How the World Really Works. Lobbyiests Buy Politicians.
THE AMERICAN DREAM
When you think about how things happen in America, how laws get passed or policies are made, you realize they happen through the exertion of influence. From the National Rifle Association to the pharmaceutical industry to the tobacco lobby, powerful interests put pressure on our elected officials and government institutions to sway or stop change.
Can Movies Make You Smarter?
YES THEY CAN!
“Thou Shalt Not,” “Whitey” Schafer's most famous image.
White women get away with everything, black women weren't usually affected by the Haye's code.
The Sharing Economy Isn't About Sharing at all it's an access economy. When “sharing” is market-mediated — when a company is an intermediary between consumers who don't know each other — it is no longer sharing at all. Rather, consumers are paying to access someone else's goods or services for a particular period of time. It is an economic exchange, and consumers are after utilitarian, rather than social, value.
K12 PUBLIC EDUCATION
K-12 Education is no different.
When reduced to its most fundamental elements, public education is a cold, hard business.
There is everything wrong with laws that allow corporations to harm Americans and the public commons that we share.
Corruption can ruin any government
American, Chinese, Russian etc.
FILM INDUSTRY AND GOV'T COLLABORATION
Mid 20th century America was a crucial turning point in Hollywood film. This is where we get the notion of an American Dream.
Hollywood films is where we learned that America gives your the opportunity -- and if you work hard for what you you'll achieve -- the "American Dream."
The films below will show you the truth about the opportunity to get what you want. What you think you've been promised doesn't always work out that way.
These films will show the truth
about how the world really works.
It didn't work out for Sony that well when Sony Pictures chairman, Michael Lynton, told industry colleagues of a plan to withdraw from the MPAA movie trade organization, because of the slow response and lack of public support in the aftermath of the attack on Sony and its film “The Interview,” as well as longstanding concerns about the cost and efficacy of the group.
Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the U.S."
The
Social Network
Director David Fincher's biographical drama chronicles the meteoric rise of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg
(Jesse Eisenberg) from Harvard sophomore to Internet superstar, examining his relationships with co-founder
Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) and Napster founder Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake). The film racked up
Golden Globe nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Eisenberg) and Best Supporting Actor
(Garfield).
Generational lifetime GOVERNMENT
Manipulation AND
MPAA CENSORSHIP
2015 The 93 year old MPAA Controlled Movies are Censored Propaganda supervision of a film ratings system and he policy front for Hollywood's major film studios.
Maintaining the MPAA
Walt Disney, Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, (Comcast owned) Universal and Sony each
spend
20 million in dues every year to belong to the MPAA. As recently as 2012, public tax filings by the film
association, a nonprofit, showed one-year expenditures of about $69 million, supported by dues of about $10
million from each studio, plus income from the ratings system and other sources, to support a staff that
then
numbered about 200. But the current contributions are approaching $25 million a year, according to several
executives.
Documentary filmmakers are moving into the cultural debate now that the news media isn't fulfilling its role.
Thomas J Dodd was a FBI agent and United States Senator from Connecticut and was the first censured by the
Senate since Joseph McCarthy in 1954. The censure was a condemnation and finding that he had converted
campaign funds to his personal accounts and spent the money.[24] Beyond the
Senate Ethics Committee's formal disciplinary action, other sources (such as investigative journalist
Drew
Pearson and Jack Anderson's Congress in Crisis [26]
Dodd played an instrumental role in the prohibition of LSD in the United States, presiding over subcommittee
hearings purportedly investigating the drug's effects on youth. Notably, Harvard psychologist and LSD
proponent Timothy Leary was called to testify. Despite that Leary urged lawmakers to enact a strictly
regulated framework where LSD would remain legal, Dodd and his colleagues drafted a ban which was later
adopted. This event was one episode in the prelude towards an all-out "War on Drugs" in the
1970s.[22]
Chris Dodd Joining MPAA As Top Lobbyist
Breaking Promise Not To Become A Lobbyist Just Weeks After Leaving Senate 2011;
One of the worst kept secrets in DC and Hollywood over the last month or so is the news that former
Connecticut Senator and failed Presidential candidate Chris Dodd became the MPAA's new boss (salary:
$1.2
million per year). This came after a failed attempt to get former Senator (and failed presidential
candidate)
Bob Kerry to take the role last year.
