Meltdown: The Men Who Crashed the World

[sabrina 1]

Al Jazeera has produced a four part documentary on the disastrous, Global, Financial Meltdown and the men who caused it. If you haven't seen it, it is worth watching.

http://www4.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/George+W+Bush+Henry+Paulson+President+Bush+DkxmuZugaSil.jpg



Episode One: Meltdown: The Men Who Crashed The World

In the first episode of Meltdown, we hear about four men who brought down the global economy: a billionaire mortgage-seller who fooled millions; a high-rolling banker with a fatal weakness; a ferocious Wall Street predator; and the power behind the throne.

The crash of September 2008 brought the largest bankruptcies in world history, pushing more than 30 million people into unemployment and bringing many countries to the edge of insolvency. Wall Street turned back the clock to 1929.

But how did it all go so wrong?

But he had no problem using tax-payer funds to bail out Goldman Sachs!




Episode Two: A Global Financial Meltdown

In the second episode of Meltdown, we look at how the financial tsunami swept the world. We hear about a renegade executive who nearly destroyed the global financial system and the US treasury secretary who bailed out his friends.

Henry 'Hank' Paulson, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs and later an economic advisor to the US government; refused to bail out global financial services firm - the Lehman Brothers. Paulson said it was not the role of government to save private businesses.

Lehman's failure had repercussions around the world. Millions of people lost their life savings. Pension plans were decimated.

Christine Lagarde, the French finance minister at the time and a close friend of Paulson's, publicly described Paulson's decision on Lehman "horrendous".

Episode Three: Paying The Price

The third episode of Meltdown looks at how the victims of the 2008 financial crash fight back. A protesting singer in Iceland brings down the government; in France a union leader oversees the kidnapping of his bosses; and thousands of families are made homeless in California.

Hordur Torfason, an Icelandic singer, leads the way in holding protests over the country's economy, calling for the resignation of the government and new elections. Geir Haarde, the prime minister of Iceland, was surrounded and pelted by the protestors. Haarde soon resigned and the country's government collapsed.

In France, workers fought back to claim their rights. The Continental Tire factory announced its plant would close by 2010, meaning job losses for its 1,120 employees. Workers occupied offices and trashed the place in protest. Protests spread right across France and Europe.

As the grim toll of the financial crisis continues to mount around the world, many governments are looking for the true causes of the meltdown. In many cases, what they are discovering amounts to a crime.

Episode Four: After the Fall

In the final episode of Meltdown, we hear about the sheikh who says the crash never happened; a Wall Street king charged with fraud; a congresswoman who wants to jail the bankers; and the world leaders who want a re-think of capitalism.

The financial crash of September 2008 brought the largest bankruptcies in world history, pushing over 30 million people into unemployment and bringing many countries to the brink of insolvency.

......

As one world leader handles the crisis through denial, other leaders try to re-think capitalism. Even though the causes of the 2008 meltdown are now clear, there is no magic formula to stop it from happening again.

Maybe if a few of them had gone to jail and Congress and World Governments put an end to the deregulation of the Financial Industry, we wouldn't need a magic formula. Put a lock on the vault, it's clear these gamblers cannot be trusted.

It is really surreal when you learn how all of this happened. What strikes me the most is, after the incredible arrogance and greed of those responsible, is the predatory nature of many of these people. Not to mention the stupidity. We are told these are the 'best and the brightest'? Has there ever been a more spectacular failure than this, on such a grand scale?



Greenspan's preference for technical, sometimes confusing speeches
often left observers shaking their heads. In 1988, he joked about himself:
"If I turn out to be particularly clear, you've probably misunderstood what I said."

Were they all drugged or something? This man doesn't even make sense. Four presidents! What were they thinking?



"I trust that no one will tell me that men such as I write about don't exist. That this book has been written--and published--is my proof that they do" Ayn Rand


Alan Greenspan does not appear to me to be particularly bright. A man who worshipped Ayn Rand? That should have disqualified him completely from any role in managing the people's affairs.

