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Sometimes I do wonder about the mainstream media and the way it has been used to brainwash people who just listen to the news and read the stuff oozing out of the press and do not bother to really think harder about what is the truth. In order to see the truth you have to have an open mind and look a bit deeper. As an example of the way the media portrays China’s involvement with Africa, it is often labelled as a debt trap. Really? What about the spider spinning its webs from the other side of the planet? While I believe China is not doing complete charity in its dealings with Africa, I would say that it is a case of the pot calling the kettle black.Actually before we call a kettle black, we ought to look at ourselves first if we are the pot. If you read “Confessions of an Economic Hitman” by John Perkins on how America really took over the world by coercing poor countries into accepting huge development fund loans so they are forever in debt to US organisations, you would understand. You would know how highly paid professionals went out under the ‘wings’ of the surreptitious organisations using tools like fraudulent financial reports, rigged elections, payoffs, extortion, sex and murder to benefit a cabal of corporations, banks, rich aristocrats and plutocrats. So, the world is still the same, whichever side of the glass you care to peer through. Do not take the moral high ground so readily.http://www.ipsnews.net/2004/07/development-tied-aid-strangling-nations-says-un/Donor money that comes with strings attached cuts the value of aid to recipient countries 25-40 percent, because it obliges them to purchase uncompetitively priced imports from the richer nations, says a new U.N. study on African economies. The 24-page study singles out four countries – Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom – as the only donors breaking away from the concept of ”tied aid”, which comes with strings attached. About 60-75 percent of Canadian aid is tied, one of the world’s highest amounts. The United States, Germany, Japan and France still insist that a major proportion of their aid money be used to buy products originating only in their countries, according to experts. The United States makes sure that 80 cents in every aid dollar is returned to the home country. “This has ensured that aid money is eventually ploughed back into the economies of donor nations,” says Njoki Njoroge Njehu, director of 50 Years is Enough, a coalition of over 200 grassroots non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The U.N. study is also implicitly critical of the much-trumpeted African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), signed into U.S. law in May 2000, as being too restrictive in its scope. “AGOA is more sinister than tied aid”, says Njehu. “If a country is to be eligible for AGOA, it has to refrain from any actions that may conflict with the U.S.’s ”strategic interests.”www.globaljustice.or.uk/sites/default/files/files/resources/zambia01042004.pdfIn the early 1970s, after the oil crisis (increasing the price of imports) and relative commodity price collapse (reducing the revenue from exports), Zambia had to turn to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank for assistance. So began some thirty years of Bank and Fund intervention in the Zambian economy. In return for loans, Zambia was required to implement Bank and Fund endorsed economic policies over three decades. Unfortunately, this period is a sad story of increasing debt, economic stagnation or collapse, and social crisis. After the external economic shocks suffered in the early 1970s, Zambia’s total external debt rose from US$814 million to US$3,244 million by the end of the decade. The situation then further deteriorated with Zambia’s external debt more than doubling to US$6,916 million by the end of the 1980s. In return for loans, the IMF and World Bank insisted on implementation of economic policies such as privatisation and cuts in public spending, ‘free market’ policy interventions that have included: trade liberalisation; investment deregulation; privatisation; cutting or abolishing subsidies; laying-off civil service staff; public sector wage cuts or freezes and reduced state intervention in the agricultural sector. Yet a close examination of economic and social indicators suggests the kind of policies being foisted on Zambia by these institutions over the past twenty years have been a dismal failure. For example, trade liberalisation, a key plank of Bank and Fund economic orthodoxy, has been disastrous for Zambia’s manufacturing sector. Textile manufacturing has been one sector particularly badly hit. The lowering of tariffs on textile products, and particularly the removal of all tariffs on used clothes, led to large increases in imports of cheap, second-hand clothing from industrialised countries.Agricultural liberalisation has had a similarly poor record. A 2000 World Bank study acknowledged that the removal of all subsidies on maize and fertilizer under World Bank/IMF structural adjustment loans led to “stagnation and regression instead of helping Zambia’s agricultural sector.” In 2003, the Zambian President, Levy Mwanawasa, said, “[The IMF’s privatisation programme] has been of no significant benefit to the country … privatisation of crucial state enterprises has led to poverty, asset stripping and job losses.”This report clearly demonstrates that the IMF and World Bank’s involvement in Zambia has been unsuccessful, undemocratic and unfair. The evidence suggests that the past twenty years of IMF and World Bank intervention have exacerbated rather than ameliorated Zambia’s debt crisis. Ironically, in return for debt relief, Zambia is required to do more of the same. The country has been condemned to debt.http://williameasterly.org/books/the-white-mans-burdenThe imperialist interpretation of "The White Man's Burden" (1899) proposes that the white man has a moral obligation to rule the non-white peoples of the Earth, whilst encouraging their economic, cultural, and social progress through colonialism. In the later 20th century, in the context of decolonisation and the Developing World, the phrase "the white man's burden" was emblematic of the "well-intentioned" aspects of Western colonialism and "Eurocentrism". The poem's imperialist interpretation also includes the milder, philanthropic colonialism of the missionaries: The implication, of course, was that the Empire existed not for the benefit — economic or strategic or otherwise — of Britain, itself, but in order that primitive peoples, incapable of self-government, could, with British guidance, eventually become civilized (and Christianized).Easterly addresses the frequent negative outcomes of loans and grants provided by the World Bank, The International Monetary Fund, and the United States Agency for International Development. Those programs, he points out, have as their focus the best interest of the wealthy and are guided by what the rich perceive to be what is best for the recipients of the monies, but not necessarily what would benefit them the most. The process of utilizing what is known as “top-down goal setting” makes the situation worse because it shuts out information and feedback from the “bottom,” blocking out what really needs to be known about why these projects meet with failure so frequently. Adding another layer of frustration to the efforts is the fact that poorer nations are frequently riddled with corrupt and unscrupulous governmental officials who embezzle money and increase the cost of conducting business while shunning private investments.http://projects.huffington