An Interview with Chuckles

Most dinar forum owners have something to sell.  Some sell books, some sell RV alert services, some sell "intel" or VIP memberships.  Most sell advertising space.  Some sell all of the above.  But there are a few forum owners who have refused to sell anything out of a desire to avoid the appearance of ulterior motives.  One such owner is known as Chuckles, from Dinar Dater.  I caught up with him recently to get his story and his thoughts on investing in the IQD.

Sam: Tell us a bit about your background. Where did you grow up? Where do you live now? What do you do?

Chuckles: I grew up in Sylvania, Ohio as the son of a respected local business owner. I went to college for music performance in Dayton, Ohio, and really had a great time playing out at bars and clubs. After college, I moved to Florida with my girlfriend (now wife/soul mate) in order to pursue my dreams of becoming a rock star. That, of course, did not pan out. LOL!!!! Since the majority of the market in central Florida was a service based industry, the area didn’t meet the needs of my family. It didn’t provide the kind of returns someone like my wife (an engineer) required. So, we moved back North (Michigan) for hopes of gaining higher returns. Of course, that’s when the entire economy took a serious hit (911, the Iraq war, etc.). Luckily for us, my wife got a great job and was thereafter promoted quite rapidly through the ranks. As for me, I received my MCSE certifications in 1999 and was quickly hired as a Senior Systems Engineer for Ford Motor Company’s IT division. In that position, I was successfully responsible for maintaining all of their dealers’ customized websites. I stayed with them until 2008 when I received a better offer from McKesson Pharmaceutical Systems to head up their entire QA division. I remained with that company until the entire division was completely eliminated and everyone was laid off due to unforeseeable circumstances. So for about Six (6) months, I was unemployed and seriously had to assess my options regarding my career. It was a rough time. I racked up credit card and other debt and struggled with ways to reinvigorate my passions for the IT profession. Thankfully, it didn’t take much longer before I was hired by a large and very successful engineering company to head up their IT Staff and Support Center for each of their Five (5) separate offices which, of course is where I remain to this day. However, with the present economy, I understand that job uncertainty is a way of life and no one is immune from it. So, like most people, I wonder about the future and can only hope that my services will continue to be needed as they are now. It doesn’t matter what position you hold in life, we are constantly threatened by new and different eras of supply and demand. Life can change in a blink of an eye and that makes it rather difficult for us to always be prepared.


Sam: How did you learn about the dinar?

Chuckles: I was told about it from my father who was approached from a member of the BH group.


Sam: How did you become a forum owner?

Chuckles: It’s a funny story, and quite ironic. Actually I think I was like most people that got on this dinar ride in the first place. I was hungry for more information regarding the dinar so in my pursuit of knowledge, I joined a few forums and chat rooms. Initially, I joined Dinar Vets because the site seemed fairly credible due to its’ large membership base and the fact that there were a few members that posted quite regularly who seemed to have more knowledge than I did at the time. At first, DV seemed the most legit site, as far as the dinar goes, because who would think that Twenty-Seven thousand (27,000) people would blindly follow a faceless leader if he wasn’t above board, right? I was quickly kicked from DV for asking questions about how the country of Iraq would ever be able to pay for a 1 to 1 dollar RV with so much currency already in circulation? I, like so many other people only wanted the truth. I didn’t want to be pacified with answers that would not suffice in the real world. I needed to know more and with that yearning I migrated to other sites. So in 2010, when Checkmate (Dan Atkinson), TNT (Tony Renfrow) , SteveI, and JoeP seemed to be at odds with DV, I felt inclined to follow them to the new site they started called Peoples Dinar where their slogan was “No Boss No Cost.” And hey, in my opinion, it’s always fun to have a new site or be a part of one. It’s human nature to like new shiny things right?

Ok, I’m rambling. Back to why I started my site. One night back around December 2010, a few of my friends who were in a Skype group (including Native Girl who used to be Checkmate’s sweetheart who was living in Kuwait at the time and whom he used to use as one of his guru sources in chat and on conference calls) were in People’s Dinar chat room. We were asking questions and one of our Skype members was talking about her friend, who was pregnant at the time, having food cravings. A few references were made about pickles and then the pregnant member typed that she didn’t have any pickles but could go for a banana, which she did have. Needless to say, the uptight moderators (specifically Kevin aka Mango Rancher) made more of the conversation than what it was and decided to ban those included in the conversation EXCEPT FOR, GUESS WHO? CORRECT, NATIVE GIRL). LOL Most of the people they banned were not members of my Skype group, but some of them were. So, in essence, the narrow minded actions of People’s Dinar is truly what was the beginning of the Dinar Dater site because after we were banned, a few of my Skype group members said “Chuckles, you are an IT Tech and you have studied the dinar, why don’t you start your own site. “ So, I did. At first, the site was basically for those of us that wanted to share, chat, post and discuss everything regarding Iraq and the dinar and be able to do so without reproach. It was really as simple as that. It wasn’t controlled by any agenda, or money making scheme like bio fuel, a Viper’s brother’s widow fund (PD asked its’ members to contribute and several of us are still waiting for our individual PayPal to be credited back the amount we contributed), or a San Fran trip that was to occur post RV and where most of us felt like certain folks could be fleeced more than they already were. There has never been a hedge fund planned by my group. BY THE WAY RUDY, WHERE IS THE $700,000 USD YOU TOOK FROM PEOPLE TO BE A PART OF THIS POST-RV HEDGE FUND?..LOL, NOW THERE IS STORY IN AND OF ITSELF….LOL).


