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Volume 7 Issue 50…Dedicated to the
Dialogue on Race…December 17, 2004
For the Love of Money
By The O'Jays
Money-money-money-money... Money!
Some people got to have it. Hey-hayay!
Some people really need it. Ah! Listen to
me y'all...
Do things- do things- do things- bad
things with it!
Well...You wanna do things- do things
- do things- good things with it!
Yeah... Uh-huh, talkin' 'bout cash; money.
Money...
Talkin' 'bout cash-money; dollar-bills,
y'all!
Come on, now! Yeah, yeah!
You got...Money-money-m-money...
People will steal from their mothers.
People will rob their own brothers.
People can't even walk the streets.
Because they never know when the world
they're gonna meet.
For that mean, oh mean, mean green.
Almighty dollar! Blood-money!
Money-money-m-money...
People will lie, rob; They will cheat.
People don't care who they hurt or beat.
A woman will sell her precious body.
For a small piece of paper, it carries a
lot of weight.
Oh, that mean, mean, mean, mean... mean
green!
Almighty dollar! Talkin' 'bout- talkin' 'bout...
You know that money is the root of all
evil.
Do funny things to some people.
Give me a nickel - Brother, can you spare
a dime?
Money can drive some people out of their
minds.
Money-money-m-money...
No good no good... no good.
Don't sell your soul for the money, no,
no!
Lay down! Lay down! Women will...
Money is the root of all the evil.
Do funny things to some people.
Give me a nickel - Brother, can you spare
a dime?
Money can drive some people out of their
minds.
Money-money-m-money...
Got to have it - I really need it.
Give it up! Give it up! Give it up!
Yeah...
Got to have it. Some people really need
it.
Give me! Give me! Give me cash-money!
Money-money-m-money... I need - I need...
Money-money-m-money...
Give me! Give me! Give me! Give me!
Money-money-m-money...
How many things have I heard you say?
Don't let it- don't let it- don't let
money rule you.
How many things have I heard you say?
Don't let it- don't let it- don't let it-
Don't let money fool you. No.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!
Got to have it. I really need it.
Brother, save your soul! Save your soul!
Don't sell it...
For that mean, mean, mean, mean green!
About Me: A
successful singing group in '70s and '80s on the Philadelphia International
label, The O'Jays and other artists produced R&B music that became know as
the "Philly sound." The group
is a 2005 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (For more, visit www.cduniverse.com and www.lyricsdownload.com)
The Dark Knight-Batman/White Ninja/Zorro's science project is on
the element gold, which is the symbol AU on the periodic table. The project must include its properties,
uses and antidotal information. When
asked how he planned to construct the gold molecule, an important part of this
project, the Dark One/Ninja/Zorro said, "Grandma, let me get back to you
on that!"
Nikolai Dmyitriyevich Kondratieff
(1892-1938)
Russian economist Nikolai Kondratieff (Kon-DRA-tee-eff) postulated
a theory of Western capitalist economies that has been dusted off and updated
and found to have some historical validity.
Generally, US economist Wesley Clair Mitchell (1874-1948), author
of Business Cycles (1913), is credited with describing the cyclical nature of
economic activity in capitalist economies. Kondratieff, a professor at the Agriculture Academy and head of
the Business Research Institute of Moscow, was the first to observe the regular
cycle of depression in the United States.
After the Russian Revolution (1917), he helped develop the first
Five-Year Plan to stimulate Soviet economic growth. In discerning factors
responsible for economic growth, Kondratieff studied prices and interest rates
over the period 1789 to 1926. He
published a series of books and papers between 1922-1928 on his findings. In 1926, Kondratieff released "Long
Waves in Economic Life," which received mixed reviews.
Kondratieff's analysis of capitalism identified long waves that
contained cycles of prosperity followed by depression. Each long wave, which spanned fifty to sixty
years, contained four cycles, i.e., prosperity, recession, depression and
recovery. These four phases and the
economic activities that occur in each have been likened to the seasons of the
year. So accurate was his analysis, the
1929 stock market crash and the ensuing Great Depression could have been predicted. In the 1930s, economist Joseph Schumpeter
endorsed his work and named the observed pattern of economic activity
"Kondratieff waves" or "K-waves."
Orthodox Russians rejected Kondratieff's work. Instead of predicting a "withering
away" of capitalism, his research suggested it would rebound ad infinitum,
a crime under the Joseph Stalin regime.
Kondratieff was banished to Siberia in 1932. Six years later, he was given ten years without the right to
correspond with the outside world, code for a death sentence.
While Kondratieff was never heard from again, his theory
remains. Dusted off and updated to include
current events, such as the rise of the technology sector and the bursting of
the tech bubble, the collapse of major corporations, including Enron and
WorldCom, the fall in the value of the dollar and rising gold prices, K-waves
are a mainstay in some economic analyses.
