Karma Banque and a new tactic for the movement
01.14.05 (1:42 pm) [edit]
Check this out: www.karmabanque.com
Hedge funds and "short selling" are about 20 of the trades on Wall street (or the finacial markets in general, I'm not really sure which or if possibly both).
These guys have targeted stocks whose price are most vulnerable, but they add an new dimension: boycotts. Some stocks-- aparently Coca-cola-- are way over priced when you compare to actual sales, and when a big enough boycott is organized the price drops. Short selling and hedge funds profit when the stocks they own drop (Yes, it does sound like the "Underpants Gnome's method of capitalism, but apparently it works).
This investing technic can both generate revenue-- which Karma Banque redirects most in a philanthropic way-- and be used to drive down stock value on "bad" corps that either destroy the environment or are unfair to workers or people or the third world. Some stocks are more suseptible than others, but the ones that are suseptible can be effected by this technic.
If "We" can damage their stock value enough, they may have to change they business practices and diffuse the boycotts and those restore their stock value which was overpriced compared to sales and boycott suseptiblity.
Karma banque explains it better than I do, they were on Behind the News on WBAI yesterday with Dough Henwood and they were mind-blowing.
Hedge funds and "short selling" are about 20 of the trades on Wall street (or the finacial markets in general, I'm not really sure which or if possibly both).
These guys have targeted stocks whose price are most vulnerable, but they add an new dimension: boycotts. Some stocks-- aparently Coca-cola-- are way over priced when you compare to actual sales, and when a big enough boycott is organized the price drops. Short selling and hedge funds profit when the stocks they own drop (Yes, it does sound like the "Underpants Gnome's method of capitalism, but apparently it works).
This investing technic can both generate revenue-- which Karma Banque redirects most in a philanthropic way-- and be used to drive down stock value on "bad" corps that either destroy the environment or are unfair to workers or people or the third world. Some stocks are more suseptible than others, but the ones that are suseptible can be effected by this technic.
If "We" can damage their stock value enough, they may have to change they business practices and diffuse the boycotts and those restore their stock value which was overpriced compared to sales and boycott suseptiblity.
Karma banque explains it better than I do, they were on Behind the News on WBAI yesterday with Dough Henwood and they were mind-blowing.
Changes This Year
01.14.05 (1:30 pm) [edit]
I'm going to try to put up a blog once a week this year. The reason is that I've just not got the time. These won't get "better" due to their infrequency, but maybe I'll focus a little better.
I still want to address the questions raised by Kurt Maddox, but it will be slower going here towards that end.
I still want to address the questions raised by Kurt Maddox, but it will be slower going here towards that end.
Following up on what to do/H.O.P.E.
01.06.05 (9:10 pm) [edit]
I've been thinking about what to do for the following year, as described in a blog entry below. I'm sort of doing that and and also compiling reasons we should be optimistic-- and I'm serious about that. The right wins but must resort to more and more dispicable and desperate tactics each time, like a tactical chess player getting some edge in each minor skirmish while strategically their position is weakening and untenable. I really believe this and will have to spell out why at a later date.
As an artist, I see the battle against the dumbing down of my country as a political and a cultural issue. This is an important "Battle", because it isn't just the reactionaries that had issues with Janet Jackson or Ashlee Simpson, it is just that our issues with that level of entertainment are more complicated and we see the source of the problem more clearly and in detail than the religious right has it.
To that end I'd like to recommend this group, found at the this link, which you should right click and check out after complimenting me-- know know, say I must have been working out or something-- in the comments section: http://www.hopeinamerica.com/...
I thought this was a goof, but they look as serious as anything else. They are in the streets standing up to stupidity. Stupidity is our enemy. If people can't understand that Ashlee Simpson is a poor unfortunate fool being lead for the sole purpose of giving us the absolute lowest and stupidest level of "entertainment", how can they understand the level of fraud that Bush is? It is in deed one battle. As I said in an earlier blog, the only difference between Paris Hilton and G.W. Bush is their gender and the year they were born. When H.O.P.E. attacks Paris Hilton and suceeds, Bush will diminish a little because it is the same bogus media that props them both up over all reason and good taste.
As an artist, I see the battle against the dumbing down of my country as a political and a cultural issue. This is an important "Battle", because it isn't just the reactionaries that had issues with Janet Jackson or Ashlee Simpson, it is just that our issues with that level of entertainment are more complicated and we see the source of the problem more clearly and in detail than the religious right has it.
To that end I'd like to recommend this group, found at the this link, which you should right click and check out after complimenting me-- know know, say I must have been working out or something-- in the comments section: http://www.hopeinamerica.com/...
I thought this was a goof, but they look as serious as anything else. They are in the streets standing up to stupidity. Stupidity is our enemy. If people can't understand that Ashlee Simpson is a poor unfortunate fool being lead for the sole purpose of giving us the absolute lowest and stupidest level of "entertainment", how can they understand the level of fraud that Bush is? It is in deed one battle. As I said in an earlier blog, the only difference between Paris Hilton and G.W. Bush is their gender and the year they were born. When H.O.P.E. attacks Paris Hilton and suceeds, Bush will diminish a little because it is the same bogus media that props them both up over all reason and good taste.