Sam: What have you learned as a forum owner?

Chuckles: I’ve learned that you cannot please everyone. No matter how much you try and keep folks grounded some folks are clearly those who are under more pressure than you. But really, you get all types. You have the conspiracy theorists, the religious folks, the spiritual, the poor, the sick, those that are desperate and looking for miracles in one way or the other, those that hang on to every word a guru speaks or those that believe in a LOP (or not), the ones who try to figure out things from an economic standpoint, those that try to brown nose, those that do and no longer believe in the investment itself, etc. I don’t believe I have ever seen a more diverse group of folks joined at the hip on the internet as there are on dinar sites. It is dumbfounding! I really appreciate the fellowship that we have at Dater, but I just hope that no one person invested in the dinar anywhere gives more free time to this particular “hobby” than they do to their families, work, and school or wherever they are in life at present. Because in reality and at this point, we must live our lives without the dependence upon the dinar and right now, a “hobby” is all you can truly call it at this point. The Dinar is very speculative investment that has become an internet phenomenon for a lot of people. In my opinion, one should never define their existence via an online persona.

And as far as owning a site, I’m Just saying, if you run a site without a personal financial agenda (i.e., never put up any advertisements or charge for a membership, or take a kickback from anyone, have a “donation” button, or ever ask a dime from any one) then that should speak highly of your intention in the dinar world. Not that it does, but it should! Dinardater.com costs Forty-Four Dollars ($44) a month to maintain.  We get approximately One Thousand (1000) hits a day of course AFTER clearing the false (bot) accounts created by crawlers, which other sites most likely do not do based on their inflated numbers vs. contributions. Moderators do not and have never charged or been paid for anything they post or do. They are members just like on any other site. They just have a few more options in the “backroom.” LOL

Clearly, I could make money just on the advertising alone. So why don’t I? Because I HAVE A SOUL! This is people’s hard earned money and emotions we are playing with and I take that very seriously. It is important that I apply myself to the principal of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” So as a community, I’d like to think that Dinar Dater is one of the best “dysfunctional families” out there regarding dinar on the net.  Seeing what I call “the Hopium “that other forum owners put out for the impending Monday RV, then the Tuesday “Nopium”  let down is really a shame. Anyone can come and take the research our folks do free of charge, we are here to share for free because everything posted is public articles or merely opinion, and that’s it. Simple, huh?


Sam: How have your views changed since you bought?

Chuckles: I had never invested in currency before the Dinar so I came into this very new to the whole concept of holding hard currency and treating it like an investment. I was used to maintaining a 401k and buying bonds for my daughter’s education but as far as currency trading I was a complete novice. So to say “has my view changed” since I first bought?  Yes!


Sam: How do you feel about buying dinar on reserve?

Chuckles: It's a lottery ticket, and foolish... and the dealers that do it will surely face prosecution, because I don’t believe they actually have the amount of currency held in their vault to make good on the reserve.

Sam: How do you see this playing out?

Chuckles: I am no Guru, I’m just some guy who likes to read and form my own opinions. I do believe Iraq has the potential to return to those invested in their infrastructure. That’s why the US strategically destroyed it. Now, if you’re asking do I think holding the physical currency will return better than owning stock in Exxon, Caterpillar, GE, BP..Etc? I challenge anyone out there to show me where someone has made millions without investing millions. It’s a pay to play market. Seeing folks wonder why Berkshire Hathaway isn’t holding Dinar, or trying to prove the treasury or Donald Trump holds dinar is laughable. They aren’t! Money isn’t made that way.

Ok, the Chucks prediction.  This is my feeling, if there is no currency reform in the next year (Spring 2013) and they double their GDP we should at least see some change in the exchange rate, maybe half 1170. Assuming Iraq continues using their auctions (MOF and Currency auctions) as a form of stabilization. IMO, Shabbi is running out of options, he needs to reform the currency clearly and hopefully make the MOF auctions available outside Iraq to back up the potential liquidity a raise in the rate would cause. Though nothing to me currently says 100,000% increase, sorry. Iraq will not go into debt to pay us off! They will allow us a return, but they will not go into debt over it. I do like the idea of treating currency out of country like they did the Swiss Dinar exchange, or some sort of hybrid model. I can be sure nobody knows how this will end, but treat it as a hobby. Don’t get too emotionally involved and read, read, and read. With any investment take control and know when to sell or know when to hold. This is your life don’t listen to nameless folks like myself. It’s your money! Now, I’ll end on the million dollar kicker. If they change the rate to something you are willing to sell for, where would you be able to exchange your money? If the banks treat it as toxic, the currency dealers gouge, and MSB do as well. As my friends say, Chuckles you’re like a lingering fart in a closed room.