METALHEAD MOTION PICTURES

On Imroving Welfare Spending

2011-09-21T15:09:00.000-07:00

With the recent economic crisis threatening current entitlement programs in the US and Europe, I believe that it has become clear that we cannot solve 21st century problems with 20th century economic models. We need to take a new approach to the way government acts to supply the demands of its citizens. We need to embrace new technology and a better understanding of human psychology, where older economic theories were based on an outdated understanding of human nature and limited by technology.

We should replace the social welfare state with an online social welfare network. States are large, impersonal, inefficient when handeling funds, and slow to change. Networks are defuse, interpersonal, efficient at transfering funds, and dynamic. Many of the ingredients are presently available. There are allready online social networking sites such as Facebook and Google plus, and fund transfering services such as PayPal. This way taxpayers can subsidise recipients, individuals or organizations, directly in exchange for tax credits.

Psychologist Paul Slovic and coleauges conducted studies measuring levels of human empathy and discovered that human empathy reaches its maximum when directed at a single human being and deminishes when concerning greater populations. [1] This explains many peoples difficulty with empathizing for the abstract number of people who are currently dependent on the welfare programes. By giving tax payers an face-to-face relationship with the recipient of their tax money, either through the actual individual or a represenative for a group or organization, that would exploit the maximum empthetic capacity of every citizen.

Taxpayers who give more then their government mandated share can be awarded with special honors and awards. A rankings list can be maintained displaying profiles on the most generous citizens. [2] Since the currencies of attention and reputation are as strong a motivator online as monetary currencies people will compete to out-do others in the relm of assisting other people. [3]There would need to be a third-party to confirm the identity of the recipient. And considering that there are a lot of people who do not have access to the internet or own personal computers there would need to be a way for these people to access the network.

There would need to be individuals who have priveleged access to the network and mediate the exchange of funds. Current public locations, such as schools, universities, libraries, and post offices. Since the post office is in financial trouble they can be especially useful as retrofitted welfare network access points, considering they are allready a nation-wide network.In order to garuntee that there is no fraud and that the maximum value is being spent.

Organizations that recieve welfare funds should have to disclose their financial records for public knowledge. And individuals who recieve funds should attend regular peer-group meetings that reinforce their financial obligations. Grameen Bank has had tremendous success with peer-group reinforcement as a means to get their borrowers to repay their loans. They maintain a repayment rate over 95% despite the majority of their barrowers to poor women without collateral. [4]

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1. This is the example I drew from Sam Harris’s “The Moral Landscape”. He suggests that these discoveries concerning human empathetic capacity should signal us to “build our better selves into our institutions, laws, and tax codes.”

2. Anyone familiar with Kiva.org will be able to identify their model of competitive lending. As it turns out the atheists lead the Christians for the most generous members of Kiva (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEC3OwKWgfc)

3. Chris Anderson, the editor of Wired Magazine, is also the author of the book “Free: The Future of a Radical Price”, the audiobook of which can be downloaded off of iTunes and Audible.com for free! (it is a great book which I highly recommend) In that book he explains how many internet based companies have been able to make a business model off of giving things away for free. One of the variety of models is what he describes as the “Labor Exchange” where users willingly submit their time and energy to improve a service and expect no repayment except for the attention and reputation they receive in return. (think Wikipedia and the movie listings on IMDB)

4. Economist Muhammad Yunus won the Nobel Prize for creating a method by which the poor can receive loans without collateral. He is the author of several books “Banker to the Poor” (his autobiography), “Creating a World Without Poverty”, and his most recent “Building Social Business”.

IndieGoGo

2010-09-25T13:23:00.000-07:00

I have started a new product page at IndieGoGo.com. I prefer this site to Kickstarter.com because even if I don't meet my fund-raising goal I still get to keep a portion of the money!

SHOREHAM (the official movie poster) from Zazzle.com

2010-09-22T20:07:00.000-07:00

SHOREHAM (the official movie poster) from Zazzle.com

The official merchandise store for Metalhead Motion Pictures in now up on zazzle.com. The first and only item you can purchase as of now is the official poster for the movie SHOREHAM.

