January 31, 2011
January 27, 2011
Zeitgeist Moving Forward Review
Here's my review of Zeitgeist: Moving Forward. As a member of the Zeitgeist Movement I'm already inclined to view this movie through positive glasses, but even without those it's still a pretty decent cinematic journey and arguably Peter Joseph's best work. The film is not for people with short attention spans. It's 2 hours and 41 minutes long and filled with commentary by experts in their respected fields. Previous films by Peter Joseph received critique from some corners of our society as being conspiracy theory oriented. Well, you'll be hard pressed to find anything of that kind since the approach of this movie is mostly academic and soundly logical. Joseph adds humor here and there as well which lightens the atmosphere.
Since the release on YouTube yesterday it has already been viewed 250.000 times within 24 hours. The release in theaters around the world on the 15th of January was an astounding success and it's already safe to assume that the release on the internet will achieve the exact same result. Quite remarkable for a movement that basically exists completely outside the mainstream and mostly on the internet. As previously mentioned this movie is radically different from the previous ones in that much of what the Zeitgeist Movement and the Venus Project proposes is supported by the testimony of experts. Here are the names and qualifications of the experts in order of appearance.
Dr. Robert Sapolsky
Professor of Neurological Science, Stanford University
Dr. Gabor Mathe
Physician, Author Portland Society
Richard Wilkinson
Professor Emeritus of Social Epidemiology, University of Nottingham
Dr. James Gilligan
Former Director: Center for the Study of Violence, Harvard Medical School
Dr. John McMurtry
Professor Emeritus, University of Geulph
Michael C. Ruppert
Investigative Journalist
Max Keiser
Financial Analyst
Dr. Berok Khoshnevis
Industrial & Systems Enginering, USC
Dr. Adrian Bowyer
Inventor / Engineer, Bath University, UK
Dr. Colin J. Campbell
Petroleum Geologist
Jeremy J. Gilbert
Petroleum Engineer
Narrated by Peter Joseph, and of course Jacque Fresco and Roxanne Meadows from the Venus Project make an appearance.
The movie itself is split in to 4 parts.
I Human Nature
II Social Pathology
III Project Earth
IV Rise
The first section deals with "human nature" and the notion that some people are born "evil" or that it is "in the genes." All the experts that comment on this issue make short work of that notion. The essence being this; while some people may have a propensity for lets say violence or addiction, it is the environment itself that is the deciding factor. People aren't born aggressive or evil, they become that way through conditioning by the environment. Several doctors further add that conditioning can even start in the fetal state of human development and that the environment can even affect the human being on a physical level. The latter has tremendous implications since it means that your body literally adapts to the (hostile) surroundings.
Part two remains on the coarse of the human condition, yet the system we live in is also introduced. That being of course the monetary/free market system. The film explains in great detail what drives us the most; 'the acquisition of money and wealth at the expense of everything else.' It becomes obvious what insane kind of culture we live in. The economic 'infinite growth paradigm' is shown to be utterly false simply because you can't have infinite growth on a world with finite resources. Creating money out of thin air will only compound the problem. Debt will continue to grow until every country is bankrupt. Advances in technology and automation will continue to cause a rise in unemployment levels. The current economic system is simply unsustainable.
Project Earth, the third section of the movie starts off with a simple suggestion; 'what if you had a world - a new planet Earth with all its resources - and you had to start from scratch?' Peter Joseph naturally introduces the concept of a resource based economy step-by-step. Durability, efficiency and sustainability being the key elements in order to provide for every human being on the planet. It's not a question of would it work, it's a question of are we willing to change our values? The needed transitional aspects flow through the fourth part of the movie. Oil is going to run out, and when it does there will simply be an economic collapse and when the economy collapses, you can bet that our way of life will too. The latter is what permeates throughout the movie - our economy and way of life will simply collapse one day, purely by its design. There is still time change however.
As for criticisms on the movie I can think of a few, although to be honest I personally find them insignificant in the larger scheme of things. The movie itself is rather long, it's quite easy to lose concentration and you do need that in order to comprehend what the movie is saying. I also expect that some folks will have difficulty with all the terminology, it's not 6th grade grammar and if you're a foreigner with some understanding of the English language you would still need subtitles in your native tongue. The transition itself to a resource based economy, although clearly proposed, is not worked out in great detail. There's no manual and this is something that still needs to be worked on in my book. A personal fear of mine is that a transition to a resource based economy can still be corrupted. The present 'men behind the curtain' installing themselves once again in positions of power in a RBE, but I guess we'll just have to look for the warning signs when the time comes.
To summarize; it's just a great film. As mentioned before Peter Joseph's best work so far. I'm sure there are folks out there that would disagree with some aspects of the film or most of it but nobody can deny that there is much room for improvement in our current day society. Hopefully people will realize (and what the film points out) that it is the inequality that causes many problems. Why wait for crumbs to fall down, the economic trickle down effect people still hang on to while it is a myth? Why vote for politicians whose main concern is money itself and not humanity? It's time to wake up and realize the insanity we are currently in. From my perspective the mainstream media should air this movie on many channels just to create awareness, the movie at the very least does exactly that and increases our understanding on many levels. The latter currently also being one of the main trusts of the Zeitgeist Movement and the Venus Project. It's simply time that we start to consider alternatives. It's time to move forward.
January 26, 2011
January 24, 2011
January 22, 2011
ZMF Update
(From the Zeitgeist Movement's mailing list.)
Bravo to the Movement!!
*UPDATE:
I'm happy to report that "Zeitgeist: Moving Forward" is a wild success and turned into an unprecedented film release premiere. What started as a thought of having maybe 30 total theaters screening the film instead turned into 30 languages alone with a total count of 335 theaters in 60 countries, and still growing daily! With multiple screenings at most of the 335 theaters, our total number of screenings is well over 1,000 world-wide. The response to the film has been huge... reports coming in of sold-out crowds in venues ranging upwards of 500-900 seat capacity.
With only minimal feedback so far, here are some noteworthy examples of the global impact of ZMF. In Vancouver, Canada they booked an 820 seat theater but had about 2,000 people show up! Ryan, the coordinator, had to turn hundreds away and fortunately was able to secure another 700 seat venue for a few days later. In Serbia, the coordinator Milan, had a 400 seat theater overflowing with people, many people sitting on the floor and in the aisles! They "had" to book additional screenings to meet the demand. Bruno from Brazil is reporting over capacity crowds and booked new screenings in larger venues. Natalija, the Croatian coordinator, had sell out crowds with professors, scientists and media in attendance and requests to interview her. Stefan in Denmark and Seth in the Netherlands have both had press and public screenings that included former members of Parliament, scientists and professors as well as media with interviews. In Russia, the theaters finally caught the buzz about the film and have agreed to screen in 2 theaters, which were virtually impossible to secure before.
