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Rolling Plunder – How Scott Walker and Paul Ryan Plan To Sell Out Wisconsin, and the Voters are Oblivious…

Posted on March 30, 2016 by sundance
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♦ Governor Scott Walker likes to display his rebel side (although it’s an illusion intended to solidify Tea-Party bona fides in optics only) by riding around on a Harley Davidson motorcycle.   After all, Harley Davidson is headquartered in Wisconsin.
Well, for now at least.
♦ Wisconsin representative, now Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan, also likes to tout his form of fiscal conservatism.  However, as the former Chairman of the budgetary ways and means committee, a federal budget is also an optical illusion (hasn’t been one since ’07).
♦ Representative Paul Ryan and Governor Scott Walker along with RNC Chairman Reince Preibus promote themselves as proud Wisconsin cheese-heads; “conservatives” they say.

Well, given Paul Ryan’s full-throated endorsement and promotion for the Trans-Pacific Trade Deal (TPP), perhaps the Wisconsin working voter would like to see exactly what they have in mind for you.  Remember, each of the aforementioned has also endorsed Senator Ted Cruz – who, not coincidentally, was the co-author of the Trade Promotion Authority bill (TPA) which was the vehicle to insure TPP’s passage.
Rather than go through all of the tentacles, and difficult to understand TPP construct, let’s instead use that wonderful Scott Walker (Harley Davidson motorcycle) example to show Wisconsin voters what’s really going on.
Representative Paul Ryan and Senator Ted Cruz created the legislative vehicle for The Trans-Pacific Trade Partnership, or TPP.    The legislative vehicle for TPP is called Trade Promotion Authority, or TPA.
Both Ryan and Cruz were actually quite proud of TPA, until candidate Donald Trump made a campaign issue of the trade deal.   Senator Cruz now claims he doesn’t support TPP.
However, these trade deal constructs did not happen by accident, they were built and designed for a reason.   The wall street connections to TPP brings the presidential election race into the more broad agenda, and that’s where you find a geographical relationship which immediately connects RNC head Reince Preibus.
You see, sometimes you need to step back to see the larger picture.
The RNC/GOPe were bedfellows in 2014 along with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and its president Tom Donohue.  The U.S. CoC worked earnestly to get the Trans-Pacific Trade Deal constructed.  Donohue being the CEO in charge of the U.S. Business interests, via the Chamber, who were doing the actual trade deal negotiations.
The U.S. Chamber (Donohue) also needed a legislative path.  As a consequence the path needs legislatures as bill sponsors.  That’s where Paul Ryan and Ted Cruz come in to the picture.  Together in early 2015 they penned an Op-Ed which appeared in the Wall Street Journal, and also is available HERE.
How they actually worked in the House and Senate to get the trade vehicle, TPA, through the legislative system is quite remarkable.  FULL DETAILS HERE.

When we say “remarkable”, we really mean it.
When it is possible to usurp the will of the people, and simultaneously position yourself as outside of the construct therein, such Machiavellian plausible deniability should at the very least be recognized as brilliant.    TPA was a brutal scheme.  TPP is devastating to the U.S.  But the way Ryan/Cruz guided TPA through the House and Senate was brilliant nonetheless.
And that is where Wisconsinites (Preibus, Ryan, Walker) align with a unity agenda within the deal itself.  A deal constructed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, that entirely benefits Wall Street.
Can you see now how the 2014 GOPe roadmap gains increased importance, and how Presidential Candidate Scott Walker became part of the entire 2016 nomination scheme?    Follow the money.  Yes, including the Ricketts money.
Beyond the terrible legislation is the actual TPP trade deal itself; and beyond the TPP are the consequences to the U.S. manufacturing base and U.S. worker.
For an example of those consequences we turn to the beloved Harley Davidson.
A few years ago Harley Davidson opened a plant in Northern India, yes India.
[ Remember the Wisconsin Sikh Temple shooting – did you see those police at the CNN town hall questioning Donald Trump? ]
Coincidences are funny that way. I digress.