Dodd has proved himself to be perfect for a Hollywood job, because he is a blatant liar. Last summer, Dodd
insisted that he would not become a lobbyist. He made this abundantly clear. When asked what he would do, he
was explicit: "No lobbying, no lobbying." Yeah, apparently a million dollar plus salary makes you
a
liar barely a month after leaving the job. Of course, technically, Dodd is also barred from becoming a
lobbyist for two years after leaving the Senate, but there's a kind of *wink, wink, nudge, nudge* trick
that Dodd and others use to technically claim they're not lobbyists while merely running one of the
bigger
and most high profile lobbying organizations around.
Of course, it'll also be interesting to see if Dodd sells his soul and changes some of his professed
principles. For example, he was a big supporter of "net neutrality." But the MPAA
has come out against net neutrality, claiming it would hamper its efforts to "fight piracy." He
was
also against ISP data retention, which the MPAA has supported (again as a way to fight piracy). On copyright
he was somewhat non-committal, but did talk about how fair use rights are important remember Jack Valenti
once
declared that fair use doesn't exist.
Anyway, I guess it shouldn't surprise us that a politician lied and went back on his basic principles in
favor of a huge check from industry.
NET NEUTRALITY
Net Neutrality explained by a NINE year old
My 9-year old son spends a lot of time online and recently came to me asking what Net Neutrality meant. I
explained it the best I could. I just okay with current political events and he had a lot of questions. Had
to
actually look up some answers.
I recently overheard him explaining it to one of his friends, much better than I could, like this:
Pretend ice cream stores gave away free milkshakes. But you had to buy a straw to drink them. But that's
okay,
because you still get free milkshakes.
One day you're drinking a free milkshake and you look down and the guy that sold you the straw is pinching
it
almost shut. You can still get your milkshake, but it's really hard and takes a lot longer.
So you say, "Hey! Stop that!" And the straw guy says, "NO! Not until the ice cream store pays
me money."
And you say, "But I already paid you money for the straw." And the straw guy says, "I don't
care. I just want more money."
I think he nailed it.
2/26/15 F.C.C. Approves Net Neutrality Rules, Classifying Broadband Internet Service as a Utility
MPAA CEO Chris Dodd Admits Bribery
House Petitioned to Investigate MPAA Bribery January 22, 2012
The public has started a petition asking the White House to investigate comments made by MPAA CEO Chris Dodd
a
few days ago on Fox News. Closing a tumultuous week of wide protest against PIPA and SOPA - two MPAA backed
anti-piracy bills - Dodd threatened to stop the cash-flow to politicians who dare to
take a stand against pro-Hollywood legislation. Clear bribery, the petition claims, and already
thousands agree.
Talking to Fox News, the MPAA's boss threatened to stop contributing to politicians who don't back
legislation designed to protect Hollywood.
"Those who count on quote ‘Hollywood' for support need to understand that this industry is
watching very carefully who's going to stand up for them when their job is at stake. Don't ask me to write a
check for you when you think your job is at risk and then don't pay any attention to me when my job is at
stake," Dodd said. Although it's no secret that the movie industry has a powerful lobby in
Washington, explicitly admitting that bribery is one of the tactics the MPAA
uses to have their way wasn't well received by the public. A White house petition was
started to investigate Chris Dodd and the MPAA for alleged bribery.
"This is an open admission of bribery and a threat designed to provoke a specific policy goal. This is a brazen flouting of the ‘above the law' status people of Dodd's position and wealth enjoy," the petition reads. "We demand justice. Investigate this blatant bribery and indict every person, especially government officials and lawmakers, who is involved."
- What piracy crisis? MPAA touts record box office for 2007
- Piracy once again fails to get in way of record box office 2011
Chris Dodd won't give PG-13 rating to movie "BULLY" because the F-word is used several times in dialogue. The reason everyone wants the PG-13 is so kids can see the movie themselves." "Bully" follows several middle and high school students, and depicts the emotional and physical suffering caused by bullying. D.C. Public School Chancellor Kaya Henderson also spoke at the screening and said she plans to show "Bully" in D.C. schools.
This Film Is Not Yet Rated 2005
Kirby Dick's provocative documentary
investigates
the secretive and inconsistent process by which the Motion Picture Association of America rates films,
revealing the organization's underhanded efforts to control culture. A Censorship Secret Cartel ruled by
America's movie censors who were named in the film.