Response to Chompsky-ite

2010-09-12T19:30:00.000-07:00

I got into this conversation with a user on YouTube. He made this pretty rote comment on a video featuring intellectual Noam Chompsky, whom millions believe is a genius of which I have seen no evidence. I don't remember what that comment was but it was something that it was something that must have made all of the Chompsky-ites nod approvingly as it was the highest rated comment on that particular video. I responded to the comment disagreeing with his central thesis and he wrote back with this response:

"Capitakism is simply the wage slavery of immense humanity in a monetary web of exploitation,oppression and enormous needless suffering, it is the legalised,organised robbery of the energy of mankind by a parasitic Market system of business as usual that destroys our planet."

And so I responded with this reply:

And may I ask where you got that definition? Can you please explain the mechanism whereby this "market system of business" creates "wage slavery of immense humanity in a monetary web of exploitation,oppression and enormous needless suffering" and "that destroys our planet". You see I am unable to connect point A to point B.

From one "wage slave" to, I assume, another (I work for minimum wage at a movie theater to pay for rent on an apartment that is 5x my weekly salary with no real future job prospects on the horizon), I gave a brief summation of my theory of market competition in my previous reply. Chris Anderson, editor of WIRED magazine, explains it the following video link:

Free! Why $0.00 is the Future of Business

The video is an advertisement for his book "FREE: The Future of a Radical Price". I highly recommend downloading the audiobook because; 1. It could change your entire view on economics, and 2. You can download it off of iTunes and Audible.com FOR FREE!!!

Now the fact that Chris Anderson begins the video with an analogy to Richard Strauss's prediction that, with the advent of clean and affordable atomic energy electricity, would become "too cheap to meter", [relates heavily to my current living situation]. I currently live on Long Island, New York, where the populace decided to shut down an atomic power plant even though it ran $6 billion over budget.

Now I have been conducting research over the past 3 years for a movie I've been making, on that controversy and the controversy over nuclear power in general. Not only did I discover that the fears regarding nuclear power greatly exaggerated, that the reasons the state, and local governments gave for shutting down that plant were entirely fallacious, and that atomic energy is the only energy source that can properly satisfy future demand.

The funny thing that I discovered is that almost all of the opponents of nuclear appear to be on the political left. Many of the people who opposed the plant on Long Island were members of so called "liberal" and "progressive" coalitions. German recently attempted to shut down all of it's operating nuclear power plants under a mandate from the then operating social-democratic and green parties. The former Green Party chairman Gerrard Schroeder (if that is spelled correctly) spearheaded the campaign to shut down all of Germany's atomic reactors, before retiring to a comfy job at Gazpron (the company that represents Russia's Natural Gas monopoly). As a result of the discontinuation of these atomic reactors Germany's natural gas imports from Russia increased dramatically (along with it's carbon footprint which is reportedly the largest in the EU). Vermont, one of the "Bluest" states in the union (US) you might say (the only state that has the only self recognized socialist congressional representative), recently made the decision to shut down it's only operating atomic reactor, a reactor that has been supplying them with decades worth of safe, carbon-free electricity.

Now most would attribute this to simple ignorance on the part of those in power, except maybe in the instance of Schroeder. But if you have made it this far and haven't stopped reading yet allow me to share with you a pet theory of mine. By the mid-20th Century the political Left began to see their ability to gain political power wain. Capital markets furthered by advances in science and technology have been able to usher in an age of prosperity and abundance that was unmatched in all of human history. Just as in the speech by Lewis Strauss that was mentioned in the Chris Anderson video, ancient diseases were being conquered, and famine in the west had become a thing of the past. This prosperity was very troubling to those who sought political power on the left, capitalism was succeeding at improving civilization in ways that they had failed.

With the advent of atomic energy, that threatened to make electricity "too cheap to meter", the same way the green revolution made industrial grain, feed-stocks, and fertilizers almost "too cheap to meter", and how the steam engine made physical power almost "too cheap to meter" ushering in the industrial revolution, or how the digital revolution made computer processing, storage, and bandwidth capacity "too cheap to meter" (that is how I can send you this message even though there might be an ocean separating us).