The Street motorcycles being sold in the U.S. will be manufactured in the Milwaukee-based company’s Kansas City facility, Wandell said. The Street bikes for international riders will be made in the company’s Bawal, India, plant that opened in 2011.
Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG) currently assembles motorcycles in India and Brazil to avoid tariffs, but the parts are made in America and shipped as a kit to those countries. (link)

Harley Davidson in India?  Many die-hard hog fans were worried that Harley was going to start building their bikes out of country.  Given what happened to the auto industry can you blame them for worrying.   However, that wasn’t immediately what was happening, because Harley Davidson USA knew their bikes lived and died on the reputation of being “American Iron”, despite many of the parts made over seas.
However, India has a 100+% tariff on motorcycle imports.  When combined with other import taxes and duties it all adds up to a staggering 115% cost increase to sell a U.S. manufactured Harley in India.
India also has a population over a billion people.  A very large market!  But selling an expensive bike in a poor country with a 100+% import tariff makes the market virtually untouchable.  Unless…

….“We can make (the price) more attractive in those markets by building over there,” Blankenheim said

To work around the problem, and simultaneously set themselves up for future market opportunities, Harley Davidson built a plant in India.    If the Harley is built in India it can be sold in India for less than half the price of building in the U.S. and importing it.
However, the future opportunities angle stems from India not only building their own Harleys, but also manufacturing most of the Harley’s sold on the international market as well.  Build here and export from the U.S. and you find a big tariff at the destination; but build in India and export from India and the tariffs are avoided upon arrival.
How does this help the U.S. manufacturing of Harley Davidson?  How does this help jobs here in the U.S.?  How does this help the U.S. factory worker?
It doesn’t.
But the corporate side (Wall Street / NYSE “HOG”) books of Harley Davidson look great.
See how that works?
In essence, Harley USA will build Harley’s for the USA (disclaimer: “for now”), and Harely in India will build for most the rest of the world.   They are still in the working-out-the-kinks-process part of the global plan, but it is a plan being executed.
So you might ask if India, with a billion citizen market, charges a 100% tariff on U.S. manufactured product, well, what’s the tariff the USA charges to import a motorcycle here from say, Japan?
Well, that would be 2.4%.
Yes, a measly 2.4%
But, wait, it gets better – that is going away too:

America will remove a tariff levied on Japanese motorcycles with engine displacements of over 700cc under the recently announced Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact (TPP), which includes Australia and covers 40 percent of the global economy.
The 2.4 percent duty will be eliminated five years after the multilateral trade deal takes effect, which should, in theory, reduce the price of motorcycles in the over 700cc space in America, placing the imported fare on the same level playing field as home-grown marques like Harley-Davidson, Indian and Victory. Those marques mainly focus on bikes with engine capacities of more than 700cc.
America currently imposes no tariff on imported motorbikes with engines of 700cc or lower (link)

Are you seeing the problem yet?
If the U.S. export of a Harley Davidson incurs an import tariff at the destination (say China 30%, or Vietnam 40%), but the same tariff does not apply when the import arrives from India, what nation do you think will be manufacturing the Harley Davidson motorcycles which appear in China?
Meanwhile, the U.S. unilaterally disarms in the import tariff battle, and drops all import tariffs on the foreign motorcycles which will directly compete with those very same remaining Harley Davidson motorcycles which ARE made in the U.S.A.
Do you remember the Wisconsin Radio Host Charlie Sykes interview of Donald Trump when Sykes climbed atop his high horse and so “righteously” told Trump that Wisconsin is an Import-Export state, and tariffs hurt their economy? etc. etc. etc.
How does that Sykes gibberish look against this example now?
We are only using Harley Davidson as a representative example based on geography (Wisconsin).  This horrific Trade Deal applies nation wide in all areas of manufacturing, import and export.
Scott Walker will be fine, he’ll probably end up on Wall Street.  Speaker of the House Paul Ryan will be fine, he’ll lock in a multi-million lobbying contract.  Reince Preibus will be fine, he’s already got a rolodex filled with Global Bankers and High Financiers.
It’s the ordinary middle-class Wisconsin cheese-head voter who will be impacted.
Are they foolish enough to be co-dependents to their own financial demise?

I guess we’ll find out….

