http://bravenewfilms.org/topics/greed 2008-07-22T21:11:51Z http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/46029-stop-oil-speculation-now 2008-07-22T21:11:51Z Garlin II <a href="http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/46029-stop-oil-speculation-now"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/thumbnail_pic/53398" style="border: solid 1px black; margin-right: 7px; margin-top: 3px;" align="left" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p><p>Guess what? Gas is expensive. Expensive gas impacts almost everything in Americans&rsquo; day-to-day lives by making almost everything we do or consume more costly. One of the large contributors to the high cost of fuel is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speculation" title="Wikipedia: Speculation">speculation,</a> which in simple terms means to <em>buy something you have no purpose for other than to make money off of its unstable price.</em></p> <p>Well, the argument against <em>excessive </em>speculation, especially on commodities like oil, has brought together groups of citizens, organizations, and companies that oftentimes are at odds with one another. The <a href="http://www.stopoilspeculationnow.com/" title="Stop Oil Speculation Now">Stop Oil Speculation Now</a> effort has caused many to join in a call for smarter, more responsible government regulation and an end to one of the major drivers if high gas prices.</p></p> </div> <a href="/blog/46029-stop-oil-speculation-now">Continue reading</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/45811-the-nature-of-men 2008-07-15T19:20:15Z visionimpaired <div class="post_content"> <p>A look at the reality of a world that has been brought to the edge of collapse by the naure of men.</p> </div> <a href="http:www.youtube.com/visionimpaired">Visit the site</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/45182-tim-mcmullen-s-it-hurts-the-world 2008-07-09T14:06:13Z Tim McMullen <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/38Txba-2-AI&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/38Txba-2-AI&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/45182-tim-mcmullen-s-it-hurts-the-world"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/52048" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>A poem attacking hypocrisy in politics, child rearing, economics...I'll bet you've never heard so many interesting rhymes with the word "world."</p> <p>It Hurts the World</p> <p>There is one thing you can't deny <br />It hurts the world to live a lie <br />Your singular? It must be pluraled <br />You can't deny it hurts the world</p> <p>You chauvinist with flag unfurled <br />You can't deny it hurts the world <br />In fighter's stance with fingers curled <br />You can't deny it hurts the world</p> <p>You parent with a cruel word hurled <br />You can't deny it hurts the world <br />"Just say, 'No!" while your drink is swirled <br />You can't deny it hurts the world</p> <p>Change I and me to us and we <br />Beyond your pond is one great sea <br />Now think of all that it might be <br />If we rid it of hypocrisy</p> <p>You brag about how hard you try <br />Then blame it on the other guy <br />Discount those things your money can't buy <br />It hurts the world to live a lie</p> <p>Your necks and wrists all diamond and pearled <br />You can't deny it hurts the world <br />That horde you have...how hard you've squirreled <br />You can't deny it hurts the world</p> <p>Change I and me to us and we <br />Beyond your pond is one great sea <br />Now think of all that it might be <br />If we rid it of hypocrisy</p> <p>written by Tim McMullen <br />©2000</p> </div> <a href="/blog/45182-tim-mcmullen-s-it-hurts-the-world">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/45179-woody-guthrie-s-i-ain-t-got-no-home 2008-07-09T13:46:57Z Tim McMullen <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1E-nCipeewQ&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1E-nCipeewQ&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/45179-woody-guthrie-s-i-ain-t-got-no-home"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/52035" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>Woody Guthrie's song about the displaced, the homeless, the migrants. Although this was an attack on capitalists and corporations during the depression, in this age of uffettered corporate control of society and government, in this age of anti-immigrant and anti-worker hysteria whipped up by the discredited but still dominant corrupt corporate media, with home and farm foreclosures at an all-time high, Woody's words were never more true for millions of Americans and immigrants.