Jan
25
Mic Check! Occupy Wall Street Offers a Rebuttal to State of the Union #OWS
Mic check! Occupy Wall Street offers a rebuttal to State of the Union Everybody’s got a response to the State of the Union these days — including Occupy Wall Street. Or at least a branch of Occupiers in D.C. do. They were supposed to deliver it live post-State of the Union in McPherson Square … Read more
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Dec
29
ALJAZEERA… The year’s top story is not getting coverage…
This is the time of year for those in the media to opine as to which story from the year past was the most important. Writing for ALJAZEERA, Danny Schechter’s end-of-year piece makes several important points about how much of the mainstream media seemingly continues to pretend that the financial and foreclosure crises aren’t happening. He begins with the following…
This year’s top story is not getting coverage
New York, NY - As every media critic learns, the worst sin of our press is not its blatant biases, or crimes of commission, but rather the pervasive patterns of omission; what’s left out!
Already, with two weeks to go, the Associated Press has crossed the finish line with the top choice of the newspapers it serves. Perhaps in the outdated spirit of Mark Twain’s famous dictum that: “There are only two forces that can carry light to all corners of the globe – only two – the sun in the heavens and the Associated Press on earth”, their pick for story of the year is the killing of Osama bin Laden.
He goes on to acknowledge that on the progressive side of the street, this past year was an “ALL OCCUPY ALL THE TIME.” year, but that stories about Michael Jackson’s doctor, or the Kardashian wedding and break-up, are the “daily scandal that is there to titillate and drive up ratings.”
But, then Danny brings up what’s on all of our minds, Wall Street and the conspicuous absence of prosecutions and “perp walks.”
It has yet to happen and most media outlets are not focussing on why. I am referring to the lack of any real investigation of Wall Street crimes, and the indictments of wrongdoers. I am talking about “perp walks” by guilty Wall Street CEOs on their way to joining Bernie Madoff in some institute of incarceration.
Lack of investigative oversight
This is not a call for revenge, but for justice. The reason: the barely exposed chain of criminality that started in some salon of securitisation and then rippled across the world, bringing down countries and economies. It has its origins in Wall Street, where three industries colluded as a cabal to sell fraudulent subprime loans and then transfer fees and foreclosures from poor and middle class Americans to themselves.
Where is the examination of the pillars of our “FIRE” economy – Finance, Insurance and Real Estate. They became the interconnected cogs in a leverage machine to enrich themselves while plundering the rest of us.
So far, this story affecting so many millions has not really crashed through in the 1 per cent media machine with a few exceptions here and there.
And then… and this is where it really gets good, in my humble opinion… he tells people where they need to look to get the story that should be considered the year’s top story.
If you want to find out about this story of the year and years past, in all of its disgusting detail, you can’t just trust major media. You have to read Matt Taibbi in Rolling Stone, a music magazine, or blogs like Mandelman on Ml-implode.com, Naked Capitalism, Credit Writedowns, ZeroHedge, ProPublica, or Amped Status.com, to cite a few.
TV show host Dylan Ratigan has been a lonely voice on MSNBC while academics like former bank regulator William Black and former Bank economist Michael Hudson speak out frequently on the criminal environment that Wall Street has wrought in alternative outlets.
Journalists like Robert Scheer, Greg Palast and Chris Hedges write regularly on issues that from time to time make it into the columns of New York writers like Paul Krugman, Getrchen Morgensen, Frank Norris and James Stewart. All these opinion pieces rarely lead to follow-ups in the news section.
Was I too subtle there? Did you happen to notice who’s blog was mentioned above? Like, Woohoo! right? Okay, just making sure…
Danny’s article goes on to discuss some very important issues, such as identifying those that are apparently, “Too Big to Question,” writing…
Just as many outlets did not warn us about the coming market meltdown, most are not warning us today about what will happen if the depression we are already sinking into deepens.
And he bring in some news that I found to be nothing less than chilling…
Already, a European economic think-tank called LEAP, with a history of credible projections, warns soberly, “Already insolvent (the US) will become ungovernable bringing about, for Americans and those who depend on the United States, violent and destructive economic, financial, monetary, geopolitical and social shocks.”
