Round and round we go. Are silver and gold once again going to be the basis of money and exchange? After all, they have served that purpose for most of the last five thousand years. The US began with that concept at our origin. Article I, Section 10, Clause 1:
No State shall ... make any Thing but gold and silver Coin as Tender in Payment of Debts.
In this century, Texas is first out of the block, and plans to produce and sell one ounce silver and gold coins soon. However, the primary scuttlebutt about the changing world economic order came from Xi in China recently with his announcement that the renminbi (yuan) is to become a reserve currency. He said China was the world's manufacturing and technological leader, and needs to become the financial leader as well. A gold-backed yuan refers to China's strategic initiative to link its currency (renminbi/yuan) to physical gold reserves...This strategy involves establishing gold-backed trade settlement options, expanding gold trading platforms, and gradually positioning the yuan as an alternative to the US dollar in international transactions. Much more on gold, silver, war, and the economy below the fold.

Let's begin with the silver versus gold debate from 100 years ago.

(15 min) from one of the comments:
Let’s not forget the financial term the Wizard uses in the classic movie after the quartet returns to his room with the broom explaining what they did to beat the Wicked Witch.
“So you liquidated her.”
I knew some of this, but not all. It seems obvious now, but I missed the idea of the tin man as a heartless worker of the industrial age, and the scarecrow as the farmers. I knew the lion represented W. J. Bryan.

How Gold & Silver Coins Are Made - PERTH MINT BEHIND THE SCENES (15 min)
In this video I tour the Perth Mint and show how gold and silver coins are minted. The whole process of minting coins was quite impressive. Gold and silver coins start as refined precious metals and need to go through many different stages to be minted into coins. All of the footage was filmed by Silver Dragons. All footage was approved to be released. If you have ever wondered how coins are made then this is the video for you. Not only do I show how gold coins are minted and how silver coins are minted, but I also show the process for making high relief coins and colorized coins.

Silver price has been very volatile. At the first of last year it was about $30/oz by December it had doubled, an ounce cost $60. In mid-January it was well over $100/ oz. Now, it is about $85/ oz, a nice gain since December, but all you hear is how the price crashed.
Dealer Reveals Big Problem With Silver Market

(18 min) In this video I ask my local coin shop owner about the best silver to buy right now on a strict budget. We also talk about a huge problem that many coin shops are facing. The best silver to buy for a stacker that wants to hold the silver for a long time or for a stacker that wants to potentially barter with the silver in the future is junk silver. The best silver for new silver stackers is the silver rounds. Many coin shops are no longer ordering silver from the silver wholesalers because of the long wait times to actually get the silver in stock. Many coin shops are only selling the silver that they are buying over the counter. This is a massive problem because the silver that is in high demand is rarely available. Silver price has been extremely volatile of late. Where is silver price going to go from here?

My understanding is that every military missile contains at least 30 pounds of silver, which is lost if it is fired. No wonder TPTB declared it a strategic metal.
Mexico is the largest producer of silver (though much of it is refined in China), so it makes sense the US entered a trade deal for silver with Mexico this month.

Why are countries looking for USD alternatives? Because the dollar has been used as a weapon with tariffs, sanctions, and other economic pressures. Jeff gives a master class...
Jeffrey Sachs: U.S. Economic Coercion & the Death of the Dollar

(34 min)
Prof. Jeffrey Sachs discusses how coercive economic statecraft destabilises the international system, and how it is ultimately self-defeating as the world learns to live without the US.
Jeff was in Greece and his internet was a little wonky. Using the caption option helps.

One of the reasons gold has become so much more expensive this year is because the world's central banks are stockpiling it and selling their dollar assets. This is largely a result of Jeff's point above, and the theft of Russia's sovereign funds in the US and EU. Investing money in the west is dangerous and might be taken if you don't behave as they command.

Of course, there's nothing new under the sun.
Economies and Empires cycle...
Ray Dalio: How to Survive the Coming Civil War and the Plot to Use Debt and CBDCs to Enslave You

(62 min) 0:00 The Cycle of Civilizations
07:15 How Democracies Break Down and Turn Authoritarian
18:10 The Dollar, Debt and the End of Monetary Trust
26:53 Why Gold Always Survives System Failure
38:15 What Will the Price of Gold Be In 5 Years?
40:34 How America Can Avoid Crisis Before It's Too Late
46:09 The Difference Between Wealth and Money
52:00 Can American Democracy Survive?
53:17 Should We Worry About Civil War?
55:26 Who Actually Controls the Money?
58:11 What Happens if the Government Issued Digital Currency?
1:00:48 Actions Everyone Should Take Right Now to Protect Their Future

Did you know Japan hold's the most US debt of any nation? It used to be China, but they have been steadily selling their US debt. What about Japan's economy?
Investor, Raymond Zucaro was with the Duran this week

(24 min) Japan remilitarization. New Fed Chair. Cuba blockade

As one empire falls, another rises. Perhaps the new multi-nodal alliance holds hope we can create a cooperative world and develop a win-win economic system based on fair trade and exchange.
Pepe explains the origin and difference between BRICS+ and the SCO

(84 min) Pepe Escobar is a Brazilian geopolitical journalist and author with decades of experience covering global power shifts, energy politics, and Eurasian integration. A seasoned foreign correspondent, he has reported from across Asia and Europe. He is a permanent columnist at The Cradle. At about 50 min Pepe explains BRICS pay and CIPS (Cross-border Interbank Payment System).