(Sources: www.ldusa.com/roger/kond_overview.htm
and www.debtorsupportministry.net/kondratieff.html)
NASD Alert: Risking the Ranch
After the 1929 stock market crash and Great Depression, Congress
passed the Glass-Stegall Act (1933), which prohibited banks from engaging in
risky speculation, i.e., investing in the stock market. It also outlawed vertical financial
monopolies, so banks, insurance companies and brokerage firms were
separated. With repeal of this law in
1999, banks, insurance companies and brokerage firms have merged to provide
one-stop financial shopping. For
instance, your mortgage lender, investment banker and insurer could be
subsidiaries of the same corporation.
In March, the National Association of Security Dealers (NASD)
issued an alert cautioning homeowners about taking out new mortgages at
relatively low interest rates specifically to invest in the stock market. More recently, the NASD announced plans to
investigate brokerage houses that may have inappropriately pushed individuals
to borrow large sums on their homes.
Seduced by record low interest rates and the rising stock market,
some investors have taken out new mortgages, refinanced, or secured
lines-of-credit to invest in securities. Rather than generate returns that pay
off their mortgages, investors could fail to realize any return on their
investment, default on their loans and end up losing their homes. Given this is a real possibility, the NASD has
published "Investing with Borrowed Funds: No Margin for Error" at www.nasd.com.
It is a commonsense guide to "the risks involved in playing the
stock market with the equity in your home."
NASD advises seeing investing in stocks like any gamble. There is no guarantee of a positive return
on your investment. If you are
considering investing the proceeds from refinancing, a new mortgage or
line-of-credit in the stock market, you should understand that you could lose
the collateral used to finance your loan, namely your house, if the investment
goes sour. According to the NASD alert
and findings from its preliminary investigation, this worst case scenario has already
happened to some unsuspecting investors.
If you have a problem with a mortgage-financed investment, you can
file a complaint online at NASD's Investor Complaint Center at www.nasd.com. Don't be a victim. Know how to avoid losing your home.
Hip Hopping Europe: Yohannes' Update Week 1
Tuesday, December 7, 2004: Touchdown! "A day that will live in infamy" for some in the US, it
is a far better day than Pearl Harbor for me!
There was no bomb; I made it safely to my destination.
My accommodations, a nice way of putting it, are in downtown
Amsterdam at Bob's Youth Hostel. Cheap
and clean, it has none of the conveniences of home. For a poet doing Europe on a shoestring, it is part of the
education. The people speak Dutch,
which sounds like German to a boy who took a "little" French in high
school, so life has me enrolled in Dutch 101.
The weather is warm, but the people seem cool. I am told they know how to jam in Amsterdam!
Haven't found my way around or made
contact with anyone who knows anything about poetry or an open mic yet. But, I am like Sherlock Holmes -- on the
case!
Friday, December 10,2004:
I think I've gotten the hang of this Amsterdam thing. I did my first show
last night at Club Volta; the set is called the Open Stanza. My girl Prue Duggan is handling things at
the spot; the show was a blast. The
other poets were kind of laid-back and low-key, but these
"Amster-jammers" are my kind of people. They are real vibers; upbeat, in-your-face like acid with the
truth. I blew them away! It was exciting; I felt like I was in a club
back in the states.
The gig went great and the crowd was so receptive. I hung out with some real choice people,
like Carl from New Zealand (crazy cat), Tony from Northern England (a really
kind guy, who can't say no to vice), and Juliana from Milano, who missed her flight,
ran out of money and got stuck in Amsterdam.
I'm not the only one doing Europe on a shoestring. I hooked up with a down couple of locals
from the states at my performance. They
were gracious enough to invite me to crash at their place. So, I'll save a little money there and I
need to since I am taking a wild detour to London.
Sunday, December 12, 2004:
Yes London! That's the big
announcement. I decided to keep my commitment
and stand by my word to go to London, even after finding out the gig is a slam
that does not pay, and there isn't even a cash prize. I figured ultimately, this is all about the experience and seeing
as much of Europe as one can on a shoestring.
I found a bus that runs from Amsterdam to London for 63 euros,
which is about 100 US dollars. I
calculate, if I don't pay the hostel fee for the days I travel and eat a little
less, I can afford to make it to London and back. It's an 11-hour bus ride, so it's a three-day trip, which equals
about 74 euros (including the 20 euros deposit key and the room locker). This guarantees I'll see a hell of a lot
more of Europe than funky Bob's Youth Hostel, which is going nowhere fast.
I am doing my first featured show this Sunday (12-19-04) at Club
Volta. I'll give you the blow-by-blow
next week. A writer once said, "These are the times that try men's
souls." The levity of my situation
lacks the gravity of what hung in the balance when those words were written,
but fear of the unknown and the uncertainty of the outcome do, nonetheless,
quake the pit of one's stomach. The
mind makes it real! Gotta go. Will hit you up from London. Love Yohannes!
Disgruntled feels: Fleeced!