http://post.com/worldbank-evicted-abandoned/new-evidence-ties-worldbank-to-human-rights-abuses-ethiopia"Rights Denied - New Evidence Ties World Bank To Human Rights Abuses In Ethiopia"Author: Sasha Chavkin, ICIJ / Huffington Post...Otiri and Omot are among thousands of Anuak, a mostly Christian indigenous group from the rural Ethiopian state of Gambella, who have fled from Ethiopia’s mass relocation campaign.The Ethiopian government financed the evictions in part by tapping into a pool of aid money from the world’s most influential development lender, the World Bank, two former Ethiopian officials who helped carry out the relocation program told the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. The money, the former officials said, was diverted from the $2 billion in funding that the World Bank had put into a health and education initiative. The World Bank strongly disputes that its money supported the mass evictions in western Ethiopia. Even as Anuak refugees and human rights groups have publicly charged that World Bank money has been used to bankroll brutal evictions, the bank has continued to send hundreds of millions of dollars into the same health and education program......Among the largest leaseholders in Gambella is Saudi Star, a conglomerate owned by Ethiopia’s richest man, Saudi dual citizen Sheikh Mohammed Al-Amoudi.Land previously occupied by Anuak is now being used by Saudi Star for commercial plantations, according to two Anuak elders interviewed by ICIJ and reports by the Oakland Institute and Human Rights Watch. The government cleared small villages within what became the Saudi Star lease area and relocated the residents as part of the villagization program, the Oakland Institute’s report said. A spokeswoman for the sheikh confirmed that Saudi Star has leased 10,000 hectares in Gambella, but denied any of the land had been occupied by Anuak. “No people or farmers were relocated from the land on which Saudi Star is operating,” she said. She said any suggestions the company improperly benefited from the government’s land-use decisions are fabrications fueled by “advocacy groups with a political agenda.”Rethinking Accountability at the World BankAuthor: Natalie Bridgeman Fields & Kindra Mohr, Accountability Counsel in Development ChannelThe World Bank faces a disconnect between its mission to serve the poor and the effects of its projects, some of which displaced 3.4 million people in the world’s most fragile regions over the past nine years. Last month, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim admitted to known, longstanding problems with the Bank’s resettlement policies and released three internal reviews revealing the Bank’s failure to collect even minimal information on resettlement…In our own work at Accountability Counsel,…we have glimpsed how Bank projects not only harm people, but also call the Bank’s legitimacy into question…A drastic rethink of the Bank’s approach to accountability is necessary.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6589287.stmZambia is forced to pay 15.5USD million to vulture fund Donegal International for a loan Zambia took out fromRomania in 1979, which Donegal bought from Romania in 1999 for $3.2 million. Donegal had been suing for $55 million.www.bkconnection.com/books/title/a-game-as-old-as-empireWith chapters spotlighting how specific countries around the globe have been subverted, A Game As Old As Empire uncovers the inner workings of the institutions behind these economic manipulations. The contributors detail concrete examples of how the “economic hit man game” is still being played: an officer of an offshore bank hiding hundreds of millions of dollars in stolen money, IMF advisers slashing Ghana’s education and health programs, a mercenary defending a European oil company in Nigeria, a consultant rewriting Iraqi oil law, and executives financing warlords to secure supplies of coltan ore in Congo. Together they show how this system of corruption and plunder operates in real life, and reveal the price that the rest of the world must pay as a result. Most important, A Game As Old As Empire connects the dots, showing how the various pieces of this system come together to create the world’s first truly global empire.Global Empire: The Web of Control, Steven Hiatt - Third World countries pay more than $375 billion a year in debt service, twenty times the amount of foreign aid they receive. This system has been called a Marshall Plan in reverse, with the countries of the Global South subsidizing the wealthy North, even as half the world’s population lives on less the $2 a day. How does such a manifestly unjust system maintain itself? Steven Hiatt outlines the web of control—financial, political, and military—that maintains this system and explains why it’s so hard for Third World countries to escape.Selling Money—and Dependency: Setting the Debt Trap, S. C. Gwynne - Rising oil prices created an oversupply of petrodollar deposits in international banks, and eager young bankers recycled this money into new loans to developing countries for dubious projects. Sam Gwynne traveled the globe on behalf of U.S. banks, helping ensnare Third World countries in debt.Dirty Money: Inside the Secret World of Offshore Banking, John Christensen - At least $500 billion in dirty money flows each year from poor countries into offshore accounts managed by Western banks, dwarfing the amount those nations receive in foreign aid. The sources of this money range from tax evasion, kickbacks, and capital flight to money laundering and drug trafficking. John Christensen was an offshore banker who found himself managing these secret accounts. He shows how the offshore banking system extracts tribute from countries that can least afford it and explains why this black economy has become essential to the international corporate elite.BCCI’s Double Game: Banking on America, Banking on Jihad, Lucy Komisar - The Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) was a useful tool for many powerful clients, ranging from the CIA and the Medellín cartel to Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda, and influential figures in both the Republican and Democratic parties. When BCCI was finally shut down, as much as $15 billion had been lost or stolen—the biggest bank fraud in the world. Lucy Komisar reveals why banking authorities looked the other way for so long, and how BCCI’s allies in Washington were able to block any meaningful investigation.The Human Cost of Cheap Cell Phones, Kathleen Kern - Civil strife in the Democratic Republic of Congo has cost 4 million lives in the last ten years, as militias and warlords fight over the country’s resources. The atrocities being committed in Congo have been funded, at least indirectly, by some of the biggest Western corporations. They see the country only as a source of cheap coltan—vital to making semiconductors—and other minerals. Kathleen Kern explores the direct relationship between the suffering of the Congolese people and the low prices Westerners pay for cell phones and laptops.Mercenaries on the Front Lines in the New Scramble for Africa, Andrew Rowell and James Marriott - Some 30 percent of America’s oil will come from Africa by 2015, and multinational oil companies are increasingly resorting to private armies to protect their operations there. Communities in the Niger Delta have been campaigning for a share of the oil wealth pumped from under their land. In 2006, Nigel Watson-Clark was working as a Shell security officer in Nigeria, protecting offshore oil rigs—a frontline soldier in the web of oil exploitation. Taken hostage during a raid by local militants, he found himself in the middle of the struggle for Nigeria’s oil.The Mirage of Debt Relief, James S. Henry -
