The actor who voiced Mickey Mouse for more than 30 years has died, with his wife - who is the voice of Minnie Mouse - by his bedside.
Wayne Allwine, 62, died on Monday of complications from diabetes, the Walt Disney Company said.
"Wayne dedicated his entire professional life to Disney," the Disney chief executive Robert Iger said. "Over the last 32 years, he gave so much joy, happiness and comfort to so many around the world by giving voice to our most beloved, iconic character, Mickey Mouse."
Born in Glendale, California, Allwine joined Disney in 1966 when he took a job in the mail room. He went on to work in the sound effects department and began voicing the company’s main mouse in 1977 after using his natural falsetto to win an open audition.
He was only the third man behind Mickey's voice. The first was Walt Disney himself, who spoke 
for the mouse from 1928 to 1947, before passing the role to Jimmy MacDonald, the studio's sound effects wizard. MacDonald had already been Allwine's mentor in the studio and told him after passing on the reins: "Just remember kid, you're only filling in for the boss."
"Mickey's the real star," Allwine said later. "You know you just have to love the little guy while you have him, because he won’t be yours forever."
Allwine's first voice work as Mickey was for television but also provided the mouse's voice for movies including "Mickey's Christmas Carol" (1983), "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", (1988), and "The Prince and the Pauper" (1990) and for Disney theme parks, radio and live stage events.
Allwine is survived by his wife, Russi Taylor, whom he married in Hawaii in 1981, and is one of Hollywood's most famous voice actresses. She has been the voice of Minnie since 1986.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Mickey Mouse's voice is dead :(
How to Sell your Gold & Avoid Ripoffs!
High prices for both gold and silver, as well as the lingering recession, have prompted many owners to consider selling their "unwanted" precious metal jewelry, coins, etc. The current market for second hand gold and silver is a sea filled with sharks, eager to ripoff unsuspecting sellers.I'd like to cover the various methods for selling your gold and silver while listing the pluses and minuses of each sales channel. You'll find that generally the more you're willing to become involved in the selling process, the higher the end sales total tends to be.
- Mail-in Companies - These are the WORST THIEVES of the bunch! Yes, firms like Cash4Gold will send you a free kit and mailing envelope to dump your gold or silver into while you sit back and wait for your check. However, don't be surprised when you receive an offer for only 10-15% of the true value of your precious metals! Payment is by check. However, if your envelope gets "lost" you're out-of-luck.
- Roadshows - This animal is the next step up on the Bottom-Feeder scale. A variety of companies sponsor shows in conference centers and second-rate hotels. These events are heavily advertised to lure unsuspecting sheep with treasure in hand for shearing. The employees manning these booths are usually inexperienced new hires who heavily consult books and computers to make you an offer. Offers usually don't exceed 30% of the actual item value, and payment is by check. In some cases the checks given to sellers have bounced after the Roadshow was long gone to the next sucker convention.
- Pawn Shops - Pawn shops typically have a bad reputation, although shows like Pawn Stars have helped the industry. Payments can vary dramatically from Pawn to Pawn, but you'll usually get anywhere from 50-80% of the melt value of your items. In addition, they usually pay in cash!
- Ebay & Other Online Sites - This is my favorite way to sell my gold and silver coins. If you have average computer skills and a little time, you can post your own auctions on eBay. I find that I generally get from 90-105% of the melt value for my auctions. Auctions of no name jewelry, however, will probably net you less. The best part of this sales channel is the large exposure you get to sellers actively competing for your item. The major downside is the roughly 10-12% of the value of the sale in fees you'll be paying to eBay for the use of their site. Payment is usually by PayPal.
Time is running out fast! Hyperinflation seems unavoidable as fiat paper money is being printed as fast as the US presses can run. To protect your wealth and your family, buy gold and silver now from these top companies, APMEX Gold and Silver
Rick
China Wants US Gold!
China's growing demand for gold is becoming insatiable. Already the world's largest producer of the golden metal, China has announced it imported 209 metric tons for the first ten months of 2010, compared to 45 tons for all of 2009.Recently top Chinese economic officials have suggested that the US should send China some of its 8000 ton reserve of gold in exchange for the billions of US fiat dollars we've stuffed in their pockets over the years. So far, US government officials aren't biting. It seems that the implicit understanding, at least in the US, is that we'll buy shoddy and counterfeit Chinese goods as long as they'll continue to accept our green funny money!
Time is running out fast! Hyperinflation seems unavoidable as fiat paper money is being printed as fast as the US presses can run. To protect your wealth and your family, buy gold and silver now from these top companies, APMEX Gold and Silver
Rick
Fake High Tech Gold in Hong Kong!
At least 200 ounces of fake gold have been sold to Hong Kong jewelers and pawnshops, the Financial Times reported, citing a group of goldsmiths in the city.
Haywood Cheung, president of the Chinese Gold & Silver Exchange Society said 10 times that amount may have infiltrated the retail gold market, the Financial Times reported. At current prices, 200 ounces of gold would be worth about $280,000.
Paul Law, financial controller of Luk Fook Holdings International Ltd., said today by telephone the company purchased fake gold in August and suffered a loss of HK$40,000 ($5,148).
