Zeitgeist: Addendum, a 2008 documentary film produced by Peter Joseph, is a continuation of the film Zeitgeist, the Movie. The film discusses the Federal Reserve System in the United States, the CIA, corporate America, other government and financial institutions, and religion, concluding that they are all corrupt institutions detrimental to humanity and are in need of replacement. The film proposes The Venus Project as a possible solution.
According to director Peter Joseph, the film "attempts to locate the root causes of this pervasive social corruption, while offering a solution". In its conclusion, Addendum stresses the need for belief systems to embrace the ideas of emergence and interdependence. He outlines concrete steps that can be taken to weaken the monetary system. The film suggests actions for "social transformation", which include boycotts of the large banks that make up the Federal Reserve System, the mainstream media, the military, and energy companies. It is also suggested that people reject the political structure.
Zeitgeist: Addendum premiered at the 5th Annual Artivist Film Festival in Los Angeles, California on October 2, 2008, and was released free online on October 4, 2008.
Synopsis
Zeitgeist: Addendum is separated into four parts:
Part I criticises the practice of Fractional-reserve banking and the creation of money through loans. The film argues that dollar bills, to use its American example of central banking, are printed and the money supply is, therefore, increased when the Federal Reserve buys Treasury Bonds. This money ends up in commercial banks. Once that money becomes a reserve in banks it becomes "multiplied" through the Fractional-reserve system, and then loaned to customers. The film claims that such a system is "absurd" because the interest that must be paid for the money that was loaned does not exist; it was never created. The film compares this system to a game of musical chairs, in which a person will always be left out. This subject is also touched in the first Zeitgeist film.
Part II is a documentary style interview with John Perkins, in which he describes his role as a self-described economic hitman. In that capacity, he claims to have helped the CIA, as well as various corporate and political entities, to undermine or corrupt foreign regimes that put the interests of their populations before those of the transnational corporations.
Part III describes The Venus Project, a proposal created by Jacque Fresco. The film promotes the Venus Project as a sustainable solution for mankind on Earth. Its main goal is to produce a "resource-based economy" using modern technology to implement a society based on natural resource economics in opposition to the current model of artificial scarcity maintained by a monetary economy.
Part IV states that everything wrong with the US is "fundamentally the result of a collective ignorance of two of the most basic insights humans can have about reality; the 'emergent' and 'symbiotic' aspects of natural law."
The film then suggests actions for "social transformation," such as boycotts of large banks, the mainstream media, the military and energy companies; rejecting the political structure; and "creating critical mass."
The Venus Project
The Venus Project was started around 1975 and Roxanne Meadows of Venus, Florida, USA. It was founded on the idea that poverty is caused by the stifling of progress in technology, which itself is caused by the present US's profit-driven economic system. The progression of technology, if it were carried on independent of its profitability, Fresco theorizes, would make more resources available to more people. This new-found abundance of resources would reduce the human tendency toward independence, corruption, and greed, and instead make people more likely to help each other. Fundamental to the project is the elimination of the current money economy in favor of what Fresco calls a resource-based economy. with no formal university education. Roxanne Meadows is a former portrait artist. The Project also has a non-profit "sector", called Future By Design.
Reception and awards
On October 2, 2008 the film won the "Artivist Spirit Award - Best Feature" at the 2008 Artivist Film Festival. The film had its global premiere during the festival's opening night, which was attended by a sell-out audience of 600 people..
Sequel
A sequel Zeitgeist III has been announced at Official homepage to be released in October 2010.
Criticism
Conspiracy theorist G. Edward Griffin, paleoconservative author of The Creature from Jekyll Island criticized the film for promoting collectivist ideas, saying "this program does not offer a cure. It offers a mega dose of the disease itself."
Radio host and paleoconservative conspiracy theorist Alex Jones gave the film a negative review, stating the film "says good things but offers false solutions." He believes the film is "like rat poison. 98% good, but the 2% kills you". According to Jones, Zeitgeist Addendum claims that it is greed which is the main driver behind the issues it presents, but Jones says "it's not just about greed. It's about power. It's about centralizing power by the Globalizationists ".
Sources cited in the movie
At the end of the movie and on its website, the following sources are cited:
* For part I it cites the book by Ellen Brown, Web of Debt: The Shocking Truth About Our Money System and How We Can Break Free, Third Millennium Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-9795608-0-4
* For part II, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (2004), by John Perkins.