Would any sane person leave their children in the care of known predators? But that is what was done with the World's Economy, it was left in the care of known predators and we the people had no say in it. WE would not have allowed it. The descriptions of some of these people in the program make you wonder how anyone decent could ever have had anything to do with them at all, let alone leave them alone with our money!



And this is why there is growing Global People's Movement now. Here in the US it has begun right on Wall Street itself, the scene of the crime.

Bravo to the #Occupywallstreet protesters! And to all the others around the world who are rising up against this shameful, outrageous, crime against the people of the world.



This is the kind of person who should have been in charge of the people's business. But the Masters of the Universe and their friends in the Republican Party are terrified of her. Because she's honest and has compassion and empathy. All qualities that have been missing in those running the world for the past several decades.

I am so glad she has decided to run for the Senate. She does not seem to have an official website yet or I would have included it here. You can support her run for the Senate Elizabeth Warren For US Senate

[Divine Discontent]

1. K&R! the people who destroyed millions of lives still need to be held accountable

http://www.zazzle.com/republicans_2012_keeping_millions_out_of_work_bumper_sticker-128002960205017719

[RKP5637]

2. I watched episode 1 yesterday, it was excellent!!! n/t

[PassingFair]

42. It WAS. Now how the BLEEP can we get Episode 2....?

I can't get it from CBC, and it's not available on the links.

[sabrina 1]

52. You can watch all four episodes here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWU65Zbka4E

Sorry I didn't get it in the OP before the edit time ran out. But the whole series is at that link.

[PassingFair]

71. Christine Lagarde and Strauss-Kahn interviews in the last episode were...

particularly interesting.

I think America will suffer the blow-back
from fleecing the rest of the world with
our "complicated financial investments".




Thanks again for the links!

:hi:

[sabrina 1]

86. For some reason, they wanted Strauss Kahn out and Christine

Lagarde in. I know he was against the Austerity solutions and may have been planning to oppose them publicly when he met with Merkel. I have read a very interesting speech he gave on humanitarianism a while ago. Definitely way more progressive than those now in charge and he was very critical of Timothy Geithner and Goldman Sachs in general. I believe he was set up, still do especially after seeing the Prosecutor's report. They never had a case but held him here until they got Christine Lagarde in place and the date for the French primaries has just passed. THEN they revealed they had no case. They have so much to hide, we probably do not know even half of it.

[DURHAM D]

3. Warren mentioned her website a couple of times on Wednesday - Morning Joe.

I believe she said elizabethwarren.com.

The video is around here somewhere.

[sabrina 1]

5. Thank you. I googled to try to find, but didn't see it.

I will check again ~

[DURHAM D]

7. I just checked DU's video section.

Her MSNBC interview has not been posted. I am surprised. It was absolutely fantastic.

[sabrina 1]

16. I found it and have added it to he OP, thank you for mentioning it

You could post in the Video section? The link I posted in the OP is to her site and the video is on there. But I did find just the Ubube version also when I searched for for under Utube.

[banned from Kos]

4. fascinating - How long are the four parts combined?

Sounds long - but internet segments can be brief sometimes.

[sabrina 1]

8. The first episode is approx. 42.30 mins

So, probably a total of approx 3 hours viewing time.

Meltdown is a four-part investigation that takes a closer look at the people who brought down the financial world. It can be seen on Al Jazeera English from Tuesday, September 20, at the following times GMT: Tuesday: 2000; Wednesday: 1200; Thursday: 0100; Friday: 0600; Saturday: 2000; Sunday: 1200; Monday: 0100; Tuesday: 0600.

I have only seen the first episode so far, which is excellent.

