Sunday, September 30, 2007
[adventures in dementia] new sounds
the rabbit hole & all we could do, 2 short midi ditties can be heard HERE
--
Posted By evinoa to adventures in dementia at 9/30/2007 10:09:00 AM
[adventures in dementia] pictures
burnt sketchbook
bean skins
mushroom family
i like clouds and trees--
Posted By evinoa to adventures in dementia at 9/28/2007 05:09:00 PM
overheard (or, i know this much is pru)
(the Prudential building in Boston and the building next to it that one of my friends thinks is supposed to look like a chess queen)
"That the Pru and the building next to it are supposed to look like the King and Queen from a chess set (far right in this picture) -- did you make that up? I've twice mentioned this idea to other people and they didn't believe me."
"You were the one who told that to me. Seriously."
"No way! You were totally the one who told me. You are always mixing me up with other people. Totally."
"I have no idea who told me this if you didn't. I certainly don't vouch for it being true. I didn't even believe it when you told me about it."
"That's so weird. I didn't believe you when you told me about it either."
coitical mass
E-mail from a special JFW correspondent:
Just had tea with friends who were at this week's Moynihan Conference at Harvard. Among the speakers at the conference was Karl Zinsmeister, Bush's assistant for domestic policy. Apparently, his talk focused on the institution of marriage as the "cure to all of society's ills" - drug use, incarceration, teenage pregnancy, etc. In fact, says Zinsmeister, strengthening the institution of marriage is the single most important thing we can do for our country. Having some appreciation of the fact that he was talking to a room full of social scientists, Zinsmeister was careful to specify the causal mechanism which makes this so, stating that the reason that marriage is so important is that it "harnesses the nuclear reactor of male sexual energy."I suppose we should all be thankful that boys make it through adolescence without vaporizing everyone for hundreds of miles and poisoning the groundwater for generations.
Hello !!!
Hello my name is Maciek. I'm 15 and I go to IIIa (this is english class). I like english lessons very much with the best teacher - KRZYSZTOF PŁOCHA ;). I like football very much. My favourite clubs are
pogoń szczecin (poland) and ac milan (italy). My a lot of posts will be about matches with pogoń
or ac milan. I like football because seven years ago my father took me on first in my life match beetwen
pogoń szczecin and legia warsaw ( 1 - 1). When I saw big stadium and many suppoters
(+/- 11500 fans) I loved them , but when I saw footballers who run on field and scored beautiful
goals I think that " I will be famous footballer" ( now this is impossible). Then I started going on
matches regulary with my father or friends. I know that football is very popular sport and many people like watching matches on TV with friends and beer of course ;)
Future idol?
I've just watched a video which shows a young boy Kamil Kucharzewski who is a master of electro boogie dance. He's extremely talented and only...eleven. I think most of you know about him better than I because he's a star of 'You can dance' show presented by TVN
(that show is described in Jutka's post best!). I haven't watched this show yet but I've got some doubts if he (I mean Kamil) is ready for a world-wide career.
What's your opinion? I eagerly wait for your COMMENTS to this post. Have your point of view!
Look at the video I mentioned:
(that show is described in Jutka's post best!). I haven't watched this show yet but I've got some doubts if he (I mean Kamil) is ready for a world-wide career.
What's your opinion? I eagerly wait for your COMMENTS to this post. Have your point of view!
Look at the video I mentioned:
Battle of Marathon
Hello.My name is Robert and I go to IIIa.My favourite subject in scholl is History and that's why I'll tell you about Battle of Marathon which take place in 490 before Jesus Christ was born.
At first we have known why this battle happend because between 500 and 494 take place insurection in Asia Minor give rise by Greeks who didn't want attacked by Persja.Persja with 26 thousand soldiers set off against to 1 thousand Greeks command by Militiades.Greeks falang destroyed all Persia army.In that battle liegsth dead 192 Greeks and 6000 Persian soldiers.After that battle one of Greeks soldiers run into Athens 42kilomiters in order to told citizen about win under Maraton that's why this battle called Battle of Maraton.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
The Bush-Aznar tapes
The Bush-Aznar tapes: glimpse of a gangster preparing for war
By Bill Van Auken 29 September 2007
The transcript of February 2003 discussions between US President George W.
Bush and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar published Wednesday by
Spain's largest daily, El Pais, provides fresh documentary confirmation of
what is already a widely known historical fact. That is: the Bush
administration was determined to wage a war of aggression to conquer Iraq
and was not about to allow international law or compromise settlements to
interfere with its long-planned invasion.
