After the newspaper ads featured in USA Today and other major US newspapers, the popular Iraqi Dinar scam has moved to another country. Just when you thought it was safe for the US based investors, with all the warnings recently published by major media sources, the scammers have found yet another country ripe for profit.

10,000 Iraqi Dinars selling at B$ 110 was the title of a recent ad than ran in a Brunei newspaper. And people are jumping on it like crazy. Rumors are the sellers have run out of stock in less than one week.

How could this be possible? Because they don’t know better. Ordinary people, people just like you and I read about this new investment in a newspaper they trust. The ad is claiming they’re sitting on a pot of gold, and the Iraqi Dinar is about to jump in value big time. They start dreaming about fast riches. They swipe out their wallet faster than the blink of an eye and hand their hard earned money to the scammers.

The truth? The current exchange rate as of today is approximately 1 USD for 1.63 BND (Brunei Dollars).

This means at the exchange rate set by the Central Bank of Iraq people could, in theory, get close to 100,000 Iraqi Dinars for the same BND 110. This is almost TEN times more the amount the scammers are selling it for. And people are jumping on it like crazy! Why? Because they don’t know better.

When they wake up later on and try to sell the dinars back they’re in for a big surprise. They can’t. Nobody is buying Iraqi Dinars. There’s currently no way for them to recover at most 1/10 from their investment except if they are willing to travel to Iraq to cash it in.

But first they have to wait and pray for the dinars to jump in value at least 10 times for them to merely recover their money back. By the way it looks now this sudden jump in value is not going to happen. Not today, not tomorrow, and neither in a month from now. It could happen in 3 years. Or 5 years. Or never.

Sad truth is people who were sold in at these rates were scammed. They were profited for their lack of knowledge. And the sellers knew exactly what the exchange rate was. They knew exactly what’s the potential for this type of investment. And the only potential it has right now is for them, the scammers, to get rich from selling Iraqi Dinars.

So, why did the people buy in? Because they didn’t knew better. But you do!

Don’t fall prey for these scams! You deserve to be informed.

Wouldn’t it be nice, if British MPs debated in the House of Commons if the Iraqi army should go shopping with a US Foreign Secretary? I sure feel it would.

Or maybe not shopping, because it doesn’t have to be shopping. Perhaps a US Foreign Secretary could instead go to a theme park, with the army of Iraq. Unlike a shopping mall, a theme park has roller-coasters (or at least a theme park will or should have better roller-coasters). Shopping malls have a true variety of options of course (like cinemas), but it just seems that if an American Foreign Secretary is going to go somewhere with the Iraqi army, and that somewhere is between either a theme park or a shopping arcade, it’s the theme park which overall offers the better experience – to further make the point, it’s likely that a theme park will have DVD’s on offer, meaning that if the US Foreign Secretary or if any particular member of the Iraqi army wanted a DVD (like either a new release, or a 90’s classic for example), either the US Foreign Secretary could purchase the DVD for that particular member of the Iraqi army or a member of the Iraqi army could purchase the DVD for the US Foreign official.

But anyway: I digress. The overall issue, is to do with whether or not elected members of the House of Commons in the Palace of Westminster should debate the basic issue of whether a US Foreign Secretary should have a day trip with the Iraqi army: I for one think that they should.

As for why a Foreign Secretary, and not a Healthcare Secretary or a Finance Secretary, I suppose it just goes with the territory: relative to a US administration (any US administration), an Iraqi army is a foreign reality, or a foreign group of people. And as for why British MPs, and not US Senators who should be the ones to debate the matter, I suppose I’d just say that such is the pleasantness of the overall idea, it’s more in line with British politicians to indulge the idea (British manners and all that).

So overall, yes: not only should members of the House of Commons address the idea, of an American Foreign Secretary either going shopping with or going to a theme park with all members of the army of Iraq, but I for one agree with the idea.

Bingo is usually seen as a game played in western countries but the fact is that people around the globe enjoy playing bingo. Bingo is especially popular in the UK and during the glory days of the British Empire British culture including bingo was exported to even the remotest parts of the empire. Bingo, both land based and internet bingo, are wildly popular in Australia and New Zealand where the game is popularly known as ‘housie.’ Before World War Two Iraq was part of the British Empire and it was then that bingo was introduced into this ancient Middle Eastern country.

