Coins DIG

It's becoming increasingly clear that women should learn, as part of an overall risk-assessment for breast cancer, whether they have dense breast tissue. Not only is it harder to detect a tumor in dense breast tissue, studies show that the risk of breast cancer is increased up to six times in women with the highest breast density scores compared with women with the lowest breast density scores.

Now a study suggests breast density may play a role in determining the best treatment strategy for women diagnosed with breast cancer. Researchers at the Women's College Research Institute in Toronto evaluated the medical records of 335 women who had undergone a lumpectomy for breast cancer. The researchers assessed the breast density of the women, as seen on their mammograms, and monitored them for a recurrence of cancer.

Automobile parts maker Lear Corp (LEA_w.N) said on Monday that it had emerged from bankruptcy protection with less than $1 billion in debt.

The maker of seats, door panels and electrical distribution systems for cars also said its new common shares would trade on the New York Stock exchange under the symbol "LEA."

Lear filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on July 7 and has worked to restructure debt and operations.

KKR & Co. and General Atlantic LLC agreed to pay $1.65 billion for a government-consulting unit that Northrop Grumman Corp. is selling to comply with new conflict-of-interest regulations.

The sale will generate about $1.1 billion in cash after taxes, which Northrop will use to repurchase shares, the Los Angeles-based company said yesterday in a statement.

The transaction represents a return of buyout firms to the acquisitions market after a two-year dearth of purchases during the credit crisis. The purchase gives the buyers an opportunity to benefit from U.S. defense spending, which will reach $680 billion in budget year 2010.

“As a fully independent entity, TASC will expand its ability to solve the U.S. government’s most pressing technical challenges,” Wood Parker, who is set to be the new company’s chief executive officer, said in a statement.

The polling and political communities are still taking down the bunting and sweeping up the confetti from Election Night 2009, but that doesn't mean that there aren't at least a few items worth perusing as we look ahead to what occurs a short 360 (!) days away:

MD-Gov/MD-Sen: Clarus Takes Focus From VA--Looks At Maryland

White House officials defended their handling of the H1N1 outbreak after an uproar over local officials' mistakes and what appeared to be their own misleading comments.

"The president has done everything humanly possible to get ready for this epidemic," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Thursday.

With the gold price setting all-time highs this week, investors are seeking ways to increase their leverage to the price of gold. There are many different ways to obtain exposure to the gold price as a plethora of investment products have been created in recent years making it easier for retail investors to invest in gold and other commodities. Even large institutional investors have taken positions in some of the newly-created gold-related investments. John Paulson of Paulson and Co. has purchased 31 million shares of the SPDR Gold Trust ETF (GLD), while David Einhorn of Greenlight Capital has purchased physical gold bullion for his fund as well as 3.2 million shares of the Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX).

Gold bullion and coins - It is difficult to miss commercials on television and radio that hawk gold coins as an investment vehicle. One ounce gold coins, for example American Eagles or South African Kruggerands, offer an easily portable and identifiable gold vehicle.

A very special exhibition opens next week in Jerusalem, revealing to the public for the first time all of the ancient coins uncovered in excavations at the foot of the Temple Mount.

The exhibit was organized by the Israel Antiquities Authority and the East Jerusalem Development Company with funding from the William Davidson and Estanne Fawer Foundation. It is intended to be the first of several exhibitions to be presented at the Davidson Center in the Jerusalem Archaeological Garden.

Coins magazine features regular book reviews, so readers should be well aware of current numismatic volumes. But I readers might be interested in some of the “new” works from the paper side of our hobby as they prepare “wish lists.”

The biggest news in the syngraphics book field of late is the announcement that the publisher of this periodical is re-releasing Jim Haxby’s monumental 1988 four-volume opus United States Obsolete Bank Notes, 1782-1866 in CD format. Long out of print (my wife bought my set for me as a Christmas present in 1988), sets have been retailing for $800 more-or-less when available. Prominent currency dealers had “open” buy ads for sets.

Although state obsolete bank note books exist for a number of states either privately or under the auspices of the Society of Paper Money Collectors Wismer Project, Dr. Haxby’s accomplishment in cataloging the breadth of obsolete bank notes in an informed and illustrated way was unprecedented.

So far, that isn't enough to prevent long lines at vaccination centers, but it is consistent with what officials had projected earlier this week.

"We're having a steady increase in the availability of vaccine, but not nearly as rapidly as we would have liked," Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters during an afternoon teleconference. "That is encouraging, but it is not nearly as much as we would like. We realize it is frustrating and inconvenient [to patients and to physicians]. As public health professionals, it is frustrating because, in part, many people who seek the vaccine will not get vaccinated later. They might not come back. We ask people to continue to be persistent."