South Africa had overflow capacity and booked additional screenings. Rishi from India, has reported our largest venue at 2,000 seats at Goa University. Malak, our Palestinian coordinator, will be screening at the Ebdaa' Institution at the Al-Dehesha Refugee Camp in the West Bank. Federico, the Italian coordinator, had arguably the biggest TV celebrity in Italy, Paolo Bonolis, attend the Rome screening and publicly express his love for ZMF. He wants to dedicate an episode of his programme, "Il senso
della vita", to the Zeitgeist Movement. His show reached up to 8 million viewers and is among the most watched in Italy. Dozens of broadcasting requests have come in for post Jan 25th television broadcast, as well as film festival interest.
The Los Angeles premiere hosted by Artivist Film Festival on Jan. 15th was a big hit with a sell out crowd of 845! There was audience applause throughout the film and a standing ovation at the end. Michael Ruppert was in attendance and Lili Haydn,
whose music was featured in parts of ZMF, as well as noteworthy progressives. LA's most popular independent radio station
KPFK was filming the event and interviewed Peter and guests. Artivist filmed the Q & A with Peter and that will be available online soon.
This has developed to possibly be the largest independent global theatrical premiere, covering the most languages, countries and locations. The movie and the movement are on the global radar now and your efforts are a huge part of this success!
*INTERNET RELEASE:
The Online Release is set for Jan. 25th but could happen sooner depending on the level of theatrical interest. This delay is to ensure that the non-profit events are sustained enough so the parties who have taken on the risk can hopefully make back their expenses. Any money obtained otherwise goes towards their Chapter's work - specifically ZDAY 2011
*DVD RELEASE:
The DVD release will occur in late Jan., including the free, full resolution, dual layer DVD Torrent download in 30 language subtitles.
A 5$ DVD is also available from zeitgeistmovingforward.com and is now
available for Pre-Order:
http://zeitgeistmovingforward.com/dvd
Please note that while Peter offers his films for free online viewing and free download, with no restriction on non-sale duplication/distribution and free public display - he simply cannot continue creating such media unless some do, indeed, actually buy the DVD. So, please respect this if you care about the Zeitgeist Film Project. The DVD is a dual layer, 8 gig with the
full 2 hour and 41 min film, in a standard, sealed case; offered for 75% less than the commercial price of most DVDs. This film cost over $200,000 to create and if you want to see Zeitgeist IV (!), you will need to help him recover from this huge work.
*PRESS/MEDIA:
Please submit all photos, videos, press, local promotional materials and quotable statistics to zmf@thezeitgeistmovement.com. We are going to compile all your materials into a virtual "scrapbook" to be posted on the ZMF site. At a glance, this will illustrate the reach and success of this film release. Once the premiere period ends Jan 25th and I get the final counts in, I will compile our potentially record-breaking numbers and post that information on the site.
Have a look at the global map and see the span of locations ZMF is screening:
www.zeitgeistmovingforward.com/zmap
Listen to a recent interview (Jan 19th) with Peter Joseph on KPFK Radio about the explosion of this film across the world:
http://archive.kpfk.org/parchive/mp3/kpfk_110119_150030goharrison.MP3
Thank you all for your tremendous work in making this film such a global sensation- we are doing it!! :)
Cheers,
Sharleen
Global Release Coordinator
"Zeitgeist: Moving Forward"
www.zeitgeistmovingforward.com
zmf@thezeitgeistmovement.com
Bravo to the Movement!!
*UPDATE:
I'm happy to report that "Zeitgeist: Moving Forward" is a wild success and turned into an unprecedented film release premiere. What started as a thought of having maybe 30 total theaters screening the film instead turned into 30 languages alone with a total count of 335 theaters in 60 countries, and still growing daily! With multiple screenings at most of the 335 theaters, our total number of screenings is well over 1,000 world-wide. The response to the film has been huge... reports coming in of sold-out crowds in venues ranging upwards of 500-900 seat capacity.
With only minimal feedback so far, here are some noteworthy examples of the global impact of ZMF. In Vancouver, Canada they booked an 820 seat theater but had about 2,000 people show up! Ryan, the coordinator, had to turn hundreds away and fortunately was able to secure another 700 seat venue for a few days later. In Serbia, the coordinator Milan, had a 400 seat theater overflowing with people, many people sitting on the floor and in the aisles! They "had" to book additional screenings to meet the demand. Bruno from Brazil is reporting over capacity crowds and booked new screenings in larger venues. Natalija, the Croatian coordinator, had sell out crowds with professors, scientists and media in attendance and requests to interview her. Stefan in Denmark and Seth in the Netherlands have both had press and public screenings that included former members of Parliament, scientists and professors as well as media with interviews. In Russia, the theaters finally caught the buzz about the film and have agreed to screen in 2 theaters, which were virtually impossible to secure before.
South Africa had overflow capacity and booked additional screenings. Rishi from India, has reported our largest venue at 2,000 seats at Goa University. Malak, our Palestinian coordinator, will be screening at the Ebdaa' Institution at the Al-Dehesha Refugee Camp in the West Bank. Federico, the Italian coordinator, had arguably the biggest TV celebrity in Italy, Paolo Bonolis, attend the Rome screening and publicly express his love for ZMF. He wants to dedicate an episode of his programme, "Il senso
della vita", to the Zeitgeist Movement. His show reached up to 8 million viewers and is among the most watched in Italy. Dozens of broadcasting requests have come in for post Jan 25th television broadcast, as well as film festival interest.
The Los Angeles premiere hosted by Artivist Film Festival on Jan. 15th was a big hit with a sell out crowd of 845! There was audience applause throughout the film and a standing ovation at the end. Michael Ruppert was in attendance and Lili Haydn,
whose music was featured in parts of ZMF, as well as noteworthy progressives. LA's most popular independent radio station
KPFK was filming the event and interviewed Peter and guests. Artivist filmed the Q & A with Peter and that will be available online soon.
This has developed to possibly be the largest independent global theatrical premiere, covering the most languages, countries and locations. The movie and the movement are on the global radar now and your efforts are a huge part of this success!
*INTERNET RELEASE:
The Online Release is set for Jan. 25th but could happen sooner depending on the level of theatrical interest. This delay is to ensure that the non-profit events are sustained enough so the parties who have taken on the risk can hopefully make back their expenses. Any money obtained otherwise goes towards their Chapter's work - specifically ZDAY 2011
*DVD RELEASE:
The DVD release will occur in late Jan., including the free, full resolution, dual layer DVD Torrent download in 30 language subtitles.
A 5$ DVD is also available from zeitgeistmovingforward.com and is now
available for Pre-Order:
http://zeitgeistmovingforward.com/dvd
Please note that while Peter offers his films for free online viewing and free download, with no restriction on non-sale duplication/distribution and free public display - he simply cannot continue creating such media unless some do, indeed, actually buy the DVD. So, please respect this if you care about the Zeitgeist Film Project. The DVD is a dual layer, 8 gig with the
full 2 hour and 41 min film, in a standard, sealed case; offered for 75% less than the commercial price of most DVDs. This film cost over $200,000 to create and if you want to see Zeitgeist IV (!), you will need to help him recover from this huge work.