G8 leaders have proudly announced $40 billion in debt relief for eighteen heavily indebted poor countries in Latin America and Africa—just over 1 percent of the $3.2 trillion that those countries owe. But the actual debt relief granted will be only a fraction of this small amount—and the strings attached to getting it make even this modest amount hardly worth getting: closed hospitals and schools, bankrupted local businesses, and high unemployment. James S. Henry delivers the analysis and outlines steps for an effective relief campaign for Third World debtor countries.www.newscientist.com/article/mg21228354-500-revealed-the-capitalist-network-that-runs-the-world/The idea that a few bankers control a large chunk of the global economy might not seem like news to New York’s Occupy Wall Street movement and protesters elsewhere . But the study, by a trio of complex systems theorists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, is the first to go beyond ideology to empirically identify such a network of power. It combines the mathematics long used to model natural systems with comprehensive corporate data to map ownership among the world’s transnational corporations (TNCs).“Reality is so complex, we must move away from dogma, whether it’s conspiracy theories or free-market,” says James Glattfelder. “Our analysis is reality-based.” The Zurich team can. From Orbis 2007, a database listing 37 million companies and investors worldwide, they pulled out all 43,060 TNCs and the share ownerships linking them. Then they constructed a model of which companies controlled others through shareholding networks, coupled with each company’s operating revenues, to map the structure of economic power. The work, to be published in PLoS One, revealed a core of 1318 companies with interlocking ownerships. Each of the 1318 had ties to two or more other companies, and on average they were connected to 20. What’s more, although they represented 20 per cent of global operating revenues, the 1318 appeared to collectively own through their shares the majority of the world’s large blue chip and manufacturing firms – the “real” economy – representing a further 60 per cent of global revenues.When the team further untangled the web of ownership, it found much of it tracked back to a “super-entity” of 147 even more tightly knit companies – all of their ownership was held by other members of the super-entity – that controlled 40 per cent of the total wealth in the network. “In effect, less than 1 per cent of the companies were able to control 40 per cent of the entire network,” says Glattfelder. Most were financial institutions. The top 20 included Barclays Bank, JPMorgan Chase & Co, and The Goldman Sachs Group.

Absolutely not!Many anti-communists such as the (psuedo)historian Robert Conquest or the media-magnate William Hearst, used the famine of 1932–33 as a tool to demonize the USSR and its leadership. It is ironic that the most scandalous “evidence” such as photos and “eye-witness” accounts were largely either fabricated or were falsified[1], (further details in the footnote).The reality is not so. To put it all in perspective, we need to start from the beginningIn early 1920s the recently proclaimed Soviet Union was anxious to restore its industry, which had been totally destroyed after WWI and the Russian Civil War (1918-1921). They needed machinery and new technology to create an industrial base from which production could kick off of. The Tsarist empire had left behind practically nothing - The trans-siberian railway was a rickety, 1-way structure that had to be rebuilt from scratch, the industrial sectors were working with worn out machinery and the lack of refineries made the huge resources of the USSR useless to it. They needed to buy almost everything from foreign countries as they did not have time or money to spend on wholly indigenous production.In the beginning the Soviet government was able to offer to the international market only three items: grain, minerals and gold.In 1922, at the Genoa Conference [2] the new Gold Exchange Standard[3] was introduced. Since the end of 1922 the Soviet Union was issuing the golden chervonets – a new Soviet currency fully covered by the golden reserves and convertible to gold. In 1923 the Soviet chervonets was one of the most stable and secured currencies of the world. It represented a clear and present danger for emerging financial epicentre – the United States of America.In 1924 the Soviet chervonets was replaced by a softer rouble without golden equivalent. This diminshed the menace to the US dollar and British pound. In return Soviet Union was recognized by the UK, France, Norway, Austria, Greece, Sweden, Denmark, China, Japan, Mexico and other capitalist countries.In 1925 the Soviet leadership decided to accelerate industrialization of the country because, although they had surpassed Tsarist Russia in industrial output (superceding the production of 1913), they were nowhere near any of the previously mentioned countries in terms of developement.However this was not something the West liked and in 1925 a so-called "golden blockade" was imposed on the USSR: the Western powers refused to accept gold as payment for industrial equipment they delivered to Russia. They demanded that the Soviet government pay for the equipment in timber, oil and grain. These sanctions were not removed the following years.In 1929 the US bankers lack of regulation initiated the Great Depression, ushering in a period of international currency instability. In 1931 Germany and Austria failed to repay the foreign debt and stop exchanging marks into gold, thus abolishing Gold Exchange Standard. By the autumn 1931 the UK suspended the gold exchange as well. This seems unrelated until the further actions that followed are taken into account:With this economic crisis at hand it would be the logical and natural move to lift the golden blockade of Soviet Union at that time, thus allowing Soviet gold to relieve the suffocating Western economies. But the decision taken was the absolute reverse, not only did they leave the gold blockade of the USSR in force, but also imposed a severe trade embargo on the majority of Soviet export. Such embargos were further introduced throughout the 30s such as in April 17, 1933, when the British government introduced embargo: Russian Goods (Import Prohibition) Act 1933[4] .However an important thing to keep in mind is, trade between the West and the USSR only increased, however they now demanded all payment in grain.Stalin knew that if they halted the 5 year plan now the West, even if it choked on its own embargo would beat the USSR, so he decided to continue exporting grain. HOWEVER this did not mean he exported it to the point of intenitonally starving the people.Here is the export data [5] [6] [7]:In the year 1930 they exported 4,846,024 tonnes.In 1931 the number increased to 5,182,835 tonnes.In 1932 which is the year when the famine began they exported much less. Only 1,819,114 tonnes. AND here it comes. They imported 750,000 tonnes during the first half of 1932 and from late April 157,000 tonnes.The amount of export further decreased the next year and another 200,000 tonnes was also imported.They exported only a fraction of what they normally would have and even imported over a million tonnes and sent food aid when they realized the extent of the famine. Doesn’t seem much like deliberate genocide, does it.Also the reason they even exported grain and various raw materials to begin with was because that is what all under developed agrarian