Monday, May 30, 2016

The Panama Papers, and the Iranian Kaaba Blues

"The Revolution Will be Digitized" - John Doe

Panama Papers at the ICIJ

Since the release of the Panama Papers, the repercussions have rippled out around the globe. Some countries are chasing down their citizens that were revealed to have secret accounts in the Cayman Island banks and shell corporations listed in the papers. The best source for this is at the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists website, and I have provided the link above. The whole database is supposed to be available, but all I could find I were articles. There are over 370 reporters in 79 countries who are members and they all participated in writing up stories based on the database.

In the immediate aftermath, Iceland's prime minister had stepped down, so had a Spanish government minister. It also revealed that several of Vladimir Putin's friends had transferred over $2 billion through offshore companies, and he tried to bluff it out by saying that it is all a plot by the United States to smear the good name of his country. (oh, I can't wait for the exchanges between Putin and Donald Trump...). The scams ran the gamut, from mining contracts in Sierra Leone, to the European soccer associations, to the international art market with the recent multi-million dollars sales of paintings and sculptures. Here in the US, we have three states, Delaware, Wyoming, and Nevada that allow the registration of fake companies with hidden ownership, and to not pay state taxes. There is talk in Washington to change that and fix the loopholes, but we all know that if our billionaires can finance and affect national politics, there is no way that they will allow their secret stashes to see the light of day...

The scary part is the 11 million documents represent about 5% of the shell corporations created, and finally, the rest of the money laundering scams may be revealed. Or not... From a poor person's perspective, it would be nice to see every billionaire and politician's dirty laundry, but we can't even get Donald Trump to release his income tax returns...


"Too much time has been lost, and it is now too late to organize the pilgrimage"

In religious news, Iran has forbidden its citizens from traveling to Saudi Arabia for this year's pilgrimage to Mecca. Last year there were stampedes, where, curiously, mostly Iranians died. Saudi officials admitted to 700 deaths, while Iranian officials claimed there were over 4,500. The two governments have been sniping at each other ever since, and an agreement guaranteeing pilgrim's safety this year, fell through. Since last Saturday, several websites owned by Iranian agencies have been hacked, with indications pointing back to Saudi originations.

The two countries have been on opposing sides in the Syrian conflict, and represent the age-old division between Sunnis and Shiites. To any non-Muslim studying their history, this division seems silly and petty, but it has taken on epic proportions that will never be resolved either peacefully or violently...

While I'm at it, I may as well commit total blasphemy: I still don't see the logical link between a piece of meteorite from outer space and how it relates to the Muslim religion. It seems to be more of a link to our superstitious past than something intrinsically holy. What makes it a religious object is that millions of people over time have touched it with reverence, and that repeated reverence creates a blessing... Wikipedia describes the Kaaba Stone as: "The Black Stone of Mecca, or Kaaba Stone, is a Muslim relic, which according to Islamic tradition dates back to the time of Adam and Eve. It is the eastern cornerstone of the Kaaba, the ancient sacred stone building towards which Muslims pray, in the center of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia."

I'm all for pilgrimages to shrines and holy sites, many provide a sense of peace that you cannot find in the real world, the ones that haven't been destroyed by ISIS and the Chinese...


No comments:

Post a Comment

Hi! Thanks for commenting. I always try to respond...