XIAM007

Making Unique Observations in a Very Cluttered World

Tuesday 9 April 2013

The Bitcoin bubble: Why speculative Bitcoin buy-ins now point to a disastrous Bitcoin crash -


The Bitcoin bubble: Why speculative Bitcoin buy-ins now point to a disastrous Bitcoin crash - 


Bitcoin is a powerful, game-changing crypto currency that may literally change the world. It’s a huge threat to centralized banks and government currency controls because it’s entirely decentralized, anonymous and virtually impossible to track. Bitcoin is the “underground railroad” of money, and it has an important role to play in the epic battle between liberty vs. slavery.
But because bitcoin is a currency whose value is based on the psychology of human beings, it is subject to booms and busts. Bitcoin has enjoyed a meteoric rise from roughly $20 per bitcoin in February to almost $200 per bitcoin today. (Yes, nearly a 1000% return in less than two months.) This has happened for several reasons, but primarily because the Cypriot bank thefts taught people that “money in the bank” isn’t any safer than money anywhere else. So why not invest in a crypto-currency that can’t be stolen by the banks?
As Europeans and Russians were funneling unprecedented sums of money into bitcoin over the past few months, Asians began to dump speculative money into the system. Today, Chinese investors (i.e. “gamblers”) are pumping huge sums of cash into bitcoin, hoping to double or triple their money as the currency continues its red hot rise.
Therein lies the problem. Bitcoin has become a speculative bubble now driven primarily by greed and risk rather than utilitarian value. More and more people are getting into bitcoin for no other reason than to jump on the bandwagon and hope to “buy low, sell high.”
Check out the chart below, derived from data at BitCoinCharts.com. Look familiar? It mirrors the dot-com bubble charts of the late 1990′s:





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Origami Condoms Radically Redesigns Almost Century-Old Latex Protection -


Origami Condoms Radically Redesigns Almost Century-Old Latex Protection - 


Let's face it, for many people the classic latex condom is an unsensational product at best. And for nearly a century, no one really bothered to make that basic design any better.

But now a small business called Origami Condoms says it is ready to reinvent the condom and make it more appealing to use by taking a design tip from the Japanese art of paper folding. The secret? An accordion-like design.

"The latex condom was strictly protection. No one liked using it," Origami Condoms' creator and company founder, Danny Resnic, told The Huffington Post. "We are trying to create a condom that feels great and is much closer to the real deal to encourage people to use them."

Traditional condom makers have long been trying to make the existing condom design more appealing with textures and even flavors. But Origami Condoms' breakthrough style -- which has condoms folded up rather than rolled up like its predecessors -- acts as a loose-fitting sheath when it's in use and moves with the natural movement of the body. That means both participants will experience a lot more sensation during sex, Resnic said.

The company, which is based in Marina del Rey, Calif., has already snagged the attention of sexual health proponents as well as other major latex condom manufacturers who are interested in licensing the design, according to Resnic.

Last month the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation called out the new condom company as a leading innovator for sexual health on its blog. "Origami Condoms provides an excellent example of a private enterprise focused on new condom design to promote consistent use by emphasizing the sexual experience," the blog post reads.

The foundation is also offering $100,000 to innovators to redesign the condom as part of a campaign for global health initiatives.

But interested parties may still have to wait awhile to get their hands on these innovative rubbers. Origami's condoms are still in clinical testing and will not be available for purchase until early 2015 at the soonest, Resnic said. The condom designs must first go through rigorous multi-phase testing before the company can apply for approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

Part of what makes the new design possible is its departure from latex, which is prone to breaking. Instead, Origami's condoms are made from super-supple silicone, which allows the condom to be folded rather than rolled and to withstand more vigorous movement without tearing.

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Alysena 28 Recall: Birth Control Packs May Have Too Many Placebos -


Alysena 28 Recall: Birth Control Packs May Have Too Many Placebos -

The maker of the birth-control pill Alysena 28 has issued an urgent recall after it was discovered that one lot of the contraceptive may have been incorrectly packaged with only two weeks of drug-containing tablets instead of three.

Women taking the incorrectly packaged pill would not receive the proper amount of contraceptive, raising the possibility of an unplanned pregnancy.

In a recall notice distributed by Health Canada, Apotex Inc. said the product's 28-day blister packs should include 21 active birth-control pills plus seven placebo tablets that contain no drug.

Apotex said blister packs in the affected lot — LF01899A — may instead contain 14 placebo pills and 14 active contraceptive tablets.

Alysena 28 is sold in British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, P.E.I. and Quebec.

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