*PRESS/MEDIA:
Please submit all photos, videos, press, local promotional materials and quotable statistics to zmf@thezeitgeistmovement.com. We are going to compile all your materials into a virtual "scrapbook" to be posted on the ZMF site. At a glance, this will illustrate the reach and success of this film release. Once the premiere period ends Jan 25th and I get the final counts in, I will compile our potentially record-breaking numbers and post that information on the site.
Have a look at the global map and see the span of locations ZMF is screening:
www.zeitgeistmovingforward.com/zmap
Listen to a recent interview (Jan 19th) with Peter Joseph on KPFK Radio about the explosion of this film across the world:
http://archive.kpfk.org/parchive/mp3/kpfk_110119_150030goharrison.MP3
Thank you all for your tremendous work in making this film such a global sensation- we are doing it!! :)
Cheers,
Sharleen
Global Release Coordinator
"Zeitgeist: Moving Forward"
www.zeitgeistmovingforward.com
zmf@thezeitgeistmovement.com
January 21, 2011
January 20, 2011
Cesspool Science
The Zeitgeist critics were in full flow last week. Maybe they felt the need to throw in more rhetoric now that Zeitgeist Moving Forward is being released. It was fascinating to see the endless stream of negativity coming from the Cesspool Science forums, I mean Conspiracy Science forums. Basically the Zeitgeist Movement are a bunch of people that strive for a better world, but the CS forums make it sound like we are anything but. Absolutely mind blowing to see how a person can dig up shit (that isn't there) just for the sake of letting it fly around. Someone once called them 'poop throwing monkeys' which they took as an insult, but you only have to visit the forum in order to find out just how utterly correct the reference is.
James Kush, a blogger and critic of the Zeitgeist Movement tried to make friends with the people at the CS forums but he ran into a little trouble since not many conspiracy theories are allowed there. Kush himself likes to play the 'occult' angle but seemingly he forgot that there are not many religious folks on that forum. Ironically, I personally think if he's really religiously oriented and committed to exposing 'dark influences' he can find more occult stuff over at the CS forums then on TZM, seeing how some members are into metal, tattoos and carry dark persona's on the internet. But it's probably best to let him figure out on his own what his 'team' is made off.
Which brings me to Muertos who excelled in writing the most scathing posts last week and must be the main contender for this years 'Most foulest anti-Zeitgeist smear' Award. Seriously, I think he can win that one. It was even more offensive then what another contributor, a guy named Matt, produces on a regular basis, and that's saying something. Both also milked the Jared Loughner angle to its maximum potential as if the first Zeitgeist movie was responsible for the atrocities in Arizona, totally omitting of course that he was probably raised badly as a kid, that he probably is a paranoid schizophrenic, that Loughner's YouTube profile mentions a whole range of material (not Zeitgeist), and lastly that bullies like the ones you can find on the CS forums are far more likely to damage a person's mental health then anything else.
On a more positive note, Zeitgeist Moving Forward is doing great in most theaters. Stockholm (Sweden) 150 seats, Wellington (New Zealand) 450 seats, Vancouver (Canada) 400 seats, Toronto (Canada) 820 seats, Dublin (Ireland) 400 seats, Zagreb (Croatia) 500 seats, all sold out and these are just a few samples. Los Angeles and New York were also a huge success with the former holding 900 seats if I'm not mistaken. I visited Studio/K in Amsterdam (with 160 seats) and the place was packed, it was sold out days before the premiere. OT301, another smaller cinema in Amsterdam that holds 70 seats was filled to the brim with people sitting on the stairs and before the front row (not an uncommon occurrence in other theaters around the globe). They even had to send 60-70 people away mind you. I guess we can surmise that the release of ZMF is already an astounding success with thousands of visits.
It's in stark contrast as to what the people over at the CS forums are portraying, but then again it should be obvious to most intelligent folks what they are all about and just like when you visit a zoo and look into the cages - you'll probably get the same sensation visiting their forums. Just don't stick your hands inside the cage.
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."
January 19, 2011
January 17, 2011
iTrack
Bought a double cd last week with nearly 50 dance tracks. This one, by Tim Berg, topped them all.
January 15, 2011
Dutch Screening Zeitgeist Moving Forward
Just returned from Amsterdam where Zeitgeist Moving Forward was shown in Studio/K. Not a huge cinema but not small either. The place kind of has a multi-role since there's a bar, restaurant, conference centers and so on. Very up to date, modern standard-wise. So that was a bonus. Met some of the guys from the Dutch Zeitgeist chapter including 'Darkdancer', the international chapter coordinator who made a speech before the film started.
The place was packed. The picture above was taken where people were still walking in. About the movie itself, it's a fine documentary although a bit long. Critics of the first Zeitgeist movie will be happy to know that Peter Joseph has completely steered away from any type of conspiracy theory. Most of the material that is discussed is done so by scholars who comment extensively on social issues. Jacque Fresco and Roxanne Meadows make an appearance but compared to Zeitgeist Addendum their part is considerably less. Of course the Venus Project is mentioned as a viable alternative, that aspect of the movie is the same as in Addendum. There are also 3 highly humorous moments in the movie and one of them caught me completely off guard thinking "what the hell is going on" before realizing it was part of the performance. So yes, Peter Joseph definitely has a sense of humor.
Afterwards there was a debate about the movie. Professors Fennema and Klamer joined Verhaar (founder of a bank) and Gilbert (Darkdancer) to discuss the movie. While there certainly was some critique on the movie by a couple of these gentlemen (The Venus Project not being a democracy and the inability of technology to solve every problem) they also agreed on a number of items such as the unrestricted greed by unregulated banks and the breakdown of social values. I didn't stay the entire debate so I have to comment on this further when this debate is uploaded on YouTube.
Zeitgeist Moving Forward is a fine film, go watch it in the cinema if you have the chance.
January 14, 2011
ZMF Flyers (2)
This week, when I had the time I put up some more ZMF flyers. Doubt the ink will hold up in the rain but I put a number of flyers indoors or in other places that are sheltered. Wish I could have done more. The guys over at the Dutch Zeitgeist forums are working on some outdoor stickers so that's an even better option. Heading off to the Zeitgeist Moving Forward premiere tomorrow in Amsterdam which is already sold out. Can't make any photographs or film of the movie itself but I'll try to get some shots from the place&people. There's also a debate afterwards with professors and the founder of a bank! Should be great fun.
January 13, 2011
Bad Influence?