* For parts III and IV The Best That Money Can’t Buy: Beyond Politics, Poverty & War (2002), by Jacque Fresco, Global Cyber-Visions, 2002. ISBN 978-09648806-7-9
According to director Peter Joseph, the film "attempts to locate the root causes of this pervasive social corruption, while offering a solution". In its conclusion, Addendum stresses the need for belief systems to embrace the ideas of emergence and interdependence. He outlines concrete steps that can be taken to weaken the monetary system. The film suggests actions for "social transformation", which include boycotts of the large banks that make up the Federal Reserve System, the mainstream media, the military, and energy companies. It is also suggested that people reject the political structure.
Zeitgeist: Addendum premiered at the 5th Annual Artivist Film Festival in Los Angeles, California on October 2, 2008, and was released free online on October 4, 2008.
Synopsis
Zeitgeist: Addendum is separated into four parts:
Part I criticises the practice of Fractional-reserve banking and the creation of money through loans. The film argues that dollar bills, to use its American example of central banking, are printed and the money supply is, therefore, increased when the Federal Reserve buys Treasury Bonds. This money ends up in commercial banks. Once that money becomes a reserve in banks it becomes "multiplied" through the Fractional-reserve system, and then loaned to customers. The film claims that such a system is "absurd" because the interest that must be paid for the money that was loaned does not exist; it was never created. The film compares this system to a game of musical chairs, in which a person will always be left out. This subject is also touched in the first Zeitgeist film.
Part II is a documentary style interview with John Perkins, in which he describes his role as a self-described economic hitman. In that capacity, he claims to have helped the CIA, as well as various corporate and political entities, to undermine or corrupt foreign regimes that put the interests of their populations before those of the transnational corporations.
Part III describes The Venus Project, a proposal created by Jacque Fresco. The film promotes the Venus Project as a sustainable solution for mankind on Earth. Its main goal is to produce a "resource-based economy" using modern technology to implement a society based on natural resource economics in opposition to the current model of artificial scarcity maintained by a monetary economy.
Part IV states that everything wrong with the US is "fundamentally the result of a collective ignorance of two of the most basic insights humans can have about reality; the 'emergent' and 'symbiotic' aspects of natural law."
The film then suggests actions for "social transformation," such as boycotts of large banks, the mainstream media, the military and energy companies; rejecting the political structure; and "creating critical mass."
The Venus Project
The Venus Project was started around 1975 and Roxanne Meadows of Venus, Florida, USA. It was founded on the idea that poverty is caused by the stifling of progress in technology, which itself is caused by the present US's profit-driven economic system. The progression of technology, if it were carried on independent of its profitability, Fresco theorizes, would make more resources available to more people. This new-found abundance of resources would reduce the human tendency toward independence, corruption, and greed, and instead make people more likely to help each other. Fundamental to the project is the elimination of the current money economy in favor of what Fresco calls a resource-based economy. with no formal university education. Roxanne Meadows is a former portrait artist. The Project also has a non-profit "sector", called Future By Design.
Reception and awards
On October 2, 2008 the film won the "Artivist Spirit Award - Best Feature" at the 2008 Artivist Film Festival. The film had its global premiere during the festival's opening night, which was attended by a sell-out audience of 600 people..
Sequel
A sequel Zeitgeist III has been announced at Official homepage to be released in October 2010.
Criticism
Conspiracy theorist G. Edward Griffin, paleoconservative author of The Creature from Jekyll Island criticized the film for promoting collectivist ideas, saying "this program does not offer a cure. It offers a mega dose of the disease itself."
Radio host and paleoconservative conspiracy theorist Alex Jones gave the film a negative review, stating the film "says good things but offers false solutions." He believes the film is "like rat poison. 98% good, but the 2% kills you". According to Jones, Zeitgeist Addendum claims that it is greed which is the main driver behind the issues it presents, but Jones says "it's not just about greed. It's about power. It's about centralizing power by the Globalizationists ".
Sources cited in the movie
At the end of the movie and on its website, the following sources are cited:
* For part I it cites the book by Ellen Brown, Web of Debt: The Shocking Truth About Our Money System and How We Can Break Free, Third Millennium Press, 2007. ISBN 978-0-9795608-0-4
* For part II, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (2004), by John Perkins.
* For parts III and IV The Best That Money Can’t Buy: Beyond Politics, Poverty & War (2002), by Jacque Fresco, Global Cyber-Visions, 2002. ISBN 978-09648806-7-9
Snowbagging is a sport of descending a snowy slope with bags attached to a person's feet. The development of snowbagging was inspired by snowboarding, skating and skateboarding, and the sport shares superficial similarities with skiing. It was developed in the United States.