As everyone knows the war in Iraq has been going on for almost a decade with no end in sight and it is hard to imaging such a peaceful activity as a bingo game taking place anywhere in the war torn country. Believe it or not the 85 year old elite Alwiyah Club is now offering bingo games. During the days of empire the Alwiyah Club featured manicured lawns, tennis courts, and a swimming pool. Members were required to have a college degree and the club was a meeting place for the cultural, political and intellectual elite cultural, political and intellectual elite. The club fell on hard times after Dictator Saddam Hussein cut the liquor supply to garner favor with religious conservatives. Many women ceased going to the club fearing predators among Saddam’s friends and family members. Abdul Rahman Hamza whose family was among the founding members put it this way, “It became like a military club. No drinking. No parties. What kind of club is that?”

The game has attracted some younger players and although the streets in Baghdad are still not completely safe the games are well attended. After years of unrelenting violence the elite Alwiyah Club is making a comeback and the open bar, Arabic pop music and Saturday night bingo games draw players from all age groups.

The resurgence of bingo in Baghdad is seen as a success story for the peacekeeping efforts of the multi national forces. Now on bingo nights the parking lot is packed with eager bingo players. Bingo players pay about $4 for a wooden table and can play bingo for cash prizes all night. The resurgence of bingo is seen as a sign that the country is on its way to stabilization and peace.

Should conditions deteriorate Iraqi players could still play internet bingo and websites are welcoming new players with bigger and better bingo bonuses. Players can play from the safety and comfort of home and search for the best free bingo bonuses.

Amman's beauty and bounty does not end with the plethora of alluring attractions, cryptic civilizations and ancient heritage. The capital city also endows destinations aplenty around its vicinity for tourists and adventure lovers to explore and drown in their magnificence. Once you are in Amman, you simply cannot resist traversing these unfathomable lands that are beaming and bubbling with a charisma of their own.

One such breathtaking piece of interest is the Wadi Al Seer, located approximately at a distance of 24 kilometers towards the city's southwest direction. Luscious green trees line up the panoramic valley of this "Valley of the Orchard, while the Iraq-al-Amir and Qasr-al-Abd bring forth the obscure and the occult myths of the ancient.

As the legend goes, Qasr- al-Abd was raised by a lovelorn slave who adored his master's beautiful daughter. The name, however, which in English means "The Castle of the Slave" reveals the story of Hyrcanus, a historical personality and the governor of the city of Amman, who considered himself the "slave of the people" for serving mankind to the core .

The fortress constructed by Hyrcanus, engraved with monstrous animals of towering powers, subtly suggests the exceptional exploits that the governor indulged in during his reign. The caves of Iraq- Al-Amir were dens for cavalry stables and at present home to countless goats and storage staffs of the villagers. Amman's most prominent fashion and cultural district, Swefieh is a mélange of clubs, night bars, shopping plazas and not to forget the "red light" areas.

Take a day off to dig into the Roman history as preserved and venerated by the city of Jerash, 48 kilometers north of the city of Amman. As you drive past the city, you will be entranced by the outstanding manner in which the Roman traditions in the form of baths, colonnaded streets, arches and plazas have been conserved.

The city, which echoes its Greco-Roman connection, had been the settlement area for Arab and Semitic tribes in the first millennium. The festive spirit of Jerash comes alive during the months of July and August when artists, dancers, athletes and musicians entertain people by extolling the rich culture of the city with the Jerash Festival of Culture and Arts.

On your return trip from Jerash, go a little off the track to reach the mesmerizing landscapes of Ajloun, with its lush green valley overlooking the Dead Sea, the West Bank and Lake Tiberius. Explore the Qala'at al-Rabadh, the enrapturing castle, an outstanding archetypal Islamic architecture. Ajloun dons on bewitching regalia in the winter months when the snow-capped peaks are a remarkable sight.

No single catastrophe since the last world war makes very deep an effect on earth events as 9/11. Had the world responded to his 9/11 hit on America with small amounts Osama bin Laden most likely have disappeared, expelled from Afghanistan or even murdered by his Tajik adversaries. Even the Taliban had been recognized to have been surprised by 9/11. Practically the whole Muslim community (and the PLO) came out in sympathy with America.

