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Nadita File – 05/23/2014 Good evening everyone, thanks for watching Nadita File where the spin starts here Ukraine Crisis: Umbertino reported at least 20 dead as Ukraine forces clash with 500 pro-Russia rebels in eastern Ukraine. Intimidation threatens Sunday’s presidential elections. US Dept stated small number of election commissions in eastern Ukraine having difficulty as poll workers kidnapped, threatened and documents stolen. Pouting Putin says election in Ukraine is not really legitimate, ousted leader is still the president, added he will treat the choice of the Ukrainian people with respect. Ukraine is in full civil war, intervention in Crimea helped avoid tragedy. He further stated Ukraine is to blame for natural gas dispute in the amount of $3.5B. Other News: A-j516 heard 25% of Americans saving $0 for retirement because they can’t afford to. What is the worst road rage? Texting on the road and tailgating. Viciousdoggie is happy US wins WTO trade dispute with China over duties on US auto imports. WTO agreed China’s anti-dumping duties of up to 21.5% from 2011-2013 didn’t follow proper process. Calkid11 reported Visa and MasterCard reach deal with Russia to stay, despite Moscow-imposed sanctions. Gazprom boss says Europe will become more dependent on Russian gas, citing new $400B deal with China is Asian demand for Middle East supplies. China starts 1 year crackdown on violent terrorist activities in Western Xinjiang region. They blame Muslim separatists for deadly bomb attack, 31 were killed. Eburt shakes his head as he hears Thai coup leader detains ousted PM, troops dispersed small protests. He says reforms needed before new elections, also asks for civil servants’ help. Rebel mortar attack at Assad election event killing 39 and wounding 205 people. The opposition posts 1st video to show Assad forces using chlorine gas. The bull climbed 63 points on the slippery slope. Dow turns positive for the month and Nasdaq sees best 2 weeks in 2.5 months. Alibaba IPO will be late summer . Speculators are wondering if Alibaba will boost Yahoo that is under value currently. Boosterbglee wonders what’s going on with all the recalls from GM, now Suzuki recalls 184K US cars made by GM, saying Forenza and Reno steering columns can catch fire. Toyota recalls 50K Highlander SUVs for airbag software glitch. NHTSA opens probe into 110K manual Chrysler Ram pick-ups, 2004-2006 saying 3 complaints, one death linked to vehicle starting when clutch wasn’t engaged. GE extends deadline for bid on Alstom’s power unit to June 23rd. Chess decides to invest in Google glass as it is developing tablet with 3-D imagery, prototype will be out next month. There is 70% chance Apple will buy Beats. Ladygrace’sdaddy wonders why Ebay has no plans at this point to compensate customers or free credit monitoring. Ebay Exec Devin Wenig says they are still working out cost to company from breach. HP’s Whitman seeing some pockets of growth, stemming decline in legacy units. They are focusing on next gen-servers, cloud storage, future 3-D printers for business. She is hoping toner business will pick up in a few years, adding they will be pouring money in R&D. She added any acquisitions they make are likely to be small or medium. From Dinar land: Vietnam1969 and stealthwarrior have their hands full as suicide bomber exploded in central Baghdad and checkpoint in norther Baghdad. Sandfly still fires Tbomb from the air on the alien’s camps and killing more worker bees and securing the border. EagleEye heard IHEC has announced the election results for Kurdistan region. SOL believes they soon will form a majority government and doesn’t expect any delay despite other parties and coalitions resistance to Maliki being granted 3rd term. From housing to crude oil, Lawrenceofdinaria has his way to get with KRG exporting crude oil through the Turkish port of Ceyhan, the first million barrels are being loaded into a tanker in the port. Hopefully this move will reach an agreement between KRG and GOI. However, this move represents a challenge to Maliki’s government. Ministry of Oil says Iraq will be self sufficient in natural gas by 2018, in the meantime they need to import natural gas from Iran. Saint heard Ministry of P&D stated that comprehensive report on poverty issue in Iraq will be completed by September. He added the delay in 2014 budget complicates the matter further. Maliki gave a speech in front of politicians stating that Iraq is growing leaps and bounds despite combating the aliens. He added the industrialization of the nation is what drive the economy engine. He further says the whole world is invited to participate and invest in one of the fastest growing economies in the world. From Rumor land: BGG doesn’t think dinar has to be internationally recognized for ISX to go live. MarkZ thinks we are very close to the end. TerryK says nothing is able to stop it now. Millionday believes nothing to do with who the PM will be, it’s all about economy and monetary policy to be activated in the very near future. Poppy3 thinks IMF and CBI only want to know who the next PM is. They want to finish this by 25th. Mt. Goat hears they are aggressively moving toward the June 14th timeframe in this manner. The spin stops here send your comments to #naditafile, Dinar Thug is next, good night everyone Have a safe and blessed Memorial Weekend J