These ratings actually have an impact on ticket sales and a film-maker's ability to market his own work
successfully. An R-rated movie automatically has its potential audience reduced by age limits, which is a
choice the film-maker appealing to adults must make. The NC-17 rating, is the worst rating used as a weapon
against independent movies, never the studios' product. The MPAA is a business association backed by the
seven major studios. Dick exposes how studios get preferential treatment and how the MPAA views sex and
violence.
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship (2008) NR
Before the G, PG and R ratings system there was the Production Code, and before that there was, well,
nothing.
This eye-opening documentary examines the rampant sexuality of early Hollywood through movie clips and
reminiscences by stars of the era. Gloria Swanson, Mary Pickford, Marlene Dietrich and others relate tales
of
the artistic freedom that led to the draconian Production Code, which governed content from 1934 to 1968.
Diane Lane narrates.
Trumbo
After failing to cooperate with the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947, successful screenwriter
Dalton Trumbo was blacklisted in Hollywood. This documentary details Trumbo's life through personal
letters, interviews and archival footage. Well-known actors such as Joan Allen, Brian Dennehy, Paul
Giamatti,
David Strathairn, Donald Sutherland and others lend their voices to readings of Dalton Trumbo's personal
letters.
PRESIDENTIAL
IMPERIAL POWER
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers (SUPPORTS
WIKILEAKS)
Revisit a pivotal point in American history in this documentary that chronicles Pentagon insider Daniel
Ellsberg's daring endeavor to leak top-secret government papers that disclosed shocking truths about the
Vietnam War and Nixon's presidency. Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith direct this absorbing,
Oscar-nominated account that features compelling interviews with Ellsberg, retired New York Times
editor Max Frankel and other key figures.
The People Speak
Inspired by historian Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United
States," a slate of top performers takes the stage to recreate the voices of American
history's most eloquent dissenters, many of whom are excluded from traditional history books. The words
of
slaves, authors, politicians, poets, protesters and others come to life, courtesy of a cast that includes
Don
Cheadle, Sean Penn, Sandra Oh, Marisa Tomei, Benjamin Bratt and many more.
WE'RE NOT BROKE
The story of Corporate Tax Dodgers and how corporations have been able to shelter over a
trillion
dollars from the U.S. government, and how citizens across the country take their
frustration
to the streets--and vow to make them pay. The story of American corporations that dodge taxes.
Multibillion-dollar American corporations like Exxon, Google and Bank of America are making record profits.
And while the deficit climbs and the cuts go deeper, these corporations—with intimate ties to our political
leaders—are concealing colossal profits overseas to avoid paying U.S. income tax.
WE'RE NOT BROKE is the story of how U.S. corporations have been able to hide over a
trillion
dollars from Uncle Sam, and how seven fed-up Americans from across the country, take their frustration to
the
streets and vow to make the corporations pay their fair share.
CUT UNJUSTIFIED TAX LOOPHOLES Act
Instead of cutting public priorities, Congress should close offshore tax loopholes that let America's
largest
banks, pharmaceuticals, and high tech companies ship profits made in America to offshore tax havens. Tax
haven
loopholes cost an estimated $150 billion every single year. Tax-dodging companies benefit from our
infrastructure, educated workforce, and national security. They should not continue to get a free ride while
the public is left to pick up the tab of cuts to public programs, higher taxes, or more debt. As an ordinary
taxpayer, I urge you to support the Cut Unjustified Tax Loopholes Act (S. 268). Close Offshore Tax
Loophole
CONTACT YOUR CONGRESS PERSON - SENATORS-PRES.OBAMA
The Fog of War (Eleven Lessons From the Life of Robert S. McNamara)
This Oscar-winning documentary traces former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara's career from
government
to the World Bank; but his work during the Vietnam War -- examined through archival footage and interviews
--
is the real highlight. Having worked for both presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, McNamara
played a key role in shaping both administrations' approaches to the conflict.
1967 Guess Who's Coming To Dinner
In 1967 it was illegal for a white person to marry a black person in 14 states! Spencer Tracy and Katharine
Hepburn star as wealthy Californians who consider themselves progressive until their only daughter
(Katharine
Houghton) brings home her African American fiancé (Sidney Poitier) in this snapshot of race relations in the
late 1960s. The film earned two Academy Awards.
CORPORATION
VS. SLAVE LABOR
Fair Trade
Harlan County, U.S.A.
Director Barbara Kopple's film about the 1973 coal miners' strike in Harlan County, Ky., won a Best
Documentary Oscar and was selected for the National Film Registry. Highlighting the struggles of families
living in shacks with no indoor plumbing and enduring hazardous working conditions, the film details the
conflict between the Eastover Mining Co. and the laborers determined to join the United Mine Workers of
America.