The story broke out that Jared Loughner, the Arizona shooter who killed 6 people and wounded many more including U.S. congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, watched a number of alternative media films that criticized the current society. The MSNBC article writes this in part;
"The boys listened to the heavy metal band Slipknot and progressive rockers The Mars Volta, studied the form of meditative movement called tai chi, and watched and discussed movies.
Loughner's favorites included little-known conspiracy theory documentaries such as "Zeitgeist" and "Loose Change" as well as bigger studio productions with cult followings and themes of brainwashing, science fiction and altered states of consciousness, including "Donnie Darko" and "A Scanner Darkly."
From my perspective this is the age-old, tried and tested tactic of blaming those sources that question the current paradigm without looking at the root causes. In the past music, violent video games and movies have also been blamed to be a bad inspiration. Charles Manson listened to the Beatles. Kids that listened to the rock band Judas Priest committed suicide. The 2 Columbine shooters listened to Rammstein (among other hard rock bands). These are all examples of where musicians were accused of having a bad influence on people who later on committed crimes. Is it that simple?
Zeitgeist the Movie is hailed as a 'bad influence' right now, prompting the creator of the movie Peter Joseph to make a statement. Honestly, I don't know if Zeitgeist was the tipping point for Jared Loughner. It could have been but when you've reached a point where a movie throws you into the abyss, a lot of things must have proceeded. Loughner's YouTube channel is still active. On his profile he mentions a number of books;
"I had favorite books: Animal Farm, Brave New World, The Wizard Of OZ, Aesop Fables, The Odyssey, Alice Adventures Into Wonderland, Fahrenheit 451, Peter Pan, To Kill A Mockingbird, We The Living, Phantom Toll Booth, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Pulp,Through The Looking Glass, The Communist Manifesto, Siddhartha, The Old Man And The Sea, Gulliver's Travels, Mein Kampf, The Republic, and Meno."
What strikes me when I read up on Loughner's profile is the wide range of subjects he explored. I'm almost inclined to believe that he somehow got 'lost' in the information, seeing how he delved in both sides of the political spectrum and how we ought to view society combined with more altruistic elements. His videos and the text that goes along with it also seems incoherent. If I didn't know any better I would think he's a paranoid schizophrenic, of course that is something to be determined by qualified physicians.
Maybe at this point we can ask ourselves; 'is it a single occurrence that leads to madness or is it a psychological chain of events?' Personally, I think it is the latter. People aren't born evil. When we grow up we are influenced by many elements. Our parents, school, media, friends and prevailing culture. 'Bad influences' can be found everywhere when you really contemplate this scenario. I think the truth is this. We are all products of the environment..., how horrific that may be at times.
"The boys listened to the heavy metal band Slipknot and progressive rockers The Mars Volta, studied the form of meditative movement called tai chi, and watched and discussed movies.
Loughner's favorites included little-known conspiracy theory documentaries such as "Zeitgeist" and "Loose Change" as well as bigger studio productions with cult followings and themes of brainwashing, science fiction and altered states of consciousness, including "Donnie Darko" and "A Scanner Darkly."
From my perspective this is the age-old, tried and tested tactic of blaming those sources that question the current paradigm without looking at the root causes. In the past music, violent video games and movies have also been blamed to be a bad inspiration. Charles Manson listened to the Beatles. Kids that listened to the rock band Judas Priest committed suicide. The 2 Columbine shooters listened to Rammstein (among other hard rock bands). These are all examples of where musicians were accused of having a bad influence on people who later on committed crimes. Is it that simple?
Zeitgeist the Movie is hailed as a 'bad influence' right now, prompting the creator of the movie Peter Joseph to make a statement. Honestly, I don't know if Zeitgeist was the tipping point for Jared Loughner. It could have been but when you've reached a point where a movie throws you into the abyss, a lot of things must have proceeded. Loughner's YouTube channel is still active. On his profile he mentions a number of books;
"I had favorite books: Animal Farm, Brave New World, The Wizard Of OZ, Aesop Fables, The Odyssey, Alice Adventures Into Wonderland, Fahrenheit 451, Peter Pan, To Kill A Mockingbird, We The Living, Phantom Toll Booth, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Pulp,Through The Looking Glass, The Communist Manifesto, Siddhartha, The Old Man And The Sea, Gulliver's Travels, Mein Kampf, The Republic, and Meno."
What strikes me when I read up on Loughner's profile is the wide range of subjects he explored. I'm almost inclined to believe that he somehow got 'lost' in the information, seeing how he delved in both sides of the political spectrum and how we ought to view society combined with more altruistic elements. His videos and the text that goes along with it also seems incoherent. If I didn't know any better I would think he's a paranoid schizophrenic, of course that is something to be determined by qualified physicians.
Maybe at this point we can ask ourselves; 'is it a single occurrence that leads to madness or is it a psychological chain of events?' Personally, I think it is the latter. People aren't born evil. When we grow up we are influenced by many elements. Our parents, school, media, friends and prevailing culture. 'Bad influences' can be found everywhere when you really contemplate this scenario. I think the truth is this. We are all products of the environment..., how horrific that may be at times.
Public Statement By Peter Joseph (Tucson Murders/"Zeitgeist")
PUBLIC STATEMENT FROM THE CREATOR OF THE “ZEITGEIST FILM SERIES”, PETER JOSEPH:
RE: THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA ASSOCIATION CREATED BETWEEN “ZEITGEIST” AND THE TUCSON MURDERS.
It has come to my attention that various mainstream news organizations are beginning to run an association between my 2007 performance piece/film, “Zeitgeist: The Movie” and the tragic murders conducted by an extremely troubled young man in Tucson, Arizona. They are also slowly beginning to bleed the obvious line between my 2007 documentary work, my film series as a whole and The Zeitgeist Movement, which I am the founder. Frankly, I find this isolating, growing association tremendously irresponsible on the part of ABC, NBC and their affiliates - further reflecting the disingenuous nature of the America Media Establishment today.
It appears to have begun with a comment on NBC news referencing my film along with other “influential” films as well, such as Richard Kelly's film “Donnie Darko” and then spreading to ABC News where it singled out "Zeitgeist: The Movie" and the Series itself, stating:
“Osler pointed to an online documentary series called "Zeitgeist" as a possible influence on the man.
The series rails on currency-based economics.
"I really think that this 'Zeitgeist' documentary had a profound impact on Jared's mindset and how he viewed that world that he lives in," Osler said.”
abcnews.go.com/US/tucson-shooting-friend...ed/story?id=12597092
When we reflect on the history of seemingly random violence or other forms of highly offensive, irrational, aberrant behavior, we see a common pattern of reaction from the public and media in their attempt to explain such extreme acts. Rather than deeply examining the Bio-Psycho-Social nature of human social development and the vast spectrum of influences that create and morph each of us in unique and sometimes detrimental ways, they take the easy way out. The first thing they do is simply ignore all modern scientific, social understandings of what generates human motivation in both positive and negative regard, for to do so can only call into question the social system itself and hence the “zeitgeist” (meaning: spirit/intellectual climate of the time/culture) at large.