It was a brief time of American moral supremacy. Still by introducing armed aggression, initially against Afghanistan and then against Iraq, America wholly squandered the gain. The aggression resulted in a tide of surge and anti-Americanism of support for wild Islamism across the Muslim community. The wars cost tens of a huge number of lives and also caused mass destruction. The billions of bucks expended on them was funded mostly from borrowing, which subsequently has destabilized the world economy.

All this was from all proportion to the episodes on 9/11. Indeed the reaction to 9/11 was as Bin Laden should have dreamed. He noticed prevalent hostility towards the west along with its intense behavior in the Muslim community. Civil liberties have been curbed and governments reverted to cold war paranoia. America was once again the great Satan. The serenity dividend so eagerly awaited at the conclusion of the twentieth century evaporated when the security business exploited counter terrorism and seized every possibility of income and risk aversion. Bin Laden became a role model for extremists almost everywhere. The decade after 9/11 should get ranking among the counterproductive and inept most eras within the story of contemporary statesmanship.

The result was an innovative emphasis on fighting global terrorism, especially Al Qaida. Huge new resources have been tossed into the fight. Paradoxically, looking back, 9/11 might happen to be the excessive water mark for al Qaida instead of the start of a brand new terrorist threat. The team has since been not able to mount very stunning an assault once again. The Arab spring has made it nearly irrelevant. Looking back, maybe the west put a lot of work into the physical battle against global terrorism without enough into addressing the grievances the extremists could exploit, particularly the failing to progress serenity in the Middle East.

Terrorists used the resources of a contemporary global culture, the internet, hi-tech airplanes, open borders, to strike the west at home. Thankfully, they didn’t provoke the societies of ours into closing the borders of theirs and hunkering down in your home and as an alternative we reacted with a better willingness to participate internationally. The strike gave birth to an unprecedented common coalition of revulsion. The opinion fragmented over Iraq. Divisions over Afghanistan, Syria and Libya show it hasn’t yet been rebuilt. One day is hoped by me it could be recaptured without a repeat of the appalling catastrophe that initially brought it into becoming.

In Daniel 8:17, Gabriel tells Daniel that the ram and goat (chazown) “vision concerns the time of the end.” Historians confirm the application in verses 20,21 where “The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between its eyes is the first king.”

Daniel was probably a teenager when Babylon conquered Jerusalem circa 606 BC. He became prime minister to Nebuchadnezzar, and when Babylon later fell to Medo-Persia in 538 BC, he became prime minister to Cyrus. Only God could reveal to him the next world empire–Grecia in 331 BC. For comparison, we can’t even tell whether Russia, China or Iran will attack us, but this vision reveals the sequence.

The Medes and Persians conquered Babylon by diverting the Euphrates River and entering by the river gate as foretold by the prophet Isaiah–God named Cyrus before he was born and said He would, “open doors before him so that gates will not be shut,” Isa 45:1. This foreknowledge by the God of Israel convinced Cyrus that the Hebrew God was God, and prompted his decree to release them at the end of the 70 years foretold by the prophet Jeremiah that Judah would “serve the king of Babylon seventy years,” Jer 25:11.

But Gabriel told Daniel, “the vision concerns the time of the end.” Dan 8:17. The Medes and Persians are now Iraq and Iran. Our borders are as open to Muslims now as the river gates were then. Didn’t this Muslim president promise us “change”?

The first horn-Saddam, has been broken. A US coalition will stomp Iran as it did Iraq after something stupid angers the goat. Probably it will be a 3rd Intifada with Iran as the chief ingredient in Zechariah’s prophecy:

“The [Islamic] nations gather against Jerusalem to battle and the city will be captured, the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled… Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations,” [as the goat stomped the ram.] Zech 14:1-3. This isn’t hard to imagine since Iraq has already been beaten.

Then the goat becomes great, but his horn breaks, Grecia became the next world empire after the Battle of Arbela in 331 BC, but Alexander died in early life (great horn, first king, broken). We wouldn’t want to name names, but the US president is acting like a king and could fulfill this prophecy.

