Happy Friday, wonderful friends! I hope Friday brings you the same terrific feeling, as it does me. I really look forward to the weekend, and a little more relaxation or free time! So come over and sit down, with that fancy Latte, and let’s get to the news.
Today, we focus on the banking industry, and then we share some wonderful links sent in by loyal readers. While we don’t have the space to share all the links submitted, we certainly appreciate them all, as we share those that are in alignment with the focus of the Golden Age of Gaia. Thanks again for submitting them and keep on doing so through the Contact Us News Tip form!
More charges against the big banks from the US government related to currency fixing.
Currency is the least regulated of all international markets, and evidence is mounting that some big banks manipulated the price of foreign currencies. Now, the US Justice Department is seeking to go after individual traders in this situation, using their private messaging histories as evidence. At least one big bank should be charged by the end of the year, with more to follow. Since nothing ever disappears from the internet, the evidence was simply sitting there, waiting to be discovered.
International Libor rigging case shows some movement.
Libor stand for London Interbank Offer Rate, and it is set daily as the rate that institutions can borrow from each other. Since 2012, international investigators have been building a case that shows this rate has been manipulated by many banks. Now a British banker has pled guilty to Libor rigging, and could face 10 years in jail for his role in the wide spread industry scam.
British banker pleads guilty to Libor rigging by Simon Bowers of the Guardian
There is also some strong pressure from the US and UK governments for Germany’s Deutsche Bank to plead guilty to its role in the Libor scandal. There is indication that movement will be made by the end of the year.
U.S. May Press Deutsche Bank for Guilty Plea on Libor, NYT Says by David Sheer for Bloomberg News
China viewing the future and wants its currency in the world financial pot.
The IMF, and the World Bank, are meeting this week in Washington, to hash out the details of revisions to the Special Drawing Rights. These rights are related to reserve currencies, like the Dollar, the Yen, the Euro and the British Pound Sterling. The SDR must change in 2015, and the Chinese want the rights to reflect their increased activity in world financing. All the players want a piece of the pie, and China wants it to reflect the world financial reality more equitably.
China currency push takes aim at dollar by David March in a Special for USA Today
Moving on to more reader’s links…
It might sound embarrassing, but it saves water!
Chris Dobson and Debs Torr of East Anglia University, in the UK, want to conserve water, and they think that urinating in the shower is a way to do it. They are not embarrassed to ask other students, at their university, to do the same, and to take a pledge on social media announcing the fact. Since urine is a sterile blood filtrate, why not? Toilets generally use a lot of water to flush, and these students say simply peeing in the shower every morning, will save the country between 42 and 125 Thousand Pounds a year. Sounds like a plan. After all, all the drains are connected!
UEA students urged to urinate in shower on BBC News Norfolk
Everything old is new again!
Researchers went into a cave in Indonesia, and found primitive paintings on the wall. Since this stuff happens all the time, they were shocked to find, through scientific testing, that the paintings were probably 40,000 years old. Most cave art, previously found to be this old, is located in Western Europe, so this is a huge find! Talk about ancient graffiti!
A Prehistoric Cave Art Find That ‘Was Not Expected’by Lis Klimas for the Blaze
For all those free spirits who don’t have a lot of spending cash.
Many are feeling the wanderlust lately, and stepping out onto a more adventurous path. What do you do, if you feel the desire to travel the world, but you don’t have a penny in your pocket? Rob Greenfield, an American adventurist and environmental activist gives tips on ways to make your way out into the world, almost completely without money.
How to Travel America for Free Without Mooching by Rob Greenfield for Expanded Consciousness
Play some games, win some rice, to help feed the hungry in the world.
I have to tell you, this game is addictive! Yes, a website called Free Rice, lets you play games, like word definitions and such, and if you get the answers right, they donate rice to the hungry, through the United Nations World Food Program. Sounds a heck of a lot better than winning virtual coins in other video games! Once you read what they are all about, you can create an account, and start playing to ease world hunger. Sounds like a Win-Win situation to me! Fun and service all rolled into one.
Free Rice website: Play games to earn rice to ease world hunger
How’s the weather in your neighborhood? How about in space?
People used to use the weather as a topic of conversation, in small talk over the back yard fence, but now more and more are talking about sun spots, coronal mass ejections and the magnetosphere in daily life. Would you like to be in the know, from a trusted source? Then please check out Suspicious Observers! They provide a daily video look, at weather patterns across the globe, earth movements, the activity of the sun and other space related weather.
Suspicious Observers: Global and Space Weather Reports on Youtube
That’s the news for today! Have an awesome weekend, and I hope you get a chance to stop by on Saturday, for more news, and Sunday for my joyful sharing of Feel Good News!
Be Well. Be Joy. Be Love!
Alex