Generally speaking, it is historically accurate to say that the Mainstream Media simply isn't in the business of challenging the Status Quo. The limits of debate are firmly set. Virtually all ideas, persons or groups who have succeeded in changing the world for the better, later to be hailed as heros in the public mind, started out being condemned by those in the Mainstream Media who latch on to the dominant world view of the time. Even Martin Luther King Jr., a peaceful, loving, wonder of a man who contributed more to our social progress than likely any humanitarian in the US history, was followed by the CIA and publicly humiliated as a “Communist” which he even had to defend in front of a Congressional Committee. In fact, you can rest assured that if King were alive in the current paradigm today and seeking an equal form of justice - he would be given the name: “Terrorist”.
So, again, rather than taking the scientific view, the Mainstream Media often seeks out or implies one point of blame and runs with it. After all, it is much easier, presentable and more simplistic for the public to think that the troubling reality of seemingly random acts of mass murder is the result of a “singular influence” and hence the logic goes that if that one influence is removed, then the world will be back in balance. This gives the public a false resolve and position of focus in an otherwise ambiguous, complex world of social and biological influences. And as far as the scapegoat itself, very often any group, media or dataset that is counter-culture or even hints at wishing to challenge the status quo, is a magnet for such blame.
For example, musical groups of a counter-culture nature have been a favorite scapegoat for acts of murder/violence historically. In 1990, the rock band Judas Priest was actually taken to court for their “role” in the self-inflicted gunshot wounds in 1985 of 20-year old James Vance and 18-year old Raymond Belknap in Reno, Nevada. In 2008, the band Slipknot was publicly tied/blamed to a high-school murder in South Africa. Even the Beatles song “Helter-skelter” was associated to the murders incited by Charles Manson. It goes on and on... and, frankly, it's simply pathetic - avoiding the true nature of the problem - which is the Socio-Economic Environment itself.
Make no mistake: The Social System is to blame for the rampage of Jared Loughner – not some famous online documentary which is known as the most viewed documentary of all time in internet history. Are the other 200 million people who have seen the film also preparing for murder sprees? I think not.
In my new film: "Zeitgeist: Moving Forward", I feature a prominent Harvard Criminal Psychologist by the name of Dr. James Gilligan who headed the Centre for the Study of Violence at Harvard Medical School for many years. In his life work of personally engaging the most dangerous, violent offenders the US system produces, he found some basic trends. The most common is the social issue of “shame”. Our socio-economic system inherently breeds social division and there is a natural demeaning of others generated as a result. It is a scientific fact that mass murderers and those who many just dismiss as “evil” today, are the product of years of being shamed, humiliated and demeaned. Their acts of violence is a reaction from these highly oppressive feelings and the real resolve to such acts can only come from removing the real source of such emotional hurt. You will notice that most other countries don't come close to the level of violence we see in the United States. The US is the capital of violence with 30-300 times more acts of violence than any other country. We have produced more serial killers in America than all other countries combined. Why? You will notice the Mainstream never asks this question.
If anyone would like to understand why more and more people in the modern world end up like Jared Loughner and why these patterns are only going to get worse as time goes on in this system, I suggest the book “Violence” by Harvard Criminal Psychologist Dr. Gilligan.
In conclusion, let it be stated that the Zeitgeist Film Series is about critical thought regarding various social issues which challenge many erroneous notions held as fact in the modern culture. It also explicitly promotes non-violence, human unity and prosperous human development based on truth and science.
Anyone who wishes to really understand the works can view them for free online at zeitgeistmovie.com and my new film, which will detail how a new, humane social system can work, will be in 315 theaters in 60 countries and 30 languages starting Jan 15th 2011. www.zeitgeistmovingforward.com
I am also in contact with my legal team and considering legal action against ABC.
-Peter Joseph
RE: THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA ASSOCIATION CREATED BETWEEN “ZEITGEIST” AND THE TUCSON MURDERS.
It has come to my attention that various mainstream news organizations are beginning to run an association between my 2007 performance piece/film, “Zeitgeist: The Movie” and the tragic murders conducted by an extremely troubled young man in Tucson, Arizona. They are also slowly beginning to bleed the obvious line between my 2007 documentary work, my film series as a whole and The Zeitgeist Movement, which I am the founder. Frankly, I find this isolating, growing association tremendously irresponsible on the part of ABC, NBC and their affiliates - further reflecting the disingenuous nature of the America Media Establishment today.
It appears to have begun with a comment on NBC news referencing my film along with other “influential” films as well, such as Richard Kelly's film “Donnie Darko” and then spreading to ABC News where it singled out "Zeitgeist: The Movie" and the Series itself, stating:
“Osler pointed to an online documentary series called "Zeitgeist" as a possible influence on the man.
The series rails on currency-based economics.
"I really think that this 'Zeitgeist' documentary had a profound impact on Jared's mindset and how he viewed that world that he lives in," Osler said.”
abcnews.go.com/US/tucson-shooting-friend...ed/story?id=12597092
When we reflect on the history of seemingly random violence or other forms of highly offensive, irrational, aberrant behavior, we see a common pattern of reaction from the public and media in their attempt to explain such extreme acts. Rather than deeply examining the Bio-Psycho-Social nature of human social development and the vast spectrum of influences that create and morph each of us in unique and sometimes detrimental ways, they take the easy way out. The first thing they do is simply ignore all modern scientific, social understandings of what generates human motivation in both positive and negative regard, for to do so can only call into question the social system itself and hence the “zeitgeist” (meaning: spirit/intellectual climate of the time/culture) at large.
Generally speaking, it is historically accurate to say that the Mainstream Media simply isn't in the business of challenging the Status Quo. The limits of debate are firmly set. Virtually all ideas, persons or groups who have succeeded in changing the world for the better, later to be hailed as heros in the public mind, started out being condemned by those in the Mainstream Media who latch on to the dominant world view of the time. Even Martin Luther King Jr., a peaceful, loving, wonder of a man who contributed more to our social progress than likely any humanitarian in the US history, was followed by the CIA and publicly humiliated as a “Communist” which he even had to defend in front of a Congressional Committee. In fact, you can rest assured that if King were alive in the current paradigm today and seeking an equal form of justice - he would be given the name: “Terrorist”.
So, again, rather than taking the scientific view, the Mainstream Media often seeks out or implies one point of blame and runs with it. After all, it is much easier, presentable and more simplistic for the public to think that the troubling reality of seemingly random acts of mass murder is the result of a “singular influence” and hence the logic goes that if that one influence is removed, then the world will be back in balance. This gives the public a false resolve and position of focus in an otherwise ambiguous, complex world of social and biological influences. And as far as the scapegoat itself, very often any group, media or dataset that is counter-culture or even hints at wishing to challenge the status quo, is a magnet for such blame.