The political Left saw itself in a crisis, they could not let electricity become so abundant that it would be "too cheap to meter" that would signal the end of their global dominance. So what the left needed to do was to create an "ARTIFICIAL SCARCITY" by spreading lies and misinformation about atomic energy. By making it look as if nuclear power was this big deadly thing that the state and big greedy corporations attempted to impose on the people that would draw people to their side. And when the economic devastation that would come from the eventual energy scarcity set in (as it has) that would make people to second guess the ability for capitalism to supply their needs. And thus more people would be shifting to the political left giving those who profit off of the political power of the Left more power.Though this theory is supported only by a thin veil of insinuation with absolutely NO empirical evidence to support it, so do with it what you may. And since I am not a cynical bastard, I am not confident in the idea that so many people would be so logistically malicious.

So allow me to reiterate, I am a minimum-wage slave on Long Island. Where the inhabitants, lead by "progressive" coalitions, pressured the local legislators to shut down an atomic power plant that cost the residents of long Island $6 billion TO THIS DAY! The majority of the heating power on Long Island comes from OIL! The majority of the electricity comes from DIESEL! Housing prices on Long Island are some of the highest in the country, and a lot of those cost comes from utilities. As I said I live in an apartment that is 5x my weekly salary, and that is the cheapest rent I could find! I can't move I don't have enough money or any friends anywhere else. Thanks to my Bachelor's degree in Film Studies nobody is looking to hire me anywhere anytime soon.

For all the free time I had I decided to put it to good use. With the money I had I started my own production company, and with the help of my friends I decided to make a movie about that nuclear power plant. Using the tools available to me on the web I started a blog and got the support of a network of pro-nuclear activists, and found a way to raise some capital for the production of this feature film. Just look up "Metalhead Motion Pictures presents SHOREHAM" on Kickstarter.com, it is a site that allows creative people to "crowd-source capital" if you will. We are making some good headway toward our funding goal.

I don't know where this project might lead me? I have been in contact with a company that want to make a movie about Thorium Power. I have other non-documentary creative projects that I would like to work on. Having one successful production under my belt could give me some notoriety and ease in finding funds. Though all of this research into atomic energy has given me a great idea. With the connections within the nuclear industry I could make from this film, might give me the chance to experiment with this idea.

Within the next few years a number of companies will bring to market a breed of compact atomic fission reactors that will be, mass-producible and transportable. This will resolve many of the upfront capital costs that nuclear power has had in the previous decades. Utilizing this source of energy to power modular, cost-effective, prefabricated housing, there could be a way to provide everyone with affordable housing. You simply power the modular housing complex, with the modular reactors, and sell the excess energy to cross-subsidize the housing service. You just have one basic housing unit that would be offered for free to all members, and have several other premium housing units that would be offered to more wealthy members. Those who do not have the ability to pay can fulfill their membership agreements with weekly group sessions where they can collaborate with their peers, and try to find ways to improve their condition. This idea has the potential of completely eliminating homelessness!

So... What was the point of this message? Looks like my ADD and fanatical love of writing has gotten the better of me again... Well. I guess the main point with this unnecessarily long response was that what separates the Capitalist from the Socialist, or Communist, or whatever kind of anti-Capitalist, is either a healthy lack of cynicism or an over abundance of creativity, I don't know. Well! At least it gives me content for my blog.

Best of luck to you and whatever your future endeavors may be mister anti-capitalist, and make sure to look out for my movie "SHOREHAM" coming out hopefully by the end of this year.

Bye

SHOREHAM Kickstarter Project

2010-09-09T13:09:00.000-07:00

Been a while since I last posted on this blog. That is mainly because this SHOREHAM documentary has been taking much longer then I previously anticipated. And honestly it is not as if I am somehow depriving an avid readership with my prolonged absence. But now I have a serious update that is worth documenting. I am now finished with all of the specifications for my Kickstarter project proposal!

What is Kickstarter? For all of one of you who've asked Kickstarter.com is a website dedicated to helping creative persons crowd-source capital for their various creative projects. This can include illustrated work, music recording, live presentations, art exhibitions, dance, and motion pictures. Using this venue I hope to raise at least $5,000 (more would be even better, but right now I am lowballing it) by the end of October. If that funding goal is met or surpassed then I will be able to keep all of proceedings with only a nominal fee paid to Kickstarter. These funds will allow me to finally complete the film and put the film online for all to see.

