The Great Gold vs Bitcoin Debate: Casey vs Matonis

Doug Casey of Casey Research (www.caseyresearch.com/) debates e-money researcher (themonetaryfuture.blogspot.co.uk/) and "crypto economist" Jon Matonis on the virtues -- or otherwise -- of Bitcoin, and how it compares to gold as a form of money.

Casey, a Bitcoin sceptic, notes that Bitcoin satisfies Aristotle's definition of what constitutes "good" money in all but one important aspect: that it doesn't have value in any kind of non-monetary sense, unrelated to its use as a medium of exchange. This is in contrast to precious metals, which have unique chemical properties and uses in an industrial context.

Matonis argues that this is unimportant set against Bitcoin's strengths: notably the ease of transacting in them and its decentralised nature, meaning that there is no central point of attack for its enemies (whoever they may be). He also points out that -- unlike gold -- physical confiscation of Bitcoin, a la FDR in 1933, is for obvious reasons impossible.

This podcast was recorded on 11 April 2013.

Former North Korea Spy Believes WAR Will Break Out

Frm. North Korea Spy Believes WAR Will Break Out

If a country doesn’t want to get its hands dirty they put the capability to do something in the hands of another country. North Korea has had help from more capable countries than their own pathetic scientists and engineers. Super powers don’t like going at it headon unless they have a sneak attack or killer advantage. Imagine giving Korea a superior nuclear warhead masquerading as a joke to slip by the American’s defences and cause harm in so many ways none the least confidence in the American’s abilities to protect. Of course North Korea pays the ultimate price with the true manipulator sitting in the background capitalizing on the situation.

North Korea to Japan: YOU FIRST!

(FoxNews) North Korea reportedly warned Japan that Tokyo would be the first target if Pyongyang decides to play its nuclear card.
The warning reportedly is in response to Tokyo's standing orders to destroy any missile heading toward Japan, according to Korean Central News Agency. Japan has deployed PAC-3 missile interceptor units around Tokyo to protect its capital and is taking North Korea's rhetoric seriously.
"We are doing all we can to protect the safety of our nation," chief Cabinet spokesman Yoshihide Suga said, though he and Ministry of Defense officials refused to confirm the reports about the naval alert, saying they do not want to "show their cards" to North Korea.
Japanese officials long have feared that North Korea not only has the means but several potential motives for launching an attack on Tokyo or major U.S. military installations on Japan's main island.
"If Kim Jong Un decides to launch a missile, whether it's across the Sea of Japan or some other direction, he will be choosing willfully to ignore the entire international community," U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters in South Korea. "And it will be a provocation and unwanted act that will raise people's temperatures."
"We will stand with South Korea and Japan against these threats. And we will defend ourselves," he said.
Kerry also weighed in on an intelligence report that rocked Washington on Thursday and suggested that North Korea now had the knowhow to arm a ballistic missile with a nuclear warhead -- even if the weapons would lack reliability. Citing the Pentagon's assessment, Kerry rejected the finding and said that Pyongyang still hadn't developed or fully tested the nuclear capacities needed for such a step.
Speaking beside Kerry, South Korea Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se called for more United Nations action against Pyongyang if it commits another provocation.
He refused to comment specifically on the U.S. intelligence report, saying only that the North has "high nuclear and missile capabilities" but that it is still some time away from a nuclear bomb that is "small, light and diversified."
Kerry offered strong words of solidarity for South Korea, and praised South Korea President Park Geun-hye's "bright vision" of a prosperous and reunified Korean Peninsula without nuclear weapons. By contrast, he said North Korea's Kim, has a choice to make between provocation and returning to talks to de-escalate tension and lead to the end of its nuclear program
Both Yun and Kerry kept the door open for future negotiations with Pyongyang.
But both seemed to suggest that they were unlikely in light of the North's increasingly bombastic threats, including nuclear strikes on the United States. Most experts say those are unfeasible based on the North's current capacity and would never be explored seriously because the U.S. response would be overwhelming against a regime focused primarily on survival.
Kerry said any talks with North Korea have to lead toward denuclearization.
They have to be really serious," Kerry said. "No one is going to talk for the sake of talking and no one is going to play this round-robin game that gets repeated every few years, which is both unnecessary and dangerous."

"ACCIDENTALLY REVEALED" North Korea Now Has The Ability To Deliver A Nuclear Warhead!

"ACCIDENTALLY REVEALED" North Korea Now Has The Ability To Deliver A Nuclear Warhead!

A confidential source has posted at THE FOREIGN DESK on that debunks a lot of what the US media is saying about North Korea. First, the border is still open to cross-border workers, second, the South Korean military is not on alert. There has been no increase in military preparedness in SK. Third, North and South Korean diplomats are still meeting on a regular basis regarding trade, cross-border workers, etc. Every time the US govt wants to spread disinfo they always “leak a secret document”, this time form the almighty Pentagon? Everyone believes it because it is a “secret leaked document” so therefore it must be true. I don’t believe there is any “leaked” secret document at all. This is more govt disinfo to spread fear and justify more carnage.

Will Slovenia be the next Cyprus?

Despite warnings of an impending banking crisis in Slovenia, government and European Union officials insist it will not be the next Cyprus.
Slovenian officials are confident it can recapitalise its banks without becoming the sixth euro zone member to require a bailout.
Al Jazeera's Jonah Hull reports from the capital Ljubljana.