For example, musical groups of a counter-culture nature have been a favorite scapegoat for acts of murder/violence historically. In 1990, the rock band Judas Priest was actually taken to court for their “role” in the self-inflicted gunshot wounds in 1985 of 20-year old James Vance and 18-year old Raymond Belknap in Reno, Nevada. In 2008, the band Slipknot was publicly tied/blamed to a high-school murder in South Africa. Even the Beatles song “Helter-skelter” was associated to the murders incited by Charles Manson. It goes on and on... and, frankly, it's simply pathetic - avoiding the true nature of the problem - which is the Socio-Economic Environment itself.
Make no mistake: The Social System is to blame for the rampage of Jared Loughner – not some famous online documentary which is known as the most viewed documentary of all time in internet history. Are the other 200 million people who have seen the film also preparing for murder sprees? I think not.
In my new film: "Zeitgeist: Moving Forward", I feature a prominent Harvard Criminal Psychologist by the name of Dr. James Gilligan who headed the Centre for the Study of Violence at Harvard Medical School for many years. In his life work of personally engaging the most dangerous, violent offenders the US system produces, he found some basic trends. The most common is the social issue of “shame”. Our socio-economic system inherently breeds social division and there is a natural demeaning of others generated as a result. It is a scientific fact that mass murderers and those who many just dismiss as “evil” today, are the product of years of being shamed, humiliated and demeaned. Their acts of violence is a reaction from these highly oppressive feelings and the real resolve to such acts can only come from removing the real source of such emotional hurt. You will notice that most other countries don't come close to the level of violence we see in the United States. The US is the capital of violence with 30-300 times more acts of violence than any other country. We have produced more serial killers in America than all other countries combined. Why? You will notice the Mainstream never asks this question.
If anyone would like to understand why more and more people in the modern world end up like Jared Loughner and why these patterns are only going to get worse as time goes on in this system, I suggest the book “Violence” by Harvard Criminal Psychologist Dr. Gilligan.
In conclusion, let it be stated that the Zeitgeist Film Series is about critical thought regarding various social issues which challenge many erroneous notions held as fact in the modern culture. It also explicitly promotes non-violence, human unity and prosperous human development based on truth and science.
Anyone who wishes to really understand the works can view them for free online at zeitgeistmovie.com and my new film, which will detail how a new, humane social system can work, will be in 315 theaters in 60 countries and 30 languages starting Jan 15th 2011. www.zeitgeistmovingforward.com
I am also in contact with my legal team and considering legal action against ABC.
-Peter Joseph
January 11, 2011
January 10, 2011
January 9, 2011
Revealing Poll
America's unemployed voice little confidence in the government's ability to help them. The survey, conducted after the national election in November, found that only 30% of the unemployed are more hopeful about an economic recovery because of the election. When the survey group was asked to choose between President Barack Obama and the Republicans in Congress about whom they trust to do a better job handling the economy, "neither" won at 41%. One third (32%) chose the president and far fewer -- just 17% -- picked congressional Republicans. Less than one in 10 trust "both."
Excerpt from a CNN poll conducted by Professor Van Horn. More here.
Excerpt from a CNN poll conducted by Professor Van Horn. More here.
Z-Motion
Well, it seems like Zeitgeist is actually moving forward. The members of the Dutch Zeitgeist chapter have done some remarkable work getting the new Zeitgeist Moving Forward movie out to a variety of people. On the 6th of this month there was a press screening of ZMF in Amsterdam, invitation only. Members of the press attended, as well as folks from universities and foundations and even a few members from (smaller) political parties. The word is getting out, that's for sure.
A foundation named Deniesa, which is short in Dutch for 'the new society', made it known that they want to collaborate with the Zeitgeist Movement because they find the concept of the Venus Project highly appealing. Other parties have shown an interest as well but are not yet officially acknowledging it. I also have it on good authority that some highly educated people here in Holland (with degrees in economics) are working on a transition model, aimed at what Venus Project encompasses.
Zeitgeist is in motion.
A foundation named Deniesa, which is short in Dutch for 'the new society', made it known that they want to collaborate with the Zeitgeist Movement because they find the concept of the Venus Project highly appealing. Other parties have shown an interest as well but are not yet officially acknowledging it. I also have it on good authority that some highly educated people here in Holland (with degrees in economics) are working on a transition model, aimed at what Venus Project encompasses.
Zeitgeist is in motion.
January 7, 2011
Kush Kush, Dang Dang 2
Looks like different people have different bones to pick with the movement.
Above is an excerpt of a comment I received pertaining to my previous blog about the claim that Zeitgeist is into the occult which is forwarded by a person named James Kush (on his website). A person named Paul made the comments (in quotes) and judging from the things he has to say I assume he's a friend of Kush. His opening statement is correct and I can't argue with that. There are a number of people who developed a beef with the Zeitgeist Movement. Being a supporter of the Venus Project I feel inclined at times to respond but I must also admit that from a psychological and sociological perspective I find these social mechanics absolutely fascinating. I enjoy a good debate at times, provided it doesn't turn into a shouting match, because in the end I believe you can learn something from the interaction. The foremost question in my mind is; 'why do some people have a bone to pick with the movement?' Answers to that question vary, but lets move on for now.
The movies have so many areas of nonsense, it's hard to choose a place to start. Zeitgeist bases it whole money comes from thin air nonsense on a huge misunderstanding of the whole process. Then it just goes on and on to dig itself into a huge pile of steaming poo.
Quite a mouthful but lets address the specific claim that 'money created out of thin air is nonsense.' Actually it's spot on because we use something called 'fiat currency.' Here's the definition from Wikipedia;
"Fiat money is money that has value only because of government regulation or law. Historically, money originated as commodity money, based on physical commodities such as cowrie shells, copper, gold, or silver, but fiat money is based solely on faith in the government issuing the money."
Meaning, fiat money is backed up by nothing of physical value but entirely on the belief that it holds value! Something more interesting is found further down the article under "loss of backing";
"A fiat-money currency generally loses value once the issuing government refuses to further guarantee its value through taxation, but this need not necessarily occur."
Basically what it says here is that the value of money is only guaranteed through taxation. One can not exist without the other and are profoundly connected. Since money relies on taxation you can already get to the concept that 'money is debt' simply because its creation demands an immediate obligation. A repayment through taxes, and what should be clear by now is that with that repayment interest must paid as well. The article also mentions this; "In monetary economics, fiat money is an intrinsically useless good used as a means of payment." Conclusion: money is paper and is entirely subjective and relative.