Reference Notes – If you want to compare trade tariffs, examples as shared, on these motorcycles imports and exports you can go HERE to the duty calculator and select engines > 970cc (the first three duty comparison checks are free – after that the website charges for use).
Next time you are in a grocery store, pick up a package of Nabisco Fig Newtons, look at the small wording next to the ingredients and you will see “made in mexico”.  It’s the same poor trade deals that are creating the same outcomes.
¹/Also, Hat Tip to “SEVENTHNDR“ for sourcing.
²/How Ted Cruz and Paul Ryan hoodwinked America HERE
³/Senator  Jeff Sessions discusses TPP HERE and Audio HERE
Just a Reminder, this is an insurgency. – The modern enemy of Wall Street is Main Street vulgarians. The current enemy of the RNC/GOPe is not Democrats, it’s Grassroots Conservatives; Common Sense Conservatives; more vulgarians.
The Republican Party, and the Republican media apparatus, view us as their enemy. We are the enemy they need to protect themselves from:

In 2014, the RNC approved selection rules that govern how each state’s delegates are portioned out from the primaries. Under one of the changes, states holding their primaries between March 1 and March 14 will have their delegates doled out proportionately with election results, a change that will likely stymie a movement candidate.

States that have primaries on or after March 15 will be winner-take-all states.
That’s important because another RNC rule change requires that a candidate must win a majority of delegates in eight or more states before his or her name may be presented for nomination at the 2016 Republican National Convention.

With 18 GOP presidential candidates, for now, it will be that much harder for any candidate to win a majority in any state, let alone eight. (Article July 2015)

Now, ask yourself, why would the RNC want to “stymie a movement candidate“? Who exactly does that benefit? Obviously, the “non-movement” candidate, ie “the turtle“.
Isn’t the entire reason for campaigning in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina etc. to make a movement/momentum?
In addition Rule #40 changed in 2014 from previously five needed state wins, to a newer threshold of eight (8):

Officially, it’s Rule 40 in the RNC handbook and it states that any candidate for president “shall demonstrate the support of a majority of the delegates from each of eight (8) or more states” before their name is presented for nomination at the national convention. (article March 2014)

Again, ask yourself who does this benefit? A candidate can win seven states outright, and still not have their name presented for nomination?
These rules were made/affirmed in 2014 – Who or what exactly was the GOP concerned about blocking in 2016 that would necessitate such rules? When combined with other rule changes you can clearly identify a consolidation of power within the RNC apparatus intentionally constructed to stop the candidate of the GRASSROOTS from achieving victory.

It’s all part of their GOPe Roadmap.

♦ Reference and Resources – (links to internal MSM references are contained within prior outlines): RNC Rule Changes RNC Rule Battles

1. ♦ Following The Money
   
2. ♦ The GOPe Roadmap
   
3. ♦ The Roles of The Players – “The Splitters”
   
4. ♦ How each candidate is aligned in the Roadmap
   
5. ♦ Arrow #1 Trump Hits The Super-PACs – The GOPe Achilles Heel
   
6. ♦ Arrow #2 Trump Hits Bush – Inside The Wall Street Fortress
   
7. ♦ Arrow #3 Trump Cuts Off Rubio/Bush switch – The GOPe Switch
   
8. ♦ The Rick Perry Tripwire Exposed – DC Super-Pac
   
9. ♦ Jeb Bush Super-Pac Will immediately spend $10 Million
   
10. ♦ Proving there is only one political party in Washington DC
    
11. ♦ Why Support Trump – Part One (The GOPe Ruse)
    
12. ♦ Why Support Trump – Part Two (Stop being played)
    
13. ♦ Why Support Trump – Part Three (Intellectual Details)
    
14. ♦ How To Defeat the GOPe Road Map
    
15. ♦ Current Polling Exposes – the Ohio, Florida, Texas, Virginia, New York Splitters
    
16. ♦ Florida Polling Exposes – Donald Trump defeating Jeb’s Florida Strategy
    
17. ♦ Rush Limbaugh Discusses/Affirms – The “splitter strategy”
    