Salt of the Earth
Director Herbert Biberman's prescient drama incited a furor upon its release with the political
overtones
in its story about the Mexican-Americans who went on strike to protest unsafe conditions and unfair
treatment
at New Mexico's Empire Zinc Mine. Presaging the civil rights and feminist movements, the 1954 film --
the
only one blacklisted in American history -- paints a thought-provoking picture of the struggle by the miners
and their families.
Che: Part 1 (The Argentine) / Che: Part 2 (Guerilla)
Benicio Del Toro delivers a searing, emotional performance as Ernesto "Che" Guevara, an asthmatic
Argentine doctor who became one of Latin America's most legendary revolutionary leaders in the 1950s.
Director Steven Soderbergh recounts the events of the Cuban revolution, in which Guevara, Fidel Castro
(Demiàn
Bichir), Tamara Bunke (Franka Potente) and other revolutionaries worked to overthrow the dictatorship of
Fulgencio Batista.
Citizen Kane
Orson Welles reinvented movies at the age of 26 with this audacious biography of newspaper baron Charles
Foster Kane, which, in essence, was a thinly veiled portrait of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst.
Welles's complex and technically stunning film chronicles Kane's rise from poverty to become one of
America's most influential men -- and it's considered one of the best movies ever made.
On the Waterfront
Winner of eight Oscars, director Elia Kazan's classic morality tale stars Marlon Brando as Terry Malloy,
a
has-been boxer who experiences a crisis of conscience while working for mobbed-up union boss Johnny Friendly
(Lee J. Cobb). Terry turns a blind eye when Friendly's thugs kill a fellow dockworker to keep him from
testifying in a corruption case, but he has second thoughts when the victim's sister (Eva Marie Saint)
urges him to take a stand.
Live Nude Girls Unite!
This critically acclaimed documentary follows a group of San Francisco exotic dancers who decide to unionize
to gain better wages and sick pay and to protect themselves against secret customer videotapes. Julia Query,
a
dancer at the Lusty Lounge, leads the unionization effort as the workers sort out their demands and go
through
the difficulties of bargaining with the union-busting law firm their managers hire.
The Pajama Game
Things heat up at the Sleep Tite Pajama Factory when feisty union gal Katie "Babe" Williams (Doris Day) gets tough with the management -- and sweet on th enew superintendent (John Raitt). As Babe battles for a 7.5-cent raise, the cast belts out showstoppers such as "Steam Heat" and "Hernando's Hideaway." Based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical,thefilm glows with Bob Fosse's hallmark choreography.
FREE MARKET UNREGULATED CARTELS
Trair
Superpower: Far from a conspiracy film about the dangers of government secrets and regime
change, this well-balanced film straddles the philosophical divide and allows viewers to understand the US
quest for global dominance through economic and military strategy that is exposed through review of
historical
events, personal interviews, and analysis of US foreign policy.
The heart of Superpower lies in the analysis produced from a re-examination of history through a series of
interviews with historians, documentarians, and academians. Examining key moments in America's history
elicits a more consistent and plausible set of motives for US foreign policy actions guided by global
expansion and military dominance, rather than the hyperbolic calls for democracy and totalitarian regime
change that we have become so accustomed to hearing.
Should citizens trust that their government will keep them safe, a government that keeps secrets, and lies,
in
the name of national security? Does the simple act of withholding information lead to a world of eroding
civil
liberties and corruption? Superpower presents a view of US foreign policy, which lies in stark contrast to
that depicted by corporate media, popular pundits, and US heads of state. With the fall of the Soviet Union,
the US has emerged as the preeminent superpower of the world. Superpower illustrates how the United States
has
chosen to leverage that position to pursue a grand strategy which will ensure itself unilateral world
domination through absolute economic and military superiority. It shows a consistent pattern of government
deception.
How can the US government (politicians) allow this super-rich family to continue to do business
as usual? Slave labor of Haitians in the Dominican Republic and Enviornmental
offenders
in Florida. This family receives $60 million of government subsidies for their sugar cane production in
Florida; while they pollute the Everglades with agro-chemical runoff which spills into Florida Bay, and
employ Haitians to cut cane for sub-human wages and let them live in horrifying conditions conditions. Big
Sugar explores the dark history and modern power of the world's reigning sugar cartels.
