The Audio Stylings of Chris Levens
"I'm a Gangster"

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You need to enjoy THIS.

And for my fellow MMW fans, please enjoy THIS & THIS

The first MMW link has about a minute of them talking at firts. Don't worry, it doesn't last long and the music that follows is worth it.

It is always fun to watch John Medeski gets all freaky on the keys -- a true mad man.
 2:34 PM   •   like your cut?  

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"I'm a little horse"

Two questions:
1)What does this mean?
2) How does one determine what this means?
 8:25 PM   •  26 satisfied customers!!  

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Communism and Capitalism.

The US relationship with Vietnam is on the mend -- acctually, it is better than that, the US and Vietnam almost have a solid relationship now -- in light of Bush's visit there a few weeks ago. Also, the US relation to China is also pretty darn good.

These two countries are "Communist"

Clearly, the US does not have a problem working with and trading with Communist countries.

Why then is there still a trade embargo on Cuba and relations are as bad as ever?

The way I see it, "Communism" isn't really an issue when it comes to Vietnam and China. These two countries are communist in name only. The social organization of these two countries has very little to do with Marxism. This point is evident in the way that these two countries are courting big business and seeking economic growth along market lines by stimulating consumption. Because these two coutries are free-trade friendly (sort of), have minimal labor and environmental regulations and are making their populations available as consumer markets to Western and international business interests, these two countries have a healthy relationship with the USA.

Cuba, on the other hand, is not business friendly or free trade friendly. Instead, Cuba more closely resembles Marxist ideals (at least closer than China or Vietnam) by protecting the populations from the ravages of a free market.

Cuba is on the USA's poop list not because of human rights violation or because they are some sort of remnant of the Cold War. If these were the reasons then China and Vietnam would also be on the poop list. Instead, Cuba is on the poop list because of their refusal to open up their population to exploitation by multinational capital.

At least, that is my two cents. If you have a couple of cents to contribute, please do. I'd like to hear another perspective about why there is a double standard concerning the US relationship to "Communist" countries.
 12:59 PM   •  7 satisfied customers!!  

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Please participate with me in an exercise in faith.

Click here .

Please trust me, it is solid gold -- a YouTube music video that you are not going to want to miss. If you are not thuroughly entertained, I will give you a full refund.
 1:36 AM   •  6 satisfied customers!!  

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Serendipity!!!!

Well sort of.

While I was trying to research Linda Hutcheon and her Postmodern use of parody for a paper I am writing, I found this description of the ugliness of postmodernity (postmodernity being the historical period we all live in today).
And by the way, if your not quite sure about the distinction between postmodernity and postmodernism, I highly recommend this page on Hutcheon -- very readable considering the subject matter.
Anyways, back to the serendipity. As I read this description of the ugliness of postmodernity I felt like someone was putting into words my own displeasure with our world/culture. So, since it is so well written and expresses myself better than I am able to do, I'm just going to quote it. I hope you read it. And even more, I hope you feel the same way about these things as I do.

the elements that make up the postmodern condition: a world dominated by the logic of capitalism, which has no regard for the rights of oppressed laborers or the ravagement of the natural world; a society increasingly under the scrutiny of government agencies that insist on casting their disciplining gaze ever deeper into our private lives; an increasing reliance on technologies that separate us from other people and the natural world, thus feeding into our sense of atomism and unease; an emphasis on flat, spatial representations (screens, statistics, ads) that serve to sever us from our former sense of temporality and history; and a culture increasingly dominated by simulacra (computer images, commercial advertising, Hollywood idealizations, commercial mass reproduction, televisuality, and technological replications of all stripes), thus contributing to our sense of separation from the real.

So, what do you think about this description of our postmodern condition?
 11:21 PM   •  18 satisfied customers!!  

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For all my free-market friends, I would like some imput.

What is the attraction of a free-market?
 10:45 AM   •  6 satisfied customers!!  

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Wednesday has a few bright spots.

Ortega, the Sandinista leader, has been elected president of Nicaragua. I'm happy about this. Even in the face of US threats to Nicaragua about sanctions if Ortega is elected, and even in light of the visit by Oliver North to the country (which is a means of violent intimidation -- reminding the Nicaraguans of the anti-Sandinista terrorism sponsered by the USA in their country a few decades ago lead by North himself) still, in light of the threats of the USA Nicaragua elected a president that hopefully will align himself with the Axis of Good (Chavez, Morales, Castro). Let's hope Ortega doesn't disapoint.

The other good news is the Democratic takeover of the House. Yes, I know, the Dems and Reps are just different shades of the same color. But, by dividing Congress and the President, at least we most likely won't see more of the crazy legislation that has been coming out of the Rep control of all 3 branches of the government. Maybe we won't see the rest of our civil rights get eliminated in the War on Terror the way Bush eliminated Habes Corpus. Also, the Dems aren't as trigger happy as the Reps and probably won't allow a hot-headed invasion of Iran or Venezuela.

So, these few bright spots are a nice way to start any Wednesday.
 9:43 AM   •  18 satisfied customers!!  

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Is it just a coincidence that the announcement of Saddam Hussein’s sentencing happens the day before the elections?
 10:53 AM   •  11 satisfied customers!!  

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Big-Mac-lettuce has a certain smell. For some strange reason, I have been smelling like Big-Mac-lettuce. I don't even eat fast food -- I don't get it.

Things are so messed up.
 9:21 PM   •  4 satisfied customers!!