Money and War
Alastair Crooke | Ukraine and Iran: The West Will Lose BOTH

(70 min) What’s really driving the Ukraine talks, and how close the world is to a wider conflict with Iran? In this episode ex-CIA officer Larry Johnson and former UK diplomat Alastair Crooke examine the financial logic behind Ukraine negotiations, economic instability in the West, and the risks of escalation if political and military realities continue to be misread.
00:00:00 The Ukraine Peace Talks That Russia Can't Trust
00:05:06 $800 Billion Prize: Business of "Rebuilding" Ukraine
00:09:21 The Bigger Conflict Behind Ukraine: Multipolarity vs American Power
00:12:44 Russia Sends a Clear Message: Escalation Is Coming
00:19:03 Financial Turbulence In The West
00:21:22 Russia Is Done Trusting the West
00:31:20 Thinking That War With Iran Will Be Easy Is Fatal
00:37:53 How Politics Transformed to Marketing: Narrative Over Iran
00:45:26 China and Russia Step In To Back Iran
00:53:35 Iran Conflict Could End Trump's Presidency

OTC featured perhaps a clearer interview on this topic in her column yesterday, when Alastair was on with Daniel Davis (EXPOSED: The UKRAINE MONEY GAME /IRAN TENSIONS) where he also mentions the role of the Rothschild bank (who holds the debt), Blackrock (who holds bonds and hopes to rebuild Ukraine), and the MIC (who profits from weapons sales) all of whom are promoting a permanent war in Ukraine.

Speaking of the war in Ukraine, the NATO security council met in Munich this week where most leaders declared Ukraine was winning and Russian's are a bunch of losers, when of course just the opposite is true. Are they deluded or just out right liars?
Perhaps Finland's Stubb was the worse?

(first couple of minutes with an additional 30 min walk and talk of the conference and more)
Stubb, Ukraine will win. Zelensky younger than Putin. Rubio no show EU meet up. Rutte explains DADDY

Lavrov had three interviews this week, and he expresses doubt that the West wants peace.
Lavrov critical of performative US 'mediated' negotiations
(32 min)
0:00 - Discussion begins on Project Ukraine and Lavrov’s latest interview
2:01 - Lavrov’s criticism of the Anchorage summit and US negotiation approach
6:11 - Key events influencing Russian diplomatic stance: Valdai attack,
9:35 - Skepticism about Reuters reports on India stopping Russian oil imports
12:00 - Overview of Russia-US negotiations since autumn and internal debates in Moscow
15:40 - Challenges to Russia-US dialogue
18:15 - Putin’s rational approach and misjudgment of US and European rationality
22:19 - Lavrov’s view on European conflict timeline
25:12 - Recent escalation of conflict in Ukraine and Putin’s silence on diplomatic process
28:00 - Putin’s control over military operations

However the looming war with Iran was the big news of the week...

(30 min) Larry C. Johnson & Col. Larry Wilkerson: One Strike Away from Global Chaos, US-Iran War IMMINENT

Amb. Chas Freeman

(22 min) Countdown to War between The US and Iran - History Is Repeating Itself

The judge had a series of interviews on the coming disaster in SW Asia. (about 25 min each)
COL. Lawrence Wilkerson : The Conflict That Could Draw Everyone In

Pepe Escobar : The Strategy Behind the Iran–China Relationship

Prof. Jeffrey Sachs : Is Washington Ignoring Iran’s Peace Offers?

COL. Douglas Macgregor : A U.S. - Iran War Could Spiral Out of Control

There's several issues that point to an inevitable war with Iran. One is all the war assets there or on their way (12 min). Another is on the way to the Olympics, J.D. Vance stopped by for a visit in Azerbaijan and Armenia. We have large CIA/military bases in both countries which border both Iran and Russia. Look for dirty tricks coming from these countries. Yet another was Bibi's visit to DC (a week early) to pressure Trump to attack.

As usual, there so much more news to cover. The Epstein files and hearing, the collapse of the UK and much of the EU, update on Venezuela, and many other stories.

The idea of money has always puzzled me. A green piece of paper with no intrinsic value being such a goal for most people. Gold and silver are only slightly more understandable. They must be mined and refined before being minted (as shown earlier). When I taught Earth Science I did an activity I called mining for chocolate. Each student was given a chocolate chip cookie and a toothpick. Using the toothpick they were assigned the task of extracting as many of the chocolate chips as possible with out destroying the cookie. About half the students ended up destroying the integrity of their cookie in their desire to maximize their extraction, and sadly I think that is way the cookie crumbles. Human greed is insatiable I'm afraid. Have you seen "The Treasure of Sierra Madre"?

Well folks, the thread is open and the rest is up to you. I hope you found a nugget or two in the column this week!