GoldSeek Radio Nugget: Alastair MacLeod and Chris Waltzek
Note: A.M. image courtesy of website.
Highlights
Head of Research at GoldMoney, Alastair MacLeod makes his show debut on Thanksgiving Day, 2018. Listeners are encouraged to bookmark his weekly commentary at Goldmoney Insights. The Bank of England (BoE) refused to honor its custodial arrangement and return 14 tonnes of gold held on behalf of Venezuela (MacLeod, 2018). Standard anti-money laundering concerns were cited as the chief reason for the refusal. The fact that the lenders of last resort within the central bank cartel are experiencing dissent among the ranks could send reverberations.Actions by the BoE illustrate that the system based on transparency is flawed amid such unanticipated opacity in the financial system. If central banks cannot even maintain trust within their own ranks, how exposed is the typical investor to rehypothecation, confiscation.Alastair MacLeod notes that sovereign gold ownership has now morphed into a geostrategic challenge within the global economic arena.Russia is rejecting the US dollar as the de facto reserve currency, opting instead to procure gold and silver bullion for a new sound-money currency.President Putin also directed the accumulation of the largest strategic silver stockpile, worldwide. China may have quietly accumulated the largest stockpile of gold in the world in anticipation of a gold backed Yuan, up to 25,000 metric tons.China's hypothesized total of 40,000 ton stockpile plus the hastily growing reserves of Russia are viewed as a hedge against sanctions.Our British guest wraps up the discussion with an eloquent review of the Brexit situation from ground zero.Poor Richard's $729 Solution
The raging infernos in California this year represented the largest on 
record, registering "National Disaster, status." In Paradise CA alone, over 10,000 homes and 12,000 structures were lost, virtually the entire town. While some pundits have blamed lack of water as a key catalyst, local authorities counter that ample water is available, instead arid conditions, foliage overgrowth and urban sprawl in remote, fire-prone forest regions represent more likely culprits. An earlier blaze this year, The Redding California blaze, tragically accounted for hundreds of lost homes, many lost lives and 300,000 evacuations.
Given that $729 is the cost a single FireZat home shield and 10,000 homes in a typical town, an investment of only $7.29 million will insulate the area, merely a fraction of the cost compared to the billions of dollars lost in the inferno it is economically feasible to prepare every US home / structure in fire plagued regions, each shield can be conveniently shipped to homes. The impact of future infernos could be vastly lessened by slowing the advance of the blaze and gaining precious minutes for firefighters and aerial support time to 
arrive at the scene (figure 1.1.). Heavy duty, yet lightweight, fire resistant mylar sheeting, can be distributed to every 
house in each neighborhood. Customized Firezat Shields are re-useable, withstand up to 1100 degrees Fahrenheit, store for at least a decade, and are available to authorities who issue a siren advisory to alert citizens to install the shields over each house, thereby averting much of the destruction, particularly in areas most remote from firestations, low water flow areas and high risk hotspots and all that is required is leadership (forwarded to the Orange County Fire Authorities, Chief Marc Stone and the US White House):
Action Plan - Near Term
1. All fire prone towns are supplied by state / Federal 
authorities with ample $729 Firezat mylar fire shields, that only require 2 people and 20 minutes to install. High risk areas are determined via qualitative / quantitative models. Qualitative models include the surveyed opinions of key fire fighting officials in each area / region. Quantitative models include variables such as current annual rainfall statistics, population density, incidence of previous infernos, and access to key fire fighting resources. Improved regulations include metal / concrete roof tiles to slow these regular fire tragedies that typically spreads from roof to roof. By simply changing from highly flammable tar roofing to the suggested materials, insurance companies could offer lowered premiums and rebates as state / federal policies are enacted to insure that every home receives the needed upgrade regardless of income level.
Action Plan - Long-Term
2. Every home owner that replaces flammable roofs / siding with metal roofing / 
aluminum / brick / stucco siding, metal doors / metal window frames and lawns / bushes with rock garden lawns, pays zero property taxes or home insurance premiums until costs are 100% recouped.
3. Homeowners who cannot afford to replace siding / roofing, are compensated by local / state / federal fire policy and pay half price on home insurance premiums.
4. All structures are inspected for compliance by the local / state fire Marshall / authorities with tax break vouchers issued, biannually.
5. Emergency parking lots are maintained in each community, with football 
stadium sized paved lots surrounded by deforested lawns, the only 100% sure protection for those stranded within fire plagued areas. All vehicles that cannot be vacated from fire prone areas are deposited and buses are maintained to evacuate residents. Oxygen tanks / masks are maintained for those with compromised lung conditions.
6. Homeowners / neighborhoods / communities that install underground rainwater catchment systems with solar powered, fully automated water sprinkler's attached to protect structures / premises, receive tax breaks until all funds are recouped.
7. FireZat auto covers are issued for every vehicle in fire prone regions and required storage in / on the vehicle at all times to shield trapped occupants from 95% of fire related heat, per item description.
Figure 1.1. FIREZAT - Mylar Household Fire Shields
Figure 1.2. Worst Wildfire in CA History - 79 / 81 Fatalities in Paradise and Camp Fire CA and over 700 Missing - 12k Structures Lost.
Note. Video and all images in this article were provided courtesy of Youtube.com and Google images.
Figure 1.3. Sci-Fi Short Film "A Crimson Man" presented by DUST
Note. Video and all images in this article were provided courtesy of Youtube.com and Google images.
Figure 1.4. Star Wars: Destroyer - A Star Wars Fan-Film
Note. Video and all images in this article were provided courtesy of Youtube.com and Google images.