[jannyk]

6. Thanks. I'll watch tonight.

[PA Democrat]

9. Thanks ! Bookmarking to watch later. nt

[izquierdista]

10. I knew it was more than a coincidence

[sabrina 1]

14. Lol, he does look just like him!

Col. Klink! :rofl:

[malaise]

11. Thanks for this

K & R

[drokhole]

12. Actually, I think the CBC originally produced it...

...still, it's absolutely phenomenal. It's like a more in-depth, even better version of Inside Job.

[sabrina 1]

15. I haven't seen Inside Job yet, but it's on my list.

I didn't know CBC had produced it or would have said so. I have only watched the first episode so far and it is excellent.

[Bozita]

19. Yup, and it was posted here in the PV forum back in April or so

Link to the CBC site: http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/meltdown/about.html

I first saw this series last September on the local CBC channel.

[sabrina 1]

20. Thanks, I tried to edit the post, but it is too late. I could not find

any credit by Al Jazeera to CBC. I have not seen it before. They have it listed in their 'programmes' section http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/. I will make a post to correct the error since I cannot edit the OP. Thank you for the link.

[Fire Walk With Me]

13. K&R!

[Dragonfli]

17. Kicked and highly Recommended /nt

[madfloridian]

18. Thanks, great post.

:hi:

[defendandprotect]

21. Fantastic -- thank you -- we really need to fully understand this -- !!!

Back later to read more fully --


:hi:

And I would add that this depression was as engineered as the first one -- !!

[sabrina 1]

22. Correction to OP.

I saw this Documentary in Al Jazeera's 'programmes' section with no attribution so assumed it was produced by them. I have been informed that is a CBC production. It's too late to edit the OP.

Here is a link provided by DUer, Bozita http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/meltdown/about.html

Grrr, I hate the way the edit period ends so quickly. Although I believe that will change with DU111`.

Definitely would want to give credit to those who produced it as it really is excellent.

Thanks to Bozita and others who made the correction.

[laundry_queen]

23. K & R this is a must see. Saw it on CBC awhile ago. nt

[sabrina 1]

24. Canadians are so lucky. We have to rely on foreign news media

for great programming like this, at least as far as our MSM is concerned. We do get good documentaries on CBS but on the MSM, not so much. I would love to see this on ABC or NBC, or on MSNBC on the weekend, instead of the 48 hours of prison coverage they do on the weekend.

[laundry_queen]

51. Yes we are lucky.

Between Doc Zone, The Fifth Estate and The Passionate Eye I definitely get my fill of documentaries. I have all the US news channels too (except Al Gore's channel) and there is nothing that even comes close to the CBC on documentaries.

[cutlassmama]

25. Impressive. Thanks for this thread

[xiamiam]

26. episode 1..excellent..naming names and their roles..where is msm

thank you al jazeera

[Javaman]

27. K & R nt

[jannyk]

28. Just watched EP1 and am salivating for EP2. Brilliant!

[renate]

29. thank you! n/t

[Little Star]

30. kick

[Delphinus]

31. Thanks for this.

Good day to stat at home and watch.

[raouldukelives]

32. K&R

[Kaleko]

33. Hank Paulson, Alan Greenspan et al are mass murderers.

[City Lights]

34. K&R! eom

[ejbr]

35. k & r n/t

[midnight]

36. The more we know, the more we realize, we can't allow the meme were broke, and the working people

have to foot the bill..

[Loge23]

37. Chris Matthews last night:

To paraphrase:
We're at the point where a military junta would occur in some countries.
This Wall St. occupation should be joined by millions of us.

[truedelphi]

54. That's what those who understand Naomi Klein's "Shock Doctrine"

Are concerned over as well.

Countries that have this style of economics for the Upper One Percent end up with either the military juntas of Chile or Argentina, or else a Mafia-ruled economy as has gone on in Russia since the mid-nineties.

Unless of course, you end up with the Revolution/Civil War of France in the late Seventeen Hundreds, which was one of the more brutal happenings in history.

[newspeak]

72. it looks like breitbart is going for the

military junta meme.