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/45179-woody-guthrie-s-i-ain-t-got-no-home">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/45175-woody-guthrie-s-deportees-plane-wreck-at-los-gatos 2008-07-09T13:21:23Z Tim McMullen <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fWiEI-GubF0&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fWiEI-GubF0&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/45175-woody-guthrie-s-deportees-plane-wreck-at-los-gatos"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/52009" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>I have performed this Woody Guthrie musical lecture for over 30 years. I always end with this piece, and despite any tricks I use to try to fool myself, I wind up feeling the words and being moved to tears by the end of it. One of a handful of songs that make an incredibly personal yet universal statement about the devestating impact of injustice and greed. </p> <p>Another of Guthrie's indictments of ruthless capitalism, it is a brilliant answer to the far-wrong's faux flaps over workers deemed "illegal." My spoken introduction to this piece at</p> <p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0gNvsdCCxA&feature=related</p> <p>includes a discussion of Chapter 25 from Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath and the corporate greed that manipulates the "market" while workers starve.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/45175-woody-guthrie-s-deportees-plane-wreck-at-los-gatos">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/43361-beating-a-drum 2008-06-28T18:00:11Z Howling Coyote <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-QDynTRBufw&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-QDynTRBufw&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/43361-beating-a-drum"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/49633" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>Original song performed by Dreaming of Coyotes.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/43361-beating-a-drum">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/39832-keep-the-coast-lng-free 2008-07-26T02:34:10Z noshineola <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oJeFMZy7nKc&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oJeFMZy7nKc&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/39832-keep-the-coast-lng-free"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/44956" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>Video of whales threatened by LNG terminals off the coast of California</p> </div> <a href="/blog/39832-keep-the-coast-lng-free">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/39827-no-clearwater-port 2008-07-26T02:34:10Z noshineola <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/caYVt1WFvNQ&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/caYVt1WFvNQ&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/39827-no-clearwater-port"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/44951" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>Press conference to announe opposition to converting platform grace in the Santa Barbara Channel into an LNG off loading facility.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/39827-no-clearwater-port">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/39826-oxnard-combats-clearwater-port 2008-07-26T02:34:09Z noshineola <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/W7PUOpXAMJA&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/W7PUOpXAMJA&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/39826-oxnard-combats-clearwater-port"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/44950" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>Community leaders speak out against an LNG terminal proposed by Houston based Northern Star Natural Gas</p> </div> <a href="/blog/39826-oxnard-combats-clearwater-port">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/39825-edc-channelkeeper-press-conference 2008-07-26T02:34:09Z noshineola <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ttjUdOPmEbA&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ttjUdOPmEbA&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/39825-edc-channelkeeper-press-conference"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/44949" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>Santa Barbara Channekeeper Hires the Environmental <br />Defense Center. Clearwater LNG Port The many risks.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/39825-edc-channelkeeper-press-conference">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/39824-edc-channelkeeper-press-conference 2008-07-26T02:34:09Z noshineola <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CLiqP1nWrTA&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CLiqP1nWrTA&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/39824-edc-channelkeeper-press-conference"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/44948" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>Santa Barbara Channekeeper Hires the Environmental <br />Defense Center. Clearwater LNG Port The many risks.