After months of pushing for a new world currency, President Dmitry Medvedev had more than an idea to tout at his G8 news conference. He had the real thing.

With a broad grin, Medvedev held aloft a shiny gold coin Friday that he said represented a “symbol of unity” and a possible “future world currency.”

“I have some supranational currency in my pocket that I got as a souvenir. This is a test sample of a currency unit under the Unity in Diversity motto,” Medvedev said, holding the coin between two fingers.

“It is called the United Future World Currency. It can already be seen and touched,” he said, according to a transcript posted on the Kremlin’s web site.

Examples of the coin, worth $3,900 and produced by the United Future World Currency, a group backing the idea of a global currency, was presented to all world leaders attending the Group of Eight summit in L’Aquila, Italy.

The coin was made by Belgian Luc Luycx, who also designed one side of the Euro coins, and are called “eurodollars” in a symbolic call for a common currency to unite Europe and the United States.

Medvedev pulled out his coin when reporters asked him about new reserve currencies at the news conference that closed the three-day summit. “This is a symbol of our unity and our desire to solve such issues,” Medvedev said.

Russia and China have called for a “super currency” to replace the U.S. dollar as a reserve currency, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy said at the summit that the dollar’s supremacy as a reserve currency is outdated.

“This has become a regular theme now,” Medvedev said Friday. “We are discussing the creation or, to be more correct, the appearance of new reserve currencies, including the possibility of making the Russian ruble such a currency unit.”

Source

Originally posted 2009-07-14 10:51:10.

Popularity: 1% [?]

SAN DIEGO — It’s a new kind of gold rush — consumers trading in old jewelry for quick cash. Ads on TV promise big bucks giving you “cash for gold.” People in the ads say they’ve received hundreds of dollars — extra cash for tough times — by mining their jewelry for gold. The 10News I-Team put these ads to the test, buying four of the same 10-karat gold men’s wedding rings for $58 apiece.

The price of gold has been solid, especially in a down economy. In the past month, gold’s value has ranged from $800 to $900 an ounce. “It is precious metal; it’ll always be worth something,” explains Dano McCarthy of Leo Hamel Fine Jewelers, who weighed the 10News I-Team’s rings and estimated a buyback price. “Everybody’s entitled to buy stuff; everybody’s entitled to make a profit.” McCarthy has 20 years in the jewelry business and says the 10News I-Team rings should get a buyback price of about $17 each, given the price of gold $8.39 per gram on the day McCarthy weighed the gold. The 10News I-Team sent the rings to three Internet companies that promise cash for gold — www.GoldKit.com, www.Cash4Gold.com and www.GetGoldCash.com. The fourth ring was resold to a San Diego-area pawn shop. The retail price for the rings was $58. GoldKit.com sent the 10News I-Team a check for $2.80. Cash4Gold.com sent two checks — one for $2.92 and another for $4.99, explaining they mistakenly charged the 10News I-Team $4.99 for a “Fast Cash” option not received. GetGoldCash.com paid $7.63 for the ring. The local buyback had the best payout. The pawn shop paid out $18.50 for the ring on a day when gold was valued at over $9 a gram. Gold Buyback Tips:

Originally posted 2009-02-12 15:34:35.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Four teenagers were cited by police in American Fork after they rapped their order at a McDonald’s drive-thru. The boys said the drive-thru worker was not amused and asked them to leave. American Fork police found the teens at a parking lot during a high school volleyball game and issued them a citation for being disorderly in public. An officer said this means the teens created public fear or a public scene and that continuing to rap when they were asked to repeat their order was enough to issue a citation.

The teens said an employee got their plate number and must have called police as they were leaving. They also said they did not think they were breaking the law while rapping their order.

“It’s just a joke. Honestly they didn’t need to take it this far. It’s not a big deal.” said Gage Christensen, 17, one of the teens involved in the rap.

FOX 13 News called the McDonald’s in American Fork and the night manager said the teens were cursing and disrupting business. The teens said that is not true and they were the only ones in the drive-thru.

“Who gives tickets to high school teenagers for rapping into a microphone at McDonalds? Who does this?” said a mother of one of the teens, Sharon Dauwalder. “I just don’t understand why or how this could have been blown out of proportion.”

Thousands nationwide have made their own drive-thru rap videos and posted them on YouTube.

Source

Originally posted 2009-10-30 06:28:30.

Popularity: 1% [?]