Author Archives: ajebe

Bankia runs into problems

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Bankia!The Spanish bank Bankia has gotten into some problems. Just one week ago the bank has been taken over by the state and it has become public that since then more then a billion euros has been transferred by clients of Bankia to somewhere else.

I used to have a Bankia account (it used to be called Caja de Canarias), but I closed the account due to an extremely unfriendly attitude towards their clients. Now the rest of Spain is also closing their accounts. Probably not because of their attitude towards their clients but more likely because of the huge amount of properties that the bank owns. Properties that are almost impossible to sell and that keep dropping in value.

According to the bank there is (of course) no reason to worry. These are seasonal fluctuations in the amount of capital they have. Sure, what else are they going to say. Where is all the money going? Other banks, other European banks outside of Spain, or even farther away to different currencies or even valuables like gold? I just don’t know so I’ll just keep observing the situation from a safe distance. First see what happens and then I’ll figure out what to do.

Away with the heating

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Heating tube Ibiza!It is a very strange sensation. Our car breaks down every couple of months. I always take the car to the same mechanic, because I believe I’ll be less likely to be cheated being a loyal customer. As a foreigner I run an even bigger risk of receiving highly inflated bills.

Sometimes I receive very little benefit from my loyalty to our mechanic, who sometimes likes to be creative calculating the hours he spends on our car but ever since I returned his screwdriver to him I notice a difference. Our most recent problem was a warm liquid that was dripping on the passengers feet. A liquid with a very obnoxious smell.

We quickly realized something was wrong about a wet car and pulled over. After a quick checkup I found out it was the cooling liquid, Quickly I added almost 3 liters of water to the cooling reserve and we continued our drive home.

According to the mechanic the problem was with the heating. The cheap solution was the disable the entire heating system. Result: 30 euro. A very nice price.

Our car turning into a sad story all the time. The alarm was dismantled, he heating does not work anymore, the paint job was destroyed because I cleaned the car with a very tough sponge and at some spots rust is appearing. How much longer will she survive?

Don’t underestimate the baby

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Alex and Chisca!In this picture we see little Alex quietly observing a nearby animal. A little later Alex decided to connect with the cat in a strange manner. He pulled her little leg quite hard. The cat decided it would be better to avoid little babies for a while and did not show himself the rest of the evening.

Selling colored coins

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oranjegeluksdubbeltjeColored coins are appearing in quick succession, and it seems the Royal Dutch Mint has found a need goose with golden eggs. His time they are selling 10 eurocent coins for 5 euros. Very easy money. The coins are sold as lucky dimes and have the number 10 on the front of the coin painted in orange. The entire set comes packages in a piece of cardboard, ready to be collected. Of course the person collecting this coin will be expected to pay 5000% more than the face value of the coin.

How long will it take this time for a cheaper alternative to arise to the colored coins. It is perfectly legal and with a potential markup of 5000% it seems to be very much worthwhile. It can even get better, you can paint your own coin! Just imagine, a little bit of creativity and a little bit of paint and all of a sudden a 10 cent coins is worth a lot more. Using the KNM markup you could even sell a home painted 2 euro coin for 100 euros.

Needed:

  • Colored Enamel Paint
  • Metallic Enamel Paint
  • Tiny Soft-Bristle Paintbrush

Instructions for painting or coloring an existing coin
1 – Quickly wash existing coin in warm water and mild soap. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush to gently scrub dirt from crevices of the coin’s surface. Pat coin dry with a soft cloth.
2 – Mix enamel paints to a smooth consistency by adding small drops of warm water. If using different colored paints, determine what the finished painted coin will look like. Practice with the paints by drawing a coin on a piece of paper.
3 – Lay the coin backside down on some paper. Carefully paint over the areas of the coin’s face. Let the front side of the coin dry naturally for 3-4 hours before turning it over to paint the backside. If using metallic paints such gold or silver, paint several layers of paint onto the coins. Let one paint layer dry before painting on the next layer.

The Wise Man’s Fear

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The Wise Mans FearIn the beginning of this year I read the first part of the Kingkiller trilogy, The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. The first part was a pretty thick book counting 662 pages and the second book even contained 994 pages. Still I read this book almost without pause.

