Grandmas stockings grin:-)
Since the US cracked the bank secrete of the swiss company called SWIFT.
Bathrooms, old stockings, boxes filled with coffeepowder are up to date again.
I can't believe it. Guys, my private advice: open an anonyme account in an Austrian bank. Austria is the only country in the world where the anonyme number account is protected by the basic Austrian Constitution. It works well.
Cash found in a bathroom, Jesus - this land must be a smugglers paradise.
Rightwings use normaly paymaster
It is everywhere more or less the same, black accounts in Switzerland etc.
And everywhere is the possebility to make some extra bucks. I read today in the newspaper that the Deutsche bank said that Argentinian economy is more influenced by fraude than Italy, which will mean something.
I mean forgetting cash is one thing, but could it be that way? Its not a typicall female behaviour - rather something like a males aktion in a rush I would say. Maybe I will hear the solution when I am finaly in BA.
Siemens Argentina and corruption.
Today's "Clarin" had the breakdown of how the coimas (bribes) were distributed by Siemens for the contract to provide a new system of National Identity documents. Siemens were forced to admit their corrupt behavior by action in the USA. Not too many people believe this is the full extent so they are saying "possible coimas". Probably much more.
The contract was for U$1.26 billion and was started during the presidency of Carlos Menen. Unfortunately for Siemens, the contract extended past Menem's term and they had to pay out the next few administrations as well, but they are not too forthcoming with the truth or quantity. Probably being threatened with something dire if they are too frank.
Here's the distribution admitted by Siemens.
President Carlos Menem. U$16 million plus another U$30 million distributed to him and his cabinet. Total U$46 million.
Minister for the Interior. Carlos Corach U$9.75 million.
Director of Immigration Hugo Franco. U$9.75 million.
President Fernando De La Rua. U$6 million.
President Eduardo Duhalde. Admitted but not yet quantified.
President Nestor Kirchner. Admitted but not yet quantified.
Functionaries. U$15.7 million.
Lobbyists. U$35.1 million.
Other entities. U$54.9 million.
Not including what Duhalde and Kirchner squeezed when it was their turn at the top, it comes to U$177.2 million dollars.
Siemens admits in the USA to paying out over U$1.4 billion dollars in bribes to get U$4.283 billion dollars of business. That is right on the button of the generally accepted 33 1/3% that is allowed here for coimas when bidding for public works. Without exception.
So probably the true figure for the Argentine DNI contract coimas is more than U$420 million dollars plus the dough for the later administrations, no doubt added to the contract price in the form of 'extras'. I wonder who got the extra money that no-one is prepared to spill the beans on.
I also wonder if the proposed new law allowing "black money" to be repatriated without penalty or questions isn't a simple device for these corrupt bastards to wash the money and bring it back in. Menen cheerfully admits he received over U$1 billion dollars from "generous friends" while he was President. But he claims he never took a bribe. After this Siemens admission, he story is looking a little flaky.
Argento
I worked on this contract
Actually, this contract was my introduction to the country and women of Argentina (my lucky day) I was project liason from my company to the RNP. I spent 40 weeks in BsAs from fall of 1999 til spring of 2001.
I was livin large, $4K / month penthouse apartment on Posadas (one block from Padio Bullrich) full salary, per diem, weekly bonus, milestone bonuses, company driver, etc, etc, etc. Let me tell you if I got non-pro chcas to the apartment (the typical exclamation was, cinco banos! It was a done deal!
This was two companies ago. They were responsible for the imaging component of the project. Not considering the corruption in the acquisition of the contract. The project was a cluster F$#K from the git go.
Siemens paid the entire front end cost of the project $250 Million (we got paid) Then they were supposed to be paid $30.00 for each DNI produced. However, they did not manage their customer well at all. First, they agreed to have the RNP supply government union employees (who ended up constantly on strike) mostly because they weren't getting paid.
Then, they caved every step of the way. The RNP was against the project, so every step along the way they were an obstacle. What should have been maybe 8 different application types ended up being like 75. They didn't listen to us about form design even though we were responsible for the handwritten recognition and key from image. Even though our systems were far from perfect, it was the poor company responsible for the database who could never get the complexity of 75 application types functioning.
The project had problems all the way along. The RNP changed operational considerations after the design and a lot of the development was done, causing major retooling. The delapitated facilities, continual power disruptions, theft of key equipment from PFA guarded facilties (the processors and hard drives disappeared from 120 systems one weekend) RNP obstacles, etc.
The system never really got off the ground. I think maybe 5000 DNIs were produced before Menem left office and then the project just went into a holding pattern until it was finally cancelled.
