnes maze, which were further exacerbated by fructose take,” the authors write.

They found that a rich diet of omega-3 fatty acids counteracted the negative affects of fructose.

Implications for humans

In terms of humans, Gomez-Pinilla predicts such changes in the brain to happen within six months to a year.

“The implication(s) here (are) the high consumption and the chronic consumption for man,” Gomez-Pinilla said, adding research needs to be done on the specific affects on humans.

“We don’t know yet how long (the damage) can last.”

The war on unhealthy food choices is a growing. In September, New York City announced it would ban sugar-filled drinks larger than 16-ounces from concession and fast-food stands, restaurants and movie theatres.

In Canada, a push on healthy eating is on the rise as the country grapples with the fact that 31.5 per cent of Canadian children aged 5 to 17 are either overweight or obese, according to a Statistics Canada report released in September.

“Diabetes is very prevalent in western society. It’s known already there is an (epidemic) of diabetes, which is highly related to a consumption of foods high in sugar,” Gomez-Pinilla said.

Gomez-Pinilla advocates a nutrient-rich dietthat includes omega-3 fatty acids and a proper mix of healthy choices to offset the dangers of fructose.

Foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids include flaxseed oil, some types of fish, such as salmon, and nuts.

Read more -
http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/1273659--how-sugar-may-make-you-stupid

Saturday, 20 October 2012

Goats released on football field forces high school to move football game -

Goats released on football field forces high school to move football game - 



A small herd of goats caused plenty of problems for a North Carolina high school hoping to play a home football game on senior night.
The Shelby Star reports that nearly a dozen goats were released in the Burns High School stadium in Cleveland County Thursday night or Friday morning. School officials say the goats caused enough of a mess to force the game against Rutherfordton-Spindale Central to be moved.
The prank raised concern because of a recent outbreak of E. coli cases associated with the Cleveland County Fair west of Charlotte this month. Burns Athletic Director Eddy Taylor said health department officials came to the school and told them the game would have to be moved.
Other activities scheduled at Burns on Friday also had to be moved.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/10/20/goats-released-on-football-field-forces-high-school-to-move-football-game/?test=latestnews

Hamster Placed In Police Protective Custody Following DUI Stop -

Hamster Placed In Police Protective Custody Following DUI Stop - 




Local authorities placed a hamster into protective custody after its owner, an intoxicated driver, was arrested.

Early Tuesday morning, three officers with the Beaverton Police pulled over 27-year-old Nicole Huey after suspecting her of driving while intoxicated, according to Oregon Live.

During the 12:30 a.m. stop, officers reportedly observed the hamster – whose name is not known – placed in her lap.

It was the only other occupant in the car, the website learned.

When Huey stepped out of the car, she placed the hamster on the dashboard. At that point, officers allegedly attempted to take the animal as well.

According to Officer Mike Rowe, the task was easier said than done.

“It took three officers to capture the furry little passenger,” Rowe was quoted as saying on the department’s Facebook page. “It appeared that the hamster wanted to stay in the vehicle, and it put up a good fight trying to avoid capture.”

The hamster was reportedly taken to the Emergency Veterinary Clinic of Tualatin. Huey was arrested for driving under the influence and held at Washington County Jail.

Upon her release, she reclaimed the animal from the clinic, according to Oregon Live.

Read more -
http://seattle.cbslocal.com/2012/10/18/hamster-placed-in-police-protective-custody-following-dui-stop/

Twitter and Facebook ‘harming children’s development’ -

Twitter and Facebook ‘harming children’s development’ - 



Young people’s brains are failing to develop properly after being overexposed to the cyber world at an early age, it was claimed.

Baroness Greenfield, professor of pharmacology at Oxford University, said a decline in physical human contact meant children struggled to formulate basic social skills and emotional reactions.

She criticised the “unhealthy” addiction to Twitter among some users who resort to increasingly nasty outbursts under the “sanitised and often anonymous guise of the web”.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, she also raised concerns over the “narcissistic” nature of sites such as Klout, which measures users’ popularity and influence on social networks.

The comments come just 24 hours after teachers warned that over-exposure to technology was damaging children’s ability to concentrate in the classroom.

Read more -
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/9620117/Twitter-and-Facebook-harming-childrens-development.html