http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/panorama/3819345.stm
Now, we don’t know if it’s being done by the NK government, being endorsed by said government or if it’s happening under NK’s nose. But assuming it’s one of the first two, is that a casus belli?
I believe the Iranians also purchased some Intaglio presses for this purpose.
Co-worker who is much older and smarter than I am says:
Merely highlights some ironies, such as:
– Giving $25 worth of food and cheap wine to each North Korean would cost us much less than a war – and might topple the government there faster than any combat.– Fake $100 bills would do less damage to our economy than fake $20s, because they’re less common. (Nazi Germany made excellent forgeries of British ten-pound notes, but the real ones were so rare the trick had no effect.)
– There may be a natural limit to how effective such tricks can be – like the more sophisticated the trick, the more it costs, and the less effective. In the last few years there’s been a significant increase in encephalomyelitis (or some such mosquito-borne disease) and it’s a strange coincidence that the same strain showed up in both the US and Israel. So some people have wondered if this might reflect a biological-weapon developed by Saddam before he got toppled. But if Iraqis or other terrorists are responsible, they must be disappointed – as if the higher level of nutrition here drastically limited the “weapon’s” effect.
Beyond that, the article included a very stupid mistake: saying that intaglio presses were highly sophiticated. Intaglio is a type of press, also called “gravure.” It differs from a letterpress or offset press in that the ink goes into the low parts of the plate. When rollers squeeze the paper into the plate, the paper picks up that ink.
Can we get Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan on the case to foil the crime?
Because this will assuredly lead back to a rich, white man.
[quote=“Roger Wong”]Co-worker who is much older and smarter than I am says:
– Fake $100 bills would do less damage to our economy than fake $20s, because they’re less common. (Nazi Germany made excellent forgeries of British ten-pound notes, but the real ones were so rare the trick had no effect.)
From what I understand $100s are very popular in other parts of the world (as “valued” cash), although less so here in the US.
Remember, you can always send those unpopular c-bills over to me. I’ll be sure that they grow into nice little $20s and $5s and $1s. :wink:
Another reason that Nazi Germany’s fake British money didn’t do much harm was they didn’t have enough time before the whole effort collapsed. The short-term use for their faked money was to buy things (arms, information, etc). Then later on they would flood the market and crash the British economy. This was a long-term strategic plan for them. I mean they may as well benefit from the strength of the foreign money for a few years before destroying it, no?
And let me say that for all of the very negative and shitty things in the Patriot Acts, a couple of the good things have to do with protecting our currency and the world market. It is fucking insane how much effort a foreigner (even as a resident alien) would now have to go through just to launder money through a bank or simple investment compared to 5 years ago.
ever see that sopranos episode where this white yuppies family gets car jacked by some black guys and after they drive away the father screams out the n-word. the wife is shocked and then the husband asks, “well, who else, huh???”
then they cut to smiling tony holding a pic of the stolen car before he goes overseas to italy to negotiate a stolen car ring with the italian branch of the mafia.