The contents of the conversation, transcribed by Spain's ambassador to
Washington, Javier Ruperez, had been kept secret by Madrid—both under
Aznar's right-wing government and under that of his successor, Socialist
Party (PSOE) Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero—before someone leaked them
to El Pais.
The document provides one more piece of irrefutable evidence that the Bush
White House launched the invasion of Iraq on the basis of lies fabricated
to further a predetermined policy. A significant component of this web of
lies was the repeated claims made by Washington and its allies in the
period leading up to the invasion that war was a last resort, and that
they were determined to exhaust all diplomatic and peaceful alternatives.
As Bush told his Spanish counterpart, whatever the UN might decide, "In
two weeks we will be ready militarily.... We will be in Baghdad by the end
of March."
The White House failed to deny the authenticity of the document. White
House spokesperson Dana Perino described the conversation as a "private
meeting" and dismissed questions about its exposure of the Bush
administration's deception of the American people and the world during
this period. "There are some people who think we never should have gone
into Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein," she said. "And there is nothing we
are going to be able to do that's going to change their minds."
The transcript records a conversation that took place on February 22, 2003—
less than a month before the invasion—at Bush's Crawford, Texas ranch. The
discussion centered on the final pre-war diplomatic maneuvers aimed at
ramming a resolution through the United Nations Security Council providing
a rubberstamp for the US plans to attack Iraq.
It also reveals that Saddam Hussein had indicated through the Egyptian
government that he was prepared to go into exile, provided he could take
with him $1 billion and documents on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction,
presumably including records proving US backing for Baghdad's weapons
programs, particularly under Bush senior's administration.
In addition, it touches on plans for the Iraqi leader's possible
assassination and the campaign of intimidation initiated against countries
represented on the Security Council that opposed a war.
The meeting also came just one week after massive worldwide demonstrations
that brought millions of people into the streets in opposition to the war,
including huge crowds in both Spain and Britain, Washington's two
principal supporters in preparing the aggression. In Spain, polls showed
90 percent of the population opposing an invasion, and Aznar's principal
concern was to convince Bush to use the UN to provide some form of
pseudo-legal cover for war to help him with massively hostile public
opinion at home.
In addition to Aznar and Bush, then US National Security Advisor
Condoleezza Rice also joined in the discussion, together with another
White House advisor on European affairs, Aznar's chief advisor on
international policy, Alberto Carnero, and the Spanish ambassador.
According to the transcript, Bush told Aznar he was willing to go to the
Security Council for another resolution that would be crafted so that it
could be used to claim authorization for military action, without actually
saying so. He said that the document should not include any demands upon
Iraq—with which Baghdad could potentially comply—and should "not mention
the use of force." Bush added, "A lot of people could vote for a
resolution like that."
Both Bush and Aznar made it clear that they expected the resolution to be
vetoed—France, Russia and China, all permanent members of the Security
Council with veto power, opposed it. But they hoped to get a majority of
the council's members to support it, giving them a propaganda victory. In
the end, they were forced to withdraw the resolution after it became clear
that it would have gone down to overwhelming defeat without any veto
having to be cast.
The US president continued: "Saddam Hussein will not change and he will
keep playing around. The time has come to get rid of him. That's the way
it is. I, for my part, will try from now on to use the most delicate
rhetoric possible while we try to get the resolution approved."
Bush repeatedly expressed frustration over the failure of other European
governments to fall into line behind Washington's war plans. Singling out
French President Jacques Chirac, Bush said, "The problem is that Chirac
thinks he's Mister Arab, and in reality he's making life impossible." The
US president continued by expressing his contempt for public opinion in
Europe, declaring, "The more the Europeans attack me, the stronger I am in
the United States."
When Rice reviewed a schedule for the presentation of reports to the
Security Council by UN weapons inspectors—reports that would subsequently
affirm Iraq's substantial compliance with disarmament—Bush erupted in
frustration.
"This is like Chinese water torture," he said. "We have to put an end to
it."
Aznar said he understood Bush's annoyance, but they had to get more
support. "Have a little patience," he begged.
"My patience has run out," Bush replied. "I don't plan on going beyond the
middle of March."
Referring to the non-permanent members on the Security Council that were
voicing opposition to a resolution authorizing a US war, Bush declared:
"Countries like Mexico, Chile, Angola and Cameroon should know that what's
at stake is the security of the US and act with a feeling of friendship
towards us."