The main character is telling us about his life for which he needs three days. Book one contains the first day in which he is telling us about his life. The second book contains the second day. Again it is a very engaging story that is absolutely worthwhile. The hero of the book starts as a poor student who slowly develops into a very powerful character with a heavy purse.

Part three promises to be a very interesting book, because it will contain the last day where we will read the rest of the heroes life. The book is already written, but sadly we will have to wait. The book is expected to be published in may next year. Quite a wait…

First Mothers day in Spain

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Alex - First mothers-day!Today it is mothers-day in Spain and Alex only needed a little help from his father to make a very creative present for his mother.

Ana was ecstatic about such a fantastic present.

Cheese in oil

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Cheese in olive oil!Recently I went on and treated myself to something new. I purchased a jar containing pieces of cheese in oil. The cheese has a delicious strong taste like somehow the oil had enhanced the taste. A jar of cheese in oil was quite expensive and I don’t understand why. It´s very easy to prepare yourself.

Take a large glass jar. Fill the jar for about three-quarters with squares (of about 2 cm) of a mature tasty cheese. Add a layer of good olive oil so that all the cheese ends up covered in oil. Now leave the cheese in the oil for at least two months, but preferably bit longer. To add even more flavor I’ll experiment a little and add a little pepper. Maybe the cheese will turn extra spicy.

It is a really long wait but in the end you will finally be able to eat the delicious cheese accompanied by a nice glass of wine. Enjoy!

Clarified: Colored coin issues

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Tulip Five Euro in color!Regarding the Silver colored Tulip set both the packaging and the coins themselves imitated. We suspect the coins are original coins in circulation quality, where a color has been applied. The coins in the official colored Tulip set are silver coins, minted in a proof quality. If is not prohibited to apply color to a coin.

The Royal Dutch Mint is only issuing a warning that there is a set circulating that resembles the official colored Tulip set, but which differs in the area of material, quality and color and which is not authorized by the Royal Dutch Mint. This way we hope to avoid disappointment when customers assume to order an official colored Tulip set and instead receive and imitation.

This is the reaction of the Dutch Mint to my inquiries about the imitation colored Tulip coins that seem to be circulating. It seems there is nothing illegal about the coins itself. It’s just a warning for buyers to take into account a set might not be the official one.

The status of colored coins for collectors remains an unclear area. There are official releases and there are imitations, but the imitations are completely legal. Coloring the coin yourself is one of the possibilities. As such a colored coins really does not add to the collection. It is nice to see but it will always be an action applied to the coin after it has been minted. Adding color is an action which can be executed at any time, even a year later, which implies that the addition of color really is unrelated to the original minted coin.

Fake

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Tulip Five Euro in color!A while ago I was surprised by the Dutch Royal Mint (KNM). They had issued a set of colored tulip five euro coins in a very limited number. Only 750 sets and the set was sold out within hours.

What had recently happened… there exists a fake colored tulip euro set!

We are informed/warned about the imitation of the website of the Dutch mint! Here is the translated text:

Imitation Five Euro Tulip coin in color
26 april 2012

The Royal Dutch Mint received reports about an imitation release of the Silver Tulip Color set.

The reports are about an unofficial release of the Tulip Five euro, probably in circulation quality, in the colors Red, White, Blue and Orange. The set resembles the official set release d by the Royal Dutch Mint.

This release does not originate from the Royal Dutch Mint. The official Silver Tulip Color set is sold out at the Royal Dutch Mint.

The official Silver Tulip Color set can be recognized by the following features:
• The coins are packaged in the official luxury wooden cassette
• The use of the logo of the Royal Dutch Mint in the color gold on the packaging
• Certificate of Authenticity with coin specifications, background information about the coin and the contact details of the Royal Dutch Mint

The weird thing here, which really leaves me speechless, is that the imitation set can only be recognized by the packaging. It seems to be a perfect imitation. Also, it seems that the imitation is not a counterfeit coin because their used an official (non colored) coin and applied only a little coloring.

The price of a colored coin sold by the Royal Dutch Mint was 50 euros. The version without color was sold for 10 euros. If the coloring of a coin is relatively straightforward it seems to be profitable to color the coins yourself.

The question that remains is what is the status of these colored coins. Can anyone apply color to his or her coins? Is the imitation that is being sold somehow illegal and are steps being taken to stop the sale of this fake set? If the coins are real, and it is legal to add coloring then what is this warning for?