[truedelphi]

84. However, we should not lose sight of the fact that he has been enabled

By ever single politician who voted in "The Patriot Act." And by every single politician who continues to promote the idea that Nine Eleven means the nation needs to look for terrorists in every third world out there, with concurrent wars going on in so many places now on account of that policy.

[sabrina 1]

80. 'This Wall St. occupation should be joined by millions of us'.

Did he really say that? I agree totally of course, but am surprised that he even mentioned it, if he did.

[Loge23]

81. No - that's my op (eom)

[OnlinePoker]

38. You can watch the full series on the CBC website

Though I don't know if it's available outside Canada. If you can, you will also have to put up with ads...CBC has to pay for the streaming somehow. Next in the series is A Global Tsunami, followed by Paying the Price and After the Fall

http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Shows/Doc_Zone/Meltdown

[Gin]

39. can't view outside Canada....watched part 1 on Aljazera??

are the other parts videos also?

I could pull up the picture but not a video.

[OnlinePoker]

41. Al Jazera has just started showing the series.

The next episode won't be until next week, I believe. The first one aired on the 20th, so the next should be on the 27th.

[PassingFair]

43. Its making me nuts!

I want part 2!

[sabrina 1]

45. Here, watch the whole series at this link:

I meant to put it in the OP but can't edit now. But all four episodes are on this link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWU65Zbka4E

[PassingFair]

47. Love you!

The titles are different...but these are the parts!

:hug:

[RKP5637]

48. THANK YOU!!!!! n/t

[Suprk]

74. Thank You

Wanted to watch the other segments, but was not allowed being that I am outside of Canada.

[xiamiam]

83. thank you..i watched all of it..just not enough until they begin with indictments..nt

[sabrina 1]

44. You can watch it all here All four episodes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWU65Zbka4E

Wish I could edit the OP to add that link. Al Jazeera is showing it this week.

Just watched the second episode last night, and March Kaptur telling Paulson what she though of him made me want to cheer. This is what people should be seeing on the media.

[Gin]

46. thank you.....I am watching part 2 now...

A line from part 1 that I remember is...The whole game is increasing your bonus..

how true....

they got those damn bonuses no matter what....

another thing I don't like is how the word "gentlemen" is applied to these crooks....they are not "gentlemen"!

[sabrina 1]

50. 'Gentlemen', yes, I can think of other names that would be far

more appropriate. And Henry Paulson, I believe it was in Ep.1 someone said, that he was the 'De Facto' president for a time, unelected, he just took over and no one stopped him.

[Suprk]

75. Thank you for the link

[WilliamPitt]

40. Bookmarked

[catrose]

49. How can we support the Wall Street protesters?

In Madison, WI, there was a pizza place that delivered.

[sabrina 1]

56. Here is a number to call to donate for food and for legal assistance.

For Food and Legal donations call: 212-679-6018

And there is a donate button at the top, right-hand corner of this link: http://nycga.cc/category/minutes/

[catrose]

79. thx

[Zorra]

53. Off Topic, but how come so many banksters look kind of like buzzards?

Ever seen a buzzard up close?


Their resemblance to many banksters (and many conservative politicians as well) is uncanny, except that buzzards do have a more compassionate look in their eyes.

I have nothing against buzzards, I'm just sayin'...

[sabrina 1]

57. That one looks like Greenspan!

I think they probably didn't always look like that, but what is inside shows on the outside after a while, I think. Eg, the guy in the first episode who was screaming about tearing out the hearts of those who opposed him, not only looks like a buzzard, but talks like one also.

[TBF]

55. It is the inevitable result of worldwide capitalism -

latest today on metals in the WSJ: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903703604576589210888153064.html?mod=WSJ_hp_LEFTWhatsNewsCollection

It is all crashing down.

[sabrina 1]

58. I read yesterday on a British blog that they can't stop it anymore.

And that some governments are restricting the purchase of Gold now. I think it was always way worse than we ever knew. Henry Paulson acted like an insane man he was so desperate to cover up whatever they did, when he ran into Congress with his three page edict.