and semi-feudal countries do. Soviet Union in particular had a good reason for it because they were trying to aquire the necessary capital to industrialize and escape backwardness forever, which they did. They were one of the rare countries to actually pull off such a feat. This is particularly impressive considering that they had no access to foreign loans, not to mention the lack of colonies.Thus it would be completely unreasonable and in contradiction with material reality to except the Soviet Union to not export at all during the 1932 to 33 period.Thus we can see the USSR was in a rather tight spot where casualties were inevitable. Now you might ask, why didn’t they send help to the afflicted areas, the answer is simple, initially soviet leadership in Ukraine (and thus in Moscow) was not fully aware of the famine’s extent as shown here in a translation of several letters and telegrams telegrams:From the Archive of the President of the Russian Federation[8]. Fond 3, Record Series 40, File 80, Page 58Excerpt from the protocol number of the meeting of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist party (Bolsheviks) “Regarding Measures to Prevent Failure to Sow in Ukraine, March 16th, 1932."The Political Bureau believes that shortage of seed grain in Ukraine is many times worse than what was described in comrade Kosior’s telegram; therefore, the Political Bureau recommends the Central Committee of the Communist party of Ukraine to take all measures within its reach to prevent the threat of failing to sow [field crops] in Ukraine."Signed: Secretary of the Central Committee – J. STALINLetter to Joseph Stalin from Stanislaw Kosior, 1st secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine regarding the course and the perspectives of the sowing campaign in Ukraine, April 26th, 1932."There are also isolated cases of starvation, and even whole villages [starving]; however, this is only the result of bungling on the local level, deviations [from the party line], especially in regard of kolkhozes. All rumours about “famine” in Ukraine must be unconditionally rejected. The crucial help that was provided for Ukraine will give us the opportunity to eradicate all such outbreaks [of starvation]."Letter from Joseph Stalin to Stanislaw Kosior, 1st secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, April 26th, 1932."Comrade Kosior!You must read attached summaries. Judging by this information, it looks like the Soviet authority has ceased to exist in some areas of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. Can this be true? Is the situation invillages in Ukraine this bad? Where are the operatives of the OGPU [Joint Main Political Directorate], what are they doing?Could you verify this information and inform the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist party about taken measures."Sincerely, J. StalinThe economic factors are fully covered however there was more to the “holodomor” than just export of grain.It is a well known fact that there was a famine, but aside from export there was a number of factors such as natural ones.Natural factors while, not many, were hard hitting and very obvious:In 1932 there was a severe drought that struck the USSR’s grain-belt areas, especially Ukraine, Kazakhstan and the Lower Volga. Additionally there was a brief epidemic of Wheat Rust Diseases[9], spanning from Bulgaria to the Volga river areas, effectively encompassing the worst struck areas. The result was lower crop yields for the harvests. This accounts for lower exports, and the lower food amounts resulted in lowering of birth rates. This, along with the fact that there was significant immigration to and from the USSR (including Ukraine).Along side the natural issues affecting the land, there were those that affected the people such as epidemics of diseases.“Probably most deaths in 1933 were due to epidemics of typhus, typhoid fever, and dysentery. Waterborne diseases were frequent in Makeyevka; I narrowly survived an attack of typhus fever. “- Blumenfeld, Hans. Life Begins at 65. Montreal, Canada: Harvest House, c1987, p. 153[10]In addition to disease, and unintentional famine there was sabotage and local mismanagement. As far-fetched as that sounds, it is actually a major part as to why the famine got out of hand, at least on a local level.Kulaks:In 1920 when the NEP was implimented and the Soviet Union moved from War-Communism, to a temporary stage where a free market existed, the much feared consequences of the market became evident. Despite the previous land reform nearly 3 million peasants, were quickly once again without land, because the kulaks had driven them bankrupt and then bought their land cheaply. This resulted in 10 or 11 percent of the population (kulaks) owning so much land and also horses and machinery compared to the rest of the peasant population that they produced 56 percent of the marketed food. The kulaks largely would decide if the towns would get food or not. Kulak speculation on the food market caused a shortage already in 1927 when the marketed share of grain was only one third of the pre-war years although production had exceeded pre-war figures. This ineffectiveness was what initiated the idea of collectivization, with Lenin writing down the basic idea before his death and Stalin putting down the plans and implementing it. Among the many actions of the collectivization program was the confiscation of farm land and the machinery and livestock that was on it (private property, NOT personal property). However there were some problems;“Collectivization was not an orderly process following bureaucratic rules. It consisted of actions by the poor peasants, encouraged by the Party. The poor peasants were eager to expropriate the “kulaks,” but less eager to organize a cooperative economy. By 1930 the Party and already sent out cadres to stem and correct excesses… After having exercised restraint in 1930, the Party put on a drive again in 1932. As a result, in that year the kulak economy ceased to produce, and the new collective economy did not yet produce fully.”Blumenfeld, Hans. Life Begins at 65. Montreal, Canada: Harvest House, c1987, p. 152“During the 1932 harvest season Soviet agriculture experienced a crisis. Natural disasters, especially plant diseases spread and intensified by wet weather in mid-1932, drastically reduced crop yields. OGPU reports, anecdotal as they are, indicate widespread peasant opposition to the kolkhoz system. These documents contain numerous reports of kolkhozniki, faced with starvation, mismanagement and abuse by kolkhoz officials and others, and desperate conditions: dying horses, idle tractors, infested crops, and incitement by itinerant people. Peasants’ responses varied: some applied to withdraw from their farms, some left for paid work outside, some worked sloppily, intentionally leaving grain on the fields while harvesting to glean later for themselves.”Tauger, Mark. “Soviet Peasants and Collectivization, 1930-39: Resistance and Adaptation.” In Rural Adaptation in Russia by Stephen Wegren, Routledge, New York, NY, 2005, Chapter 3, p. 81.Some of the Kulaks, angered and resentful, rather than integrate into society as an average worker (who frankly lived in conditions 10x better than under Tsarist times), decided to take action. They burnt crops and slaughtered livestock, those with machinery broke it if they could. In addition to their vandalism and arson they murdered government officials and peasants siding with them, there are even some (unconfirmed) accounts of them poisoning water supplies.