Using dramatic reenactments, it reveals how sugar was at the heart of slavery in the West Indies in the 18th
century, while showing how present-day consumers are slaves to a sugar-based diet. Going undercover, Big
Sugar
witnesses the appalling working conditions on plantations in the Dominican Republic, where Haitian cane
cutters live like slaves. Workers who live on Central Romano, a Fanjul-owned plantation, go hungry while
working 12-hour days to earn $2 (US). Coke is priced less than water.
The Corporation
is a 2003 Canadian documentary film written by Joel Bakan, and directed by Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott.
The documentary is critical of the modern-day corporation, considering its legal status as a class of person
and evaluating its behavior towards society and the world at large.
Take Away: Corporations took advantage of the law finally passed on the backs of slaves!
They
sued the gov't as if they were entitled to those same rights and because of corruption they won!
Chutzpa!
Inside Job:
Uncover the roots of the 2008 global economic crisis with Charles Ferguson's documentary, which combines
extensive research and convincing interviews to single out a rogue industry that has tainted every sector of
the financial system. Narrated by actor Matt Damon, this complex yet comprehensible film -- an Official
Selection at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival -- features discussions with influential politicians, academics,
journalists and more.
Life and Debt
Director Stephanie Black's documentary examines how policies of the International Monetary Fund, the
World
Bank and other aid organizations have altered the Jamaican economy over the past 25 years, leaving the
locals
to struggle in poverty. Author Jamaica Kincaid narrates passages from her book on the topic, A Small Place,
with Belinda Becker to a reggae soundtrack that includes songs by Bob Marley, Ziggy Marley, Mutubaruka and
Peter Tosh.
Is Walmart Good for America?: Frontline
This PBS series dares to pose a question: Is one of America's biggest corporations actually ruining the
economy? Marching across the nation, the big-box chain brings jobs and much-needed retail options to many
towns. But, as a major purveyor of goods, the company's also hacked away at manufacturing jobs
stateside,
since the bulk of its products are made in China. Here, "Frontline" examines two cities profoundly
affected by the Walmart movement.
Who Killed the Electric Car?
So now we're importing green technology from overseas. We're struggling to catch up. Taxpayers have dished out billions of dollars to bail out the auto companies. What's really interesting is lithium ion, which is definitely the leading battery technology today, most of the IP and most of the lithium, and definitely most of the processing, is in China. So we have essentially handed the Chinese a rapid advance in a market that would be very hard to catch up. And the Chinese appear to be investing very heavily in green cars and electric cars.
COMMERCE WITHOUT CONSCIENCE
White-collar Crime
This
term was reportedly coined in 1939 means Lying, cheating, and stealing by business and government
professionals.
EVOLUTIONARY SCIENCE SAYS:
IT IS A CHASE - IT IS A RACE - IT ALWAYS IS
In racing there is a saying: "If your not cheating, your cheating your self, because everyone else is."
Humans Can't Help Themselves: He'll be sure to follow you even if it is to hell. Everyone has the right to dream big but did you know if you chase something to get something - something else will come chasing you. Life is about chasing and being chased. There is no escape.
Video: College Inc (PBS Frontline)
55:36 Are for profit schools the answer? Uncovering the truth
about
for-profit colleges and universities, this Frontline episode investigates the schools' powerful
recruitment methods, convenient online curriculum, connections to Wall Street and astronomical revenues.
Through interviews with former students, employees and education experts, this program questions whether
such
institutions of higher learning improve the lives of their graduates or simply saddle them with debt.
- This undercover video from the Government Accountability Office enrollment officers.
- More details on the money in gaming Google's search results.
The Insider
Nominated for seven Oscars, this thought-provoking thriller from director Michael Mann is based on the true
story of a Big Tobacco scientist who exposed industry secrets and the newsman who fought forces that would
have squelched the story. When TV producer Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino) coaxes researcher Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe) to speak about his former employer's
knowledge of tobacco's harmful qualities, the corporations try to silence them. This is one of those
films
you should see along with Wall Street, Thirteen Days, and All the President's Men if you want a
(dramatized) picture of how the power-centers in America really operate under extraordinary circumstances -
scandal and massive threats, in this case. Michael Mann shows us the forces that impact people when billions
of dollars and entire corporations (hence thousands of jobs) are at stake - not to mention the millions of
lives perhaps cut short by not understanding the full disclosure behind using a product that kills. The
Insider dramatizes an American tragedy. We have become a nation of people who willfully allow those in power
to tell us lies. The government lies to us and the press lies to us, and more often than not we are lied to
in
order to protect the financial interests of big business. The second tragedy of this film is that so few
people have seen it.