18. ♦ The Biden Paradox – Trump Winning Means Clinton Must Be Removed
    
19. ♦ Salem Media Communications (GOPe Media Arm) Launches Attack
    
20. ♦ Open Letter To GOPe – The Conservative Frustration
    
21. ♦ Why The GOPe Will Never Stop Attacking Donald Trump
    
22. ♦ Trump indicates he is well aware of the GOP Mississippi Trickery 2014
    
23. ♦ GOPe (Stuart Stevens and Henry Barbour) recruit for a Mississippi style takedown
    
24. ♦ Chris Christie Joins the insurgency – Christie Endorsement
    
25. ♦ The Demonization of Donald Trump Begins – The Racial Onslaught Miss ’14 Redux
    
26. ♦ Ben Carson Drops Out – Manipulators of his Campaign Exposed
    
27. ♦ Mitt Romney admits the GOPe Road Map and Splitter Strategy
    
28. ♦ Senator Ted Cruz and the Fallacy of False Choices
    

http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2016/03/30/rolling-plunder-how-scott-walker-and-paul-ryan-plan-to-sell-out-wisconsin-and-the-voters-are-oblivious/

15 Dirty Tricks The GOP Establishment Can Use to Stop Donald Trump

by Doug Wead | 5:41 pm, March 13th, 2016
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Doug Wead is a presidential historian who served as senior advisor to the Ron Paul presidential campaign in 2012.
Warning to the Trumpets. It ain’t over. It is just beginning.
Below are a list of tactics that Establishment Republicans may use to block the nomination of Donald Trump.  Yes, I know. If they succeed they will not win the White House but many in the establishment will make just as much money under a Democrat insider as they will with a Republican insider. So they may not care.
All they may want to do is send the message to any future “outsider” candidate, “This is our party and you need our approval to participate. If you try to do this without us we will destroy you.”
These tactics were used in 2012 to keep Libertarian insurgents from winning delegates to the Republican National Convention. The fear was that Ron Paul would be able to place his name in nomination and give a speech about capital cronyism and how big corporations use the system to corrupt free enterprise. Donald Trump can learn from our experience.
What was at stake in 2012? Money. What’s at stake now? Money.
But why will low level party stalwarts who don’t get that money play along and do the bidding of the big party leaders?
To keep their positions as State, County or Precinct Chairmen. Power. Ego. Prestige. They want that all expenses paid trip to the Republican National Convention. Booze. Free corporate gifts. A box of Godiva chocolates left on their pillow in their room each night. They know that candidates like Trump come and go but the party infrastructure, financed by companies and their lobbyists, remain forever.
Here’s what the new Trump supporters can expect. (Carefully follow the links to stories below to see the actual videos and read the details of how these things happened in 2012.)
#1) Cruz, Rubio, Kasich and Romney will cooperate with each other to help block Trump outsiders at key County and State conventions. There is nothing wrong with this. Just don’t be taken by surprise. You may have most of the delegates at the local event and still lose to this combination. Make your own deals with Chairmen and other party officials before its too late.
#2) The RNC Rules Committee will likely change the rules back to a five state requirement needed to put a name in nomination at the Convention. This will make it easier to nominate Rubio, Cruz, Kasich and even Romney. Trump operatives should block this change and keep it at eight, which was originally designed to protect Romney, the expected incumbent.
#3) Make sure that you have your own people chosen as delegates to the convention. The insiders will fight you to the death over this, saying that it doesn’t matter, that you won the primary or the caucus and so the actual delegates are bound by law to vote for you anyway. (Not true.)
They will say that the governor and the senator and the old former chairman, who has been to every RNC since Eisenhower, should be able to represent their state. Be courteous  and reasonable but you also need large numbers of your own reliable Trump supporters chosen as delegates.
Keep in mind, the only rules that bind the delegates are the rules of the party and those very delegates can change those rules.
What if there is a media hyped Trump scandal and the party votes to “unbind” the delegates on the first ballot?  Then they can vote for whomever they wish.
What if Trump does not win on the first ballot and there is a second ballot? They will then vote their real choice and you will have lost all of those states you thought you had won in primaries.
#4) The place of the caucus that selects the actual delegates who go to the district or state convention may suddenly change without your knowledge. Linked by a telephone chain the insiders will meet without you. Your folks will show up at one hotel and the meeting will take place at another.
#5) The time of the meeting may suddenly change. Your people can show up and find that the building is locked and authorities will say you are too late to be allowed in to participate. This happened many times in 2012, with hundreds of screaming voters left outside.
#6) The chairman may say “Ayes have it,” even if they don’t. This happens at the precinct, county, district, state and even national level. What are you going to do about it? Sue? Meanwhile, their winning precinct delegation will go onto the State Convention as delegates representing your opponent.
You may appeal to the RNC for justice and they may support the cheaters because you don’t have enough of your own people as delegates serving on the Rules Committee.
#7) Off duty police may arrest and detain your newly elected Donald Trump GOP officers. Yep, that happened to us. Your people may be kept for hours in jail cells and those who protest may be arrested as well.
#8) Precinct, County, State leaders may charge a last minute tax. This may have happened in 2012 in Alaska. Voters who had not been tipped off reportedly could not vote without paying $10. Credit cards not accepted. This worked so well at excluding voters in Alaska that Romney operatives used it in King County, Washington. They also turned away young people who did not appear on their outdated voter registration lists.
#9) If the Caucus Chairman is replaced or does not like the outcome of the vote they may suddenly declare the process invalid. For example, they may say that the new chairman is a Trump partisan and thus it is now a Trump event and the GOP insurance for the event is invalid and thus the meeting is ended. See the video above.
#10) State Conventions will prepare ballots misspelling Trump and then later discount them in the voting for those pledged delegates.
#11) Fake ballots will be distributed listing establishment names as the official Trump delegates, confusing the voters. They may also try to split the Trump slate by nominating competing Trump delegates with real names of public figures.
#12) Counting the ballots at the various conventions will be an exhausting business with delays, postponements until the next day, seals broken on the voting boxes, and all kinds of chicanery.
#13) They may cancel the voting due to weather in a key precinct that is heavily Trump, throwing the State. Even though the weather turns out to be fine in the given precinct.
#14) At convention you may find hotel rooms cancelled.They may arrange for the bus bringing your delegates to the Rules Committee to get lost and changes to convention rules may happen in your absence.
#15) When you leave the RNC don’t think it’s over. A Ron Paul delegate was detained by TSA at the airport leaving Tampa when bullets were found in their packed luggage.
The idea is to make you so sick, so weary, so beaten down that you will never, ever, even dare challenge the establishment that runs the Republican Party again. Ever.
Here is the message. It doesn’t belong to you. As in the case of the Democratic Party, it belongs to the insiders, the rich and powerful who make money from a rigged economy that favors a few at the expense of the many. Donald Trump is too independent and too unpredictable for them.
You have been warned. Good luck.
Doug Wead first published this article on his personal blog, and it was republished here with his permission.