Memorial Day Weekend Meteor Shower Could Dazzle With 200 Meteors Per Hour On May 23rd, 2014 SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) — NASA announced the discovery of what could become a first ever meteor shower, the May Camelopardalids, delighting skywatchers with 200 meteors per hour for Memorial Day Weekend 2014, and potentially rivaling the Perseid meteor shower in August. The expected meteor shower comes from the dust from comet 209P/LINEAR, but NASA is quick to admit it could also be a big disappointment. No one has ever seen it, so they just don’t know what it will do when Earth passes through. NASA LIVE METEOR SHOWER COVERAGE FRIDAY NIGHT: Never-before-seen Meteor Shower On May 23rd, 2014 Bill Cooke from NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office said, “We have no idea what the comet was doing in the 1800s. The parent comet doesn’t appear to be very active now, so there could be a great show, or there could be little activity.” WHEN IS THE METEOR SHOWER? Peak viewing could be from 7:30 p.m. Friday to 4 a.m. Saturday, with the best potential from 11 p.m.-1 a.m. WHAT DO YOU NEED TO SPOT THE SHOWER? Just your naked eye! Find a dark spot and look up! Comet 209P/LINEAR was discovered ten years ago by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research project that scans the skies for nearby objects. The comet is dim, and only dips into Earth’s orbit every five years. NASA Ames Research Center in the Bay Area played a role in predicting this week’s encounter. Meteor experts Esko Lyytinen of Finland and Peter Jenniskens at Ames announced two years ago that Earth would go through the comet’s debris. The dust had been ejected by the comet clear back in the 1800s, but wouldn’t cross the orbit until this week. Watch for the giraffe, they say. “We expect these meteors to radiate from a point in Camelopardalis, also known as ‘the giraffe,’ a faint constellation near the North Star,” Cooke said. As an astronomer, the event Friday is more than a little exciting. “It’s a great opportunity to see a new meteor shower — an opportunity I want to see with my own eyes.” I know I'll be making a wish or two! ;)

1. Debra Winger was the voice of E.T. 2. Pearls melt in vinegar 3. It takes 3,000 cows to supply the NFL with enough leather for a year's supply of footballs. 4. Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married. 5. The 3 most valuable brand names on earth: MARLBORO, COCA-COLA, and BUDWEISER, in that order 6. It's possible to lead a cow upstairs. . .but not downstairs. 7. Humans are the only primates that don't have pigment in the palms of their hands. 8. Ten percent of the Russian government's income comes from the sale of vodka. 9. The sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. uses every letter in the alphabet. ( Developed by Western Union to Test telex/two communications) 10. The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is uncopyrightable. 11. Stewardesses' is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand. 12. No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, and purple. 13. "I am" is the shortest complete sentence in the English language. 14. Average life span of a major league baseball: 7 pitches. 15. A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why 16. The reason firehouses have circular stairways is from the days of yore when the engines were pulled by horses. The horses were stabled on the ground floor and figured out how to walk up straight staircases. 17. The airplane Buddy Holly died in was the "American Pie." ( thus the name of the Don McLean song) 18. Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history. Spades - King David Clubs - Alexander the Great Hearts - Charlemagne Diamonds - Julius Caesar 19. 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321 20. Clans of long ago that wanted to get rid of their unwanted people without killing them used to burn their houses down -- hence the expression "To get fired." It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer, and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the "honey month" or what we know today as the "honeymoon." * In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them to mind their own pints and quarts and settle down. It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's."

For the love of God,please quit posting this crap.

He Had Attended Umbertino's Financial Seminar 'This Is Our Decade - Or Maybe The Next One' !

Nadita, Thank you, and everyone have a safe and blessed Memorial Day Weekend

Go Kurds.!!!

A shipment of oil to either Italy or Germany perhaps both . 4 shipments to Isreal. 1 shipment to the United States ! In the past the US responded negatively to the Kurds when it came to them shipping oil without baghdads permission . Now we are one of the country's receiving their oil and without there permission! I see a message to Baghdad . It's time to ship oil ! And we don't care what court you go crying too . Your holding up progress !

To All Veterans I would like to say "THANK YOU" for serving the country and keeping us all safe and able to sleep because we know you are watching over us. We might not show our gratitude to you openly or we just pass by you without noticing you.. just know at this special weekend, we remember the sacrifice you do for the country and for us all. God bless all of you and May He give you peace and cover you with His grace and make His face to shine upon you

Lost me at " Let me give you some truth".

ok...where's the meat???? lol Thanks Ron...have a fantabulous weekend my friend

I did RV...but it is held up with a backscreen glitch

Quote .everything looks good End Quote Infamous S.G.S. (ShotGunSusie from Alaska,for those old enough to remember ...probably the first ever Dinar RV superpumper/hyper/BS'er/ credibility crusher) used to repeat that ( along with the fxxxing mantra "it's done!" and had the guts of getting real upset when others disagreed) every single day way back in 2005 and on.

Lol - When U Click On Ur Link It References NWO - New World Order ! Holy Crap - It Might've Been Just Barely More Legit If Only It Had Referenced TMZ Instead !