“The goat became very great, but at the height of its power the large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven.” Dan 8:8 in KJV has a marginal reference to Dan 7:2,3 where four winds blow and four beasts come up.

The lion with eagle’s wings could be a UK/US alliance. The bear represents Russia. The leopard with four heads could be China with N Korea, Japan, and Thailand? The dragon with “little horn” would the EU as Europe was in the first application, and the papacy is again the “little horn” as Protestant reformers described.

The imagery could support UK/US conquests by Russia that is then subdued by China as the original sequence with Babylon, Medo-Persia and Grecia suggest. An alternate view would be simultaneous powers with UK/US representing western culture, Russia with military primacy, China as an economic force and the EU reflecting world dominance with papacy from a religious view.

Summary of Daniel 8: “At the time of the end, a pushy [militant] Muslim ram angers a goat that flies from the west to stomp the ram and break its horns. Then the goat horn breaks (US military supremacy) and four horns represent four world powers with a little horn becoming “exceeding great… even to the host of heaven… and stamped on them’ [persecution-same picture as the papacy–the little horn in Dan 7:21,25, but this will be New World Order with pope in control, as in the Old World. “God declares the end from the beginning” by a reapplication of prophetic imagery. Watch for Matthew 24 next weekend.

In no other time in our history has there been such corruption and insanity coming from Washington and especially the White House. Trump and his henchmen have all but obliterated the Constitution. Now, with the world turning its eyes toward Syria after another so called chemical weapons attack on the Syrian people our fearless leader has taken it upon himself to interfere with military action that has global repercussions. Unlike President Obama Trump and his henchmen have made matters much worse than ever before. His reaction has been completely idiotic, something only a madman would only do.

We have to remember the current tensions in the Mid-East can be traced back to the events following 9/11. When the Bush Administration went to war from perceived information that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction was the so called start of our continued military involvement in the Mid-East. We must point out that the reason of going to war was solely based on false information. Subsequently, this action by the United States destabilized the whole region. With this latest military action mimics our foray into Iraq when information proved false.

When the Obama Administration came in with Secretary Clinton proved even worse in foreign policy directives. Questions that even the Russian President keeps asking have shed light on how the West, the United States, continues to support continued military options instead of brokering diplomatic solutions aimed at stabilizing the region. Now, we have the Trump Administration with its supporting cast of misfits, warmongers, and other despicable characters. The insanity coming from this Administration is nothing more than criminal.

The madmen in Washington have engineered what is amounting to a prelude to World War III. The supporting cast of characters in this, what could be the final act in world history, are the financiers who have always profited when the winds of war start blowing. As a staunch allies of the United States Israel has positioned itself in such a manner that the slightest provocation could engulf the entire region in flames of destruction.

There is more to this than meets the eye. First off is the fact that Russia and China have for some time been positioning themselves to take down the monetary value of the US dollar. When the US dollar isn’t the world reserve currency an economic collapse would ensue devastating not only the United States but Europe as well. The forces within the financial world of Wall Street, the IMF and the World Bank are now in collusion fostering not diplomatic solutions but have now proved to be behind our decades long military operations through-out the world.

With Trump in the White House his triads, false bravado, and infamous Twitter ramblings have made the rest of the world take notice that America has turned into a Banana Republic. Now, with a war cabinet behind him and his eagerness to justify military action based on perceived information that like in the first Gulf War proved false just shows that he is acting above the law. Acting without definitive proof that Assad authorized two chemical weapon attacks with military action and without the Approval of Congress or first finding proof that chemical weapons were actually used and by whom proves again that Trump is being persuaded to use military action without justification.

The madmen in Washington have only furthered the insanity that has manifested itself to where the American public are being led like sheep. Brainwashed into thinking that America can do no wrong. This insanity of the Trump and his cast of madmen have to stop before the world is set ablaze either by war or by the continued assault on our environment due to global warming. There is a way to do so but we had better act before it really is too late.

If you are among the thousands of people who have bought Iraqi Dinar currency in hopes of scoring a big profit, you may now be wondering what options there are for liquidating your Dinar holdings.

