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What a tangled web we weave....

and no one will be held accountable...

Hi The best place I go for news is The Gateway Pundit.

Here's an article of Dinarian interests... Here we go...US grip on Iraq... Treat as a rumor. Not verified. Your opine. Tishwash: Financial Sovereignty": Why Has Iraq Not Emancipated Financially From The Grip Of The US Federal Reserve? ARTICLE: That is witnessing Iraq Increasing American pressure regarding a set of demands that it considers Washington Essential, foremost among them the issue of armed factions. These pressures have become more prominent recently when salaries were paid to members of the Popular Mobilization Forces, with Iraqi MPs asserting that the reason is due to American pressure exerted on Iraqi government. There are also reports that Washington intends to restrict the flow of Dollars into Iraq to limit their smuggling. While negotiations are taking place between Baghdad & Washington, regarding these files, observers believe that US still holding one of the strongest cards on the table. Iraq controlling its financial revenues from oil exports by keeping them in US Federal Reserve accounts since 2003. So why is Baghdad still subject to this financial arrangement two decades after the invasion? Why can't it receive its oil revenues directly, as other oil-producing countries do? And why have successive governments failed to free themselves from American financial hegemony? Historical Background To Financial Hegemony: In May 2003, Security Council Resolution No. 1483, which stipulated that revenues from Iraq’s oil & gas exports be deposited in a special account at the US Federal Reserve under the name of “fundIraq's development. A portion of these revenues - 5% of total oil & gas exports - was allocated to compensate Kuwait regarding the damages resulting from the 1990 invasion, which continued until 2022 when Iraq completed paying its compensation, which amounted to approximately $52.4 billion. According to Mazhar Mohammed Saleh, the economic advisor to the Iraqi PM, the rest of the money was transferred to the account Central Bank of Iraq, which is responsible for financing the government & the Ministry of Finance with liquidity, given that the Iraqi Dinar is priced in Dollars. Saleh adds that UN Legal protection for these assets was provided under Resolution 1483, until it expired in 2011, following the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1956. In parallel, the US president issued Executive Order 13303 to protect Iraqi assets, a decision that remains in effect today despite some amendments. According to Saleh, the goals of US protection of Iraqi assets are to ensure Iraq's reconstruction, protect its assets from compensation claims from companies & individuals & avoid judicial seizure of Iraqi assets in cases filed since the 1990s. Current US Pressure: Experts believe that Iraq, despite the expiration of many of the legal reasons that imposed this financial arrangement, remains subject to strict financial oversight by Washington, differs from the usual procedures in the international banking system. Dr.Abdulrahman Al-MashhadaniA professor of economics at the University of Iraq in Baghdad, Al-Mashhadani said that Iraq is facing unprecedented tightening of financial audits due to US concerns about money laundering, terrorist financing & Dollar smuggling, especially since Baghdad has not adhered to financial oversight controls in recent years. Al-Mashhadani asserts that this audit has led to a significant decline in money laundering operations in recent months, citing the incident of "the century"In 2022, more than $2.5 billion was smuggled, 70% of which was through Iraqi banks. For his part, a member of theFinance CommitteeMP Jamal Kocher points out that most oil-producing countries deposit their money in the US Federal Reserve because oil is sold in Dollars, but Iraq suffers from complete dependence on oil revenues without any significant alternative resources. Kocher Stresses That US Pressure Is Not Always Exerted Ddirectly, But Rather Focuses On Two Issues: - The use of US weapons outside the authority of the state. - The smuggling of Dollars to parties hostile to the US. In the same context, Al-Mashhadani explains that Iraq does not enjoy the same ease as other countries in disposing of its revenues & suffers from a deficit in Libra Commercial interests, in addition to restrictions on the use of other currencies or an equal exchange system with other countries, weaken its ability to be financially independent. Al-Mashhadani warns that the imposition of US economic sanctions on Iraq is not unlikely, noting that 32 Iraqi banks are currently subject to US sanctions & Baghdad has not been able to lift any of them despite the passage of years. Iraqi Voices: Economic researcher AnmarAl-Obaidi The problem is not with depositing funds at the US Federal Reserve, but rather with the restrictions imposed on their free use, unlike other countries. Al-Obaidi says that Iraq's political fragility & continued instability have prevented successive governments from settling the outstanding compensation issue, emphasizing that addressing this issue will enable Iraq to gradually achieve financial liberalization. Al-Obaidi notes that the government's measures to combat money laundering & currency smuggling have achieved significant improvement over the past two years, but the country still needs banking reforms & comprehensive automation of its systems to bolster int'l confidence. For his part, economic advisor Mazhar Muhammad Salih believes that getting rid of US oversight is possible in the future, but it requires gradual political & economic measures, beginning with restoring int'l confidence. Economic analyst Saman Shali agrees, believing that ending US tutelage requires a courageous political decision from various blocs, in addition to working to rationalize spending & settle debts related to compensation from int'l companies. Shali suggests using international law firms to negotiate with these companies, similar to what happened in the Kuwait compensation case, stressing that the process, despite its difficulty, will pave the way for Iraq to regain its financial sovereignty. Options For Liberation & Financial Independence: Economists believe that liberating Iraq from the grip of the US Federal Reserve requires a comprehensive plan that includes: - Completely reforming the Iraqi banking system. - Automating financial & accounting procedures. - Reducing corruption in financial institutions. - Settling compensation claims through int'l legal tools. - Diversifying sources of income away from oil. Analysts believe that continued reliance on the US financial system without radical reforms will keep Iraq hostage to external agendas that restrict its ability to move. Towards financial independence is conditional on political will, despite the end of most of the legal restrictions imposed by int'l community. Despite Iraq's post-2003 financial situation, the country remains under tight financial control by the US, reflecting the fragility of Iraq's economic & political structure. Experts believe that the opportunity to liberate itself from this hegemony remains, but the matter depends on a unified political will & a strict economic vision that rebuilds int'l confidence in the Iraqi financial system. The Question Remains: Does it have the capacity? Iraqi government will. Will the country have the will & ability to wrest its financial sovereignty, or will American influence continue to control the country's economic lifeline for decades to come?

