berniesandersmittens
berniesandersmittens's JournalAny of you know anything about the RDIF? (Russia)
History
Edit
RDIF was founded in June 2011 under the leadership of both President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin as part of a broader initiative to improve the investment climate of Russia and establish Moscow as an international financial center. RDIF is managed by a team of private equity investors with broad international and Russian experience.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_Direct_Investment_Fund
Stephen A. Schwarzman is on it's International Advisory Board. He's also a friend of trump's and is the Chair of his Strategic and Policy Forum.
Schwarzman's son, Teddy's law firm he worked at got fined for working with Manafort......!!!
2019 — Skadden pays $4.6 million settlement to the Department of Justice over Skadden's failure to register as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agent Registrations Act.[15] The $4.6 million represents Skadden's fees for up to 950 hours of work with Paul Manafort and the Ukrainian government in 2012, which Skadden had initially told the Department of Justice had been billed at 100 Ukrainian hryvnias ($13) per hour.[16] As of May 2019, Skadden, along with Mercury Public Affairs and the Podesta Group, have been under investigation by the Southern District of New York (SNDY) for possible lobbying violations regarding former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.[17]
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skadden
This law firm made 1 Trillion dollars in 2015, becoming the first law firm to ever make that much in a year...
I've don't remember any news about RDIF, so my research is kind of at a stand still. I'm tired of our corporate overlords!
Side note: Schwarzman is also co-founder of Blackstone Group along with Pete Peterson (Lehman Brothers).
This is my new favorite singer.
There's just somethingI've so unique and artistic about this dude. I think I'm crushing.
Got some very interesting family DNA results: Updated
My little sister bought a DNA kit for my grandmother recently.
She has always told us that her grandmother was full blooded Cherokee. All of her siblings have believed the same.
Turns out there is no trace of native american.
There is however...2% middle eastern.
This is awesome because my grandma is the Fox-aholic who sits on the couch and repeats all the racist crap that she hears.
Her reaction was complete and total shock. She got on her iPad and started looking at maps of the region. Her whole demeanor has changed! It's amazing to witness this transformation.
There's still hope for hearts that carry hate. I swear it feels like a ton of weight has been lifted from my family now. Completely different environment in her house!
.........
Update: Some of my grandmother's siblings say there used to be rumors that their grandmother was a Syrian immigrant who pretended to be Cherokee. (Possibily to hide from racism)
I know the test could be wrong but the coincidence is just amazing and almost poetic in irony.
New life adventures are freaking awesome! Thank you all for going down the rabbit hole with me this past year. I hope I'm not driving everyone nuts with my obsessive posting lately.
You ever ask yourself where the last twenty years went?
I did nothing but work and be mom for so long. A retired embalmer/funeral director, I felt like i was making a difference when families lost loved ones.
Now that I'm "retired" I'm a bit lost.
I look back and I honestly don't know how I managed such an incredibly difficult career and be a single mom doing it.
It's almost like it was another lifetime.
Twenty years spent never slowing down.
Tonight I'm having a few glasses of wine and reflecting... I really need a hobby.
Can anyone help me find my sig gif? Edit: THANK U!!!
It is a stickman that crawls out of a line and waves, then the line spells out "hello"
Ive had him for over ten years and I accidentally deleted him! I can't remember where I got him from.
PS: if anyone finds him I promise to give you a heart next Feb
The reason I love my stickman is because he just drops out of no where to say hi. He says hi, he waves, and then he turns into written word. Ironic because he's so freaking hard to explain when I search for him.
UPDATE: He's back! Thank you all for looking!!! I has happy and can sleep tonight! 
Fireside Pitstop
Hello everyone! I just wanted to check in and see how my fellow loners are doing. 
I like to think of us as a group of wanderers or nomads. Each on a journey of our own, but stopping by the campfire every now and then to tell stories of our travels.
As I add a log to the fire and the sparks dance off into the night, i'm gonna pull up a folding chair and reflect.
Ive finished physical therapy recently and am recovering well from my accident. Insurance companies are a pain and I'm not entirely convinced that they weren't stalking me for a little while ..
Hopefully they will settle soon and I can get another car, even though I really don't like driving anymore.
Golden rods, red buds, and dog woods are in full bloom here in the sticks. It's a beautiful display and as it rains I wish it would wash the stain out of the white house. (Collective sigh goes here)
I'd like to hear some of your adventures from this year if anyone would like to share. I long for the ocean. I wish I could hike the trails and do some kayaking. Such a dreamer's toil...
How Warren plans to fight Congressional/lobbyist corruption
WHAT WILL ELIZABETH WARREN DO?
This is the fight of our lives. The fight to build an America that works for everyone, not just the wealthy and the well-connected. It won’t be easy. But united by our values, we can make big, structural change. We can raise our voices together until this fight is won.
END WASHINGTON CORRUPTION
Washington works great for the wealthy and the well-connected, but it isn’t working for anyone else. Companies and wealthy individuals spend billions every year to influence Congress and federal agencies to put their interests ahead of the public interest. This is deliberate, and we need to call this what it is—corruption, plain and simple. That’s why Elizabeth has proposed the most ambitious set of anti-corruption reforms since Watergate to fundamentally change the way Washington does business.
We will start by ending lobbying as we know it by closing loopholes so everyone who lobbies must register, shining sunlight on their activities, banning foreign governments from hiring Washington lobbyists, and shutting down the ability of lobbyists to move freely in and out of government jobs.
We will also shut the revolving door between Wall Street and Washington and permanently ban Senators and Congressmen from trading stocks in office and from becoming lobbyists when they retire – not for one year or two years, but for life. We will make the justices of the Supreme Court follow a code of ethics and strengthen the code of conduct for all judges to make sure everyone gets a fair shake in our courts. And we will force every candidate for federal office to put their tax returns online.
Together, these sweeping, structural changes will end the dominance of money in Washington, taking power away from the rich and powerful and putting it back where it belongs – with the American people themselves
More at her website. I've always admired Elizabeth. She would make an excellent president!
https://elizabethwarren.com/issues/#strengthen-our-democracy
For my Loner Sweethearts
Some lovely music to get us through Valentine's Day.
Share a song that speaks to your heart!
Thanks for the song!
Love Etta.
Here's a cover of "Cry to me" that I LOVE. It's not Etta, but I think you'll like this, irisblue.
One of the sexiest and soulful covers I've seen!
Profile Information
Gender: FemaleHometown: In the sticks
Member since: Mon Oct 27, 2008, 05:04 PM
Number of posts: 11,343