Wall Steet
Enterprising stockbroker Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) falls under the enticing spell of Gordon Gekko (Michael
Douglas), an unabashedly greedy Wall Street arbitrageur who tutors him in the unscrupulous tactics that put
the corporate raider on top. But when Gekko embroils his protégé in an insider-trading scheme that may risk
the jobs of kith and kin, Fox develops a conscience and decides to turn the tables.
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
Based on the book of the same name by Peter Elkin, director Alex Gibney's documentary takes a
behind-the-scenes look at the powerful energy company whose downfall forever changed the landscape of the
business world. With a blend of fascinating footage, fast-paced interviews and a wealth of information, this
film is a serious lesson in the potential trappings of dishonesty and unethical behavior dogging corporate
America.
Casino Jack and the United States of Money
Documentarian Alex Gibney (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room) turns his acute focus on convicted
Washington
lobbyist Jack Abramoff, reproaching him and other legislators for their negative impact on U.S. politics.
Gibney's film plays less like a dry treatise and more like a high-stakes political thriller, fearlessly
examining the ways American policies and political processes are undermined by an endless quest for power.
Capitalism: A Love Story
Filmmaker Michael Moore (Sicko, Fahrenheit 9/11) takes on capitalism's roots, the floundering U.S.
economy, and 2008's global financial meltdown and subsequent bank bailout in this rousing documentary.
Combining stories about those who suffer most from Corporate America's greed and insatiable thirst for
profits and the people most responsible for myriad crises, Moore embarks on another shocking fact-finding
rampage.
The Art of the Steal
A gripping tale of intrigue and mystery in the art world, this film traces the history of the Barnes
collection of Post-Impressionist paintings, which was worth billions and became the subject of a power
struggle after the 1951 death of the owner. Dr. Albert Barnes collected 181 Renoirs, 69 Cézannes, 59
Matisses,
46 Picassos and many other valuable paintings. But the political wrangling over the collection eventually
led
to its division.
On the heels of recent lawsuits against McDonald's, director Morgan Spurlock takes a hilarious and often terrifying look at the effects of fast food on the human body, using himself as the proverbial guinea pig. For one month, Spurlock eats nothing but McDonald's, ordering everything on the menu and "super-sizing" his order whenever asked. The result is a sobering examination of the line between personal and corporate responsibility.
MEDIA marketing, branding & advertising
MARIJUANA Is Illigal because of The Union of PARTNERS WITH
K12 EDUCATION AND THE PRIVATE PRISON PIPELINE The
Most Profitable Industries - Private Prisons (great stats) , Medicine, Paper, Fuel, Textiles, Food.
The Union: The
Business
Behind Getting High
Filmmaker Adam Scorgie explores the illegal marijuana industry in British Columbia, revealing how the
international business is most likely more profitable than it would be if it was lawful in this enlightening
documentary. Marijuana growers, law enforcement officials, physicians, politicians, criminologists,
economists
and celebrities -- including comedian Tommy Chong -- shed light on this topical subject in a series of
compelling interviews.
Art and Copy
Explore the fascinating and sometimes mysterious world of advertising with this compelling documentary from
filmmaker Doug Pray that features a host of interviews with some of the biggest names in the business. Meet
the talented minds who created taglines forever embedded in the American psyche, including "Just Do
It," "Where's the Beef?" and "Got Milk?" Hal Riney, Ed Rollins and many others
share their insights.
Objectified
Discover how manufactured objects that surround us such as cars, phones and chairs influence our daily lives
with this revealing documentary, which features top industrial designers discussing their creative processes
and professional objectives. Director Gary Hustwit (Helvetica) explores not only how objects get made, but
also why they make us feel the way they do and how they can make our world better.
MEDIA SAVVY
KNOW THE LIARS
Rig the Game;TRUE GRIT
Enterprising publicity executive of the eras set out to rig the game. Mr. Rehme recalled sending members of
the Paramount office staff to buy boxes of books from stores that, by his information, were being monitored
by
The New York Times in compiling its best-seller list. (These days, a dagger symbol next to a book on the
best-seller list indicates that booksellers have noted bulk sales.) “It worked,” maintains Mr. Rehme, who
then
circulated all those books to people in the news media and others, pumping up interest in a story Paramount
was promoting as “a brand new brand of American frontier story.” By the time “True Grit,” the old one,
started
shooting, the Hollywood trades pegged the novel as the No. 2 best-seller in the country. Maybe it was. Or
maybe Mr. Rehme was just Hollywood's No. 1 promoter at the time. Learn
How to really make money self publishing.