“Their [kulak] opposition took the initial form of slaughtering their cattle and horses in preference to having them collectivized. The result was a grievous blow to Soviet agriculture, for most of the cattle and horses were owned by the kulaks. Between 1928 and 1933 the number of horses in the USSR declined from almost 30,000,000 to less than 15,000,000; of horned cattle from 70,000,000 (including 31,000,0000 cows) to 38,000,000 (including 20,000,000 cows); of sheep and goats from 147,000,000 to 50,000,000; and of hogs from 20,000,000 to 12,000,000. Soviet rural economy had not recovered from this staggering loss by 1941. […] Some [kulaks] murdered officials, set the torch to the property of the collectives, and even burned their own crops and seed grain. More refused to sow or reap, perhaps on the assumption that the authorities would make concessions and would in any case feed them.” - Russia Since 1917, Four Decades Of Soviet Politics by Frederick L. Schuman“Almost all the collective farms established in 1931 and 1932 were shockingly mismanaged. What else could be expected when every village in Russia had been the scene of bitter internal strife, when animals had been slaughtered or allowed to die through incompetence, and grain had been buried, and barns and houses burned? It has been estimated that livestock dropped by 50% during those tragic years and there were large areas, as I saw with my own eyes in the North Caucasus in 1933, where miles of weeds and desolation replaced the former grainfields…”Duranty, Walter. Stalin & Co. New York: W. Sloane Associates, 1949, p. 77[11]“During the thirties, the far-right, linked with the Hitlerites, had already fully exploited the propaganda theme of `deliberately provoked famine to exterminate the Ukrainian people’. But after the Second World War, this propaganda was `adjusted’ with the main goal of covering up the barbaric crimes committed by German and Ukrainian Nazis, to protect fascism and to mobilise Western forces against Communism.”Martens, Ludo. Another View of Stalin. Antwerp, Belgium: EPO, Lange Pastoorstraat 25-27 2600, p. 113 (Pg 96 on the internet pdf) [12]“This destruction of the productive forces had, of course, disastrous consequences: in 1932, there was a great famine, caused in part by the sabotage and destruction done by the kulaks. But anti-Communists blame Stalin and the `forced collectivization’ for the deaths caused by the criminal actions of the kulaks.”Martens, Ludo. Another View of Stalin. Antwerp, Belgium: EPO, Lange Pastoorstraat 25-27 2600, p. 79 [p. 66 on the pdf]“In 1931 and 1932, the Soviet Union was in the depth of the crisis, due to socio-economic upheavals, to desperate kulak resistance, to the little support that could be given to peasants in these crucial years of industrial investment, to the slow introduction of machines and to drought.”Charles Bettelheim. L’Economie sovietique (Paris: ƒ editions Recueil Sirey, 1950), p. 82Martens, Ludo. Another View of Stalin. Antwerp, Belgium: EPO, Lange Pastoorstraat 25-27 2600, p. 93 [p. 78 on the pdf]“Their [kulak] opposition took the initial form of slaughtering their cattle and horses in preference to having them collectivized. The result was a grievous blow to Soviet agriculture, for most of the cattle and horses were owned by the kulaks. Between 1928 and 1933 the number of horses in the USSR declined from almost 30,000,000 to less than 15,000,000; of horned cattle from 70,000,000 (including 31,000,0000 cows) to 38,000,000 (including 20,000,000 cows); of sheep and goats from 147,000,000 to 50,000,000; and of hogs from 20,000,000 to 12,000,000. Soviet rural economy had not recovered from this staggering loss by 1941. […] Some [kulaks] murdered officials, set the torch to the property of the collectives, and even burned their own crops and seed grain. More refused to sow or reap, perhaps on the assumption that the authorities would make concessions and would in any case feed them.”Russia Since 1917, Four Decades Of Soviet Politics by Frederick L. Schuman[13]Thus to conclude;This was not a man-made famine, the reasons for its occurance were mostly natural and was exacerbated by international trade relations and the actions of certain people.The population drops were caused by a combination of famine, disease and murders by anti-communist groups, as well as immigration and a lowered birth rate. No specific ethnic, religious, or racial group was persecuted, and those people that were persecuted for crimes related to the incident were persecuted for their crimes alone rather than for being connected to said group.Due to the above reasons the “holodomor” is a false name for the famine of 1932 as it fits practically NONE of the UN criteria of genocide and was not a crime against humanity considering there was no intent behind the deaths.Additional Source:Articles summarizing and disputing holodomor myths;The Holodomor Hoax: Joseph Stalin’s Crime That Never Took PlaceEpisode 10. Who Organised the Famine in the USSR in 1932-1933?Miten "maailman paras yliopisto" sepitti "Ukrainan järjestetyn nälänhädän"...In short the famine was not deliberate and not man made, (unless you’re talking about kulak sabotage that is), it was caused by difficult weather conditions and the general backwardness left by tsarism in the country. As there exists no evidence of deliberate genocide, and the case relies entirely on the false assumption that the USSR kept exporting more and more food grain, completely and intentionally disregarding the famine. This is a causation vs correlation fallacy. I can confidently say that the holodomor has been debunked as a myth and a despicable fabrication.Edit:I’d like to include some details written by Azat Abdulkerim MutellipА. Бавурин, Голод в Украине 1932-1933, Газета "Коммунист" " ". Bavurin's study showed that the famine took place in most of the crop-growing regions in Eastern Europe, not by "national lines or political stances."B. R. Mitchell, International Historical Statistics: Europe 1750-1988, pg 312. Palgrave stats shows that the soviet crop production in 1930 has increased ten times since 1921, but dropped suddenly in 1932 and 1933 due to natural factors.J. Yang, Z. Sen, Soviet Union and Western Economic Crisis, Beijing, 1984, pg. 58. This showed that the same percentage of local food crops are being bought by the soviet government with the aim of supplying collectivization in cities in the year 1932 and 1933 following old regulations without knowing the existence of poor crops, resulted in the temporal shortage of food supply in crop-growing http://regions.As for the “crime” part:R. Miles, The Marxists, 1965, pg 153. This research showed that the Soviet Union would most likely defeated by Nazi Germany in WWII if without prior industrial and agricultural collectivization.R. Conquest, The Last Empire, 1993, pg 301. Famous anti-stalinist and anti-soviet critic A. Zinovev admitted that the Soviet Union "would possibly" disintegrate without collectivization.Y. Cao, Stalin's Collectivization was the necessary decision for the Soviet Union's history, first published on Dalian Ocean University (Social Science), No.12, 2006. Cao analyzed history of the Soviet Union during the 1930s and concluded that the collectivization was the only correct solution.Г. С. Ткаченко, Миф о Фолодоморе Иѕобпетение Манипулјаторов Цоѕнаием, first published on KM.RU - новости, экономика, автомобили, наука и техника, кино, музыка, спорт, игры, анекдоты, курсы валют, Dec. 25, 2006. Research showed that the Soviet Union took actions to save people affected by the Holodomor and tried to reduce the damage and losses caused by the famine.Footnotes[1] http://www.garethjones.org/tottlefraud.pdf[2] Genoa Conference (1922) - Wikipedia[3] Gold standard - Wikipedia[4] PROHIBITED IMPORTS. - (British Official Wireless.) LONDON, April 19. - The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954) - 21 Apr 1933[5] http://avr.org.ua/index.php/Ust/169/?a=1[6] http://busin.biz/library/soviet%20union/stalin/Wheatcroft,%20Stephen%20G.