http://lawnewz.com/high-profile/15-dirty-tricks-the-gop-establishment-can-use-to-stop-donald-trump/

Iraq Stock Market Report

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Rabee Securities Iraq Stock Exchange (ISX) market report (week ending: 25th Feb 2016).
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The RSISX index ended the week at IQD934 (-2.7%) / $958 (-3.5%) (weekly change) (-14.4% and -16.4% YTD change, respectively). The number of week traded shares was17.4bn and the weekly trading volume was IQD11.1bn ($8.8mn).
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Limoncello Martinis

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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Servings: 6
When preparing cocktails, use ice made from purified distilled water instead of tap water to avoid off flavors. The crystal-clear appearance of purified ice will also lend a sparkle to your drinks. A few lemon slices in the shaker will add a pleasant flavor.

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• 244
  

Ingredients:

• Ice cubes as needed
  
• 1 cup limoncello liqueur
  
• 1 cup gin
  
• 6 lemon twists
  

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Directions:

Put 6 martini glasses in the freezer to chill for at least 15 minutes.

Just before serving, fill a cocktail shaker half full with ice. Pour half of the limoncello and half of the gin over the ice. Cover with the lid and shake vigorously for about 10 seconds. Strain into 3 of the chilled glasses, dividing evenly. Repeat to make 3 more drinks. Garnish each glass with a lemon twist. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Easy Entertaining, by George Dolese (Simon & Schuster, 2005).