The Iraqi Dinar investment dream has been around for nearly a decade now. The dream is promoted by a slew of websites that sell Iraqi currency – that is, actual physical bundles of currency – to “investors” through mail order. The websites’ sales pitch goes like this: “Before the 1990’s Gulf War 1 million Dinar was worth $3,200,000 USD; today you can buy 1 million Dinar for just $1,150.00 USD”. As the Iraq economy improves the Dinar will likely be revalued. If the revalue is at a level approaching it’s pre-war exchange rate, today’s small cash outlay could return millions for those savvy enough to get in now. Iraq’s vast oil resources, well-educated population and guaranteed rebuilding aid from the US make buying Iraqi dinar almost a sure bet.”

This rationale has proven compelling for thousands of people who’ve taken the plunge and bought Iraqi currency.

But people who buy Iraqi dinar are not buying a liquid, actively traded investment; rather they are buying a numismatic “collectible” that has very high transaction costs. For example, today you can expect to pay about $1,150 USD for 1,000,000 of Iraqi Dinar (IQD) currency from on-line dealers. The same 1,000,000 IQD has an official exchange rate value of just $854 USD – a hefty 30% markup. Dealers justify this margin by noting the high costs of transporting and safekeeping foreign currency bundles.

Similarly, if you are a holder of Iraqi currency and have decided to convert your Dinar back into US dollars, your options are limited and costly. One Dinar website makes the following noteworthy disclosure in its fine print Q&A page: Until markets develop for the resale of Iraqi Dinars, it may be difficult for you to liquidate your Iraqi Dinars or exchange them for US Dollars.

One option is to sell the currency back to a Dinar dealer. Typically, online Dinar dealers who advertise 1,000,000 IQD for sale for $1,110 are willing to pay $800 to buy back the same 1,000,000 IQD. In other words, when you drive the Dinar off the lot, it’s instantly worth 32% less in the eyes of the dealer that just sold it to you! Selling Dinar back to a dealer is the option having the highest transaction cost but least amount of hassle.

A second option is to sell your holdings on eBay. With eBay, transaction costs should be 10% or less (meaning you might pocket $1,000 if your 1,000,000 IQD can fetch $1,100). (This eBay fee calculator will give you a good idea of your transaction costs.) However, for the newcomer, eBay can be intimidating and entail a substantial learning curve. You should be aware too that eBay has a very active community of Iraqi dinar dealers who you will be directly competing with.

A third option is to sell your Dinar holdings on Craigslist. Craigslist is free, easy to use and very effective for selling items. However, the audience is primarily local and the number of listings for IQD is relatively small – even in the larger Craigslist communities.

The Iraqi Dinar dream may someday become reality for those investors willing to buy and hold dinar for the long-term. But people looking to liquidate their Dinar holdings today will likely take a significant loss on their “investment”.

“[There must be] a wall of separation between church and state”-Thomas Jefferson, 1802

When I was a Marine company commander in South Vietnam in 1967, my unit regularly received “care” packages addressed to “Any soldier, sailor, airman or Marine.” The packages contained such items as disposable razors, toothbrushes, toothpaste, Lifesavers, factory-packaged snack items and paperback novels. The care packages were normally prepared by various civic and veterans’ organizations and if approved by the Department of Defense they were eligible for expedited shipping overseas. The care packages were always appreciated by those in uniform.

Care packages that are now being sent to members of the armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan are similar in many ways to the packages that were sent to our forces in South Vietnam 40 years ago – with one exception. Nowadays, religious extremists are attempting to proselytize by including Bibles, religious books and even religious video games in care packages.

Church & State newsletter explains it this way: “A Dallas-based group called Operation Straight Up (OSU) planned to include a video game called ‘Left Behind: Eternal Forces’ in care packages for the troops. The game, based on a series of apocalyptic novels by Religious Right activist Tim LaHaye, allows players to kill opponents in the name of Christianity or the Antichrist. It has been criticized for violent content.”

According to an Aug. 22 article in the Los Angeles Times, OSU is a fundamentalist ministry headed by former kickboxer Jonathan Spinks. It is also an official member of the Defense Department’s “America Supports You” program. The group has staged a number of Christian-themed shows at military bases, featuring athletes, strongmen and actor-turned-evangelist Stephen Baldwin. But thanks in part to the support of the Pentagon, Operation Straight Up has now begun focusing on Iraq, where, according to its website, it planned an entertainment tour called the “Military Crusade.”