The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein
Explodes the myth that the global free market triumphed
democratically. Exposing the thinking, the money trail and the puppet strings behind the
world-changing crises and wars of the last four decades, The Shock Doctrine is the gripping story of how
America's “free market” policies have come to dominate the world-- through the exploitation of
disaster-shocked people and countries. Klein may well have revealed the master narrative of our time. And
because the pattern she exposes could govern our future as well,could turn out to be among the most
important
books of the decade."
Wag the Dog
When the president is caught in a sex scandal less than two weeks before the election, White House
spinmaster
Conrad Brean (Robert De Niro) creates a phony war with the help of Hollywood producer Stanley Motss (Dustin
Hoffman) to distract the electorate. From acclaimed director Barry Levinson and writers Hilary Henkin and
David Mamet comes this biting look at American politics and its insidious relationship with the media.
Speaking Truth
to Power
Taxi to the Dark Side 2007R 106 minutes
Alex Gibney (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room) directs this Best Documentary Oscar winner that uses
interviews, news footage and firsthand reports to examine the Bush administration's policy on torture.
The
film focuses on the case of an Afghan taxi driver who picked up three passengers and never returned home.
Instead, he wound up dead at the Bagram Air Base, killed by injuries inflicted by U.S. soldiers.
The Weather Underground
Uncover the roots of the 2008 global economic crisis with Charles Ferguson's documentary, which combines
extensive research and convincing interviews to single out a rogue industry that has tainted every sector of
the financial system. Narrated by actor Matt Damon, this complex yet comprehensible film -- an Official
Selection at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival -- features discussions with influential politicians, academics,
journalists and more.
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington 1939
A naive man is appointed to fill a vacancy in the US Senate. His plans promptly collide with political
corruption, but he doesn't back down.
Freakonomics
Crime is down because they found that it correlated with the 1970's law that passed giving women the
right
to choose. Paying school children money to bring up their test scores as an incentive didn't really
work.
THE RICHEST 1%
THE SECRETS OF HOW
LOBBYIESTS
BUY POLITICIANS.
YOU CAN FIND THE MONEY
YOU CAN LEARN THEIR TECHNIQUES
Focuses on the growing “wealth gap” in America. In this eye-opening documentary, filmmaker Jamie Johnson heir to the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical fortune. He examines the gap that exists between America's poor. Johnson interviews Milton Friedman, Bill Gates Sr., Steve Forbes and other wealthy men, revealing the enormous social and political effect financial disparity has on America's current state. Jamie Johnson, explores the political, moral and emotional rationale that enables a tiny percentage of Americans - the1% - to control nearly half the wealth of the entire United States.
Trailer (Nicole Buffet reads a letter from her grandfather Warren Buffet, explaining that he no longer considers her part of the family after participating in the film.)
FYI: Milton Friedman is exposed as the idiot he really is. Interview
Article:
Of
course, Jamie Johnson comes from a background that is far more than simply dysfunctional and eccentric.
During
the longest, most expensive contested-will trial in U.S. history, which ensued after the death of
Jamie's
grandfather Seward Johnson in 1983, lurid tales--including murder for hire, sexual deviance, drugs, and
suicide--were revealed. Why is it that kids with all of life's advantages get into trouble? Opportunity,
for one thing. "I don't know if rich kids are any more messed up than ordinary kids," says
Arlyn
Davich, who knew Jamie Johnson when they both attended the Pingry School in Martinsville, N.J. "But
they
have the means, the money, and the time to indulge in bad behavior." How do their parents fit into the
picture? "It's hard to generalize," says a member of Johnson's social set, "but when
we
were growing up, we always used to have the parties at the wealthiest kids' houses because the parents
seemed the most likely not to be home. Also, if the police came, you would be less likely to be in
trouble."
To Jamie Johnson, a parent's failure to discuss family finances also contributes greatly to
dysfunctionality. "In my experiences, I think it's taught to you from a very early, early age:
Don't talk about money because it's impolite," he says, sipping a glass of water. "People
in
America love to think of this as a society where everyone earns what they have, and in some ways [inherited
wealth] contradicts that notion, and I think that makes people uncomfortable."
