Jeff Daniels from the HBO series opening "the Newsroom";  quite a speech.

Viewing the World Trade Center 1/1

Viewing the World Trade Center 1/1, a photo by bennetthall on Flickr.

Father and Son viewing World Trade Center Tower, NYC 1976
chemically modified, solarized gelatin silver print 1/1

I found this print in my archives after 9-11 and wondering if this was some odd premonition I had to create this piece - made in teh darkroom about 1978 originally - bh
#wtc, #nyc, #911

Long time coming, is the tipping point with Wall Street here?

Jack facing the Giants of Wall Street by WorldWide Archive

Your tax dollars at work... 54% goes to.....

Summary of the real costs of our military industrial complex, excluding the congressional component.  Well done piece - check it out!

What are we going to do about this mess?

http://www.xtranormal.comDraft cut #1.0 - our first test "shoot" with xtraNormal - good fun here. This is only a test - warts and all for your consideration. All comments are welcome on the concept - I will clean up the animation as time allows...

Enjoy

Set at the Abraham Lincoln Memorial, President Obama is coached by George W. Bush about what THEY need him to do, and tells Barack how things REALLY work.  Barack learns about the Facebook, the Change and the HOPE, and how the HOPE is used to get the money to Make the Billionaires.

Banks are dangerous; must read "sedition" from a founding Father

'I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.'

Thomas Jefferson 1802

Bailing Out the Banks - the "Change We Got"

Explaining the "Change we can believe in",  actually, the "Change we got", we have another winning piece of satire from our favorite cartoon rabbits.  Watch twice.

Is the Fed Laundering Money"?

Xtranormal poses the question no one wants to ask about the Fed and the money supply in their campy animated office cooler style. The Machine likes these guys.

Quantitative Easing Explained

Bravo  Xtranormal - these guys are brilliant!

Let's not get our hair mussed, Dr. Stragelove

nothing short of brilliant - I often think how this movie changed the world.

The Definition of Insanity
Truthouts piece is perfect reading for this clip, on the use of Orwellian speak in the current campaigns in Iraq, Afghanistan, and now Pakistan and Yemen.

US Government medical experiments of the past

The apology for this incident may be half a century late, but it was delivered - this pales in comparison to what the Japanese did during WWII, and I still find it trouble how we accepted the ethics of integrating those responsible for the Japanese and German atrocities into our Country in the name of Freedom.
 
US government deliberately infected Guatemalans with STDs in medical experiment

Links to interesting articles

Analysis of Capitalism

17 Questions about the BP Oil Spill

Delegate with Fireworks, July 1976

Historical use of Atomic bombs to cap Oil and Gas Leaks

Perhaps we should throw in the towel and let BP use a nuke to seal the leak.  

This amazing archival footage shows Russia's triumphant use of a Nuke  to seal up a hopeless leak 'back in the day' complete with happy music. Plan N?

Now that BP is apparently allowed to ruin the Gulf of Mexico, and thus far, with consequences seem similar to the fines levied in our Banks for money laundering drug profits,  maybe it is time to start selling nukes to corporations.

However, the Machine calls upon the CEO of BP to rise up and declare the entire shareholder equity of BP to be voluntarily handed over to a governing board of stakeholders, made up of those affected by their reckless error.   It is high time for BP to do the right thing before Hell Freezes over or Obama gives them the Bomb.

Citi Bank, a leading Talibank of America, Chases you after you die

...real dialog with Citibank with customer trying to "hit the easy button" and clear the account of the departed.

Cancel your credit card before you die..........(hilarious!)

Now some people are really stupid!!!!
Be sure and cancel your credit cards before you die.
This is so priceless, and so, so easy to see happening, customer service being what it is today.
A lady died this past January, and Citibank billed her for February and March for their annual service charges on her credit card, and added late fees and interest on the monthly charge. The balance had been $0.00 when she died, but now somewhere around $60.00. A family member placed a call to Citibank.

Here is the exchange:
Family Member:'I am calling to tell you she died back in January.'
Citibank: 'The account was never closed and the late fees and charges still apply.'
Family Member: 'Maybe, you should turn it over to collections.'
Citibank : 'Since it is two months past due, it already has been'
Family Member: So, what will they do when they find out she is dead?'
Citibank : 'Either report her account to frauds division or report her to the credit bureau, maybe both!'
Family Member: 'Do you think God will be mad at her?'
Citibank: 'Excuse me?'
Family Member: 'Did you just get what I was telling you - the part about her being dead?'
Citibank : 'Sir, you'll have to speak to my supervisor.'


Supervisor gets on the phone:
Family Member: 'I'm calling to tell you, she died back in January with a $0 balance.'
Citibank : 'The account was never closed and late fees and charges still apply.'
Family Member: 'You mean you want to collect from her estate?'
Citibank : (Stammer) 'Are you her lawyer?'
Family Member: 'No, I'm her great nephew.' (Lawyer info was given)
Citibank: 'Could you fax us a certificate of death?'
Family Member: 'Sure.' (Fax number was given )


After they get the fax:
Citibank : 'Our system just isn't setup for death. I don't know what more I can do to help.'
Family Member: 'Well, if you figure it out, great! If not, you could just keep billing her. She won't care.'
Citibank: 'Well, the late fees and charges will still apply.'
(What is wrong with these people?!?)
Family Member: 'Would you like her new billing address?'
Citibank : 'That might help..'
Family Member: ' Odessa Memorial Cemetery , Highway 129, Plot Number 69.'
Citibank : 'Sir, that's a cemetery!'
Family Member: 'And what do you do with dead people on your planet???'

Priceless!! Have you wondered why Citi is going broke and need the feds to bail them out!!

Conducting the Apocalypse

"Conducting the Apocalypse"

 Hand-tinted photographic collage

One of my favorite art pieces — somehow this image seems very timely

Originally created to album cover art for Pablo Cruise, Out of our Hands

Creative collaboration with Cory Lerios and Dave Jenkins

Produced the 'old fashion way' - using a scalpel and dyes applied with a brush, eight images

Hand-tinted collage © Bennett Hall 1984/2010

1099's on steroids coming soon - God I love Paperwork!

yet another example of what appears to be a dedication by our combined Government(s) to wipe out small independent businesses and freelancers.

The "perfect storm' of collapsed sales revenue and prices, over compliance, mixed with the complexity of tax/fine, insurance and regulatory details, sums up to eliminate the incentive to start or even maintain the small business you may have.

Hmmm...[Obama] claimed (SB) was the backbone of new job growth.  What's up?

Anyone studying this of course knows that this was merely an array of PR hack-festivals - stuff the sounds good to the employed and to keep us in line.  

What distills however is simple:

"Change we can believe in, is a Mirage"

We need Thomas Jefferson to come back.

for more - visit the Machine.
http://machine-politics.blogspot.com/

PS What did Greece agreed to to satisfy the IMF on their bailout?  read the details if you have not!  Coming to a City, State near you.

CNN Article on the hidden Tax changes

Change We Can Believe in is a Mirage

Has Apple become the new Big Brother? Stewart ponders the question

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Appholes
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

Martin Luther King, I have a Dream, August 28, 1963

This speech is worth watching from time to time to keep things in perspective.  So much has changed since, we are yet to see a leader like King emerge again, though all leaders have their own unique point  position in history and point of view.  This is change I can believe in.

Here is a graet compilation of 50 speeches from Ghandi to King to check out: 
50 Famous Speech