At the height of the Civil Rights Movement, the black church figured prominently
in the struggle. It was the only place
where more than a handful of blacks could congregate and not be harassed. Today, it stands as a modern monument to
capitalism. In mega-churches sprawled
over several city blocks, the flocks tide to maintain membership. A testament to the church's success, the
reverend is always richly attired and is living large at the flock's expense. To guarantee the flock is regularly fleeced,
beyond the required tiding, the good pastor sells the membership list to
insurance companies, banks, funeral parlors and other enterprising organizations
that sell the congregation burial plots, worthless policies and high interest
credit cards.
Disgruntled wants to know: News that Gary Webb, the investigative journalist and author that
exposed the California-CIA-crack cocaine-Contra connection, died from
"self-inflicted" gunshot wounds sent shock waves across the
Internet. Questions abound about
subjects he may have been working on prior to his death. Strange times, few believe Webb committed
suicide. Likewise, many media observers
are amazed at the treatment accorded reporters Judith Miller and Matthew Cooper
by federal prosecutors over the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame, whose
identity was reported in a Robert Novak column in 2003. Novak gets his insider information from
"the brain" of the Bush administration, Karl Rove. Why isn't Novak being harassed to identify
his source or threatened with prison for failing to do so?
Disgruntled says:
Silent film actor and director Erich von Stroheim produced an over-budget ten-hour
movie titled Greed (1924). Aptly named
and meticulously crafted, the film depicts murder, betrayal and American-style
avarice. Von Stroheim's film is filled
with messages about malice, greed and the depths men and women will sink in
order to succeed. Given lessons
painfully learned, those hoping for a different outcome when the Electoral
College votes to certify the 2004 presidential election are counted should
recall the 2000 election. No Senator
rose to join members of the House to oppose that fraudulent selection. Beneficiaries of the status quo, greed and a
desire to succeed even in a corrupt system guarantee their silence. As the O'Jays so aptly crooned, it is all
about the mean green! Money! Nothing else, including honor, matters to
the men and women elected or selected to run this country!
A Pig with Lipstick
Remember the Charles Schwab commercial that flooded the airways at
the height of the corporate scandals?
In it, the lead broker lays out to his working group the stock's poor fundamentals,
which make it a risky investment. Then,
he tells them about the bonuses the broker selling the greatest number of
shares will receive. His final words
are, "Now go out and put some lipstick on this pig!" After a meeting with George W. Bush at his
Crawford, Texas ranch, Schwab pulled that great commercial. What a pity! It spoke volumes!
A recent survey found foreigners have an extremely low opinion of
Americans, especially the George W. Bush Administration. Corresponding to this historic decline in
favorable foreign perception are the precipitous fall in the value of the US
dollar, the rising price of oil and gold, a growing unwillingness on the part of
foreign governments to hold dollar-denominated securities and the rise in the
number of predictions of a coming economic Armageddon.
Despite the appearance of calm and stability on the US landscape
as portrayed by US mainstream media's fixation with a rising stock market, as
though it represents the sum of the national economy, a confluence of
conditions, which include declines in employment, record foreclosures, consumer
and federal debt and historically high federal budget and balance of trade
deficits, portends disaster. There is
simply not enough lipstick to make this pig attractive.
If these conditions fail to alarm, then certainly the news that
topping the Bush Administration's agenda is privatizing Social Security should
create a firestorm. After all, this
system has historically been the main source of retirement income for the vast
majority of US workers. While no bill
has been passed to reform the system, press coverage suggests topping the list
of reforms is individual retirement accounts that can be invested in high-risk
stocks. This prospect should be as
disquieting as predictions of a pending depression or the economic winter of a
K-wave.
Before Congress puts "lipstick on the Social Security
privatization pig," workers should know who stands to gain and who will
likely lose, if their retirement income is invested in the stock market. Congress should hold hearings and invite
former Enron and WorldCom employees to testify.
Mailbox: E-Mails, Faxes & Telephone
Calls
Email DigThis@yahoogroups.com: Beware of Camera Phones! Keep a watch out for people standing near
you in the checkout line at retail stores, restaurants, grocery stores, etc.,
who have a camera cell phone in hand. With the camera cell phones, they can
take a picture of your credit card, which gives them your name, number and
expiration date. It is reported that
this type of identification theft is one of the fastest growing scams today. Be
aware of your surroundings! Forward this
warning to all your friends and family.
Email www.mumia.org: We live under the reign of almost universal
political contempt. It doesn't matter
which party, politicians are in the employ of others that aren't remotely those
who voted for them, but rather those who could afford to finance them. Oh, they don't come out and say it (often);
but look at how politicians treat those who claim to be their
constituents. The only common
denominator is betrayal. Former
president, Bill Clinton perfected this to a high art. Virtually everybody who voted for him got
betrayed, sooner or later. And the real deal is, it isn't personal; that's the
way the system was designed, and has developed.
Email daveo2o@yahoo.com: By an overwhelming majority, Congress
hastily passed the intelligence reform measure. It is my understanding that Democrats and Republicans bowed under
White House pressure. According to
Senator Robert Byrd, it was like the Patriot Act, most members of Congress did
not even read the bill and still do not know exactly what is in it!
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