Zeitgeist Addendum, the second movie made by Peter Joseph is in fact accurate in more ways then you can imagine but he did make an omission regarding the Federal Reserve. As you know the Federal Reserve is the central banking system of the United States. It's structure however is not that transparent since it has both public and private aspects. It's quite easy to get lost in maze that is the Fed and all the regulations that go along with it but one thing to remember is that the previously mentioned private aspects is something that should get anyone's attention. Private, commercial banks such JPMorgan and Citigroup also make up the Fed.
Joseph was correct that when the U.S. government needs money they go to the Fed who prints the money. In turn government bonds are issued. A bond is in a fact a debt, an I.O.U. yet government bonds are deemed risk-free because the government can raise taxes to redeem the bond at maturity. (Money creation linked to taxation - money is debt.) What Peter Joseph didn't mention in Zeitgeist Addendum is that all proceeds made by the Federal Reserve are transferred back to the U.S. Treasury, but that's not the entire story (from the Wikipedia article);
"The U.S. Government receives all of the system's annual profits, after a statutory dividend of 6% on member banks' capital investment is paid, and an account surplus is maintained."
While the Fed gives up the appearance that no profit is made from the creation of money, there definitely is. The member banks such as Citibank and Chase Manhattan who put up capital in the Federal Reserve are getting 6% interest on their 'investment.' This completely supports the 'money is debt' scenario because with its creation an immediate debt (dividend) is paid. Money is created out of debt. What Zeitgeist Addendum portrays in its first section about the creation of money and the Federal Reserve is in fact spot on. Who actually pays that 6% dividend? The American taxpayer!
But lets get back to the notion that 'money is created out of thin air.' Yes, in fact it is. It's called Fractional-reserve banking. The Wikipedia article can be found by clicking on the link. Money creation is where it all happens;
"Modern central banking allows multiple banks to practice fractional reserve banking with inter-bank business transactions without risking bankruptcy. The process of fractional-reserve banking has a cumulative effect of money creation by banks, essentially expanding the money supply of the economy.[...] When a deposit of central bank money is made at a commercial bank, the central bank money is removed from circulation and added to the commercial banks' reserves. Simultaneously, an equal amount of new commercial bank money is created in the form of bank deposits. When a loan is made by the commercial bank (which keeps only a fraction of the central bank money as reserves), using the central bank money from the commercial bank's reserves, the money supply expands by the size of the loan. This process is called deposit multiplication."
A private commercial bank can create money out of thin air. They loan an amount from the central bank and are authorized to create more money on top of that. This is of course digitally. The money created (out of nothing) is loaned out to consumers who have to pay it back with interest. Money becoming debt once more. The only poo I see here is an inherently unstable monetary system which condemns people into economic slavery.
I think the problem James sees, is it's resemblance to a religion or cult. You have devoted followers, all following the magical handwaving of Jacques Fresco and Peter Joseph. Fresco and Joseph are in it for simply one reason: make plenty of money to retire on. It is so much like a religion and rather ironic that it's followers are what they often preach against.
When I said in the beginning of my blog that reasons vary for people who have a beef with the Zeitgeist Movement I wasn't kidding. In my opinion, claiming that the movement is a cult (or into the occult) is just a smear tactic. It's a convenient way of painting someone as faulty, and the aim is to intentionally undermine the movement's reputation and credibility. Many social groups could fall under the definition of a cult once you bring in the aspect of devoted followers. The thing is, I haven't seen Zeitgeist detractors employ the same tactic on lets say members of the Tea Party, or hardcore Republicans, or dressed up fans of the New York Mets. That inconsistency in applying the cult angle shows the lack of sincerity.
Claiming Peter Joseph and Jacque Fresco are in it for the money is also somewhat of a lame tactic. I believe that Peter Joseph is talented enough to secure a decent income in the corporate world if he would set his mind to it. He's a gifted speaker, an experienced filmmaker. He would have no problems earning a living outside the Zeitgeist Movement. Making money doesn't seem to be the dominant factor, otherwise he would sell his dvd's for $20 a pop. And what do you think Fresco will do should he earn a million dollars? Buy a new Hummer, a mansion and some bling? The guy is in his nineties. Playing the money angle is just another smear tactic.
Which brings me to the why. Yes, Zeitgeist ticked off some people. It's understandable why some folks would feel offended after the critique on religion in Zeitgeist 1. However, from what I've seen a number of detractors aren't religious at all. It's highly probable that a number of folks had their ego's bruised when they were kicked off the Zeitgeist forums after misbehaving. What happens next of course is that these folks develop a grudge and need to find something to strike back with. Hence the critique that the movement is a cult (or into the occult) and that Joseph and Fresco are in it for the money. Most of the time you can bring it back to psychology. What the Zeitgeist Movement and the Venus Project also do is to challenge a persons ideology which in turn can create an internal conflict, but lets be honest, how many people are aware of that?
January 6, 2011
Kush Kush, Dang Dang
Yesterday I came across a blog when it was briefly discussed on the Zeitgeist forums. It's named "Zeitgeist Movements Sources" and contrary to what you would think it's highly anti-Zeitgeist. A person by the name of James Kush has gotten the impression that the Zeitgeist Movement is into the occult, which is a slight deviation from other hate blogs who claim among other things that the movement is a cult, are made up of whacky conspiracy theorists, fools that want the machines to take over or are darn red communists out to create a scientific dictatorship. Forget to mention that conservative radio talk show host Alex Jones also claimed the movement was made of sun-worshipping Luciferians. The latter is more in line with what Kush is claiming and both he and Jones are from Texas. Hmm. Maybe he listened to his show. I'm assuming of course that Kush is a conservative Christian (if he's not than he's just a smear artist).
It's not totally impossible to think that the Zeitgeist Movement is into the occult but you have to make a number of leaps and bounds in order to get there. It goes something like this. Zeitgeist 1 criticized (Christian) religion, it used some alternative sources (New Age and Theosophy), Christians regard those sources as outright false and/or even blasphemous when they compare it to their own religion, therefore the entire Zeitgeist Movement is made up of occultists. While I can certainly understand that religious folks were ticked off by the critique in the first Zeitgeist film, taking it to the extreme by playing the occult tactic is just an act of vengeance if you ask me and it holds no water whatsoever.
It has been said many times that the first Zeitgeist flick was a personal project of director Peter Joseph, but I guess there are a number of people who are too angry to accept that and simply try to find fault with something that offended them in some way. I watched Zeitgeist Addendum before I watched Zeitgeist the Movie, maybe that's why I'm in a better position to put it into proper perspective. The second film really is about the ills of society and why a redesign is needed, hence the Venus Project and a Resource Based Economy. It's exactly that which I found appealing, not the critique directed at religion. A better society is what fascinates me and how to get there. Not throwing out the baby with the bathwater because of a personal grudge.
I also reckon that calling the Zeitgeist Movement occult is a gross misrepresentation if not outright derogatory. People from all walks of life join the movement, some are atheists, some are religious. Even I'm not an atheist, although raised a Roman Catholic I'm more of a pantheist these days. Having a Christian background it doesn't make me oblivious to what some would call dark or satanic teachings and if I would detect such matters within the movement I would be the kind of person that would be upset with that. I presume that there are more people like that in the movement so I guess James Kush has nothing to worry about.
