This isn’t the most riveting of short films but in amongst it is an incredibly important statement that would blow most people’s minds (mine at least). This fact is: banks create money when a loan is made. I’ll repeat that. In todays fiat money system, commercial banks are the main source of new money. They don’t shift money from savings accounts to loans as a lot of people think, but rather own a digital printing press and use it each time someone takes out a loan. If you stop and think about this it will turn all your preconceptions about money and debt upside down. You might then wonder why banks seem to have more control over the economic system than governments do and why everyone is ok with this.
Economics Level 2
Understanding The Debt Crisis In The U.S.
This is a great little video which compares the US bailout spending to other major historical spends. We are spending a lot more than we did for all of World War II. Including the rebuild. Not that I’m sure this is inflation adjusted. And money isn’t as real as pretends to be. But still, it is a lot.
1 Trillion Dollars 3D Animation
One Trillion Dollars Visualized
Debtris – US Version
by InformationIsBeautiful.net
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2010/debtris/
directed by: David McCandless
animation by: Miles Tudor, Dom Del Torto
music: Daniel Pemberton
sources: NY Times, The Guardian, BBC
data here: http://bit.ly/debtris
Debtris – UK Version
A great way to present data.
by InformationIsBeautiful.net
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/2010/debtris/
directed by: David McCandless
animation by: Miles Tudor, Dom Del Torto
music: Daniel Pemberton
sources: NY Times, The Guardian, BBC
data here: http://bit.ly/debtris
Arithmetic, Population and Energy – Al Bartlett
On first glance it would be hard to see why, but this talk by Professor Bartlett is one of the most utterly compelling things I have watched and makes you totally rethink what “reasonable growth” means. A must watch.
Professor Al Bartlett begins his one-hour talk with the statement, “The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function.” He talks about:
- arithmetic of steady growth
- concept of doubling time
- impact of unending steady growth on population
- consequences steady growth in a finite environment
- growth as applied to fossil fuel consumption
- oddly reassuring statements from “experts”, the media and political leaders – statements that are dramatically inconsistent with the facts
- widespread worship of economic growth and population growth in western society
The talk brings the listener to understand and appreciate the implications of unending growth on a finite planet, and closes noting the crucial need for education topic.