News February 2014: Kant-World Citizen Prize for "Water Makes Money"
Our documentary filming receives a great honor
The film previous to our present project, the film „Water Makes Money“ is to receive the Kant-World Citizen Prize 2014! During a festive ceremony on Europe-Day, the 9th of May 2014 in the auditorium of the Albert-Ludwigs-University in Freiburg, tribute will be paid to „Water Makes Money“ as an „ excellent example of strategically and structurally important critical education, benefiting a self-determined Europe”, as “... a remarkable success of Democracy in Europe”
Legal action against „Water Makes Money“ is finally terminated
On the 28th of March 2013 the legal action of the Veolia group of companies against „Water Makes Money“ was rejected by the criminal court of justice in Paris. Now Veolia has finally waived its right to an appeal hearing. The film can therefore continue to lable “corruption” as corruption in all the world. Only in France will it be required to delete the statement of Jean-Luc Touly that he had been offered one Million Euro. We have thus escaped the sword of Damocles of an endless series of appeal hearings against a Billionaire group of companies, hanging over our heads!
Read more: News February 2014: Kant-World Citizen Prize for "Water Makes Money"
News January 2014: Deceptive all-clear!
You hear it everywhere: Spain's industry is recovering, the industry in Greece is growing again, Ireland and Spain leave the Eurozone bailout fund, and the financial crisis does not exist in the coalition contract of the newly formed German government. Quiet and recovery, we should not worry.
Growth with salaries cut in half
Back to "normal". But we have arrived in another completely different society. In a normality, with youth unemployment around 58% in Greece, Spain and Portugal. The mass exodus of young, well qualified people even somewhat embellishes these numbers. An entire generation is being sacrificed. It is true that the economy is growing again, but now with salaries divided in half and temporary employment and reduced and privatized welfare systems. We have reached a new level of the neoliberal society. The crisis made the rich on the average even richer. And it made the middle class and the poor radically poorer.
Also Germany has changed
This result of the crisis management might not be so obvious in Germany. But if 40 to 60 year olds compare the start of their professional career with the current job starters, they will notice the drastic changes. While in the old days, the security of permanent employment contracts with standard wages were the rule, nowadays job starters are brachiating from internship to internship and from one temporary contract to the next, despite excellent qualifications. Even rich multinationals like Airbus only keep a limited number of permanent employees. At least one third of the employees are on fixed-term contracts or on service contracts. On top of this, there is the outsourcing of work to sub-contractors and sub-sub-contractors, where often the wage agreements are not binding. Especially emerging industries such as Amazon are setting standards. There, the fixed-term contract of the cheapest low-wage business is chosen. As a rule, new employees get temporary contracts only. Only "established employees" reach the next level. The gap between employees living on their salaries and those living on their fortune has widened also in Germany during the last five years.
News November 2013: To become homeless overnight in Spain
Each day, more dedicated people contribute to the realization of the movie project „Who is saving whom?“. Some are donating money. Over 112.000€ have already been collected. Others translate interviews. Others again provide us with a place to live or informations on location. Our heartfelt thanks to all of you! The movie could not be made without you! Premiere will be in autumn 2014 – again in over 150 European cities at the same time, the exact date yet to be determined!
The last location the film brought us to was Spain. Here, more than anywhere else, is it becoming apparent that the bank rescue has been taken as a cause for making those who own nothing even poorer and especially take more of their rights away.
To become homeless overnight…
In Spain, approximately three millions of apartments that are ready to move in remain empty. Nonetheless, each month around ten thousand families live through the trauma of eviction, mostly because they have lost their jobs and can't make their mortgage payments. Not only do they lose their apartments and end up on the streets if they lack family support. They also cannot get rid of their debt, even though they lose their apartments to the banks. On top of it, they owe the banks ten thousands of Euros of legal costs. To sneer at those which have no chance to escape the credit trap, the mayor of Madrid, has issued a decree, stating that spending the night on the streets of Madrid will be punished with a fine of 750€.
Read more: News November 2013: To become homeless overnight in Spain
News February 2013: Public Eye Jury Award 2013 for Goldman Sachs
25.2.2013: The film project "Who is saving whom" has its first great success. Our proposal Public Eye Award 2013 for Goldman Sachs was sucessfull. The Public Eye Jury has elected the US bank for this year's jury award.
This US banking firm is a key player in financially driven globalisation, which pays for the profits of a few with exploding inequality and the impoverishment of broad strata. Here is what Andreas Missbach, financial expert from the Berne Declaration, has to say about it: "Goldman's derivative deals, which fudged Greece's way into the Eurozone, pawned the future of the Greek people. Moreover, the managers of Goldman Sachs are masters of the revolving door: they secure the bank tomorrow's business via changes in political and public offices."
