Currency

Money and finance is the focus today. Eyes are on Cyprus as banks reopened (after nearly two weeks of closure) and many people wait for the next shoe to drop wherever that is in the world. The future of currency is becoming electronic (virtual) as is everything else ... even reality. :)

Bitcoin prices surge post-Cyprus bailout   CNN - March 28, 2013
Shares of the cyber-currency bitcoin have surged in the past week as investors seek safe havens following the unprecedented bailout of Cyprus' banks. Bitcoin is an unusual place to seek security. It's a four-year-old digital currency developed by a hacker who still remains anonymous.

  Bitcoin   CNN - March 2011

Bitcoin - the most widely used alternative currency - which may be the way of the future.

Cyprus banks reopen amid tight security and tough curbs   BBC - March 28, 2013
Banks in Cyprus have reopened after a two-week closure sparked by discussions on an EU-IMF bailout, amid tension over possible large-scale withdrawals. Branches were replenished with cash overnight and police were deployed amid fears of a run on the banks.

"Cyprus euro" a boon to US dollar: James Saft   Reuters - March 28, 2013
One clear winner from Cyprus's imposition of capital controls is the U.S. dollar, which stands to benefit from public and private flows after another round of damage to the euro's reserve currency status.

---

Friday Notes

Another week is ending as we move towards Spring break for some and holidays for whoever celebrates Passover and Easter. I love the fact that Pope Francis seems to be more liberal than his predecessors - but is there a hidden agenda? If anything, it makes the game more interesting as people follow his actions. We all know the church has to change. He may appear to make a progressive commitment, but that doesn't mean he won't run the Church as a conservative. This week, the Pope admitted he was "dazzled" by a girl - which means - he's a guy and has normal male physical reactions to women ... and he's not gay.

Did you know that 1 in 6 Americans is Hispanic? That is the reported number. I believe it is higher.

Focus on Cyprus: Under pressure from the European Central Bank to quickly reach a deal or risk a cutoff of financing for Cypriot banks, members of the Cypriot Parliament will vote today on yet another revamped formula for an international bailout. It's like watching the same financial issues - country by country - whose solutions are being played out in a supposedly new and better ways - all failures. There are no solutions.

Obama is concluding his trip to Israel and the West Bank. This reaps of secrets. What was that all about?

It looks like Mary Jane is moving to Florida in 2014. Medical Marijuana? Seniors getting high and driving? As if things were bad enough ...

More shootings ... it's becoming the norm as insanity hits new heights. I have never seen so much frustration, anger, and venting as I see in people today. There are those who vent in person or on the phone to express their emotions and get it all out .... then there are the cowards who say it in email and social networking. Best suggestion ... don't engage in email ... just move on. This year we wandered in a strange new world ...

Do you expect peace now or ever? A 3D hologram, created by electromagnetic energy, is programmed to forever seek balance and never find it until it ends. The program always finds balance to some degree then, by its very nature, will create imbalance. (Blogged that in 1995 and on and on and on). I'm still not sure why the program hasn't ended and really wish we were given the tools to better understand the complexities that form our experiences here.

---