Yo Crow - Step Away From The NWO Conspiracy Theory Birdseed ! FYI I Just Returned From A Business Trip To Turkey 2 Weeks Ago And Ur Muslim Brotherhood Statement Would Carry Just Slightly More Street Cred If Only U Had Attributed It To Okie !

Sorry must have missed his enthusiam in the profits he's accumulated with the "10 years and waiting" statement.........

Don't Worry - It's Ok To Drool Mofo's !

Wow 10 years in an investment that has made no profit........ that's wild man

State law formally vote on the nomination of al-Maliki's third term 12:03:23 / 05/2014 Khandan - Ali Naji voice of a coalition of state law unanimously, on Thursday, on the nomination of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki as the sole candidate for the coalition to head the federal government to come. wrote a member of a coalition of state law Qassim al-Araji, in his page on the social networking site (Facebook) that "the coalition of state law contract its expanded first in the presence of all its members and dedicated to the discussion of the prospects of the political process for the next phase and the mobility of the Coalition in efforts to form a majority government, "adding that" the meeting saw the vote Coalition members unanimously approved the nomination of al-Maliki as the sole candidate for the coalition to head the next government. " said al-Araji, that "the meeting saw also give thanks to the supreme authority and its role in supporting the electoral process and to support the success and commended the efforts of the Independent Electoral Commission and the security agencies and all the sons of the Iraqi people for their support the success of the elections. "

They negged Sandfly again...what the? Evened you back out.

That's an Excellent Program Note ! By taking shipments of oil from Turkey , pumped from Kurdistan. They are telling Baghdad it is time to do business. I believe they have already begun to receive other more forceful messages as well.

don't leave the banksters out of your history tour. at some point, some countries wake up and realize that the banksters are swooping in to take up all the resources from the people. for some reason they seem to remain in the shadows of peoples' recollection of history. i don't know why we american's act as blind as we do to these same criminals since they have conspired against us from the onset of the republic. they have had their hand in just about every war and even today did much to foreclose on many of our homes and our american dream. but nope, we continue to tell the story without ever including them when it is their actions that have shaped much of history. iran was a friend to the united states until the banksters got ousted and then, just like that, they became enemy number one. you decide for yourself what that means. heck, they did the same thing to YOU. before 1913 there was no tax on a man's God given right to exchange his labor for pursuit of prosperity. then came the banksters, subjugated the power of congress, and implemented the "graduated income tax" whereby your God given right to the pursuit of happiness would succumb to their tax structure. they went to war against america and won the power (against the constitution) to print the republic's currency and loan it to us at interest even though they never print the interest for us to repay the loan (eternal indebtedness). but we, unlike other more courageous peoples, just take it like docile little sheep. so we all really need to wake up to the real war that has waged on this planet.

Since I've never been right about a prediction in dinar, and I would love to keep that track record in this question. I will say Maliki.

Don't buy it bro..

Nadita thank you so much for remembering....it really means a lot and especially to those of us who served during the Viet Nam era...when it was "open season" on veterans... GOD BLESS YOU TOO !!!

Me too Maggie.....Just look up and develop Teslas designs and some modern developments of his work...We won't need oil and the detrimental effects on our enviroments.

Hey Puckster and Umbertino good day, Hope you don't mind me adding this performance as, I think, is one of the most impressive expression of guitar playing in the history of music and no matter how many times I see it or hear it it, it's like I herd it for the first time. http://youtu.be/xNHxTWOKvgM