Does anyone really believe that our political leaders in both parties know what to do? Along with the Fed, they have been pumping trillions into the economy to mostly no avail. The promised recovery has yet to show its head.
Danny closes his piece by discussing the fact that “what matters most is covered least.” And you can… and should… read the ALJAZEERA story by Danny Schechter in its entirety… HERE.
Mandelman out.
Dec
29
ALJAZEERA… The year’s top story is not getting coverage…
This is the time of year for those in the media to opine as to which story from the year past was the most important. Writing for ALJAZEERA, Danny Schechter’s end-of-year piece makes several important points about how much of the mainstream media seemingly continues to pretend that the financial and foreclosure crises aren’t happening. He begins with the following…
This year’s top story is not getting coverage
New York, NY - As every media critic learns, the worst sin of our press is not its blatant biases, or crimes of commission, but rather the pervasive patterns of omission; what’s left out!
Already, with two weeks to go, the Associated Press has crossed the finish line with the top choice of the newspapers it serves. Perhaps in the outdated spirit of Mark Twain’s famous dictum that: “There are only two forces that can carry light to all corners of the globe – only two – the sun in the heavens and the Associated Press on earth”, their pick for story of the year is the killing of Osama bin Laden.
He goes on to acknowledge that on the progressive side of the street, this past year was an “ALL OCCUPY ALL THE TIME.” year, but that stories about Michael Jackson’s doctor, or the Kardashian wedding and break-up, are the “daily scandal that is there to titillate and drive up ratings.”
But, then Danny brings up what’s on all of our minds, Wall Street and the conspicuous absence of prosecutions and “perp walks.”
It has yet to happen and most media outlets are not focussing on why. I am referring to the lack of any real investigation of Wall Street crimes, and the indictments of wrongdoers. I am talking about “perp walks” by guilty Wall Street CEOs on their way to joining Bernie Madoff in some institute of incarceration.
Lack of investigative oversight
This is not a call for revenge, but for justice. The reason: the barely exposed chain of criminality that started in some salon of securitisation and then rippled across the world, bringing down countries and economies. It has its origins in Wall Street, where three industries colluded as a cabal to sell fraudulent subprime loans and then transfer fees and foreclosures from poor and middle class Americans to themselves.
Where is the examination of the pillars of our “FIRE” economy – Finance, Insurance and Real Estate. They became the interconnected cogs in a leverage machine to enrich themselves while plundering the rest of us.
So far, this story affecting so many millions has not really crashed through in the 1 per cent media machine with a few exceptions here and there.
And then… and this is where it really gets good, in my humble opinion… he tells people where they need to look to get the story that should be considered the year’s top story.
If you want to find out about this story of the year and years past, in all of its disgusting detail, you can’t just trust major media. You have to read Matt Taibbi in Rolling Stone, a music magazine, or blogs like Mandelman on Ml-implode.com, Naked Capitalism, Credit Writedowns, ZeroHedge, ProPublica, or Amped Status.com, to cite a few.
TV show host Dylan Ratigan has been a lonely voice on MSNBC while academics like former bank regulator William Black and former Bank economist Michael Hudson speak out frequently on the criminal environment that Wall Street has wrought in alternative outlets.
Journalists like Robert Scheer, Greg Palast and Chris Hedges write regularly on issues that from time to time make it into the columns of New York writers like Paul Krugman, Getrchen Morgensen, Frank Norris and James Stewart. All these opinion pieces rarely lead to follow-ups in the news section.
Was I too subtle there? Did you happen to notice who’s blog was mentioned above? Like, Woohoo! right? Okay, just making sure…
Danny’s article goes on to discuss some very important issues, such as identifying those that are apparently, “Too Big to Question,” writing…
Just as many outlets did not warn us about the coming market meltdown, most are not warning us today about what will happen if the depression we are already sinking into deepens.
And he bring in some news that I found to be nothing less than chilling…
Already, a European economic think-tank called LEAP, with a history of credible projections, warns soberly, “Already insolvent (the US) will become ungovernable bringing about, for Americans and those who depend on the United States, violent and destructive economic, financial, monetary, geopolitical and social shocks.”