Sparkling Fresh Paloma


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Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Servings: 1
This recipe for the tequila-based cocktail known as a paloma was created by the beverage experts at Bourbon & Branch, a well-known San Francisco bar.

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Ingredients:

• Ice as needed
  
• 2 oz. tequila
  
• 3/4 oz. fresh lime juice
  
• 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup
  
• 2 oz. fresh grapefruit juice
  
• Mint sprig for garnish
  
• Curled lemon peel for garnish
  

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Directions:

In a cocktail shaker filled halfway with ice, combine the tequila, lime juice, simple syrup and grapefruit juice and shake until well chilled, 20 to 30 seconds. Strain into a highball glass, garnish with the mint sprig and lemon peel, and serve immediately. Serves 1.

Recipe by Bourbon & Branch, San Francisco.

5 Important Leadership Lessons From Kim Jong Un
01/31/2016 02:59 pm ET | Updated 1 hour ago

• Dr. Travis Bradberry Author of #1 bestselling book, Emotional Intelligence 2.0, and president of TalentSmart, world's leading provider of emotional intelligence.
  

Tempers are flaring yet again on the Korean peninsula after two South Korean soldiers were seriously injured recently by land mines that North Korea recently planted in the demilitarized zone. In response to the provocation, South Korea will end a ten-year hiatus and resume blasting propaganda messages across the border via loudspeakers.
The messages will criticize Kim Jong Un's ability to lead, and my hunch is that they won't go over well as Kim doesn't take kindly to people who question his authority.
When it comes to Kim's leadership, there's a lot to criticize, but that also means there's a lot to learn.
Leadership lessons typically come from celebrated cultural icons, whether they work in business, politics, or the arts. But that doesn't mean that we can only learn from our heroes. In fact, we can learn just as much about leadership from those who've failed us.
By looking carefully at some of the questionable qualities of the world's more suspect leaders, we can gain a deeper understanding of why certain things don't work, how our actions affect people, and how we can yield influence to inspire growth over destruction.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has plenty to teach us about leadership -- you just have to know where to look. Here are five important lessons from the Supreme Leader.

Lesson #1: Don't annihilate your enemies
Strong leaders don't fear dissent because they've done the hard work to inspire genuine loyalty. Weak leaders, on the other hand, see anything short of pandering as a threat, and they'll do whatever it takes to quash the threat.
After Kim's defense minister, 66-year-old Hyon Yong-Chol, nodded off during a meeting earlier this year, Kim had him executed with a ZPU-4 anti-aircraft gun -- a massive, four-barreled machine gun capable of firing 600 rounds per minute. Naturally, Kim had the execution conducted in front of hundreds of onlookers. In all, Kim is thought to have executed over 70 "dissenters" since coming to power.
Like many errant leaders, Kim sees an excessive show of force as a sign of strength that will teach people a lesson. In reality, it shows weakness and fear. Sure, many who witness the act will toe the line, but only as long as they absolutely have to because they now know that their leader has poor character, no self-control, and an utter lack of self-confidence. Whenever a leader engages in verbal abuse, temper tantrums, and harsh punishments that don't fit the crime, people are quick to look for the door.
Lesson #2: Your people are not your pleasure squad
Great leaders believe that they are there to serve their people. A bad leader is one who has things the other way around. In April, Kim reactivated the pleasure squad that had last served during his father's reign. Women "recruited" for the squad are forced to live with Kim and submit to his every whim in exchange for $4,000 and home appliances. While we have laws in place to prevent such behavior in the workplace, it's demotivating and demoralizing any time you feel as though you're only being paid to be at a leader's service. Great leaders see their position as having additional responsibility to serve those who follow them, to motivate them, and to help them achieve more than they ever thought possible.