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/world/411459/iraq-files-case-against-turkey-over-kurdish-oil-exports Iraq files case against Turkey over Kurdish oil exports Published: 23 May 2014 at 23.49 | WorldWriter: AFP Baghdad launched legal action against Ankara Friday after oil from Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region was exported to international markets without the cental government's consent, potentially worsening already-poor ties between the neighbours. The sudden decision to call for arbitration by Iraq, which came after shipments began on Thursday evening, is the latest move in a years-long row in which Baghdad has insisted it has the sole right to export Iracaught itqi crude. The dispute over the exports, which the US has said could further destabilise Iraq, also throws into doubt Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's bid for re-election after polls last month, with his campaign expected to hinge on whether or not he can secure Kurdish backing. The central government's oil ministry said in a statement that it has "filed a request for arbitration against the Republic of Turkey and its state-owned pipeline operator BOTAS... with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Paris." "By transporting and storing crude oil from Kurdistan, and by loading that crude oil onto a tanker in Ceyhan, all without the authorisation of the Iraqi Ministry of Oil, Turkey and BOTAS have breached their obligations under the Iraq-Turkey Pipeline Agreement," it said. The ministry said it was asking the ICC to order Turkey and BOTAS to "cease all unauthorised transport, storage and loading of crude oil," and added it was seeking financial damages of more than $250 million. Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yildiz told reporters earlier that shipments of oil pumped from the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq and stored in Turkey's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan began on Thursday night. Yildiz insisted that Iraq would "govern the future sales", but the exports still came in defiance of Baghdad, which insists it has the sole right to develop and export the country's prized natural resources, which account for nearly all government income. A Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that Ankara had not been informed of Iraq's decision to take legal action, while an ICC spokeswoman said she was not allowed to confirm any details of potential cases. Ties between Iraq and Turkey, which had been on the upswing as recently as 2010, have since dramatically worsened with the ICC case likely to damage fledgling efforts to improve them. The two countries differ in particular over the Syrian conflict as well as Turkey's dealings with Iraq's Kurdistan region. Diplomats say the two countries' leaders also have strained personal relations. - Chilled Ties - The latest dispute is also expected to further chill ties between Baghdad and Iraqi Kurdish authorities, just weeks after officials hailed an interim goodwill agreement under which Kurdistan would export 100,000 barrels of oil per day via central government-controlled pipelines. Kurdish authorities based in the northern city of Arbil said Friday that revenue from the sales would be deposited in Turkey's state-owned Halkbank, insisting they had acted transparently. The Kurdish region would "continue to exert its rights of export and sell oil" but remained committed to negotiate "in good faith" with Baghdad "to reach a comprehensive settlement" on the sharing of energy supplies. Baghdad and Arbil have long-standing disagreements over a litany of issues, including whether or not Kurdish officials can sign deals with foreign oil companies without the central government's consent. They are also at loggerheads over a swathe of disputed oil-rich territory. Washington warned that the oil export move could destabilise Iraq, with State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki telling reporters that the US does not "support exports without the appropriate approval of the federal Iraqi government, and certainly we do have concerns about the impact of those continuing." "Iraq is facing a difficult situation," she said. "We've been clear that it's important for all sides to take actions to help the country pull together and avoid actions that might further exacerbate divisions and tensions." There's gonna be some trouble

The clown has boots on the ground.

Cool! Thanks for the post. I will be looking up while drinking my cool aid!

THANKS

The heck with Baghdad and the govt of Iraq screw them all Now this shows that the government is working just fine And no one is obligated to listen to them So if bagdad wants to rv the dinar and can pay its debts with the oil revenues Well that depends on what the Kurds decide Iraq is going to do Ah ha ha ha ha ha This better be approved if it did happen or someone will be charged with theft according to the federal govt statement They were warned And hey if they try to stop the arrest I guess the military will be called in And if the Kurds try to stop that Well that pipeline will most likely be the first thing they blow up Then they will be cut off all funding till the civil war is won by someone And to think Washington stands with Baghdad That doesn't leave the Kurds in good hands Well some people have to learn the hard way Ya just got to remember This is Iraq The soveriegn nation the United States set up Baghdad is the central govt that the world deals with The USA will not be siding with the Kurds or the Sunnis or the shittes They stand with Baghdad They have stated they stand with Baghdad And personally I don't think the Kurds stand one but of chance of forming their own country here

If they had liberal democrats, they would complain that dipping your finger in ink, is taking away your right to vote.

"Team Kurd", love it! If they can get Maliki's goat we can call them the "Cheese Kurds".

Thanks Butifl!

