Someone is massively profiting from these swings. Whether it's MtGox's flaky servers or DDOS or whatever. This isn't the behaviour of a grown-up currency.
Probably scumbags like S3052 - that shit should be illegal.
I don't know what it is we are talking about, but I can guarantee that making it illegal won't prevent it from happening.
Psht, what are you talking about!?! Nobody anywhere smokes marijuana since it became illegal!