Lesson #3: Don't fear those who might have something to teach you
Great leaders realize that there is always more to learn; weak leaders try to nullify any evidence that somebody else might have more wisdom and experience than they do. Kim Jong Un falls into the latter category. One South Korean official said that he is trying to "erase all traces of his father's rule" and is "replacing top brass with officers who are loyal to him alone." Three men who were handpicked by his father to groom the young leader have either been demoted or disappeared entirely, as have three defense ministers and four chiefs of the army's general staff. Like weak leaders everywhere, Kim has a habit of pushing people out who might have something to teach him, a behavior which stifles good ideas and sends everyone who isn't trapped by a heavily armed border packing.
Lesson #4: Don't alienate your allies
Great leaders know that they are only as good as their allies. They cultivate these relationships as one of their most valuable business assets and consider them carefully when making important decisions. Although China has been one of North Korea's staunchest allies since the Korean War, Kim Jong Un's lack of consideration for its interests has been a major strain on their relationship throughout his rule. One of China's biggest aims is to maintain stability on the Korean peninsula. Kim's provocative solo maneuvers, including widely publicized missile tests, have irked the Chinese and threatened that stability. Leaders who go rogue and make major decisions without considering the input of their allies are tough to work for and even harder to trust and find themselves without any support when they need it most.

Lesson #5: Know the difference between wielding power and having power
Great leaders never wield power for the sake of it. On August 15, North Korea will move its time zone back by 30 minutes. The reason? The time zone was initially set by Japan, so Kim Jong Un sees it as a sign of "Japanese imperialism." There's no practical reason to wind the clocks back. Kim Jong Un essentially wants to tell Japan, "You're not the boss of me." True leaders are confident enough in their authority that there's no need to prove it. If you have to prove that you're the boss by going around showing everyone how powerful you are, you've got a big problem.
Bringing it all together
Emotionally intelligent leaders find lessons everywhere they look as their journey continually moves them towards greater self- and social awareness. While our heroes have a lot to teach us, so do those who fail to earn our respect.

Coconut Cupcakes with Lime Curd Filling

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Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 12
In lieu of using a pastry bag to fill the cupcakes with lime curd, you can cut a small cone-shaped wedge out of the top of each cupcake. Spoon 1 to 2 tsp. of the curd into the center and replace the wedge. Then glaze the cupcakes and sprinkle with toasted coconut, as directed.

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• 
  
• Printer Friendly Version
  

• 264
  

Ingredients:

For the lime curd:

• 3 eggs
  
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  
• 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) softened unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
    
  

For the coconut cupcakes:

• 2 cups sifted cake flour
  
• 2 tsp. baking powder
  
• 1/4 tsp. salt
  
• 8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter
  
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  
• 1/2 cup milk
  
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  
• 1/4 tsp. coconut extract
  
• 4 egg whites
    
  

For the glaze:

• 2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
  
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
  
• 1/2 tsp. dark rum
  
• 
  1/2 cup lightly toasted shredded coconut
  

Directions:

To make the lime curd, in the top pan of a double boiler or in a nonreactive saucepan, whisk together the eggs and granulated sugar until blended. Then whisk in the lime juice. Set the top pan over but not touching simmering water in the bottom pan, or set the saucepan over medium-low heat. (If using a saucepan, take care not to heat the mixture too quickly.) Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula or spoon, until the mixture is warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes.

Begin adding the butter a little at a time, stirring each addition until blended before adding more. Continue cooking, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan, until a finger drawn across the back of the spatula leaves a path, 8 to 10 minutes more. Immediately remove the pan from the heat. Pass the curd through a chinois set over a nonreactive bowl and let cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 weeks.

To make the cupcakes, have all the ingredients at room temperature. Preheat an oven to 350°F. Line a 12-well muffin pan with cupcake papers.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 30 seconds. Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue beating, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl, until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.

Reduce the speed to low and fold in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour, until just blended. Stir in the vanilla and coconut extract.

In a large copper beating bowl or mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold 1/2 cup of the egg whites into the batter until smooth, then carefully fold in the remaining whites until smooth and blended. Divide the batter among the prepared wells.

Bake until the cupcakes are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and let cool on the rack to room temperature.

Fit a pastry bag with a #2 tip and fill the bag halfway with the lime curd. Insert the tip into the top of each cupcake and squeeze the bag to fill the cupcake centers with the curd.

To make the glaze, in a bowl, combine the lime juice, confectioners sugar and rum, and whisk until smooth and blended. Brush the cupcakes with the glaze and sprinkle with the toasted coconut.
Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

Related Tips

• Making Fruit Curds
  

Coconut Cupcakes with Lime Curd Filling

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Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 12
In lieu of using a pastry bag to fill the cupcakes with lime curd, you can cut a small cone-shaped wedge out of the top of each cupcake. Spoon 1 to 2 tsp. of the curd into the center and replace the wedge. Then glaze the cupcakes and sprinkle with toasted coconut, as directed.