Excellent Post Easyrider,,, this is why I have hope for our future,,, it's you smat kids that will turn it all around. John Perkins: Economic Hit Man Summary of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man Book summary: Confessions of an Economic Hit Man Author: John Perkins Buy This Book About John Perkins: Author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man John Perkins was for many years one of the world's top economists. He worked directly with the heads of the World Bank, IMF, and other global financial institutions. He quit this work in the 1980s because morally and ethically, he felt it was wrong to play such a key role in creating world empire at the expense of the less advantaged around the world. After being persuaded and even bribed not to write a book about his experiences, Perkins states, "When 9/11 struck, I had a change of heart." The book, Confessions of an Economic Hitman, spent many weeks on amazon.com's bestseller list and has been widely acclaimed. Below is a summary of this landmark book and ideas on how you can help to build a brighter future for us all. Note: For an excellent, engaging two-minute video summary of Perkins' story, click here. General Overview Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is John Perkins' fast-paced autobiography, which reveals his career as an economist for an international consulting firm. Perkins says he was actually an "Economic Hit Man." His job was to convince countries that are strategically important to the United States to accept enormous loans for infrastructure development and to make sure that the lucrative projects were contracted to U.S. corporations. Perkins takes the reader through his career and explains how he created economic projections for countries to accept billions of dollars in loans they surely couldn't afford. He shares his battle with his conscience over these actions and offers advice for how Americans can work to end these practices which have directly resulted in terrorist attacks and animosity towards the United States. What Is An Economic Hit Man? Perkins defines economic hit men as "highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars. They funnel money from the World Bank, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and other foreign ‘aid' organizations into the coffers of huge corporations and the pockets of a few wealthy families who control the planet's natural resources. Their tools include fraudulent financial reports, rigged elections, payoffs, extortion, sex, and murder. They play a game as old as empire, but one that has taken on new and terrifying dimensions during this time of globalization." In Perkins' case, he was hired as an economist for the international consulting firm of Chas. T. Main, Inc. (MAIN). He was told in confidential meetings with "special consultant" to the company Claudine Martin that he had two primary objectives: He was supposed to justify huge loans for countries. These loans would be for major engineering and construction projects, which were to be carried out by MAIN and other U.S. companies such as Bechtel, Halliburton, Stone & Webster and Brown & Root. He was supposed to help bankrupt the countries that received these loans after the U.S. companies involved had been paid. This would make sure that these countries would remain in debt to their creditors and would then be easy targets when the U.S. needed favors such as military bases, UN votes and access to natural resources like oil. Perkins' job was to produce economic growth projections that would make the case for a variety of major projects. If the U.S. decided to lend a country money, Perkins would compare the economic benefits of different projects such as power plants or telecommunications systems. He would then produce reports that showed the economic growth the country would experience due to these projects. These economic growth projections needed to be high enough to justify the loans. Otherwise, the loans would be denied. The gross national product (GNP) was always the most important factor in these economic projections. The project expected to increase the GNP the most would be chosen. In the cases where there was only one project under consideration, it needed to be shown that the project would greatly benefit the GNP. Luckily for the economic hit man, GNP figures can be quite deceptive. "For instance, the growth of GNP may result even when it profits only one person, such as an individual who owns a utility company, while the majority of the population is burdened with debt." All of these projects were meant to make huge profits for the contractors. The U.S. engineering and construction companies involved would be assured of great wealth. At the same time, a few wealthy families and influential leaders in the receiving countries would become very happy and very rich thanks to these loans. The leaders of these countries would also have bolstered political power because they were credited with bringing industrial parks, power plants and airports to their people. The problem is that these countries simply cannot handle the debt of these loans and their poorest citizens are deprived of health, education and other social services for several decades as these countries struggle economically to overcome their huge debts. Meanwhile, the huge American media conglomerates portray these projects as favors being provided by the United States. American citizens in general have no trouble believing these messages, and in fact are led to perceive that these actions are unselfish acts of international goodwill. Ultimately, due to the large debts, the U.S. is able to draw on these countries for political, economic and military favors whenever desired. And of course, the U.S. corporations involved with the expensive projects become extremely wealthy. The U.S. Government's Role Economic hit men [EHM] don't actually work for a United States government organization such as the Central Intelligence Agency. The risk with such a direct association is obvious. For example, if an EHM was working to put a country in debt to the U.S. with the main reason being for favorable military and political positions against the Soviet Union, the Soviet Union would be quite likely to take military action against the U.S. if that EHM were found to be working for the U.S. government. In the 1960s, America found a way to use economic hitmen without directly implicating Washington. It was during the 1960s that we saw the empowerment of international corporations and multinational organizations such as the World Bank. This allowed for governments, corporations and multinational organizations to form mutually beneficial relationships. United States intelligence agencies were able to use these relationships to their advantage. Government organizations such as the National Security Agency (NSA) were now able to screen for potential economic hitmen (as they did with Perkins) and then have them hired by international corporations such as MAIN. "These economic hitmen would never be paid by the government; instead, they would draw their salaries from the private sector. As a result, their dirty work, if exposed, would be chalked up to corporate greed rather than to government policy. In addition, the corporations that hired them, although paid by government agencies and their multinational banking counterparts (with taxpayer money), would be insulated from congressional oversight and public scrutiny, shielded by a growing body of legal initiatives, including trademark, international trade, and Freedom of Information laws." Perkins' Story of Being Recruited as an Economic Hit Man Perkins married a former college classmate in 1967. A good friend of her father's, referred to as "Uncle Frank", was a top-echelon executive at the NSA. Uncle Frank immediately took a liking to Perkins and informed him that a job with the NSA would make him eligible for draft deferment, meaning he could avoid fighting in the Vietnam War. After extensive interviews with the NSA, Perkins was offered a job, but declined it to instead join the Peace Corps. Surprisingly, Uncle Frank supported this decision, largely because it meant that Perkins would have the opportunity to go to Ecuador and live with the indigenous people of the Amazon region. It was with the Peace Corps in Ecuador when a vice president of Chas. T. Main, Inc. approached Perkins about working for MAIN. The man explained that he sometimes acted as an NSA liaison, which made this job opportunity a perfect fit for Perkins, who had intended on accepting the NSA job when his Peace Corps tour was over. Upon returning to the U.S., Perkins was hired as an economist for MAIN. He was told that MAIN's primary business was engineering, but that their biggest client, the World Bank, had insisted that the company keep economists employed in