The imperialist arrogance is breathtaking. Mexico, which historically has
been the victim of multiple US invasions, Angola, a country that saw more
than half a million of its people killed in a CIA-instigated civil war and
Chile, which was the victim of a US-orchestrated coup that imposed a
quarter century of fascist-military dictatorship, should all subordinate
any concern for international law or the rights of nations to the security
concerns of the US.
Bush went on to spell out the kind of gangster-style threats being made
behind the scenes. "Lagos [the Chilean president] should know that the
free trade agreement with Chile is facing confirmation in the Senate and
that a negative attitude on this issue could put its ratification in
danger," he said. "Angola is receiving funds from the Millennium Account
and they too could be compromised if they don't take a positive approach.
And Putin should know that with his attitude he is putting relations
between Russia and the United States in danger."
Referring to differences with British Prime Minister Tony Blair on how
soon to put the resolution before the Security Council, Bush commented,
"This is like the bad cop, good cop game. It doesn't bother me being the
bad cop and Blair being the good one."
Also appalling—given the one million Iraqi dead and the country's total
devastation—is Bush's conception of the coming war's impact. "We can win
without destruction," he said. "We are already planning out the
post-Saddam Iraq, and I believe there are good foundations for a better
future. Iraq has a good bureaucracy and a relatively strong civil society.
It could be organized in a federation. Meanwhile, we're doing everything
we can to attend to the political needs of our friends and allies."
Aznar himself was somewhat taken aback by Bush's sanguine approach to the
upcoming slaughter.
"The only thing that worries me about you is your optimism," said the
Spanish prime minister.
Bush replied: "I am optimistic because I believe I am in the right. I am
at peace with myself."
The dialogue between the US president and the Spanish prime minister
sounds more like a meeting between a Mafia godfather and one of his
obsequious gangster captains than a discussion of international relations
and policy between two heads of state. What they were cold-bloodedly
planning, however, was not any run-of-the-mill crime, but a mass killing
of world-historic proportions.
The ultimate significance of the Bush-Aznar transcript is that it
constitutes one more piece of evidence for the prosecution of Bush and all
those who conspired to launch the war of aggression against Iraq for war
crimes.
See Also:
Spanish Judge calls for architects of Iraq invasion to be tried for war
crimes
[27 march 2007]
The Washington Post and the Downing Street memo
[22 June 2005]
Spain: Madrid Commission confirms conspiracy of lies used to justify Iraq
War
[29 December 2004]
'You Can Dance'
Four episodes of 'You Can Dance' watched nearly 2,9 mln spectators.That was the best result in this time of transmitting.
TVN transmits that show from 5th september.Next wrestling of participants we can watch every wednesday on 9:30pm.
'You Can Dance' has been made by Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe. Show has subjugated already hearts of people on whole world.He has been realized in such countries as: USA (3 editing), Germany, Israel, Norway, New Zealand and Turkey. In all oh thiscountries show has achieved record results of cautions. During castings which was in 5 polish cities (Bytom, Wroclaw, Poznan, Gdansk and Warszawa)From several thousands of person, choose 50. They have been invited to Paris on dancing workshops. There, under eye fiver recognized choreographers,they exercised different types od dances. Charismatic teachers intent observed them abilities and progress. From all of fifty dancers,jury have chosen sixteen persons- to final.
Every of participant will presented in different types of dances. They going to be evaluated by four-personal jury who will be composite for famouschoreographers and show-bisnes people. Every week will be eliminated two daners (woman and man), who make smallest impression on audience. It will be decide spectators,who will win main award and can develop abilities in one of the fairest school on Brodway.
Now TVN present rates from training in Paris. From 10th october televiewers will observe periods with live projections. Then will be begin genuine contest.
I reckon that is the best show ever! In my opinion it's a good occasion for showing society, that topping dancers are in Poland too not only dancing social, and alsoother styles of dances like: Hip-hop, Electric Boogie, Jazz, Breakdance, Ballet and many others.
That's my first article.. I hope that you like it!
'You Can Dance' has been made by Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe. Show has subjugated already hearts of people on whole world.He has been realized in such countries as: USA (3 editing), Germany, Israel, Norway, New Zealand and Turkey. In all oh thiscountries show has achieved record results of cautions. During castings which was in 5 polish cities (Bytom, Wroclaw, Poznan, Gdansk and Warszawa)From several thousands of person, choose 50. They have been invited to Paris on dancing workshops. There, under eye fiver recognized choreographers,they exercised different types od dances. Charismatic teachers intent observed them abilities and progress. From all of fifty dancers,jury have chosen sixteen persons- to final.