• 
  
• 
  
• Printer Friendly Version
  

• 265
  

Ingredients:

For the lime curd:

• 3 eggs
  
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  
• 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) softened unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
    
  

For the coconut cupcakes:

• 2 cups sifted cake flour
  
• 2 tsp. baking powder
  
• 1/4 tsp. salt
  
• 8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter
  
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
  
• 1/2 cup milk
  
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
  
• 1/4 tsp. coconut extract
  
• 4 egg whites
    
  

For the glaze:

• 2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
  
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
  
• 1/2 tsp. dark rum
  
• 
  1/2 cup lightly toasted shredded coconut
  

Directions:

To make the lime curd, in the top pan of a double boiler or in a nonreactive saucepan, whisk together the eggs and granulated sugar until blended. Then whisk in the lime juice. Set the top pan over but not touching simmering water in the bottom pan, or set the saucepan over medium-low heat. (If using a saucepan, take care not to heat the mixture too quickly.) Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spatula or spoon, until the mixture is warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes.

Begin adding the butter a little at a time, stirring each addition until blended before adding more. Continue cooking, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan, until a finger drawn across the back of the spatula leaves a path, 8 to 10 minutes more. Immediately remove the pan from the heat. Pass the curd through a chinois set over a nonreactive bowl and let cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 weeks.

To make the cupcakes, have all the ingredients at room temperature. Preheat an oven to 350°F. Line a 12-well muffin pan with cupcake papers.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on high speed until creamy, about 30 seconds. Gradually add the granulated sugar and continue beating, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl, until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.

Reduce the speed to low and fold in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk and beginning and ending with the flour, until just blended. Stir in the vanilla and coconut extract.

In a large copper beating bowl or mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold 1/2 cup of the egg whites into the batter until smooth, then carefully fold in the remaining whites until smooth and blended. Divide the batter among the prepared wells.

Bake until the cupcakes are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and let cool on the rack to room temperature.

Fit a pastry bag with a #2 tip and fill the bag halfway with the lime curd. Insert the tip into the top of each cupcake and squeeze the bag to fill the cupcake centers with the curd.

To make the glaze, in a bowl, combine the lime juice, confectioners sugar and rum, and whisk until smooth and blended. Brush the cupcakes with the glaze and sprinkle with the toasted coconut.
Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

fonz1951 wrote:

duck2000 wrote:the entire country has been explored and they have way more then 150 million barrells!

ok,i stand corrected, now i will correct you, 150 billion not 150 million.

 Oil reserves in [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] are [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] proven oil reserves, with 140 billion barrels.^{[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]} The sources for this oil is primarily located in the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]-majority and Kurdish-majority regions. Sunni-dominated areas on the other hand are comparatively lacking.^{[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]}
As a result of [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] and civil unrest, the official statistics have not been revised since 2001 and are largely based on [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] data from three decades ago. International geologists and consultants have estimated that unexplored territory may contain vastly larger reserves. The majority of Iraq's proven reserves of oil comes from the following cities: Basra (Being [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]), Baghdad (Being [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]), Ramadi (Being [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]), and finally, Ba'aj (Being the last oil rich city).^{[size=11][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]}[/size]
A measure of the uncertainty about Iraq's oil reserves is indicated by widely differing estimates. The [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] (DOE) estimated in 2003 that Iraq had 112 billion barrels (17.8×10^[size=11]9 m³). The [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] (USGS) in 1995 estimated proven reserves were 78 Gbbl (12.4×10⁹ m³). Iraq's prewar deputy oil minister said that potential reserves might be 300 Gbbl (48×10⁹ m³). The source of the uncertainty is that due to decades of war and unrest, many of Iraq's oil wells are run down and unkept. Repairs to the wells and oil facilities should make far more oil available economically from the same deposits. Iraq may prove to contain the largest extractable deposits of oil in the entire Middle East once these upgrading and facility improvements have advanced.^{[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]}[/size]