It's Friday Night! Party Time! Time to relax, put your feet up on the couch, lay back, and watch some detailed videos on economic policy!
It's hard to find documentaries on Russia's economic system post the Soviet Union regime. Tonight's documentary is on the rise of Vladimir Putin. Russia has turned from an economic disaster zone into an energy superpower. The documentary goes through Putin's rise to power and the economic turn around of Russia for the last 30 years.
The Putin System
The documentary is critical of Putin but it gives some insight into Russia economically. Enjoy.
Comments
Recommend Margin Call, out on DVD
I highly recommend renting Margin Call. I fear the story will be lost on people outside of finance, economics and Wall street but for EP readers, I know you all are deeply aware and will love this film.
The plot surrounds what to do when a investment house, clearly modeled on Goldman Sachs by the plot outline, with Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, is up against holding the bag on trillions in worthless toxic MBSes which happened Sept. 2008.
The script and acting will knock your socks off. It's captures that unspoken sociopathic mentality of disposable people that is not only Wall Street but all of corporate America and it captures it perfectly, on an emotional level.
There is also a solid ode to why is it making up fictional mathematics in the form of structured finance, financial derivatives, pays way way more than architecting a bridge or designing a product, i.e. why is financialization sucking the life blood out of the real, or production economy (actual and metaphor).
It's a tense film so if you're looking for a good laugh, rent Horrible Bosses. Not only it is roaringly funny, being treated like shit at work as the new American norm is yet another one of those secrets not mentioned in public. This film does.
Protests against Putin
If you're wondering why Russia is a FMN on EP, it's due to the eruption of protests in Russia, against Putin, who has basically been in power over 18 years. With the focus on Europe and then China, we don't much information on Russia, when it's a fairly large economy and a global energy/oil superpower.