While I am talking about Kickstarter.com I would like to help promote filmmaker John Allen Soares's project 'The Danger Element'. John was the person who had exposed me to Kickstarter and gave me the idea to raise funds in this manner. I don't know the guy personally and have never communicated with him. But if you have seen his work (Sockboy, and Battle Jitni are available to watch for free on YouTube) you can see he is a really talented guy and could use all the promotion he gets.

YouTube's Film Your Issue Contest

2010-04-19T13:24:00.000-07:00

I took some time off of the development of the 'SHOREHAM' film recently to work on an entry for YouTube's "Film Your Issue" contest:

Homelessness and Nuclear Power: How are they related?

My solution seeks to alleviate high utility costs which drive up the cost of housing, leading to greater numbers of homelessness.

Utilizing new modular atomic reactor technology combined with low-cost modular living spaces, it could be possible to offer low cost available housing to anyone. By bringing down the marginal cost of heating and electrifying a small living space, it may be possible to offer rent for free. All that is required is to cross-subsidize the free rents by selling the excess products generated by the atomic fission reactor.

The Testimony of Catacosinos

2010-03-02T08:35:00.000-08:00

For James and I one of the first stops for our research was the local library. There we found the transcript of the 1987 Senate hearings on the opening of the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant. One of the LILCO representatives that testified at the Senate hearing was the CEO William J. Catacosinos.

The first thing that popped out about his testimony was how forward thinking he was. Throughout this whole production what struck me was how all of the pro-nuclear people were concerned about our nations dependence on foreign oil and climate change. While all of the anti-nuclear people, the same people who are so very concerned about oil imports and climate change now, were the ones speaking out against Shoreham.

Long Island now gets 60% of its electricity from Oil. Long Islanders have been paying off the $6 billion dollar price tag for the Shoreham plant ever since. William J. Catacosinos left the island for Arizona where he now works for a coal company, but not before, as former LILCO Vice-CEO of construction Matthew Codaro, he got the government to totally pay the bill.

First 50 second spot for SHOREHAM

2010-02-07T08:41:00.000-08:00

More spots will be posted in the coming weeks.

See the full spot here

SHOREHAM: the beginning of the production

2009-12-05T08:32:00.000-08:00

In 2006, I listened to a radio interview between Penn Jillette and Patrick Moore. Patrick Moore is an Ecologist with a PhD from the University of Toronto. He was one of the former founding members of Greenpeace. In the 1980's he left the organization because they were taking too many anti-scientific, ideologically motivated positions.

At the time I was a college student. I was influenced by the trendy environmentalism of recent years. I had donated money to Greenpeace. It surprised me to contemplate that my previously held assumptions were wrong.

Patrick Moore and Penn Jillette went on to discuss the issue of nuclear power. Moore stated that himself and Greenpeace were mistaken to link nuclear power with nuclear weapons. He now serves as the co-chair of the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition and promotes nuclear power as a safe and reliable form of power.

After I graduated college I was looking for a way to begin my career in film-making, I decided to start with a subject close to home. I have been a resident of Long Island for most of my life. In the mid-1960s the Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO) announced plans to build a nuclear power plant in the Shoreham/Wading River area of Suffolk county. In 1989, after six billion dollars in cost overruns the plant was shut down before it was ever operated.

Early in 2009 I contacted James Haag, a journalist. We had been introduced through the Cody Center a clinic specializing in people on the autism spectrum. He was interested in the project and agreed to help with the research. He had been out of work since his newspaper folded.

At first I thought all this project would only be ten minutes of audio over video that would be posted to YouTube. Then James started scheduling interview after interview. Now I am having trouble keeping this film under ninety minutes. The film is still in production and we hope to have a rough cut finished by early 2010.

This is the first in a series of posts detailing the production of the film interview to interview.

Introduction

2009-11-26T14:30:00.000-08:00

I am an independent filmmaker currently residing on Long Island. I have a YouTube page where I post under the username RaySquirrel:

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=RaySquirrel

I love heavy metal and for years I've wanted to make movies that reflected my taste in music.

For the past year I have been working on two projects. One is a documentary film on the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant with a journalist friend of mine. The other is a comic book that I wish to adapt into a short film.