OSU personnel were obviously unaware of Muslim sensitivities about Americans going on a “crusade” in the Middle East.

Max Blumenthal, writing in The Nation, said “The Left Behind video game is a real-time strategy game that makes players commanders of a virtual evangelical army in a post-apocalyptic landscape that looks strikingly like New York after 9/11. With tanks, helicopters and a fearsome arsenal of automatic weapons at their disposal, Left Behind players wage war against . . . armies of the Antichrist.” To win the game, players must kill or convert all non-believers. They also have the option of reversing roles and commanding the forces of the Antichrist.

OSU’s plan was initially approved by the Department of Defense Chaplain’s Office, but after Blumenthal’s article was published in August, the approval was revoked. Former Reagan Administration White House Counsel Mikey Weinstein has been highly critical of OSU, telling Navy Times that the organization “is the IED [improvised explosive device] that is blowing up the constitutional wall separating church and state in the Pentagon and throughout our military.”

Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Washington DC-based Americans United for Separation of Church and State said of OSU’s activities: “There appears to be a very deep connection between this allegedly private group promoting evangelical Christianity and the military itself. It doesn’t matter what the religion is. The government is supposed to be neutral. It is supposed to be hands-off on that.”

As a 27-year-old Marine captain in South Vietnam, I always tried to lead my Marines “by example,” but that never extended to religion. My religious beliefs were private and mine alone. I never attempted to proselytize or to convert others to my way of thinking. Religious fundamentalists should do the same. Our young men and women in uniform are quite capable of thinking for themselves about this important subject.

Warren Bennis, an American scholar and a pioneer of the contemporary field of Leadership Studies said that success in management requires learning as fast as the world is changing. Especially, we are now moving into digital age and everything moves very fast. If we cannot keep up with those changes, we will be left behind. This article will explore 4 key areas to deal with fast changing world.

American Military used an acronym called VUCA to describe extreme conditions in Afghanistan and Iraq. It stands for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. Actually, VUCA does not exist only in Afghanistan and Iraq, it can be found in countries, townships, families and organizations. It is everywhere and always give hard time to leaders.

• Volatile: Things are not very easy to predict like before. With the new technology, the world becomes like a big village and smaller. Everything can happen at any time in anywhere.
• Uncertain: Nothing is permanent and today’s business world is full of uncertainty. If we want to make decisions only when we knows things very clearly, we may never make decisions in this fast changing world.
• Complex: Almost all situations are very complicated in the business now a day. Leaders are facing many problems and challenges related to many rules and regulations which need to be compliance with, a lot requirements, product issues.
• Ambiguous: Everything is unclear and vague. Unclear situations, policies, rules & regulations make leaders confused. It is very hard for leaders to make clear decisions.

Therefore, a leader must understand the word VUCA that is used to describe extreme conditions in Afghanistan and Iraq. Leaders must create another VUCA in order to deal with the VUCA that is meant for the extreme conditions. They are Vision, Understanding, Clarity, and Agility.

• Vision: Since the future is not easy to be predicted, leaders must have a clear vision where they want to go. Leader without having any sense of direction will fail in the long run.
• Understanding: Leader must be able to understand the situations where there is full of uncertainty. Leader must understand their business, the situations they are in, and people who they are dealing with.
• Clarity: Most of the business situations are complex and complicated, leaders must be able to see things clearly and create clarity. They must be able to clarify things which are not sure or unclear.
• Agility: When things are unclear and vague, it will very hard for leaders to make decisions. Therefore, leader must have agility and must have ability to move quickly and easily.

There is only one thing that is not changed is change. Leaders must face the VUCA world with clear thoughts (Head), correct mindset and right attitude (Heart), and the courage to make things happens (Hand). In other words, leaders must have a clear vision, they must be able to understand the situations and people, they must be able to see things clearly, and they must be able to move quickly and easily. By doing so, leader will be able to lead their people to survive in the VUCA work that is extremely difficult.