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/39824-edc-channelkeeper-press-conference">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/39709-big-oil-america 2008-06-16T09:30:47Z dsross007 <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/73NZGfQgrMQ&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/73NZGfQgrMQ&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/39709-big-oil-america"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/44816" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>A response to recent distorted TV commercials from American Big Oil (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_oNzqgtWD0)">www.youtube.com</a> portraying their role as beneficial to Americans while they attempt to control the democratic process in Congress. This 70&#39;s spoof is a twist on their propaganda. Watch Big Oil America at: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73NZGfQgrMQ&amp;amp;v3">www.youtube.com</a> </p> </div> <a href="/blog/39709-big-oil-america">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/38469-john-mccain-s-myanmar-burma-connection 2008-07-26T02:21:04Z Citizen Mike Logan <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wMem8ovvJjc&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wMem8ovvJjc&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/38469-john-mccain-s-myanmar-burma-connection"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/43436" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>For a straight-talker, McCain's lack of judgment sure seems awfully crooked.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/38469-john-mccain-s-myanmar-burma-connection">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/37520-global-food-shortage 2008-06-12T10:46:25Z MobLogicTV <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/5T7cODJfErk&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/5T7cODJfErk&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/37520-global-food-shortage"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/42299" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>Where in the world did all the food go?</p> </div> <a href="/blog/37520-global-food-shortage">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/35772-authors-google-michael-kodas 2008-06-13T21:31:18Z AtGoogleTalks <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oPC5UOUuYzU&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oPC5UOUuYzU&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/35772-authors-google-michael-kodas"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/39732" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>Michael Kodas, author, staff photographer/writer/editor at the Hartford Courant, and prize-winning photojournalist, visits Google's Cambridge, MA office to discuss his book "High Crimes: The Fate of Events in the Age of Greed." This event took place on March 13, 2008, as a part of the Authors@Google series.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/35772-authors-google-michael-kodas">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/35628-the-war-on-greed 2008-06-23T14:32:34Z SEIU <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DjdCs0KBpAk&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DjdCs0KBpAk&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/35628-the-war-on-greed"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/39211" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>Brave New Films presents The War On Greed starring Larry the Loophole. <a href="http://www.behindthebuyouts.org/">www.behindthebuyouts.org</a> </p> </div> <a href="/blog/35628-the-war-on-greed">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/34660-tobbaco-giant-fights-fda-regulation 2008-06-12T21:30:09Z Veracifier <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PF5A7CJgdaw&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PF5A7CJgdaw&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/34660-tobbaco-giant-fights-fda-regulation"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/37834" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>This ad shows tobbaco giant Reynolds fights regulation by the FDA.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/34660-tobbaco-giant-fights-fda-regulation">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/34327-walocaust-wal-qaeda-and-the-ensuing-suits 2008-07-19T20:45:06Z Brave New Films <a href="http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/34327-walocaust-wal-qaeda-and-the-ensuing-suits"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/thumbnail_pic/37461" style="border: solid 1px black; margin-right: 7px; margin-top: 3px;" align="left" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p><p>[Charlie Smith has battled Wal-Mart for the last few years, in and out of court.&nbsp; Below is his account of confronting Wal-Mart&#39;s mighty legal clout over free speech issues.]</p><p><a href="http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/downloads/real_time_4-15.wmv">I&#39;m not the first person to call Wal-Mart &quot;Nazis.&quot;&nbsp;</a></p><p>In December 2004 while reading a book detailing the history of the rise of the Nazis and their attempt to take over the world, I came to a part that described how union leaders and liberals were among the first groups persecuted by the Nazis. Upon learning that, I thought, whoa! Taking over the world? Union bashing? Sounds like Wal-Mart.<br />&nbsp; <br />I have always been interested in the idea of progress causing destruction or as the phrase proclaims, &quot;creative destruction,&quot; a process in which the old ways of doing things are destroyed and replaced by new ways. The term was coined by Joseph Schumpeter. Schumpeter believed that the success of capitalism would lead to a form of corporatism, a political system dominated by corporations. <br /><br />To that extent, the misery caused by people losing jobs through downsizing, outsourcing, and misguided economic policies are harsh realities that I felt needed a stronger designation. And so, I invented the parody term &ldquo;walocaust.