So does this sound like the Argentina that many of you know so well or WHAT!
You're absolutely on the wrong bus.
[QUOTE=Thomaso276]While I agree that the corruption here is overwhelming, let's not forget that it hits us in the USA as well. They difference is it is not as organized and when it is discovered someone gets jailed or at least charged. Can you say Governor Bulgdonovichski or whatever his name is? How about those LAPD cops charged for protecting rap groups several years ago, or NYPD cops working with drug dealers? Or some local hometown newspaper uncovering payoffs to building inspectors.
I think the biggest difference is that here EVERYONE associated with some approval or licensing authority can be bribed, while in the States you have to find that one person or small group who is available. For example try and pay off the next cop who stops you for a traffic violation in the States vs. Here. Which one do you think will be adding charges and taking you to jail? Same with customs or inspectors. You might have limited success in the USA, you have a 99% chance of success here.
One good bribe here is you can bribe chicas for sex![/QUOTE]Sure there is corruption in the USA as well as in most countries. Where I think you are wrong is in that you fail to understand that the political class here aspire to political power just so they can be bribed. It is a gigantic confidence trick played against the Argentine citizens who genuinely think the politicians are trying to change things for the better. If they change anything it is purely to enrich their own pockets. The pollies on the other hand do not have any humanity for their constituents. They are there just for the bribes and if they have to spin a bit about social justice and how bad other countries treat Argentina, they can do it with apparent conviction and with style. Just follow the trail on the Siemens affair and you will see that each successive administration took bribes at the Presidential level. No exceptions and that officials and functionaries lower down the food chain also had their snouts in the trough. These projects are created to develope a pipeline to feed the bribes to those in the foodchain. In the States, the small amount of government corruption is opportunist and severely punished in a social and economic sense. The only one of the Argentine Presidents in trouble with the law is Menem and that is related to illegal arms trading and the bribes he took there. Nothing is being done about the admissions Siemens has coughed up.
When you see perfectly good streets and curbing being replaced, you wonder about such politicians that can sanction such blatantly contrived contracts but continue to do nothing about the more than 200 children a month that die of malnutricion according to the World Health Organisation. They have no doubt about their priorities. It's get as much money as you can as quick as you can.
Argento
Prosecutor targets K in graft probe
Carrió accuses former president and other officials of irregularities.
Prosecutor targets K in graft probe.
Elisa Carrió, head of the coalition, sued officials and Kirchnerite businessmen over alleged irregularities in the construction of public works, housing programmes, oil exploitation contracts, gambling and transport.
Information in the case that would link Kirchner to the alleged corruption cases has reportedly been presented to the court by Carrió, following investigations conducted by lawmakers of the ARI (a centre-left party formerly led by Carrió) and the Civic Coalition.
After the judge's decision was announced, Carrió praised the actions of the judiciary and said "there is no other destination than jail for Kirchner.
"This is the best Christmas gift I ever received, the opening of the case means that the prosecutor has ordered to investigate into the accusations against Kirchner and his group" said Carrió during a radio interview.
Federal Judge Julián Ercolini yesterday formally accepted a request from prosecutor Gerardo Pollicita to start a probe into the actions of the alleged criminal organization formed by Kirchner, Planning Minister Julio De Vido, Transport Secretary Ricardo Jaime, Claudio Uberti (former head of the Occovi road watchdog.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Looks like a scandle is on its way, the above is from todays Buenos Aires Hearld
Exom
David Davis will Have a Position in K's Cabinet
Read this Ass Kisser from the BA Herald's "Your View" section. My guess is he will get some kind of appointment from CFK. I'm not sure what "Daub-and-Wattle" means, but I have a pretty good grasp on the term "Miracle". Wherever he is from in Europe must be hell. Or someplace where words matter more than results.
Also, CFK in "lacy panties" gives me chills.
[quote=Buenos Aires Herald]IN PRAISE OF THE KIRCHNERS.
As a part-time resident here, fleeing northern European winters annually, I describe Argentina's economic "miracle"to UK friends as a daub-and-wattle job.
Nevertheless, I do not hide my admiration for the Kirchners, in view of the difficult task facing anyone trying to run this country.
To have to harness a disparate assortment of latter-day Peronists, many of whom are not sure they are Peronists, with a few hundred bully boys (los gremios trade unionists) who need appeasing on a daily basis, is a huge task. But they are bright people.
Not Ivy League "smartie pants" clever. More down at the bottom, wooing on the streets, "lacy panties" style.
Comparing the incumbents of the Casa Rosada these past 20 years, the Kirchners may get a good history.