%20'The%20Industrialisation%20of%20Soviet%20Russia%20-%20Volume%205,%20The%20Years%20of%20Hunger%20Soviet%20Agriculture%201931-1933'.pdf[7] http://official soviet export and import data СССР в цифрах ЦУНХУ Госплана СССР. Москва 1935, page 574, 575[8] Welcome[9] https://books.google.com/books?id=m4kJDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA112&lpg=PA112&dq=wheat+rust+USSR+1932&source=bl&ots=4GysBM7uoq&sig=3RMuCODu1ioedz_VxP5_CNPjzg4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiUwPvK3q3YAhWBgZAKHX7jAPwQ6AEIXzAN#v=onepage&q=wheat%20rust%20USSR%201932&f=false[10] Life Begins at 65: The not entirely candid autobiography of a drifter (NONE)[11] STALIN & CO. THE POLITBURO: The Man Who Run Russia by Walter Duranty | Kirkus Reviews[12] https://stalinsocietypk.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/another-view-of-stalin1.pdf[13] Russia Since 1917 Four Decades Of Soviet Politics : Frederick L. Schuman : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

Starting a business entails understanding and dealing with many issues legal, financing, sales and marketing, intellectual property protection, liability protection, human resources, and more. But interest in entrepreneurship is at an all time high.Understand the Commitment and Challenges Involved in Starting a Business:· Coming up with a great and unique product or service· Having a strong plan and vision for the business· Having sufficient capital and cash flow· Finding great employees· Firing bad employees quickly in a way that doesn’t result in legal liability· Working more than you expected· Not getting discouraged by rejections from customers· Managing your time efficiently· Maintaining a reasonable work/life balance· Knowing when to pivot your strategy· Maintaining the stamina to keep going even when it’s toughProtect Your Personal Assets by Forming the Business as a Corporation or LLC:· Always use the corporate name· Always use proper signature· Follow all corporate formalities· Make sure to keep funds separate· Make sure to keep taxation separate· All transactions made by the corporation should be clearly separate from any individual transactions.Come Up With a Great Name for Your Business· Avoid hard-to-spell names.· Don’t pick a name that could be limiting as your business grows.· Conduct a thorough Internet search on a proposed name.· Get a “.com” domain name (as opposed to “.net” or another variant).· Conduct a thorough trademark search.· Make sure you and your employees will be happy saying the name.· Come up with five names you like and test market the name with prospective employees, partners, investors, and potential customers.Focus on Building a Great Product—But Don’t Take Forever to LaunchWhen starting out, your product or service has to be at least good if not great. It must be differentiated in some meaningful and important way from the offerings of your competition‎.Everything else follows from this key principle. Don’t drag your feet on getting your product out to market, since early customer feedback is one of the best ways to help improve your product.Of course, you want a “minimum viable product” (MVP) to begin with, but even that product should be good and differentiated from the competition.Build a Great Website for Your Company· Check out competitor sites.· Start by sketching out a template for your site.· Come up with five or six sites you can share with your web site developer to convey what you like.· Be sure the site is search engine optimized (and thus more likely to show up early on Google search results).· Produce high-quality original content.· Make sure your site is optimized for mobile devices.· Make sure the site loads quickly.· Keep it clean and simple; visual clutter will drive visitors away.· Make sure you have a Terms of Use Agreement and Privacy Policy (and comply with the European GDPR rules).· Make the navigation bars prominent.· Obtain and use a memorable “.com” domain name.· Make the site visually interesting.· Make sure it’s easy for site visitors to contact you or buy your product.Perfect Your Elevator Pitch· Start out strong.· Be positive and enthusiastic in your delivery.· Remember that practice makes perfect.· Keep it to 60 seconds in length.· Avoid using industry jargon.· Convey why your business is unique.· Pitch the problem you are solving.· Invite participation or interruption by the listener—this shows they are interested and engaged.Make the Deal Clear With Co-Founders· How is the equity split among the founders?· Is the percentage of ownership subject to vesting based on continued participation in the business?· What are the roles and responsibilities of the founders?· If one founder leaves, does the company or the other founder have the right to buy back that founder’s shares? At what price?· How much time commitment to the business is expected of each founder?· What salaries (if any) are the founders entitled to? How can that be changed?· How are key decisions and day-to-day decisions of the business to be made? (by majority vote, unanimous vote, or are certain decisions solely in the hands of the CEO?)· Under what circumstances can a founder be removed as an employee of the business? (usually, this would be a Board decision)· What assets or cash does each founder contribute or invest into the business?· How will a sale of the business be decided?· What happens if one founder isn’t living up to expectations under the founder agreement? How will it be resolved?· What is the overall goal and vision for the business?· If one founder wants to leave the business, does the company have the right to buy back his or her shares? At what price?Obtain a Tax IDIn most instances, you will need to get a tax ID from the IRS for your company. This is also known as an “Employer Identification Number” (EIN), and it’s similar to a Social Security number, but for businesses. Banks will ask for your EIN when you open a company bank account. You can get an EIN online through the IRS website.Set Up a Good Accounting and Bookkeeping SystemYou will need to set up a bookkeeping/accounting system to keep track of your finances, income, expenses, capital expenditures, EBITDA, profit and loss, etc. This is important in order to understand your business’s cash flow situation and also for tax-filing purposes.Perform a Comprehensive Reference Check Before You Hire an Employee· Verification of job titles and dates of employment· Verification of educational degrees and dates of attendance at schools· Verification of starting and ending salary· Verification of prior job role and responsibilities· Inquiry as to why the applicant left the prior employer· Conversations with prior supervisors as to the applicant’s strengths and weaknesses· Inquiry as to the applicant’s ability to get along well with other employees and customers· Inquiry as to the applicant’s ability to take on the new role· Inquiry as to punctuality or absenteeism issues· Reference checks with other people not listed by the applicant as a referenceUse a Good Form of Employee Offer Letter or Employment Agreement· The job title and role of the employee· Whether the job is full time or part time· When the job will commence· The salary, benefits, and any potential bonuses· Whether the position is “at will” employment, meaning either party is free to terminate the relationship at any time without penalty (although employers may not terminate employees for legally prohibited reasons, such as for age discrimination or retaliation from sexual harassment allegations, etc.)