History
According to the snowbagging.com website, the history of the sport goes back to the year 2005 when it was invented by US skier and snowboarder Kenny Clark who called it snow-bagging. "Kenny was visiting the hospital and forgot to take off the hospital slip-on bags used to cover patients feet. When walking through the snow-covered hospital garden, he almost slipped, but managed not to fall and went for a nice ride." From this experience the "most freestyle" winter sport was born and the first useable snowbag in the world was made the very same day.
The snowbagging.com webside says Kenny started promoting the idea of snowbagging among his friends and that it was a popular side sport for a small group of top snowboarders in the USA and Canada, but quickly became popular around the world. The first European snowbaggers were in Sweden - of course, they were Kenny’s friends. The original snow-bags are made based on the license of SBOB Inc. at three places in the world - Reno, USA, Stockholm and the Czech Republic. Anecdotal evidence suggests tieing a plastic bag on your foot achieves a similar product.
Present
The first international snowbagging race took place in Canada at the beginning of the year of 2007, "laying the foundations for the future Snowbagging World Cup (SWC)".
The first year of the SWC took place at the break of the years of 2007 - 2008. SWC races have taken place in the USA, Canada and Sweden. The finals of the first year took place in the USA.
In 2009 54 snowbaggers from 12 countries are scheduled to participate in the SWC and two European countries, Germany and Slovenia, joined the SWC’s original three countries.
The International Snowbagging Association (ISA) has expanded the SWC competition schedule. The races will take place in Špindlerův Mlýn, Czech Republic, on 3 - 6 March 2009.
The finals will take place in Špindlerův mlýn on March 2009.
History
According to the snowbagging.com website, the history of the sport goes back to the year 2005 when it was invented by US skier and snowboarder Kenny Clark who called it snow-bagging. "Kenny was visiting the hospital and forgot to take off the hospital slip-on bags used to cover patients feet. When walking through the snow-covered hospital garden, he almost slipped, but managed not to fall and went for a nice ride." From this experience the "most freestyle" winter sport was born and the first useable snowbag in the world was made the very same day.
The snowbagging.com webside says Kenny started promoting the idea of snowbagging among his friends and that it was a popular side sport for a small group of top snowboarders in the USA and Canada, but quickly became popular around the world. The first European snowbaggers were in Sweden - of course, they were Kenny’s friends. The original snow-bags are made based on the license of SBOB Inc. at three places in the world - Reno, USA, Stockholm and the Czech Republic. Anecdotal evidence suggests tieing a plastic bag on your foot achieves a similar product.
Present
The first international snowbagging race took place in Canada at the beginning of the year of 2007, "laying the foundations for the future Snowbagging World Cup (SWC)".
The first year of the SWC took place at the break of the years of 2007 - 2008. SWC races have taken place in the USA, Canada and Sweden. The finals of the first year took place in the USA.
In 2009 54 snowbaggers from 12 countries are scheduled to participate in the SWC and two European countries, Germany and Slovenia, joined the SWC’s original three countries.
The International Snowbagging Association (ISA) has expanded the SWC competition schedule. The races will take place in Špindlerův Mlýn, Czech Republic, on 3 - 6 March 2009.
The finals will take place in Špindlerův mlýn on March 2009.
Johnny R. Saadé (born 1942) is Chairman and CEO of Johnny R. Saadé Holdings, a Lebanon-based constellation of companies involved in tourism, winemaking, real estate and financial investments.
The Saade Family
The Saadé family, of Syrian - Lebanese descent and Greek-Orthodox origin, traces its mercantile roots to 18th and 19th century levantine landowning, and commercial and industrial development with prominent representatives such as Gabriel Saadé (1854-1939) and Rodolphe Saadé (1900-1956).
With an initial involvement in commodities trading and various industries (cotton, alcohol and tobacco), the family was drawn into other activities including sea shipping and land transport that were ultimately developed by Johnny R. Saadé, Rodolphe’s son, in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and France, where he founded the Compagnie Maritime d’Affrêtement (CMA) in 1978. CMA eventually became one of the major container shipping companies in the world.
Having divested itself from those activities, other more subtle ventures have also been developed by Johnny R. Saadé Holdings, in winemaking, tourism and real estate in various areas of the Middle East and elsewhere including Dubai, Syria and Lebanon.
Johnny R.Saade is also the Chairman and CEO of Mistral (holding) s.a.l., an investment firm involved in Europe and the Middle-east.
He is assisted by his two sons Karim Saade and Sandro Saade.