order to produce the "critical economic forecasts used to determine the feasibility and magnitude of engineering projects." Shortly after being hired, Perkins was trained confidentially by Claudine Martin, a special consultant to MAIN. It was Martin who explained to Perkins what his real job was. It was Martin who explained that he was now an "Economic Hit Man" and that once he accepted this job, he could never leave it. Indonesia Perkins' first assignment took him took to Indonesia. Indonesia was an oil-rich country and had been described as "the most heavily populated piece of real estate on the planet." Perkins' job was to produce very optimistic economic forecasts for the country, showing that by building new power plants and distribution lines, the country's economy would explode. These projections would allow USAID and international banks to justify huge loans for the country, which would then be paid to U.S. corporations to build the projects. In 1971, Indonesia had become even more important to the U.S. in its battle against Communism. Potential withdrawl from Vietnam had the U.S. worried about a domino effect of one country after another falling under Communist rule. Indonesia was viewed as the key. If the U.S. could gain control of Indonesia (with the debts that would incur thanks to the loans for these huge projects), they believed it would help ensure American dominance in Southeast Asia. While spending three months in Indonesia to conduct interviews and study the economic potential for the country, Perkins was exposed to the drastic discrepancy between the wealthy and the extremely poor in Indonesia. While there were certainly signs of a striving economy with first-class hotels and mansions, Perkins also personally saw the tragic side of Indonesia where women and children bathed in wretched, sewer-filled water and beggars packed the streets. He also met some of the country's native citizens and learned of their resentment of American greed and extravagance in the face of their starving children. These close encounters with the Indonesians created a struggle of conscience for Perkins. He wondered if American capitalism was really the answer for the people of Indonesia. He wondered if the population as a whole would really benefit from the infrastructures the U.S. wanted to build in Indonesia, or would it only be a wealthy few who became even wealthier while the rest of the country became more entrenched in poverty and became even more anti-American? While conducting his studies in Indonesia, Perkins was encouraged by his superiors to create strong forecasts for economic growth. He was told that growth rates of 17 percent per annum were expected. Also providing economic forecasts for MAIN was an older employee named Howard Parker. Parker told Perkins not to be pressured by his superiors, he told him not to buy into the game, not to create unrealistic projections. He told Perkins that the electrification project could not create economic growth rates of more than 7-9 percent. Conversations with Parker led to more conscience battles for Perkins. Ultimately, he told himself that the decision wasn't really his to make, it would be up to his bosses and they could simply choose between his high economic forecast and Parker's lower forecast. When the final projections were presented to the executives at MAIN, Perkins' figures pleased his bosses with 17-20 percent growth rate projections while Parker's forecast came in at eight percent. Parker was promptly fired and Perkins was promoted to Chief Economist at MAIN and received a nice raise. Panama In 1972, Perkins was sent to Panama to close the deal on MAIN's master development plan with the country. "This plan would create a justification for World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, and USAID investment of billions of dollars in the energy, transportation, and agricultural sectors of this tiny and very crucial country. It was, of course, a subterfuge, a means of making Panama forever indebted and thereby returning to its puppet status." Again, Perkins experienced the enormous differences between the wealthy and the poor. However, in Panama, the differences were most extreme in one area, the Canal Zone. In the Canal Zone, Americans lived in beautiful homes and enjoyed golf courses and first class shopping. Just outside of the Canal Zone, Panamanians lived in wooden shacks and among overflowing sewage. These harsh differences created high levels of animosity between the Americans living in the Canal Zone and the natives of Panama. It was not uncommon to see graffiti messages demanding that the U.S. leave Panama. On his trip, Perkins met with Panama's president and charismatic leader, Omar Torrijos. Perkins was very impressed with Torrijos and became friends with the leader. Torrijos was well aware of the EHM practices and knew fully how the game was played. He knew that he could become a very wealthy man by cooperating with the U.S. companies that wanted to build their projects in his country, but he worried about Panama losing its independence and not taking care of its many citizens living in poverty. Torrijos made a peculiar deal with Perkins and MAIN. He wanted Panama to take back control of the Panama Canal and in doing so he wanted to build a more efficient canal, a sea-level one without locks that would allow for bigger ships. The Japanese, the Canal's biggest clients, would be interested in financing this construction, which would anger Bechtel Group, Inc. Bechtel was a company closely connected to Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush. Omar Torrijos was concerned that these actions might send the wrong signals internationally. He wanted to make sure that Panama was recognized as an independent country and was not dictated by Russia, China or Cuba. He did not want Panama to be perceived as against the United States. Instead, he wanted it known that they were simply protecting the rights of the poor. Torrijos did want to invest in huge advancement projects in electricity, transportation and communications for Panama, but he wanted to make certain that these projects benefited his entire country, including those living in extreme poverty. To do so would require huge amounts of money from the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. Torrijos worried that his commitment to taking back the Canal would anger the top people at Bechtel so much that it would make it nearly impossible to achieve his plans for these projects. So, Torrijos made a deal with Perkins and MAIN. He told Perkins that if he could secure the financing for these projects, MAIN could have all the work they wanted on this master development plan. Perkins agreed to the deal and would do Torrijos' bidding. Saudi Arabia In response to the power of the international oil companies, which collaborated to hold down petroleum prices, a group of oil-producing countries formed OPEC in the 1960s. The huge impact OPEC was capable of became evident to the world with the 1973 oil embargo. This embargo was a result of the United States' support of Israel when Egypt and Syria launched attacks on the country. As the U.S. provided Israel with more financial aid, Saudi Arabia and other Arab oil producing countries imposed a total embargo on oil shipments to the U.S. While the embargo was short-lived, its impact was huge as Saudi oil prices jumped from $1.39 per barrel on January 1, 1970 to $8.32 on January 1, 1974. As a result, Wall Street and Washington became obsessed with protecting American oil supplies and the U.S. was forced to recognize Saudi Arabia's importance to its economy. "For Saudi Arabia, the additional oil income resulting from the price hikes was a mixed blessing." Suddenly, the country's conservative religious beliefs were being replaced with a sense of materialism. Washington recognized this movement and negotiated with Saudi Arabia for assurance that there would never again be an oil embargo from the country. The result of these negotiations was the United States-Saudi Arabian Joint Economic Commission, known as JECOR. The unprecedented agreement was the opposite of the norm, where countries had to borrow from the U.S. until it could never get out of that debt. Instead, this agreement relied on Saudi Arabia's own money to hire American firms to build up the country. The U.S. wanted Saudi Arabia to guarantee to maintain oil supplies at prices that would be acceptable to the U.S. and its allies. Due to Saudi Arabia's vast petroleum supplies, this guarantee would protect the U.S. even if other countries threatened oil embargos. In exchange for the guarantee, the U.S. offered the House of Saud a commitment to provide complete political and military support (this would guarantee that the royal family would continue to rule in Saudi Arabia). The condition would be that the Saudis buy