· Confirmation that the “at will” agreement may not be changed unless signed by an authorized officer of the company· Confirmation that the employee will need to sign a separate Confidentiality and Invention Assignment Agreement (described below)· If the company chooses, a statement that any disputes between the parties will be resolved solely and exclusively by confidential binding arbitration (also discussed below)· Any stock options to be granted to the employee and the terms of any vesting (details usually laid out in a separate Stock Option Agreement)· The supervisor to whom the employee will report· Protective language stating that the offer letter constitutes the entire agreement and understanding of the parties with respect to the employment relationship, and that there are no other agreements or benefits expected.Make Sure All Employees Sign a Confidentiality and Invention Assignment Agreement·The employee may not use or disclose any of the company’s confidential information for their own benefit or use, or for the benefit of others, without authorization.· The employee must promptly disclose to the company any inventions, ideas, discoveries, and work product related to the company’s business that they make during the period of employment.· The company is the owner of such inventions, ideas, discoveries, and work product, which the employee must assign to the company.· The employee’s employment with the company does not and will not breach any agreement or duty that the employee has with anyone else, nor may the employee disclose to the company or use on its behalf any confidential information belonging to others.· Upon termination of employment, the employee must return any and all confidential information and company property.· While employed, the employee will not compete with the company or perform any services for any competitor of the company.· The employee’s confidentiality and invention assignment obligations under the agreement will continue after termination of employment.· The agreement does not by itself represent any guarantee of continued employment.Consider the Steps You Should Take to Protect Your Intellectual Property· Patents· Copyrights· Trademarks· Service Marks· Trade Secrets· Confidentiality Agreements· Confidentiality Agreement for Employees and Consultants· Terms of Service and Privacy PolicyBecome a Strong SalespersonIf the business is to become successful, you must become a great salesperson. You are going to have to learn how to “sell” your business not only to customers but also to prospective investors and even to potential employees.Understand Financial Statements and Budgets· What are the company’s three-year projections?· What are the key assumptions underlying your projections?· How much equity and debt has the company raised, and what is the capitalization structure?· What future equity or debt financing will be necessary?· How much of a stock option pool is being set aside for employees?· When will the company get to profitability?· How much “burn” (losses) will occur until the company gets to profitability?· What are your unit economics?· What are the factors that limit faster growth?· What are the key metrics that the management team focuses on?Market Your Business Like Crazy· Learn the fundamentals of SEO (search engine optimization) so that people searching for your products and services online might find you near the top of search results.· Use social media to promote your business (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.).· Engage in content marketing by writing guest articles for relevant websites.· Issue press releases for any significant events.· Network continually.Use Consultants and Freelancers to Supplement Your TeamAt the early stages of your startup, you will likely want to have a small employee team to minimize expenses. A good way to fill in for specialized expertise is to use freelancers or consultants.That way, you avoid taking on employee costs and benefits payments. And there are a variety of sites that can help you access freelancers, such as Freelancer.com, Guru.com, and Upwork.com.Have a Great Investor Pitch DeckPitch Deck Do’s· Do include this wording at the bottom left of the pitch deck cover page: “Confidential and Proprietary. Copyright by [Name of Company]. [Year]. All Rights Reserved.”· Do convince the viewer of why the market opportunity is large.· Do include visually interesting graphics and images.· Do send the pitch deck in a PDF format to prospective investors in advance of a meeting. Don’t force the investor to get it from Google Docs, Dropbox, or some other online service, as you are just putting up a barrier to the investor actually reading it.· Do plan to have a demo of your product as part of the in-person presentation.· Do tell a compelling, memorable, and interesting story that shows your passion for the business.· Do show that you have more than just an idea, and that you have gotten early traction on developing the product, getting customers, or signing up partners.· Do have a soundbite for investors to remember you by.· Do use a consistent font size, color, and header title style throughout the slides.Pitch Deck Don’ts· Don’t make the pitch deck more than 15-20 slides long (investors have limited attention spans). If you feel you need to add more information, include it as an appendix.· Don’t have too many wordy slides.· Don’t provide excessive financial details, as that can be provided in a follow-up message.· Don’t try to cover everything in the pitch deck slides. Your in-person presentation will give you an opportunity to add and highlight key information.· Don’t use a lot of jargon or acronyms that the investor may not immediately understand.· Don’t underestimate or belittle the competition (and never say “we don’t have any competition”).· Don’t have your pitch deck look out of date. You don’t want a date on the cover page that is several months old (that is why I avoid putting a date on the cover page at all). And you don’t want information or metrics in the deck about your business that look stale or outdated.· Don’t have a poor layout, bad graphics, or a low-quality “look and feel.” Think about hiring a graphic designer to give your pitch desk a more professional look.Drive Traffic to Your Website· Pay Google, Bing, Yahoo, or other search engines to send you traffic (such as through the Google Adwords program).· Build a great site with lots of high-quality, original content that is search engine optimized.· Have a smart social media plan to drive traffic from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other free social media sites.· Get links to your site from high-quality sites.Make Sure Someone Hasn’t Already Invented Your Great New Idea· Do a Google search on the keywords associated with your invention.· Do a search online of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office at United States Patent and Trademark Office.· If nothing comes up and you want to get a patent for your idea, hire a patent lawyer.Don’t Go Overboard on a Business PlanIt’s useful to come up with a business plan to think through what you want to do for the development of the product or service, marketing, financial projections, and more. And you should then get input from trusted business and finance advisors. But don’t go overboard with a 50-page business plan.Secure Capital to Finance Your Business· Personal funds· Credit cards· Friends and family· Angel investors (see Angel Investing: 20 Things Entrepreneurs Should Know)· Crowdsourcing sites such as Crowdfund Innovations & Support Entrepreneurs and Kickstarter· Bank loans/SBA financings/online lenders· Venture capitalists· Equipment loan financingDetermine Which Permits, Licenses, or Registrations You Will Need for Your Business· Permits need for regulated businesses (aviation, agriculture, alcohol, etc.)