&rdquo;&nbsp; The purpose of the portmanteau is to call to mind the name &ldquo;Wal-Mart&rdquo; while at the same time expressing strong opposition to Wal-Mart and what the &ldquo;Wal-Mart effect&rdquo; truly represents.</p></p> </div> <a href="/blog/34327-walocaust-wal-qaeda-and-the-ensuing-suits">Continue reading</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/33811-tax-loopholes-for-california-yacht-owners 2008-07-26T02:48:21Z Leighton Woodhouse <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AISA-Rj2mzc&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AISA-Rj2mzc&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/33811-tax-loopholes-for-california-yacht-owners"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/36818" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p><p>From our friends at the Courage Campaign, an<br /> important fight in California to stop Republican legislators from creating tax loopholes for yacht owners.&nbsp; Yeah, no kidding.</p><p>Watch the video and read more after the flip.&nbsp;</p></p> </div> <a href="/blog/33811-tax-loopholes-for-california-yacht-owners">Continue reading</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/33787-blackstone-the-new-enron 2008-06-11T15:35:02Z ZP Heller <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/7Jdi20kfIPY&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/7Jdi20kfIPY&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/33787-blackstone-the-new-enron"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/thumbnail_pic/36791" style="border: solid 1px black; margin-right: 7px; margin-top: 3px;" align="left" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p><p>David Morris has <a href="http://www.alternet.org/workplace/80288/?page=2">an excellent piece over at AlterNet</a> about how the New York Public Library will rename its main branch the Stephen A. Schwarzman Library in return for his contribution of $100 million.&nbsp; Schwarzman, as Morris points out, is the co-founder and chairman of the board of the Blackstone Group, which &quot;is to the first years of the 21st century what Enron was to the last years of the 20th century.&quot; </p><p>Blackstone really has it all: a co-founder who makes hundreds of millions a year; the ability to outspend all other private equity firms combined in lobbying Congress to keep tax loopholes alive; and investors who have lost about 60 percent of their money since the company&#39;s initial public offering last year, while Schwarzman got billions from his share of the sale.&nbsp; </p><p>Nice to know Blackstone is giving something back to the public that they&#39;ve bilked, and being rewarded for it too! </p><p>For more info, check out our ongoing <a href="http://warongreed.org/">War on Greed</a>.<br /> </p></p> </div> <a href="/blog/33787-blackstone-the-new-enron">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/33190-hightower-free-market-hypocrites 2008-07-26T02:37:50Z parisla <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jQ8VGuO8cZw&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jQ8VGuO8cZw&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/33190-hightower-free-market-hypocrites"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/36159" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>More at www.hightowerlowdown.org! Here&#39;s today&#39;s provocative question: Why do so many giant corporations *hate* the marketplace?</p> </div> <a href="/blog/33190-hightower-free-market-hypocrites">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/33116-norwegian-divers-suffer-in-pursuit-of-oil 2008-06-09T03:31:38Z aljazeera <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/t3vNeaAZvEQ&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/t3vNeaAZvEQ&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/33116-norwegian-divers-suffer-in-pursuit-of-oil"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/36093" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p>Hundreds of Norewegian deep sea divers have accused the government of &#39;neglect&#39;. Abround 30 years ago, up to 4,000 divers were employed to build oil pipelines, at potentially dangerous depths. Their efforts have helped make Norway one of the world&#39;s richest nations. But the divers claim their lives have been ruined by injuries suffered in the pursuit of oil. Nick Clark reports.</p> </div> <a href="/blog/33116-norwegian-divers-suffer-in-pursuit-of-oil">Watch the video</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/32733-the-homes-of-henry-kravis 2008-03-22T21:55:01Z jimhightower <a href="http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/32733-the-homes-of-henry-kravis"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/thumbnail_pic/35551" style="border: solid 1px black; margin-right: 7px; margin-top: 3px;" align="left" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p><p> Let&rsquo;s take another peek [Lifestyles theme] into the &ldquo;Lifestyles of the Rich and Cranky.