The Saade Family
The Saadé family, of Syrian - Lebanese descent and Greek-Orthodox origin, traces its mercantile roots to 18th and 19th century levantine landowning, and commercial and industrial development with prominent representatives such as Gabriel Saadé (1854-1939) and Rodolphe Saadé (1900-1956).
With an initial involvement in commodities trading and various industries (cotton, alcohol and tobacco), the family was drawn into other activities including sea shipping and land transport that were ultimately developed by Johnny R. Saadé, Rodolphe’s son, in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and France, where he founded the Compagnie Maritime d’Affrêtement (CMA) in 1978. CMA eventually became one of the major container shipping companies in the world.
Having divested itself from those activities, other more subtle ventures have also been developed by Johnny R. Saadé Holdings, in winemaking, tourism and real estate in various areas of the Middle East and elsewhere including Dubai, Syria and Lebanon.
Johnny R.Saade is also the Chairman and CEO of Mistral (holding) s.a.l., an investment firm involved in Europe and the Middle-east.
He is assisted by his two sons Karim Saade and Sandro Saade.
Assassinations of Jewish leaders relating to Israel and Zionism has been a source of anguish and much internal debate between many Jewish groups and communities in Israel and the Jewish diaspora. Those assassinations that were carried out by non-Jewish assassins were fueled by the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict.
A limited number of assassinations of Jewish politicians and people in leadership positions in Israel's history occurred. The assassinations of Jacob de Haan and Chaim Arlosoroff were in the Jewish community of the British Mandate of Palestine that evolved into the State of Israel. Others were assassinated after the State of Israel gained independence.
These are some of the known assassinations:
*Jacob Israël de Haan was assassinated by the Haganah on July 1, 1924 allegedly for his political stance, although there may have been additional factors stemming from strong feuds with others.
*Chaim Arlosoroff was shot while walking with his wife Sima on a beach in Tel Aviv in 1933. Some think that it was other Zionists who disagreed with his views that did it, or that it was Arabs or British or Nazis.
* Yair Stern was killed during his arrest on february 12, 1942 by a British police officer for his terrorist role as the Lechi leader. Stern was shot from behind, in a Tel Aviv apartment, having already been handcuffed.
*Rudolf Kasztner was killed by an assassin March 15, 1957 in Tel Aviv. In the 1950s he was accused of profiting from his dealings with the Nazi occupation government in Hungary.
*Rabbi Meir Kahane, leader of Israel's Kach party, founder of the American Jewish Defense League, and former member of the Knesset, was assassinated by an Islamic militant during a visit to New York City on November 5, 1990.
*Prime minister of Israel Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by right-wing activist Yigal Amir on November 4, 1995 at the conclusion of a rally in Tel Aviv.
*Rehavam Zeevi, an Israeli general and politician who founded the right-wing nationalist Moledet party, was assassinated by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine on October 17, 2001 during the Al-Aqsa intifada.
A limited number of assassinations of Jewish politicians and people in leadership positions in Israel's history occurred. The assassinations of Jacob de Haan and Chaim Arlosoroff were in the Jewish community of the British Mandate of Palestine that evolved into the State of Israel. Others were assassinated after the State of Israel gained independence.
These are some of the known assassinations:
*Jacob Israël de Haan was assassinated by the Haganah on July 1, 1924 allegedly for his political stance, although there may have been additional factors stemming from strong feuds with others.
*Chaim Arlosoroff was shot while walking with his wife Sima on a beach in Tel Aviv in 1933. Some think that it was other Zionists who disagreed with his views that did it, or that it was Arabs or British or Nazis.
* Yair Stern was killed during his arrest on february 12, 1942 by a British police officer for his terrorist role as the Lechi leader. Stern was shot from behind, in a Tel Aviv apartment, having already been handcuffed.
*Rudolf Kasztner was killed by an assassin March 15, 1957 in Tel Aviv. In the 1950s he was accused of profiting from his dealings with the Nazi occupation government in Hungary.
*Rabbi Meir Kahane, leader of Israel's Kach party, founder of the American Jewish Defense League, and former member of the Knesset, was assassinated by an Islamic militant during a visit to New York City on November 5, 1990.
*Prime minister of Israel Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by right-wing activist Yigal Amir on November 4, 1995 at the conclusion of a rally in Tel Aviv.
*Rehavam Zeevi, an Israeli general and politician who founded the right-wing nationalist Moledet party, was assassinated by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine on October 17, 2001 during the Al-Aqsa intifada.