Every of participant will presented in different types of dances. They going to be evaluated by four-personal jury who will be composite for famouschoreographers and show-bisnes people. Every week will be eliminated two daners (woman and man), who make smallest impression on audience. It will be decide spectators,who will win main award and can develop abilities in one of the fairest school on Brodway.
Now TVN present rates from training in Paris. From 10th october televiewers will observe periods with live projections. Then will be begin genuine contest.
I reckon that is the best show ever! In my opinion it's a good occasion for showing society, that topping dancers are in Poland too not only dancing social, and alsoother styles of dances like: Hip-hop, Electric Boogie, Jazz, Breakdance, Ballet and many others.
That's my first article.. I hope that you like it!
Big props to my boy CHOPS!
Avid readers of this blog know full well of my affinity for my boy CHOPS. Houston rappers know too cuz like four years ago I was telling them all about him like 'this dude is on some next shit you need to fuck with him.' I've always liked his work. From his early group The Mountain Brothers to his solo albums, he's just on another level. Dude plays a lot of instruments himself, does intricate arrangements and is just an all around musical guy when it comes to this. In the interview he mentions producers who brag about making a beat in ten minutes. I cringe when I hear those dudes say that. I cringe when rappers brag about writing verses in ten minutes too, cuz I mean shit, what kind of accomplishment is that. Whooooo you looped some drums and a bassline and jacked someone elses song almost in its entirity. Whoooo great job producer dude. Or whooooo you rhymed car with Barre AGAIN! What an amazing feat rapper dude. So glad your candy paint is still drippin.
Anyway, rap music is what it is in 2007, and it's good to see my man CHOPS finally reaping some benefits for being a real dude in this biz.
His track "We Breakin' Up" on the new Chamillionaire album is a banger, but it don't stop there. Read on to see what my boy from Philly is up to.
CHOPS with Michael Watts in New York
You were known years back for some of the work you did with underground artists, how does it feel to be working with the majors and what's different about it?
I like it, it feels like more gets done. I used to deal with cats that did music on the side, their main gig was something else. Nothing wrong with that, but I was doing music. And fools would come up short on loot for tracks or studio time, but they'd be dipped out, or have a new whip. If you don't invest time and money into yourself, nobody else will do it for you. That's why I still have this job today, and they still have their job doing
some other shit. The only ones who get to keep doing it, are the ones who keep working at it. That goes for underground or major.
Musically, it's equally tough making good "commercial" tracks as it is good "underground" tracks. I spent years at this, and I'm still learning and growing. You need to deliver what people are looking for, and be consistent. Some people get lucky once or twice, but without certain skills there's no repeat success. I'm after that repeat success.
Do you notice a different response from the listeners? Cuz even your early stuff was really musical, while a lot of the underground stuff at that time was really stiff.
Hell yeah! Way more people actually know who you are. You get a lot more love, and of course more hate too. You're guaranteed to get hate from somebody somewhere, no matter what you do. But I like reaching listeners, and finding people who dig my stuff. Ten years ago I had my first records out, and I felt proud because thousands of people heard the music. These days I work with artists who reach millions. A million is a big number man, it's a thousand thousand! So I feel like things are about a thousand times
better now, because more people know my music.
Not a lot of producers are able to work with both underground and major groups and have success. What do you feel is responsible for you being able to make that transition?
Mainly two things, one is my manager Mike Baxter who works hard as hell. Our situation is like Jerry McGuire, where the people we used to deal with, fell by the wayside. He believed in my music ability, and I believed in his talent for business. We joined up at a time when nobody else believed. There's people who supported or looked out here and there, and that's always appreciated. But I can honestly say the only person who really stuck their neck out for me like that, businesswise, was him.
The second thing is just getting the music right, which is a lot harder than it sounds. When I was doing just underground stuff - which I still do, and I actually got a licensing deal for up and coming artists on my myspace www.myspace.com/CHOPSmusicdotcom and I also got a deal for producers to buy my drum sounds for only $29, I was pretty well acclaimed for my tracks. So I thought, "I have the skills to go bigger than that." And that's actually true now, but it's taken tons of time and effort to get to this point. And it'll take a lot more to get where I'm going.
