Jeremy Watson's world view: There's gold in them thar vending machines

Published on Saturday 20 June 2009 19:42

IT'S a novel twist on the vending machine. In go the coins, out comes a nugget of gold.

TG-Gold-Super-Markt, a company based in Reutlingen, south-western Germany, is developing a machine to dispense pieces of gold as small as one gram in ornamental boxes for about 25.

CEO Thomas Geissler came up with the idea of gold dispensers just before Lehman Brothers collapsed in September and was further convinced by a heightened interest in the precious metal as a hedge against inflation as the financial crisis rippled around the globe. "People do not believe that the worldwide financial changes will have a good end," Geissler said. "So I say give the people what they like to buy."

The largest lump dispensed will be ten grams, a size "only suitable for gifts". Wherever the machines are placed, said Geissler, they will communicate with head-quarters in Reutlingen via internal computers to update the value of gold every two minutes and maintain the lowest possible price.

AFGHANISTAN

Beauty can be found in even the bleakest places. The US ambassador to Afghanistan pedalled a green swan-shaped boat across the deep blue waters of the Band-e-Amir lakes last week during a dedication of the country's first national park. Band-e-Amir is a cascading collection of six high-mountain lakes in the country's peaceful central highlands.

Ambassador Karl Eikenberry, a former three-star Army general, told several hundred Afghans gathered for a ceremony that Band-e-Amir reminded him of one of America's most famous national parks – the Grand Canyon.

While walking around one of the lakes, he jumped in a swan-shaped pedal boat and beamed a bright smile as he cruised the waters with Afghan officials.

"Seeing these crystal blue waters, set among the red cliffs and the travertine dams, shows the beauty in this land and the hope for the future," Eikenberry said in his dedication speech.

JAPAN

The male backlash has arrived. Many women taking the crowded train in Tokyo opt for female-only carriages during the rush hour to avoid gropers.

Now, for fear of being accused of groping, some are asking for carriages reserved for men as well.