Counterfeiters used a pure gold coating that masked a complex alloy with similar properties to real gold that was discovered by industry executives, the Financial Times reported. Bullion surged 27 percent this year and is set for a 10th annual gain as the dollar dropped and investors sought a store of value.
Buyers of gold and silver should avoid purchasing any gold or silver bullion product from counterfeit-happy China and Hong Kong. If purchasing from an online site like eBay, be sure the seller is NOT shipping from China or Hong Kong.
Time is running out fast! Hyperinflation seems unavoidable as fiat paper money is being printed as fast as the US presses can run. To protect your wealth and your family, buy gold and silver now from these top companies, APMEX Gold and Silver
Rick
Hyperinflation is coming!
(The following is a reprint of an article published by Gonzalo Lira on October 28, 2010).
The following are the proximate signs of future hyperinflation in the USA and the world:
• Rising commodity prices, the effects of which (because of hedging) will be felt most severely in the period January–March of 2011.
• A beggar-thy-neighbor race-to-the-bottom Currency War, that might well devolve into a Trade War, which would force up prices on imported goods.
• Never-ending Quantitative Easing by the FED, which is defaulting on its sacred duty to safeguard the U.S. dollar.
• A U.S. economy that is weak to the point of collapse, where not even 0.25% interest rates are sparking investment and growth—and which therefore prohibits the Fed from raising interest rates, if need be.
• A U.S. fiscal deficit which is close to 10% of GDP annually, and which is therefore unsustainable—especially considering that the total U.S. fiscal debt is well over 100% of GDP.These factors all point to one and the same thing:
An imminent currency collapse.
Therefore, I am confident in predicting the following sequence of events:
• By March of 2011, once higher commodity prices reach the marketplace, monthly CPI will be at an annualized rate of not less than 5%.
• By July of 2011, annualized CPI will be no less than 8% annualized.
• By October of 2011, annualized CPI will have crossed 10%.
• By March of 2012, annualized CPI will cross the hyperinflationary tipping point of 15%.
What the mainstream commentariat will make of all this will be really something: When CPI reaches 5% by the winter of 2011, pundits and economists and the Fed and the Obama administration will all say the same thing: “Happy days are here again! People are spending! The economy is back on track!”
However, by the late spring, early summer of 2011, people will realize what’s going on—and the Federal Reserve will initially be unwilling to drastically raise interest rates so as to quell inflation.
It’s just one of those cosmic jokes that 2012 will turn out to be the year the dollar collapses (see Mayan 2012 prophecies), and the larger world economies go down the tubes.
As cosmic jokes go, all I’ve got to say is this:
Good one, God.
Time is running out fast! Hyperinflation seems unavoidable as fiat paper money is being printed as fast as the US presses can run. To protect your wealth and your family, buy gold and silver now from these top companies, APMEX Gold and Silver
and Silver American Eagles.Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Silver Will Hit $50 in 6 Months!
The rumor on the street is that both banks will be forced to cover their silver shorts, and in doing so drive up the price of the metal astonishingly. Some traders are targeting the $40-$50 level within 6 months! Adding much intrigue to this rumor is the fact that silver began its most recent breakout the exact same day as JP Morgan announced they would be shutting down their proprietary commodity trading business.
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Rumor has it that JP Morgan is just looking to cut their losses in silver and cover their shorts. This could be a possible reason why silver has skyrocketed in the last 2 months. Of course, JP Morgan’s involvement in the silver surge is little more than unsubstantiated rumor, but the basic premise still holds true.
Regardless of who actually holds these silver short positions, they will be forced to cover at some point. When that happens, an even larger short squeeze than the one we are currently witnessing may occur, driving silver even higher. I continue to be long silver futures and call options, and will add on all pullbacks.
Time is running out fast! Hyperinflation seems unavoidable as fiat paper money is being printed as fast as the US presses can run. To protect your wealth and your family, buy gold and silver now from these top companies, APMEX Gold and Silver
Rick
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Why is Gold Valuable?
Have you ever wondered why gold has been valued by mankind for over 5000 years? Was civilization always destined to be dazzled by the allure of the shiny gold metal? Well, two guys from NPR, Jacob Goldstein and David Kestenbaum, got a hold of a Table of Elements and started to do some homework. Here's what they found:There are 180 or so elements eligible for review on the earth. Unfortunately, most of them are gasses, they explode, they’re radioactive, or they’re too common or too rare. Eliminating elements that fall into those categories "leaves us with just five elements: rhodium, palladium, silver, platinum and gold"--precious metals, Goldstein and Kestenbaum write. But silver tarnishes, rhodium and palladium were discovered only in the 1800s, and platinum melts at 3,000 degrees--way too hot for pre-industrial man. The reporters asked their expert, chemical engineer Sanat Kumar: "If we could run the clock back and start history again, could things go a different way, or would gold emerge again as the element of choice?" Kumar explained, "For the earth, with every parameter we have, gold is the sweet spot... It would come out no other way."
Today Gold is still a good choice in these uncertain economic and political times. Two highly rated companies that sell a variety of gold coins are APMEX Gold and Silver
and Silver American Eagles.Fight hyperinflation before it visits your local grocery store today!
Rick