David Davis[/quote]
No monopoly on corruption!
Don't think that you guys have cornered the market in corruption!
Can you imagine working for a Company that has a little more than 600 employees and has the following employee statistics?
• 29 have been accused of spouse abuse.
• 7 have been arrested for fraud.
• 9 have been accused of writing bad cheque's.
• 17 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses.
• 3 have done time for assault.
• 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit.
• 14 have been arrested on drug-related charges.
• 8 have been arrested for shoplifting.
• 21 are currently defendants in lawsuits.
• 84 have been arrested for drink driving in the last year.
Which organization is this?
It's the 635 members of the UK House of Commons, the same group that cranks out hundreds of new laws each year designed to keep the rest of us Brits inline.
What a bunch of be*****ds we have running our country - it says it all.
And just to top all that they probably have the best 'corporate' pension scheme in the country!
Hotman.
Kirchner the economic guru!
"Not one single job must be lost." The leader in today's Herald is a statement made by Nestor Kirchner and certainly confirms how far removed his public statements are from commercial reality. His follow-up comment that he had "warned about the incorrect working of the international economy's structure", is also a good indication of his political know-how, not his economic savyness. I would like to comment on both statements.
Firstly though, of all the countries that survive on exports, Argentina should be the one in the best position to be least affected. The problem is one of modern derivative financial markets, credit and banking; to which Argentina was not greatly exposed, simply by virtue of its eight year exclusion from international credit markets and its almost nonexistent banking and stock markets. So only marginal exposure to the international crisis. Any crisis here is self-induced and unrelated to the rest of the world. And guess who dictated policy post the corralito (2002) No prizes if you said Nestor Kirchner. Certainly the downturn in agricultural commodities will hurt the Argentine economy but in reality, today's commodity prices are really better than the historical mean; not fantastic but certainly not basement prices.
Mr. Kirchner's claimed prescience in the context of today's statement is news to me. Any comments that he made in the past, (and he has made many) have been simply rhetoric to support and shore-up his set position ("lend us money") in relation to Argentina being closed out of international financial markets. To attempt to attribute those statements to the position of the current world recession is plainly claiming credit for something he did not do, and would put him, if it was true, to be nominated for the Nobel prize in Economics. In two words: Not likely.
A company's primary obligation is to their shareholders. Without profits and the subsequent dividends, no shareholders would risk their hard-earned capital. To expect companies to retain unneeded labour and disregard their obligations to their owners, can be a criminal offence in most western jurisdictions. By using the term 'businessmen', it creates the impression that most company owners are sole traders and have been so prosperous that they can afford to have labour sitting around fully paid. And that is obviously what the 'public' Mr. Kirchner would want. But most companies are not sole traders and labour is just one cost that must be reviewed when business declines. Rents, utilities, finance etc all need to be carefully adjusted to reflect their proportional costs to the end product of their company. And labour is no different. Social support in times of distress is the responsibility of society and good government ought to have contingency plans for just those situations. If he applies his 'public' economic savyness to his hotel interests, he will certainly go broke. After all, if there are no beds to be made and no rooms to clean, why would you have staff sitting around? All of which I am sure Mr. Kirchner is aware and of which I am also sure, that his labour inputs will be adjusted to the demands of his hotels.
Perhaps his inane public statements might vary from his private business. After all, how did he get so rich?
Argento.
Sent to the BA Herald today.
Trouble with this is that it isn't true
This is my first post.
This canard has been floating around internet for a decade in various guises although the numbers are always the same. First started about the US Congress. Canadian Parliament has been tarred with the same exact report. Lots of stuff out there on the Internet. Some of it is true.
On this particular item see this link:
[url]http://www.snopes.com/politics/crime/congress.asp[/url]
[QUOTE=Hotman 666]Don't think that you guys have cornered the market in corruption!
Can you imagine working for a Company that has a little more than 600 employees and has the following employee statistics?
• 29 have been accused of spouse abuse.
• 7 have been arrested for fraud.
• 9 have been accused of writing bad cheque's.
• 17 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses.
• 3 have done time for assault.
• 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit.
• 14 have been arrested on drug-related charges.
• 8 have been arrested for shoplifting.
• 21 are currently defendants in lawsuits.
• 84 have been arrested for drink driving in the last year.
Which organization is this?
It's the 635 members of the UK House of Commons, the same group that cranks out hundreds of new laws each year designed to keep the rest of us Brits inline.
What a bunch of be*****ds we have running our country - it says it all.
And just to top all that they probably have the best 'corporate' pension scheme in the country!
Hotman.[/QUOTE]