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11 December 2012
Charlie Chaplin: The Greatest Speech Ever Made
From the Wikipedia entry for Charlie Chaplin and his film "The Great Dictator" from which this speech is taken and overlayed with new imagery:
The 1940s saw Chaplin face a series of controversies, both in his work and his personal life, which changed his fortunes and severely affected his popularity in America. The first of these was a new boldness in expressing his political beliefs. Deeply disturbed by the surge of militaristic nationalism in 1930s world politics,[223] Chaplin found that he could not keep these issues out of his work: "How could I throw myself into feminine whimsy or think of romance or the problems of love when madness was being stirred up by a hideous grotesque, Adolf Hitler?"[224] He chose to make The Great Dictator—a "satirical attack on fascism" and his "most overtly political film".[225] There were strong parallels between Chaplin and the German dictator, having been born four days apart and raised in similar circumstances. It was widely noted that Hitler wore the same toothbrush moustache as the Tramp, and it was this physical resemblance that formed the basis of Chaplin's story.[226]
Chaplin spent two years developing the script,[227] and began filming in September 1939.[228] He had submitted to using spoken dialogue, partly out of acceptance that he had no other choice but also because he recognised it as a better method for delivering a political message.[229] Making a comedy about Hitler was seen as highly controversial, but Chaplin's financial independence allowed him to take the risk.[230] "I was determined to go ahead," he later wrote, "for Hitler must be laughed at."[231][note 8] Chaplin replaced the Tramp (while wearing similar attire) with "A Jewish Barber", a reference to the Nazi party's belief that the star was a Jew.[note 9] In a dual performance he also plays the dictator "Adenoid Hynkle", a parody of Hitler which Maland sees as revealing the "megalomania, narcissism, compulsion to dominate, and disregard for human life" of the German dictator.[233]
The Great Dictator spent a year in production, and was released in October 1940.[234] There was a vast amount of publicity around the film, with a critic for the New York Times calling it "the most eagerly awaited picture of the year", and it was one of the biggest money-makers of the era.[235] The response from critics was less enthusiastic. Although most agreed that it was a brave and worthy film, many considered the ending inappropriate.[236] Chaplin concluded the film with a six-minute[237] speech in which he looked straight at the camera and professed his personal beliefs.[238] The monologue drew significant debate for its overt preaching and continues to attract attention to this day.[239] Maland has identified it as triggering Chaplin's decline in popularity, and writes, "Henceforth, no movie fan would ever be able to separate the dimension of politics from the star image of Charles Spencer Chaplin."[240] The Great Dictator received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor.[241]
26 November 2012
Keiser Report: Colossal Collapse Coming (Episode #371)
Stacy and Max start the show with a look at the world's feudal lords in a rentier society: Banksters. They look at massive "rent seeking" and "financial dislocation" as the money lenders chase new alpha through higher rents of their massive REO inventory.
One beautiful phrase which Max uses: he calls Zero Interest Rates, which excludes 99.9% of us from the benefits within, as "Financial Jim Crow Laws".
As Max explains, if you're on the inside of Zero Interest Rates, or the Big House (as he aptly calls it) you're the first in line borrower of cheap money at Zero Interest. But if you're one of the 99%ers, you're out there in the fields, fighting for your meals, shopping at the "company store" (i.e. Walmart, Tedsco, etc.) you're going too pay through the nose with "interest charged" to buy your necessities of life.
Max also covers the "Bond Bubble" and what is about to happen in that realm when the bubble pops. He claims that KKR's move into offering new products to low net individuals is "a bell being rung" at the market top for the bond bubble. As he expalins, KKR is taking its long term security risk, packaging it for a gullible public of small investors, and the public will be, in essence, buying into KKR's long term interest rate risk. Max claims anyone buying into this new KKR scheme will be losing 75 to 90% of their investment, while KKR's risk will be insulated by taxpayers.
The last part of the show, Max interviews Ian Williams a specialist in gold/silver who says you want to buy silver in the coming precious metals bull market. Watch the video to see Williams reasoning.
One beautiful phrase which Max uses: he calls Zero Interest Rates, which excludes 99.9% of us from the benefits within, as "Financial Jim Crow Laws".
As Max explains, if you're on the inside of Zero Interest Rates, or the Big House (as he aptly calls it) you're the first in line borrower of cheap money at Zero Interest. But if you're one of the 99%ers, you're out there in the fields, fighting for your meals, shopping at the "company store" (i.e. Walmart, Tedsco, etc.) you're going too pay through the nose with "interest charged" to buy your necessities of life.
Max also covers the "Bond Bubble" and what is about to happen in that realm when the bubble pops. He claims that KKR's move into offering new products to low net individuals is "a bell being rung" at the market top for the bond bubble. As he expalins, KKR is taking its long term security risk, packaging it for a gullible public of small investors, and the public will be, in essence, buying into KKR's long term interest rate risk. Max claims anyone buying into this new KKR scheme will be losing 75 to 90% of their investment, while KKR's risk will be insulated by taxpayers.
The last part of the show, Max interviews Ian Williams a specialist in gold/silver who says you want to buy silver in the coming precious metals bull market. Watch the video to see Williams reasoning.
Labels:
Bond Bubble,
Bonds,
Gold,
Ian Williams,
KKR,
Max Keiser,
Silver
BBC Documentary: "The Money Trap - How Banks Control The World Through Debt"
This is a short documentary which will speak to any of you who were ever a "revolver", i.e., the number one "mark" of Banksters who use debt to keep you trapped in a circle of hell. If you are reading this, you are lucky. You are already empowered. Many people have no clue what to do when they are ensnared in the Money Trap.
This documentary looks at one man who took his life and the effect it has had on his family. A British bank executive blows the whistle on the evil which Banksters use to entrap the unsavvy consumer:
This documentary looks at one man who took his life and the effect it has had on his family. A British bank executive blows the whistle on the evil which Banksters use to entrap the unsavvy consumer:
Black Friday In America 2012 - Happy Consumer Fest!
Walmart - Hark, the Herald Angels Sing!
Victoria's Secret - Silent Night
Target - Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree
Victoria's Secret - Silent Night
Target - Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree
Labels:
Black Friday,
Target,
Victoria's Secret,
Walmart
18 October 2012
11 October 2012
4 Nigerian villagers go to the Hague and sue Big Oil multinational Shell over 50 years of pollution
Walmart workers threatening walkout on Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year
Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, claims Google vs. Apple is the tech industry's defining fight
Walmart workers threatening walkout on Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year
Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, claims Google vs. Apple is the tech industry's defining fight
Labels:
Apple (AAPL),
Google (GOOG),
Nigeria,
Shell,
Walmart
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