U.S. government securities with their petrodollars and that the interest earned on these securities would be used to pay U.S. companies to convert Saudi Arabia into a modern industrial power. Perkins was brought in as an adviser in the early stages of these negotiations. His job was "to develop forecasts of what might happen in Saudi Arabia if vast amounts of money were invested in its infrastructure, and to map out scenarios for spending that money." He was told that not only would this job result in huge profits for MAIN, but that it was also a matter of national security. This job was different for Perkins as the final objective was not to burden Saudi Arabia with debts it could never repay, but instead to "assure that a large portion of petrodollars found their way back to the United States." Basically, MAIN and other U.S. corporations needed to convince Saudi Arabia of the importance and benefits of transforming their country to a more modern nation. This would ultimately make Saudi Arabia more dependent on U.S. corporations and make U.S. corporations extremely wealthy. For his part, Perkins convinced a key player within the House of Saud, a man he calls Prince W., that these projects would benefit his country as well as him personally. Perkins was able to eventually persuade Prince W. by arranging for a beautiful prostitute to live with him. By arranging for the prostitute to live with Prince W., Perkins was able to gain his trust and eventually convinced him of the value of the deal. The entire package was finally approved by the royal family of Saudi Arabia and MAIN was rewarded with one of the first highly lucrative contracts, which was actually administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. "The deal between the United States and Saudi Arabia transformed the kingdom practically overnight." It also marked the beginning of an ongoing relationship between the House of Saud, the bin Laden family and the Bush family, which benefited greatly from a financial standpoint thanks to the deal. Struggling with His Conscience Perkins saw his career take off as he was promoted again and became the youngest partner in the history of MAIN. He would go on to head major projects all over the world while taking home a huge salary. However, Perkins could not stop struggling with his conscience over the negative outcomes he believed he was causing as an EHM. In 1978 and 1979, the consequences of EHM empire building became clear to Perkins by what he saw happen in Iran. While the U.S. had supported the shah, the results had led to class wars and passionate animosity towards the "corporatocracy" being implemented in Iran. Perkins had seen this hostility first-hand in several of the countries where he had helped to create similar situations with his EHM practices. Citizens of these countries hated U.S. policy and blamed it for their corrupt leaders and despotic government. In Iran, the situation escalated and led to the shah fleeing the country for his own safety and Iranians storming the U.S. Embassy and taking 52 hostages. It was then that Perkins fully realized that "the United States is a nation laboring to deny the truth about its imperialist role in the world" and he became overwhelmed with guilt over his role in this global movement. Perkins sank into a depression and quit his job at MAIN in 1980. The Impact of the Economic Hit man Continues Perkins would continue to be haunted by the impact of economic hitmen even as he started his own company (a company that committed to producing environmentally friendly electricity), did special consulting for MAIN and other corporations, and became involved with nonprofit organizations and their efforts to work with and help indigenous people in Latin America. In 1981, Perkins became deeply disturbed by the death of his friend and the leader of Panama, Omar Torrijos. Perkins believes that his friend Torrijos' death in a plane crash was a CIA assassination because of his positions on the Panama Canal (Torrijos had achieved his goal of taking back the Canal) and his unwillingness to cooperate with American corporations. Torrijos was replaced by Manuel Noriega, who "became a symbol of corruption and decadence." Eventually, in 1989, the United States attacked Panama. The reigns of power were returned to the pre-Torrijos oligarchy, which had served as U.S. puppets from the time when Panama was torn from Columbia until Torrijos took over. Perkins also watched closely throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s as the U.S. tried to get Iraq and Saddam Hussein to buy into the EHM scenario as Saudi Arabia had done before. Hussein refused and when he invaded Kuwait, the U.S. wasted little time and attacked Iraq. The economic hitmen failed again in their efforts following the invasion of Iraq and in 2003, the U.S. invaded Iraq once again. Perkins began to write Confessions of an Economic Hit Man on several occasions, but stopped due to bribes or threats. But after 9/11, Perkins knew he could no longer wait and felt he had to expose these practices and the devastating consequences they create. What to Do Now Perkins now spends his life trying to educate people about the role of the economic hit man and how we can end their practices and achieve more global peace and prosperity by transforming our institutions. He believes "we have convinced ourselves that all economic growth benefits humankind, and that the greater the growth, the more widespread the benefits." We must realize that the American capitalism we are trying to push on other countries may not be what's best for the rest of the world. We can't just blame this movement on a conspiracy. "The empire depends on the efficacy of big banks, corporations, and governments – the corporatocracy. This corporatocracy is ourselves – we make it happen – which, of course, is why most of us find it difficult to stand up and oppose it. We cannot bring ourselves to bite the hand of the master who feeds us." Perkins offers several ways to help stop "the corporatocracy and to end this insane and self-destructive march to global empire." Read between the lines of each and every media report and help others do the same. The majority of our media outlets – newspapers, magazines, publishing houses, television stations, radio stations, etc. – are owned by huge international corporations and these corporations aren't afraid to manipulate the news they deliver. Always seek the truth and encourage others to do the same. Cut back on oil consumption and shopping. When you are shopping, be very aware of the products you buy and the companies you're supporting. Downsize your personal possessions, including your home, your car and your office. Protest against unfair free trade agreements. Protest against companies that exploit desperate people in sweatshops. Protest against companies that pillage the environment. Look for ways to educate others about what is going on in the world. This can be done by writing letters and emails to friends, newspapers, school boards and local organizations. And finally, ask yourself the following questions: Why have I allowed myself to be sucked into a system that I know is unbalanced? What will I do to help our children, and all children everywhere, to fulfill the dream of our Founding Fathers, the dream of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? What course will I take to end starvation, and make sure there is never again a day like September 11th? How can I help our children understand that people who live gluttonous, unbalanced lives should be pitied but never, ever emulated, even if those people present themselves, through the media they control, as cultural icons and try to convince us that penthouses and yachts bring happiness? What changes will I commit to making in my attitudes and perceptions? What forums will I use to teach others and to learn more on my own? These are the essential questions of our time. Note: The above is a slightly edited version of the summary published by CapitolReader.com. For an excellent, engaging two-minute video summary of Perkins' story, click here. Perkins has written many other books including The World Is As You Dream It and The Stress-Free Habit. To educate yourself as recommended by Perkins, click here. For links to radio interviews with Perkins and an excellent review of his book, click here To purchase Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins, click here For other excellent summaries revealing what's really going in in global politics, click here Final Note: WantToKnow.info believes it is important to balance disturbing cover-up information with inspirational writings which call us to be all that we can be and to work together for positive change. Please visit our Inspiration Center at http://www.WantToKnow.info/inspirational for an abundance of uplifting material.