Does anyone really believe that our political leaders in both parties know what to do? Along with the Fed, they have been pumping trillions into the economy to mostly no avail. The promised recovery has yet to show its head.
Danny closes his piece by discussing the fact that “what matters most is covered least.” And you can… and should… read the ALJAZEERA story by Danny Schechter in its entirety… HERE.
Mandelman out.
Dec
20
Mandelman on The News Dissector Radio Show with Danny Schechter
Listen to the Podcast of last week’s News Dissector Radio Hour on PRN.fm
Subjects:
Occupy Wall Street and the Foreclosure Crisis.
Captain (Ret.) Ray Lewis of the Philadelphia Police Department
Martin Andelman of the blog, Mandelman Matters
and Laura from Occupy Wall Street
Danny Schechter is an Emmy award winning journalist, television producer and independent filmmaker who also writes, blogs and speaks about media issues. His latest film is PLUNDER The Crime Of Our Time. He’s also become a friend and I’ve appeared on his weekly radio show a couple of times in the past. This time, however, I was on with a couple of people that have been in the media spotlight lately as a result of their involvement with Occupy Wall Street, or if you’re hip and in-the-know, OWS.
So… if you’re interested in what I had to say, click the play button below and you’ll be listening to The News Dissector… Danny Schechter… on PRN… the Progressive Radio Network.
Mandelman out.
Nov
15
A Global Infographic About Occupy Wall St. #OWS
Via: Online MBA Experts ~ 4closureFraud.org Tweet Related posts:Occupy Wall Street (Infographic) Faceoff: Occupy Wall Street vs. Tea Party Movement (Infographic) Short Film | Danny Schechter – INSIDE OCCUPY WALL ST: HOW Occupy Wall Street Operates
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Nov
08
Occupy Wall Street (Infographic)
~ 4closureFraud.org Tweet Related posts:Faceoff: Occupy Wall Street vs. Tea Party Movement (Infographic) Short Film | Danny Schechter – INSIDE OCCUPY WALL ST: HOW Occupy Wall Street Operates Lee Camp | “Wall Street Is Dirtier Than Occupy Wall Street”
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Nov
08
Faceoff: Occupy Wall Street vs. Tea Party Movement (Infographic)
Image Source: Accelerated Degree Programs ~ 4closureFraud.org Tweet Related posts:‘Occupy Wall Street’ movement stages first rally in Palm Beach County Short Film | Danny Schechter – INSIDE OCCUPY WALL ST: HOW Occupy Wall Street Operates Lee Camp | “Wall Street Is Dirtier Than Occupy Wall Street”
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Nov
07
Short Film | Danny Schechter – INSIDE OCCUPY WALL ST: HOW Occupy Wall Street Operates
If film will not play you can watch it here… Danny Schechter, known as the News Dissector is a blogger (newsdissector.com) Filmmaker (Plunderthe crimeofourtime.com) and fellow troublemaker. He is former producer for CNN and ABC News and even did a stint at CNBC. But these networks are not open to independent perspectives even from former … Read more
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Jun
19
FOR THE FATHERS
Re-posted from last year by special request, and because it’s Fathers’ Day!
I’m a father and there’s no father in the whole world happier than I am about being a father. I love my daughter more than words could ever express, and if I had one wish, without hesitation it would be to be able to relive my life with my daughter over and over for eternity. Every second I spend with her is the best moment of my life, and I hope we are together forever.
There’s nothing to compare to fatherhood. In fact, someone once asked me to recount one of my life’s most embarrassing moments, and for a moment I considered telling them about the time…
… It was just after a big rain storm, and I was driving my car with the window open, waiting to turn left at the light, staring out the window, just daydreaming for a moment, head leaning to my left, supported by my hand, and apparently with my mouth open just a bit, when a car turning in the oncoming lane passed through a six or eight inch deep puddle of water that was exactly 90 degrees to the side of the car, soaking me from head to toe, as if standing under a waterfall, but more importantly, filling my mouth with puddle so entirely, so unexpectedly that I believe I lost all composure for several moments.