You want uncomfortable? Just watch the scenes in Born Rich in which Jamie confronts his father, James
"Jimmy" Loring Johnson, about the family's fortune. Jamie: "I don't want to be
nervous
about money, or be nervous about who I am. And I feel like you are feeling nervous about this film--is maybe
that nervousness of who you are?" Dad: "And you are in control of this film. And I am not. So
there
is, uh, a little source of nervousness." Later in the movie, when Jamie asks his father--who spends his
days painting--what he should do with his life, the elder Johnson suggests "collecting historic
documents, papers, publications ..." Johnson the younger cocks a skeptical eye to the camera.
Billionaire Samuel Curtis “S. C.” Johnson III, heir to the S. C. Johnson & Sons fortune, sexually assults his 12 year old step daughter only gets 4 months.
How the Internet
Got Started
1963 Timesharing: A Solution to Computer Bottlenecks
The Internet was developed in the 1960s by DARPA
actually,with
4 nodes and 4 computers (see some good maps of the evolving net, starting from 1 node and 1 computer in
Sept.
69) by 1971, the net was in heavy use by most of the serious researchers in the country. The original
motivation of the ARPANET was to link together DARPA-supported computer science researchers, to allow them
to
share resources and information. It was a wild success that changed the way work was organized and performed
in that research community. The most logical date of origin of the Internet is January 1, 1983, when the
ARPANET officially switched from the NCP protocol to TCP/IP. Six months later, the ARPANET was split into
the
two subnets ARPANET and MILNET, which were connected by Internet gateways* (routers).
The planning for the January 1983 switchover was fully documented in Jon Postel in RFC 801. The week-by-week
progress of the transition was reported in a series of 15 RFCs, in the range RFC 842 - RFC 876, by UCLA
student David Smallberg. There may still be a few remaining T shirts that read, "I Survived the TCP/IP
Transition". People sometimes question that any geeks would have been in machine rooms on January 1.
Believe it!! Some geeks got very little sleep for a few days (and that was before the work "geek"
was invented, I believe.) So, on New Year's Eve, hoist one for the 20th anniversary of the Internet.
2011 Dugan, the 19th (and first female) director of DARPA, came to the agency after co-founding Dugan Ventures, which in turn founded RedXDefense in 2005. RedXDefense was created to produce solutions for combating explosive threats. Dugan's involvement in both companies created friction in 2010, when RedXDefense won a $1.7 million contract from DARPA and Wired reported that the firm also owed Dugan $250,000. Dugan recused herself from any business dealings with RedXDefense, and DARPA Deputy Director Kaigham “Ken” Gabriel told the Los Angeles Times: “Honestly, this is something that is prevalent. . . . We just know how to deal with it. It's not that big of a deal, frankly.” The Times also reported that no law exists preventing a sitting DARPA chief from divesting in companies that receive defense contracts before assuming their post. That aside, the full interview from the Wall Street Journal's “All Things D” was posted Monday morning. Dugan discusses some of the latest developments at DARPA and the role the agency plays in some of the nation's most significant inventions.
How Computers
Got Started
Desk Set
1957 Bunny Watson (Katharine Hepburn) is a reference librarian whose tepid long-term relationship with
television executive Mike Cutler (Gig Young) is fizzling. Enter Richard Sumner (Spencer Tracy), a
no-nonsense
computer genius who's created a new product named Miss Emmy to automate the work of Bunny and her
co-workers. The two butt heads in the beginning, but soon their disdain for one another turns to romantic
sparks. The Real Computer Wonder Women!
Triumph of the Nerds
How the Home Computer Acutally Got Started. Robert Cringely's in-depth
look
at the rise of Silicon Valley giants from nerd-dom to success is exacting in detail, providing an impressive
history of personal computing. All three episodes of the 1996 PBS series ("Impressing Their
Friends," "Riding the Bear" and "Great Artists Steal") invite viewers into the
lives
of modern movers and shakers such as Microsoft's Bill Gates and Apple's Steve Jobs and Steve
Wozniak.
"The trick is to not put up with the bullshit of the guild system. That's what Bill Gates did, or
he
would have stayed at Harvard and become a near-great mathematician. -- Robert X. Cringely"
Never forget that Steve Jobs famously hatched an illegal anti-poaching scheme. The rich and powerful want to stay that way, and they do it via collusion.