Thanks for the great post Maggie !!!! Its hard to imagine how anyone can watch this and come away still clinging to much of the rhetoric that separates us...... I don't know that anyone would begrudge a corporation the right to make a profit, even a healthy one at that... I certainly don't and would be a hypocrite if I did..... And at some point, it has to dawn on people that this is not institution being talked about.... That somewhere along the line, there was this obscene turn toward multi national corporations where CEOs started getting bonus packages bigger than the budgets of small countries... that people including every single one of us here on DV, are nothing more than commodities, or resources or at the very least, little pieces on a game board to be moved around in serving the corporate need. I don't know how its possible for it to escape the attention of anyone watching anything presented by this guy.... to not notice that corporations are running the infra structures governing this country. Its not the politicians, they merely serve as the mouth piece for the corporate need. Get rid of one, another will step into his/her place... Leading one I would hope to the conclusion that it is not the individual to be targeted in order to bring about change, but the resulting deeds, laws, legislation they leave in their wake that needs our attention. Corporations are not inherently evil to be sure. They are necessary. they are part of our lives. But it seems this subtle shifting has occurred wherein they no longer serve our needs as much as we are serving theirs... And in any case, it seems like we have slapped the tail of one too many hornets and sooner or later, we the people are going to be the target of some very righteously angry retaliation...

Wishing you a healthy and speedy recovery Bettyboop! We'll be missing you while you're gone and looking forward to your return. RONIN II

I bumped you as well...+1

Way to to GRANNY! You got a BIG +1 for that. I'd give you more but I'm only allowed 1. Adam said "Big news", there was a lot of big news and a lot is still happening. He's done nothing more than be straight forward with us.