… Or, there was the time, back in second grade, when I was running extra fast to impress Susie Mulvahill, while playing tag in the playground during recess, when I failed to notice one of the eight inch wide, vertical iron girders that rose from the cement to support the four story tall fire escapes that stood on either side of the old red brick school building that was Wightman School… girders that had been painted black, but should have probably been “Alert Yellow,” and I was running at full speed when I slammed straight into the unforgiving iron and knocked myself out, only to remember being awaken by a teacher and gaggle of classmates all yelling, “wake up!”.
… Or, there was the time when I was eleven and, against the advice and strong objections of my parents, I went swimming far too soon after eating a large Italian Hoagie and… well, maybe we don’t need to talek about that one. I don’t think we know each other well enough for that one.
Anyway… I decided instead to say that my most embarrassing moments were all of those in which, before my wife and I had a child, someone who did have children invited me into a discussion about raising children… and I participated. Wooooo-boy… I would not want to learn that any of those discussions had been taped, and I was about to be a guest on “This is Your Life”. That’s the sort of thing that makes me want to run screaming from the room… even now, as I’m writing this.
There is nothing that compares with having a child. Nothing even close. I really don’t believe you know joy, fear or sadness until you have a child… at least I did not.
So, for that… I am happy today. Very, very happy because I’m a father.
But, it’s hard for me to be happy without thinking about the hundreds of thousands or perhaps millions of fathers who while they smile through their day, are also worrying about what will happen tomorrow because they know that, despite their best efforts, they may lose their homes. And I know that most of them blame themselves for decisions they made during a very different time that now seem so irresponsible or foolish but that then seemed entirely reasonable. And that makes me sick because I understand that it’s not their fault that things have changed so dramatically. They could not have known what was to come. They didn’t do anything wrong, yet they blame themselves.
It’s also not a natural disaster. It’s the fault of a very small, specific and definable group of Wall Street bankers and related financial types… criminals, in my mind, if not in the eyes of the law… that literally plotted to abuse the system to such a degree that what they did for profit has essentially bankrupted millions. They’re not bankrupt, however, they made tens of millions, and sometimes hundreds of millions of dollars off of their scheme.
Then when it started to unravel… when Alan Greenspan raised rates 17 times in a row by the summer of 2006 in an effort to cool off an overheated housing market… at the same time something else was about to break… something else that was much harder to see than the houses that would soon start going into foreclosure: the bond market, and specifically the market for mortgage backed securities.
You could say that one triggered the other on top of a mountain of loans designed to be refinanced every couple of years. You see, the bankers designed loans that needed to be refinanced every 2-3 years. That way, they could make more money refinancing loans. They didn’t have to make loans that needed to be refinanced so frequently, they could have made them sustainable loans that someone could keep for 30 years, but that wouldn’t have been nearly as profitable so they made them so they would blow up if not refinanced.
When rates went up, some went into default, and then when the pension plans that had bought Wall Street’s securitized and re-securitized bonds and derivatives realized that the bonds were improperly rated triple A, they dumped them immediately and at fire sale prices. No one trusted the ratings, so no one would buy the bonds, so the banks couldn’t sell their mortgages, so they stopped lending. It was like a 10th Avenue Freeze Out, as The Boss, Bruce Springsteen sings.
So, people were defaulting because rates had risen, and because they had loans that had been designed to need to be refinanced, but there was no refinancing because Wall Street had sold improperly rated bonds and now no one trusted the ratings, so the banks wouldn’t lend because they couldn’t sell the loans to Wall Street because no one wanted the bonds… and the winners were the people who bought credit default swaps… and then there was the leverage… whew! Hold it right there.
Do you see why I’m saying that it wasn’t any father’s fault? Because it wasn’t, and anyone who would like to argue that is welcome to come my way because I’m gunning for the next one who wants to go down.
It wasn’t the borrowers, it was the God damn bankers. And don’t write to me about saying God damn in this situation because I mean specifically that God should damn them. So, if that makes you uncomfortable then read someone else, because you are not welcome here.
When it all happened, the media started blaming the thing they could see, and the bankers pushed the point of view… it was the borrowers who were causing their own plight. It was a lie then and it’s still a lie.
And it’s caused so much pain, and it caused more today, a day when fathers should feel nothing but joy. So, instead of my feeling only joy today, I cried for the fathers who felt guilt and shame and fear inside, while they smiled through their special day. Because they shouldn’t have had to feel any of those things because they didn’t do anything wrong… they didn’t put their family’s home at risk of foreclosure… the Wall Street bankers and catatonic government regulators did that.