&rdquo;</p> <p> The old rich pride themselves in &hellip; well, in having some pride. For example, they tend to set their venerable mansions behind tall walls and shrubs that discreetly obscure their wealth. It&#39;s a matter of class. On the other hand, the new rich are more inclined to crassly flaunt their abundance, building garish houses that amount to neon signs screaming; &ldquo;Look how rich I am, sucker!&rdquo;</p> <p> How surprising then that one of the showiest of these look-at-me celebrities of wealth has gotten pouty about being featured in a movie that, after all, is about him. He&#39;s Henry Kravis of Manhattan, South Hampton, and... well, <a href="../../blog/20619-war-on-greed-starring-henry-kravis-and-his-homes">so many places</a>. In Henry&rsquo;s life, everything is about him. He heads an eponymous Wall Street equity firm that essentially borrows money to take over corporations that other people built. To pay off his lenders, Kravis sells off whole chunks of the captured corporation. Then he fires thousands of workers, slashes the wages and benefits of those who remain, and pockets the savings for himself.</p></p> </div> <a href="/blog/32733-the-homes-of-henry-kravis">Continue reading</a> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/32439-the-5-billion-man 2008-03-14T16:23:18Z parisla <a href="http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/32439-the-5-billion-man"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/thumbnail_pic/34943" style="border: solid 1px black; margin-right: 7px; margin-top: 3px;" align="left" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p><p>Private equity executive Stephen Schwarzman made <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/12/blackstones-schwarzman-m_n_91193.html" title="Huffington Post Article">$5.13 BILLION</a> last year.&nbsp; </p><p>Not too shabby.&nbsp; I think that is somewhere around 100,000 times what the average American made last year.<br /><br />But let&#39;s be fair, most of that income was in stock from Blackstone&#39;s IPO - stock that has been falling since its initial offering last June.&nbsp; Out of that $5.13 billion, Steve&#39;s salary was a mere $350,000 - oh and $179,482 in perks.&nbsp; Chump change, really.</p><p>But what&#39;s that $350.2 million in cash distributions I am reading about?&nbsp; That wouldn&#39;t be <a href="http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2007/06/26/understanding_the_carried_inte/" title="Understanding the Carried Interest Issue">carried interest income</a>,&nbsp; would it?&nbsp; You know, that &quot;special&quot; income that fund managers get to pay 15% taxes on rather than the 35% their salary is taxed at. &nbsp;</p><p>Hmmm ... A quick calculation shows that the carried interest tax loophole may have saved our friend Steve&nbsp; $70 million last year.&nbsp; Not too shabby, Steve.</p><p>Get involved.&nbsp; Go to <a href="http://www.warongreed.org" title="War On Greed">www.WarOnGreed.org</a> and sign the <a href="http://www.warongreed.org" title="The War On Greed">petition</a> to close the private equity&#39;s tax loopholes.&nbsp;</p></p> </div> http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/32188-how-the-markets-really-work 2008-06-05T21:29:30Z ofelia <object width="375" height="308"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SwRFoxgEcHc&border=0&rel=0"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SwRFoxgEcHc&border=0&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="375" height="308"></embed></object> <a href="/blog/32188-how-the-markets-really-work"><img src="http://bravenewfilms.org/pictures/medium/34687" width="140" height="105" border="0" align="left" style="border: solid 1px black;" /></a> <div class="post_content"> <p><p>John Bird and John Fortune do an excellent job at explaining to us how it is that the markets really work in this hilarious sketch in which an &lsquo;investment banker&#39; is interviewed.&nbsp; They point out that the market is made up of &lsquo;the greatest brains in the world&#39; (I doubt that), and that it is driven by sentiment, not in which they consider the public&#39;s feelings, but rather in which the bankers have panic attacks when they lose a deal, and ponder on whether or not to jump out the window.&nbsp; Everything from structured investment vehicles, which is code for &lsquo;package of dodgy debts&#39; with which they make tons of cash by selling and re-selling, to the rewards that they receive due to the &lsquo;ingenuity of the market&#39;, this &lsquo;markets for dummies&#39; video of sorts, ingeniously uses humor as a tool to make us aware of what is going on behind the shady world of investing.&nbsp; If the so called &lsquo;great brains&#39; had half the sense of humor, and greed for that matter, we would be in better financial hands.&nbsp; But alas, they do not, and the Johns remind us that in case there were to be a market crash, it is not the bankers that will suffer, but rather our pension funds.&nbsp; Talk about reality check!</p></p> </div> <a href="/blog/32188-how-the-markets-really-work">Watch the video</a>