Word: scheme
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...Instead, U.S. administrator J. Paul Bremer proposed, that a constitution-making body be appointed by a series of caucuses comprising handpicked elites around the country. Sistani was having none of it. He insisted on democratic elections, used his influence among Shiites on the Governing Council to block Bremer's scheme, and then brought his supporters onto the streets to warn that anything short of democracy would be deemed illegitimate by the Shiite majority...
...Palace Museum. Among several stunning carpets in the exhibition is a beautifully preserved woolen one from 13th century Konya. The carpet came from the mausoleum of the Anatolian Seljuk ruler Sultan Ala'al-Din Kay Qubad, who died in 1237, and is unique in its simple composition and color scheme. Simplicity was not an effect sought or achieved by the imperial architect Sinan, who designed the magnificent 16th century doors on display. Fashioned from walnut and inlaid with mother-of-pearl, tortoiseshell, ebony and ivory, these were made for Sultan Murad III's pavilion in the harem area...
...Bejing in effect banned the sale of these shares, so the state would maintain corporate control. But in June 2001, at the height of the market bubble, the government announced that it would allow the sale of some "nontradable" shares and use the proceeds to fund a national pension scheme. Investors panicked, fearing a flood of new shares would drive down prices. Although the government quickly reversed its decision, the markets lost a quarter of their value in three months, and they have kept falling ever since. "Everybody still worries that some day the state will sell those shares," says...
...locations in three states. But the reality was something else: more than 85% of ZZZZ Best's cash flow came from undisclosed loans fronted by organized crime in New York City--all booked as revenue for supposed contracts to renovate distressed housing. When the FBI finally unraveled the scheme, Minkow managed to pay off his Mafia loan sharks ("You can't mess with them," he says), but some $300 million worth of company stock was suddenly worthless, leaving hundreds of investors in the lurch...
Minkow knows how to play that gig. He went undercover after getting a call from a prospective investor in a pair of Southern California investment schemes and, posing as someone with extra cash to commit, found enough evidence to allow the Securities and Exchange Commission to shutter the firms in November. They allegedly had conned nearly $26 million from more than 1,200 people, largely by targeting church-affiliated African Americans. In 2003 he managed to shut down another scheme, a California operation that targeted retirement funds worth $813 million. "Barry has a lot of insight into the many ways...