Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Money

Ok, I am distressed. But I have a solution.

I am distressed because of this:
Amsterdam currency exchangers won't take US dollars
Currency exchange outlets in Amsterdam won't to trade US dollars for euros because the value of the dollar is dropping so quickly they're afraid of losing money, even with the outlandish vigorish the sleazy little joints usually tack on.

The U.S. dollar's value is dropping so fast against the euro that small currency outlets in Amsterdam are turning away tourists seeking to sell their dollars for local money while on vacation in the Netherlands.

"Our dollar is worth maybe zero over here," said Mary Kelly, an American tourist from Indianapolis, Indiana, in front of the Anne Frank house. "It's hard to find a place to exchange. We have to go downtown, to the central station or post office."


and thankfully, I have a solution because of this:
How to make fake gold bars
Now that the economy is collapsing, investors are becoming more interested in gold. Here's an item from PopSci that says it wouldn't be too difficult to make convincing fake gold bars out of gold-plated tungsten (which costs $30 a pound compared to $12,000 a pound for gold).

"start with a tungsten slug about 1/8-inch smaller in each dimension than the gold bar you want, then cast a 1/16-inch layer of real pure gold all around it. This bar would feel right in the hand, it would have a dead ring when knocked as gold should, it would test right chemically, it would weigh *exactly* the right amount, and though I don't know this for sure, I think it would also pass an x-ray fluorescence scan, the 1/16" layer of pure gold being enough to stop the x-rays from reaching any tungsten. You'd pretty much have to drill it to find out it's fake."

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

FRA is gruesome - we apologize for this city.....

Anonymous said...

We've become a 3rd World Nation! The Chinese are buying our banks, many of our largest businesses are no longer owned by Americans! BMW is now outsourcing to the U.S.! Aunt Sue is just so proud. I remember when the Euro cost $0.90!

Anonymous said...

oh, well, I recently saw a TV report on German craftsmen working in Poland, since the Germans were cheaper.... so dont worry... i think life is just a changing....

Anonymous said...

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