Sigh...... https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/16/israel-strikes-syria-defence-ministry-in-third-day-of-attacks-on-the-country

Israel strikes Syria’s defence ministry in third day of attacks One person killed and 18 injured, say Syrian officials, as Israel intervenes in clashes between government forces and Druze fighters William Christou in Beirut Wed 16 Jul 2025 18.06 BST https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/16/israel-strikes-syria-defence-ministry-in-third-day-of-attacks-on-the-country

Beautiful track....Somehow poetic..... Miles' tribute to bass player Jaco Pastorius-RIP ( deemed as best electric bass player in the world for some time....) who played for a certain period with Weather Report in albums and live concerts Was lucky enough to see him in 1986 here in Italy.... but not with Weather Report ( which I had already seen anyway the year before...Bassist was Alphonso Johnson...Another stunning bass-player).... Impressive in the least.....He got killed in 1987 unfortunately ... I re-posted maybe a year and a half ago an interesting doc about Jaco containing various testimonials ( mainly drummer Peter Erskine and bassist Marcus Miller) Miles and Jaco never played together as far as I know ( I might be wrong on this one though...)...But Miles had always great bassists.....Marcus Miller etc https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaco_Pastorius

Joe Sample-RIP - piano on this track

From "Amandla" ("power" in one of S.African languages) 1989 Track composed by keyboardist George Duke-RIP who used to play w Frank Zappa earlier...... I just love it ( do love most Davis material actually...Old and more recent) Never got to see him in concert unfortunately.....Once I just missed him for a couple of days ( I was abroad and he played in my area....I did return only 2 days later) Miles started out as a classic acoustic jazz ensemble trumpet player and leader.....Then he became one of the first and best representives of electric jazz ( for which he got criticized mercilessly by jazz purists who accused him of virtually anything....including the fact he'd make too much money because of "easy" ??? electric jazz) I personally love his acoustic stage and also his electric one....Hat off to one of the most important musicians of the 20th century Album cover by M.Davis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miles_Davis

Beautiful to me

Great lyrics

Here's an article of Dinarian interests... UPDATE: What we know so far about Baghdad-Erbil agreement. Article suggests the agreement is done. Treat as a rumor. Not verifed. Your opine. Tishwash: News Reveals Details Of The New Agreement Between Baghdad & Kurdistan. ARTICLE: An informed source revealed details on Wednesday of a new financial agreement concluded between the federal government in Baghdad & the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), aimed at settling salaries, oil exports & unifying revenues. The source told Shafaq News Agency that the agreement stipulates that the Kurdistan Regional Government will receive 240 billion Dinars in revenues for May & June, at a rate of 120 billion Dinars per month, in addition to delivering 230,000 barrels of oil per day to Baghdad, in exchange for the latter sending the salaries of the region's employees for those two months. He indicated that the regional government will begin the process of disbursing local revenues from border crossings, along with the agreed-upon amount of crude oil, as part of the implementation of the long terms of the new agreement. The source added that the next phase will witness meetings between joint technical committees to review & audit figures & statistics related to oil exports & imports, as well as to discuss the region's share of the Federal Budget. For his part, an Iraqi government source said that the federal cabinet is awaiting the implementation of the Kurdistan Regional Government's pledges to resolve the current crisis. He explained that the federal government is awaiting an official letter from the Kurdistan Regional Government to begin implementing the agreement by the relevant committees. The Kurdistan Regional Government's Council of Ministers approved the new understandings with Baghdad during its session held this morning. The roots of the recent salary crisis between the federal government in Baghdad & the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) lie in ongoing disagreements over oil export mechanisms & the unification of public revenues. This is a long-standing crisis that resurfaces from time to time, but it has significantly worsened since May 2025, when the federal government refused to send salaries to KRG employees. Baghdad justified the delay in disbursement by Erbil's failure to deliver the agreed-upon quantities of crude oil (230,000 barrels per day) & its failure to transfer non-oil revenues from internal ports to the state treasury, which the federal government considered a violation of previous agreements included in the three-year Federal Budget Law (2023-2025). For its part, the regional government confirmed that it is facing technical & political difficulties in delivering the full amount of oil, especially given the ongoing suspension of oil exports via the Turkish Ceyhan pipeline since March 2023. This suspension stems from an int'l arbitration ruling against Turkey in the oil export dispute with Iraq. This has forced Erbil to rely on domestic exports to meet its financial needs.

Love this one ( and most of his songs anyway....)....One of his best to me ... A near-perfect & visually effective ( I'd say merciless somehow) description of modern realities ( esp. N.America)

A li'l gem to me

Wandering "Drifting" Drifting The dance of the landscape And in the clouds The cutout Of a whirlwind with shipwrecks Drifting Always on our way Again we're on our way Somebody plays the drum Somebody plays the flute Like water leaping from a waterfall We're on our way And soon In the cradle Another little gypsy Who will play the piano For the hobos In the bars on the moon Somersault Suddenly it's raining Light all over the place And then all at once We're three improbable clowns Doing somersaults We skim along In the coach Of a train that's perpetually expanding Like the universe: High in the air A compass-card Points toward new shores

Stunning in the least.......