A few weeks ago, I heard that the Federal Reserve was going to engage in some PR damage control. This, I guess, in light of the fact that more and more folks are becoming aware of the facts that it is neither “Federal” or a “Reserve” rather, it’s a private consortium of banks that controls our monetary system.
I wondered to myself; “How is a super-secret organization that doesn’t want anybody to know who is part of it, doesn’t show it’s books and functions on the premise that the public is hazy about their role in our Government, going to wage a PR campaign?”
Well, here we go; I give you Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year 2009″…
That’s right, the Person of the Year is Chairman of the Fed, Ben Bernanke!
His arguments aren’t partisan or ideological; they’re methodical, grounded in data and the latest academic literature. When he doesn’t know something, he doesn’t bluster or bluff. He’s professorial, which makes sense, because he spent most of his career as a professor.
Watch this clip to see how Ben does the exact opposite of the above claim while being questioned (by Alan Grayson of “K Street whore” fame btw) about what happened to over a $HALF TRILLION handed to foreign banks; loans that Bernanke calls “central liquidity swaps”…
As always, hold on to your wallet and click pause on the music player located in the side bar before playing the YouTube.
One thing to keep in mind is; any time you see the Chairman of the Fed, realize that, even though the post is selected by the President, the candidates all come from a short list supplied by the Fed and are pre-approved by the system.
Also, it’s easy to get diverted when trying to figure this stuff out. The language and abstract concepts can make your hair hurt. Check out this clip from U of Maryland Law Professor, Michael Greenberger, for some straight talk on what “financial derivatives” actually are and general knowledge on how the slimy bastards operate.
Here is an interesting Jesse Jackson Jr. quote from a CNN piece entitled “Jesse Jackson Jr.: ‘I want my name back’” about why his claimed non-involvement in the Senate for Sale affair matters.
“This is about my children being able to Google their name in five years and there be nothing there associated with them that suggests anything wrong.”
Hmmm….on one hand, JJJ makes a good point; this isn’t just about Cook County bidness as usual. It’s a global society.
On the other hand, ensuring that nothing shows up in a Google search that “suggests” anything wrong, five years from now, is possibly the Mother of all damage control tasks.
Three words Jesse Jr.; search engine optimization.
One thing I really enjoy is a good band statement. Especially in this age of D.I.Y. when a lot of cats are having to do their own damage control without the benefit of proper management or P.R.
Meet NIFELHEIM…
Now that…is a great promo photo. If I was strolling down the sidewalk in the nightclub district here on Joe Bald Road and I saw a poster with that photo on it, I would duck inside and check it out.
From the official NIFELHEIM MySpace page, here is the lineup…
Band Members
HELLBUTCHER: Death vomits
TYRANT: Fatal Violence
VENGEANCE FROM BEYOND: Raging Death
APOCALYPTIC DESOLATOR: Blood Insanity
INSULTER OF jesus christ!: Apocalyptic Thunder
Ok, last week some time, I was tooling around the internet and I found some quotes from NIFELHEIM bassist (aka disher outer of Fatal Violence) Tyrant, over at Blabbermouth (great source for band statements, by the way).
In the Sweden Rock article, which was based on an interview conducted in late September during NIFELHEIM’s Finnish tour with WATAIN, NIFELHEIM bassist Tyrant is quoted as saying, “MÖTLEY CRÜE and MUNICIPAL WASTE are likely the worst bands in the world. Next to METALLICA.”
When reminded that the day before marked the 22nd anniversary of the passing of METALLICA bassist Cliff Burton, Tyrant said, “That’s right. I laughed and pissed on a photo of him. Speaking of which, when did that Dimebag Darrell [late PANTERA/DAMAGEPLAN guitarist] die? Damn how I cheered! Fucking glamf*g. One – nil to NIFELHEIM. Too bad Phil Anselmo [PANTERA singer] didn’t die too; that was probably the only time I wished PANTERA had actually played.”
Now, it’s one thing to go after CRÜE and Metallica and Pantera and such. But, taking a swing at Cliff Burton or Dimebag…well you just don’t do that. That’s like saying “Roberto Clemente doesn’t deserve to be in the Hall of Fame” or something. Actually, when I first saw this, I considered doing a “Bass Player Quote Of The Day” post but I thought; “Naw, too controversial” or, maybe the phone rang, something.
A couple of days later, again at Blabbermouth, there was word of a statement from NIFELHEIM saying that the comments were; a “bad joke” made during “a private conversation” that was “totally taken out of context” and “blown way out of proportion.”
Crazy thing, it turns out; that was a bogus band statement. I guess somebody was impersonating NIFELHEIM or, taking it upon themselves to speak on behalf of the band or something…who knows?
Niklas Göransson, the writer at Sweden Rock magazine decided to nip this thing in the bud so, he went straight to the Fatal Violence, Blood Insanity and, Apocalyptic Thunder to get the whole thing straightened out.
“Upon reading the ‘NIFELHEIM’ statement on Blabbermouth this past Monday, I immediately called Tyrant [bass; real name: Erik Gustavsson], Insulter [of Jesus Christ; drums; real name: Peter Stjärnvind] and Apocalyptic Desolator to demand an explanation,” Göransson writes in a statement that was released to BLABBERMOUTH.NET. “However, all three of them were as surprised as I was, and claimed not to know anything about it. Seeing as it was both my and Sweden Rock magazine’s credibility being questioned, I asked them to rectify the situation. I was promised this would be done by way of them sending a proper official statement, in which they confirm that all quotes in the article are accurate and approved of by the band prior to the magazine being printed, from the NIFELHEIM booking account. This now having been done, I assume the Blabbermouth statement [that was posted on December 7] and its content can be disregarded as false.”
Pretty serious stuff; a lot of credibility on the line here. But, in the end, NIFELHEIM have proven that they are stand-up guys and have now released an Official Statement.
“The article posted on Blabbermouth [on December 7] is NOT an official statement from the band NIFELHEIM,” the group’s guitarist, Apocalyptic Desolator (real name: Johan Bergebäck), writes. “NIFELHEIM was informed by Sweden Rock magazine of what was going to be printed and NIFELHEIM approved their quotes before the release of the magazine.”
Well played, NIFELHEIM. And, this is a lesson for any new band starting out. In this climate, without the backing of a major label or savvy management and a slick P.R. machine, it’s up to you to make the inflammatory statements. It’s up to you to do the damage control. It’s up to you and, nobody else, to make sure that your vision comes through crystal clear.
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