Religion or theosophy is not the main trust of the Movement, it is in fact science and applying the scientific method for social concern. Has religion (in general) ever managed to create a peaceful society? Lets take a few passages out of the Bible and compare that to what the Zeitgeist Movement stands for in order to find out how "occult" it is.
“It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven." (Luke 18:25)
Yet in our modern day society most people are just focused on accumulating wealth and the "American Dream." The Zeitgeist Movement advocates the abolition of the monetary system, rich people wont have to go to Hell.
"And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves." (New American Standard Bible.)
Yet here we are right now as a world people primarily focused on the what the stock market is doing and if our economies and GDP's show an upward curve. If you have the slightest grasp of what the Zeitgeist Movement stands for then these matters (money, banks, stocks) would be a thing of the past. Jesus, apparently agrees.
"Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven." (New American Standard Bible.)
Heaven, I presume, is a place of peace and what this part of the Bible is suggesting is that we should create Heaven on Earth. From my perspective the Venus Project stands a good chance of exactly accomplishing that. Since the Venus Project is advocating that we share all the world's resources and provide for the needs of all the people (be it food, clothing, housing, energy etc.) through the use of technology, aren't we members of the Zeitgeist Movement (the activist arm of the Venus Project), in essence, more spiritual then most religious folks?
It's sad that people like James Kush simply don't get the basics of being human and rather go off on a tantrum. If you share with everyone there's enough to go around. If you are selfish and ignorant, you wont create a Heaven on Earth. It's that simple. Most religious folks somehow don't get that. Dang.
ZMF Flyers
My oh my. The local cinema in my hometown suddenly had a couple of Zeitgeist Moving Forward flyers on the window and wall.
Even the trashcan just outside the train station had one.
Handy places for sure for the upcoming worldwide release of Zeitgeist 3.
January 5, 2011
Dutch Zeitgeist 3 (Moving Forward) Promotion
The Dutch chapter of the Zeitgeist Movement has done a wonderful job getting Peter Joseph's new film, Zeitgeist Moving Forward, out to a number of cinema's even though it was on short notice. Most movie theaters plan way ahead when it comes to releasing new films yet the guys managed to convince a few to release Zeitgeist 3 on the 15th of January, coinciding with the worldwide official release. Here are the dates and places in Holland where it's going to be showed.
AMSTERDAM
Studio/k
zaterdag 15 januari 2011 van 13:00 tot 15:00
Timorplein 62. Amsterdam €8,00 / €6,50
OT301
dinsdag 18 januari 2011 van 20:30 tot 22:30
Overtoom 301, Amsterdam €4,00
Studio/k
vrijdag 21 januari 2011 van 14:30 tot 16:30
Timorplein 62. Amsterdam €8,00 / €6,50
Studio/k
maandag 24 januari 2011 van 14:30 tot 16:30
Timorplein 62. Amsterdam €8,00 / €6,50
EINDHOVEN
ICSE, Philips Lichttoren
dinsdag 18 januari 2011 van 19:00 tot 22:30
Lichttoren 34*, Eindhoven €5,00
ICSE, Philips Lichttoren
woensdag 19 januari 2011 van 19:00 tot 22:30
Lichttoren 34*, Eindhoven €5,00
ICSE, Philips Lichttoren
donderdag 20 januari 2011 van 19:00 tot 22:30
Lichttoren 34*, Eindhoven €5,00
HEERLEN
Filmhuis de Spiegel
zaterdag 15 januari 2011 van 19:30 tot 21:30
Bongerd 18, Heerlen €7,00 / €5,00
OOSTERBEEK (Wageningen)
Filmhuis Oosterbeek
woensdag 20 januari 2011 van 19:00 tot 22:30
Weverstraat 85, Oosterbeek €6,50
Irish Bluntness
If you can't stand the f-word a lot then this video is best to be avoided. Otherwise, this Irish fellow speaks candidly about what a lot of folks are thinking. That they are being sold out by the governments and financial institutions who's main characteristic is unrestricted greed and where the accumulated debt is put on the working class. Just yesterday I saw in the news that in the U.K. VAT was increased from 17.5% to 20%. The government there wants to raise an additional 20 billion. Who were the responsible parties again for the credit crisis? Who's apparently paying for it?
I personally realized years ago that our modern day society is nothing else then an elaborate pyramid scheme. But in the words of George Carlin; 'Nobody seems to notice, nobody seems to care.' Most comments on CNN where the British people were interviewed about the massive tax raise responded in similar carelessness. We need more people like this Irish dude, not sheep.
January 4, 2011
Partial Eclipse
We had a partial solar eclipse in these parts this morning. At the height it was way too cloudy for any type of shot but an hour and a half later it cleared up a bit. Unfortunately my camera, a Nikon Coolpix 3500, was unable to capture the remaining part of the moon in front of the sun, even in full digital zoom. Did capture this fellow in my garden an hour or so later.
January 2, 2011
Gorned
Well, had a weird start into the new year. New year's Eve I was having a drink, chilling and watching a lot of stand up comedy on television. Martin Lawrence was ok although I find him a bit too busy/overwhelming in his performance. Dutch comedian Guido Weijers was awesome, but you gotta have a taste for Dutch humor which can be quite hard and confronting. Anyway, it's 15 minutes till midnight and I'm moving my fireworks into the hallway, doorbell rings and there's a guy standing there asking for a light. Well-mannered person that I am I go back inside to get a lighter and help the guy out. He thanks me, leaves and I'm staring at the stuff I just put there thinking - 'didn't I just put something there?' I check back inside and I'm fairly sure I'm missing something so I walk out onto the street again. There's the guy some 25 meters up ahead setting off a piece of my fireworks and laughing insanely in the process.
My bad of course, I should have noticed he was drunk and out of his mind on drugs but I guess the drinks I had and being in a celebration mood clouded my judgement as well. Had some words with that guy after I walked up to him. Thought about punching him straight in the face a couple of times but I think he wouldn't have felt it. Dutch liberal police regulations would also have made me the 'bad guy' if I had started the fight. Said some words directly at him which I can't repeat here and the guy walked away. Amazing how some people can walk up to you, steal from you while staring you in the face and thanking you for your help. Even more strange is why I run into these people from time to time. Almost never have an altercation with someone but when I have one it's with a person who's certifiably insane or whacked out of his mind on some substance.
So that was depressing. The night wasn't a loss however since after 12 when all the fireworks went off I somehow 'ran' into more positive encounters. Don't think I've ever kissed and shook hands with so many beautiful women. My neighbor, who's a woman, had female friends and other neighbors down the street also had a lot female friends. That balanced things out. :)
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