Because fathers do anything and everything for their families they love, and one of my readers reminded me of that today by sending me the video below to remind me that I’m fighting for my family and for fathers everywhere. I’ve seen the video before, but the reader who sent it to me reminded me that I am fighting for my family and families everywhere.
Watch it… and then scroll down… there’s more and it matters…
Someone else sent me something today. Danny Schechter, the writer, producer and director of the new movie PLUNDER, contacted me by email today. He had just found Mandelman Matters and he wanted me to watch his film and talk to him about how I could help get the message out about the film.
So, I did. I watched the whole thing and was glued to it the whole time. I stumbled over a couple of things in the beginning, but I stayed with it, and found those things didn’t matter at all.
PLUNDER is the first and only movie that explains what I’ve written hundreds of pages about in a movie that’s 1 hour and 40 minutes long. It’s way better than Michael Moore’s Capitalism – Love Story, if you happened to see that.
And you need to see it. All of you, but especially the fathers out there that are feeling that they let themselves and their families down. If you’re a father… BUY IT!!! If you know a father… BUY IT!!!! If you’re a mother BUY IT!!!! EVERYONE PLEASE BUY IT!!!!
HAVE PARTIES… PLUNDER PARTIES!
INVITE EVERYONE YOU KNOW OVER TO WATCH IT WITH YOU!
LET THE FATHERS AND MOTHERS OF THIS COUNTRY OFF THE HOOK. IT WASN’T THEY WHO CAUSED THIS, IT WAS THE BANKERS. PERIOD. THE END.
HERE’S A TRAILER, AND A LINK TO AMAZON WHERE YOU CAN BUY IT RIGHT NOW FOR LIKE $16. BUY IT. BUY IT. BUY IT FOR YOUR FRIENDS. BUY IT FOR EVERYONE YOU KNOW.
Jan
22
Mandelman On the Radio with Danny Schechter, The News Dissector
Danny Schechter, The News Dissector (on his radio show out of New York City) and I talked for an entire hour on Friday, January 21st, about the foreclosure crisis and loan modifications and more. You can listen to the podcast here:
The News Dissector with Special Guest Martin Andelman of Mandelman Matters
And, if you haven’t already bought a copy of Danny’s fantastic documentary film, “Plunder, the Crime of Our Time,” well… you absolutely should do so and here’s a link to my review of the film and it will link to Amazon so you can pick up a copy today: BUY PLUNDER NOW!
Jul
29
Mandelman on the News Dissector Radio Show
My goodness, I’ve been doing quite a few radio programs lately, have you noticed? I really like doing the radio show thing, it’s a lot easier than writing long, in-depth articles… LOL… just kidding… sort of. Anyway, this is a link to me on Danny Schechter the News Dissector’s show, which is out of New York. We’re talking about the economy and the foreclosure crisis, what else?
Here’s a link to the show:
Mandelman on the News Dissector, with Danny Schechter
Danny Schechter produced and directed the movie, PLUNDER, and I like the movie so much that I suggested that others watch it and even hold “Plunder Parties” so that people across the country would start to realize who caused the economic catastrophe we’re going to be living with for the next way-too-many years. Here’s a link to that, in case you missed it:
Have a Plunder Party and Help Change Our World
I’m not kidding when I say, “help change our world,” by the way. The only way we’re going to change things in this country (short of waiting for them to change on their own which will happen eventually, but at 49 years old, it won’t matter to me by then) is for the people to speak out and demand balance… in other words, tell our elected representatives that the banks aren’t the only important members of our society… and the only way the people will speak out is if they realize that what’s happened is not their fault.
Until they (read: you) understand that its not the borrowers, it’s the banks that caused our national meltdown… they’ll (read: you’ll) remain ashamed and unable to speak out. So, watch Plunder… seriously… buy it and watch it. It’s like $16.99… and you can throw $16.99 at something this important.
Anyway… all this radio show practice is going to come in handy… because soon I might just be doing a radio show of my own. And maybe even some Podcasting… I’m so techie, after all.
Mandelman out.