None of these people should have ever been allowed to get anywhere near any power in this country. And it's a crime in itself that not one of them has ever been prosecuted.

[LaurenG]

59. Thank you for this. I just finished the first of four.

How stunning. :wow:

[sabrina 1]

61. It is stunning, the other three episodes can be seen

here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWU65Zbka4E

The second one is also excellent. Marcy Kaptur is a gem.

[sabrina 1]

60. Dupe

[Bozita]

62. imho, "Meltdown" does it better than "Inside Job"

Both are terrific, but the extra time gives the edge to the CBC piece.

[PA Democrat]

64. I agree.

[Gin]

66. just watched all four parts.....lays it all out and shows the effects

in other countries....

Some countries are rethinking capitalism...
sadly the USA.Inc. isn't one of them..

excellent series and needs to be passed on....thanks for posting it.

[PA Democrat]

63. Excellent documentary! I've just finished the 2nd part and

can't recommend this series highly enough.

How telling is it that Paulson was nicknamed "The Snake" by his colleagues on Wall Street?

[saras]

65. The thing the song left out was that they sold it to themselves. At a loss.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fregObNcHC8&ob=av2e">Kurt recycles Bowie's prescient commentary...

[G_j]

67. K&R

:applause:

[War Horse]

68. Bookmarked for later. Thanks /nt

[SOS]

69. "crashed" is past tense.

The credit crisis is in it's earliest stages.
There is a whole shoe store about to drop.
Hang on to your hats when Greece defaults and
the credit default swaps have to be paid.
How wrote them? How may billions written? Nobody knows.
It's all done in secret.

This series will unfortunately have a part 5,6,7 and 8 in the future.

Regulate derivatives after 2008? Transparency?
Not in this oligarchy.

[WillyT]

70. HUGE K & R !!! - Thank You !!!

:kick:

[WiffenPoof]

73. I Have Seen Part 1...

It is definitely a "must see." While I already have a pretty good idea how this all came about...this film really put it in perspective. Be prepared to be very pissed off.

-P

[sabrina 1]

78. You can see all 4 episodes at this link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWU65Zbka4E in case you didn't have it already.

I should have put that in the OP as Al Jazeera only posted the first episode.

I have watched the first two and I am very angry. I hope the whole country gets to see this. But they won't see it on our MSM, that's for sure.

[butterfly77]

76. Kick,kick,kick &recommended!

[KoKo]

77. K&R! It's an excellent watch and thanks for the You Tube Link to all 4 Parts!

[newspeak]

82. well, those directly involved in causing the meltdown

can we raid their assets? A huge donation to the world-better take their assets than jail time. At least the assets help the economy.

[sabrina 1]

85. I don't know why that hasn't been done already. I believe Iceland

did that to some extent, the only country that did so far. Not a single person has been held accountable for what is probably among the biggest crimes in history. The corruption and criminal activity reached into almost every corner of the world and has resulted in the destruction of millions of lives. Yet despite Senate Committee investigations and conclusions that corruption and crimes have been committed and having referred those findings to the DOJ, nothing has happened.

What that probably says is that they are in control, to a far greater extent than we knew.

In the first episode of this documentary eg, there was a statement made that Henry Paulson became the 'defacto, unelected president of the US'. HE has more power than the president. Or Congress who initially voted against saving their crooked rear ends, but ended up voting for it after being threatened, by HIM, we were told by at least one Congressman.

They should be arrested, tried and their assets seized and returned to the American people. Same thing should be happening around the world. Instead, they are STILL in charge and they still can't fix the disaster they created. Which in the end may be a good thing, because they went so far this time, they haven't been able to completely cover it up and as a result, the people are finding out what they've been up to.

[JCMach1]

87. And the Burj Khalifa is FULL of tennants too!

Not, it has around 30-40% occupancy...

It's a ghost tower.