· Sales tax license or permit· Home-based business permits· City and county business permits or licenses· Zoning permit· Seller’s permit· Health department permits (such as for a restaurant)· Federal and state tax/employer IDsSet Up Appropriate Books and Records for Your Business· Financial statements (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow)· Employee records· Board and stockholder minutes and consents· Stock and options ledger· Tax filings and records (federal, state & local income, sales and property taxes)· Secretary of State filings (Certificate of Incorporation, annual filings, etc.)· Invoices & contracts· Bank accounts· Creditor recordsProperly Insure Your StartupWhile shopping for insurance, you will want answers to these types of key questions:· What are the deductibles?· Are the coverage limits high enough?· What items or occurrences are excluded from coverage?· Are there any gaps in the coverage?Here is a list of the types of insurance that may be appropriate for your business:· General liability insurance· Product liability insurance· Professional liability insurance· Property insurance· Worker’s compensation insurance· D&O (directors & officers) insurance· Health insurance for employees· Business interruption insurance· Commercial auto insurance· Data breach/cybersecurity insurance· Key man life insuranceDetermine How to Divide Equity Among the Startup’s Co-Founders· The relative value of the contributions of the co-founders· Vesting dependent upon continued participation in the business (you don’t want to give away 25% of the company to someone who leaves after a few months)· The amount of time to be committed to the business· The cash compensation to be paid as an employee· Whether the co-founders will be contributing cash as an investment in the business· Whether one person wants to maintain control over decision-makingUnderstand These Key Points About Seeking Venture Capital Financing· Specific industry sectors (software, digital media, semiconductor, mobile, SaaS, biotech, mobile devices, etc.)· Stage of company (early-stage seed or Series A rounds, or later-stage rounds with companies that have achieved meaningful revenues and traction)· Company location (e.g., San Francisco/Silicon Valley, New York, etc.)Pay Attention to Your Business Contracts· Describe all obligations they are expected to fulfill.· Describe all obligations they expect the other party (or parties) to fulfill.· Limit any liabilities.· Set parameters, such as a time frame, in which the terms of the contract will be met.· Set terms of a sale, lease, or rental.· Establish payment terms.· Clearly establish all of the risks and responsibilities of the parties.The key contracts that a startup should have as its own form of “standard contract” include:· Sales or service agreement· License agreement· Offer letter to employees· Consulting agreement with any independent contractors (you want to make sure that you will own the intellectual property rights for anything they develop for your business)· Confidentiality and Invention Assignment Agreement for employees and independent contractors· Non-disclosure agreementIf You Plan to Lease Office Space for Your Business, Focus on These Key Issues· Length of lease term· Tenant improvements· Rent and rent escalations· Repairs, improvements, and replacements· Assignment and subletting· Try to avoid one-sided lease provisions.· Consider using a tenant brokerThoroughly Research Your Competition· Who are the company’s principal competitors?· What traction have those competitors obtained?· What gives your company the competitive advantage?· Compared to these other companies, how do you compete with respect to price, features, and performance?· What are the barriers to entry in your market?If You Are Seeking Angel Investing Financing, Know These Important Points· The quality, passion, commitment, and experience of the founders· The market opportunity being addressed and the potential for the company to grow to become very big· A clearly thought out business plan and early evidence of early business traction· Interesting intellectual property or technology· A reasonable valuation for the company· The likelihood of the company being able to raise additional financing in the future if progress is madeAngel investors will want to initially see the following from a startup:· A clearly articulated elevator pitch for the business· An executive summary or investor pitch deck· A prototype or working model of the company’s product or service· Early adopters, customers, or partnersThere are a variety of ways to find angel investors, including:· AngelList· Venture capitalists· Investment bankers· Lawyers· Accountants· Other entrepreneurs· Crowdfunding sites like Kickstarterand IndiegogoConsider Adopting a Stock Option Plan to Attract and Motivate Employees· XYZ, Inc., hires employee John Smith.· As part of his employment package, XYZ grants John the option to acquire 80,000 shares of XYZ’s common stock at 25 cents per share (the fair market value of a share of XYZ common stock at the time of grant).· The options are subject to a four-year vesting period with one-year cliff vesting, which means that John has to stay employed with XYZ for one year before he gets the right to exercise 20,000 of the options. The remaining 60,000 options then vest at the rate of 1/36 a month over the next 36 months of his employment.· If John leaves the company or is fired before the end of his first year, he doesn’t get any of the options.· After his options are “vested” (become exercisable), he has the option to buy the stock at 25 cents per share, even if the share value has gone up dramatically.· After four years of continued employment, all 80,000 of his option shares are vested.· XYZ becomes successful and goes public, and its stock trades at $20 per share.· John exercises his options and buys 80,000 shares for $20,000 (80,000 x 25 cents).· John turns around and sells all 80,000 of his shares for $1.6 million (80,000 x the $20 per share publicly traded price), making a huge profit of $1,580,000.Focus on Offering Exceptional Customer ServiceCompanies such as Zappos and Virgin America became hugely successful because they focused on providing excellent customer service and support. You want your early customers to give referrals and sing your praises to their friends and colleagues.Hire an Experienced Startup Attorney· Incorporate· Draw up contracts with any co-founders· Prepare key agreements for the business· Set up a stock option plan for employees· Guide you through potential HR landmines· Prepare protective offer letters to prospective employees· Help you negotiate terms with prospective investors· Limit your potential legal liabilities· Protect your ideas and inventions (through copyrights, patents, and non-disclosure agreements)Get Comfortable With Public SpeakingThe ability to communicate effectively can be critical to landing customers, inspiring employees, and pitching to investors to raise capital. Most people are not very good at public speaking and many are even afraid of it.You must strive to overcome this fear. Consider working with a public speaking or business coach to improve your public speaking skills.There was a ton of information in this article, so if you have any questions, just leave me a comment below, please do upvote, share and support.Thank you