So yeah those are the two main things. Me and Mike are in this 100 percent, been at it for years. And things are starting to pan out the way we planned. Him as far as planting seeds and getting’ in people's ears, and me as far as getting the weight up musically.
You and Mike have been working on getting tracks done with all these Houston cats for some time now, and now you’ve finally got one with Chamillionaire. How does it feel? I mean real talk, a lot of people fronted, then kind of fell by the wayside a bit. You got with the biggest dude out here.
It's great man, I bought me a copy the day it came out. First CD I bought in a while. The joint I produced is "We Breakin Up." It sounds like a sad song about a girl, but if you know him and you know the concept behind the album, there's more to it than that. Explaining too much kind of spoils it so I'll just say it's a special joint. And Cham did the damn thing on the hook. Ever since I heard him go "Big Swangaaaas and Vogues" he's been one of my favorites as far as rappers who can sing, like really get down at both. He got to stretch out some on this one, which I was hoping he would do one day.
Here's something about the track itself though. When it was time to get all the pieces separated out for the engineer, I loaded up the session and looked at the date. I made that beat on New Years Day. That means when most everybody else was sleeping in, recovering from hangovers and whatnot, I was in the lab writing. Also it means you have to believe in your music, and have people with you that believe in it too, because the process of getting just one track on a CD can take months!
For people who don't know, let us know some of the people you've worked with so far.
So far my credits include anybody from Young Jeezy, Paul Wall, Bun B, Mike Jones, to The Game, Snoop, E-40, Ice Cube, to Kanye West, Talib Kweli, Fabolous, starting to put together a pretty good list, but I'm concentrating on the future. It feels like the doors are starting to open up a crack now.
What's your beatmaking process like?
A lot of times I wake up with an idea in my head, so I'll get up and jump right into it. Generally I'll lay down a basic drum pattern and a bass line near the beginning, but it could start with a horn line, a guitar riff or whatever. Finishing up the beat is just adding all the pieces around it, to make the puzzle. I play the music myself, it's like a mix of MIDI stuff and actual instruments. If you hear a guitar it's me on guitar, if you hear
singing vocals, it's me singing. Like on the Chamillionaire joint, that's me singing in the background.
One thing I will say, I'm not one of them dudes who brags about making a beat in 10 minutes. I can bang shit out real fast if I need to, but I like my tracks to sound full and finished. And correct. When you hear a classic record, one that lasts, usually some time was spent putting it together.
What's your typical day consist of?
Pretty much I make beats more than anything else. There's things like calls, emails, or listening through beats to pick out stuff for certain people. Sometimes take a trip to meet with people or go to a studio or whatever. In between there's some normal stuff like spending time with the woman, eating, taking a shit, going to the store and stuff like that.
Sometimes I'll take breaks to get other things done or to clear my head. Then it's back to the beats. Usually I get good ideas when I'm away for a minute.
But you can bet money on me making beats every single day. If I'm on travel I either have equipment with me or I'm working on music somehow, like writing hooks or something. Or I'll write down ideas for a beat on the pager that I can work on when I get back. If I'm doing something like watching TV or a movie, I'm probably not paying full attention because I have music in my head.
Being that you're out of Philly, how is it that you've worked with so many artists from the South?
My manager is good at getting up with people! And musicwise, I listen to a whole lot of different music and I've lived at and been to a lot of places. For instance when I first started learning music growing up, that was in Texas. I've been all over the country and then some. Sometimes people hate on music from different areas, but I think that's closed-minded.
What's next for you?
Coming up I got a joint with E-40 and Paul Wall for 40's album. Normally I don't talk about stuff ahead of time but that one's got paperwork done and all. Plus it's a killer! Workin on some stuff for Paul too. Been working with Lil Weavah out of Atlanta, he got a bunch of labels looking at him. And the more these good placements happen, the more receptive people are to hearing the music. So things are getting ready to branch out for your boy. But right now, today, I'm gonna get back to working on this new beat, man.
Recent accomplishments –
CHOPS produced track "WE BREAKIN UP" on Chamillionaire album "Ultimate
Victory" on Chamillitary/ Universal Records (make sure to buy a copy
IN STORES NOW!)
E-40 "Rollin On Candy" featuring CHOPS and Paul Wall (produced by
CHOPS) on the forthcoming E-40 album "The Ball Street Journal" on
Warner Bros coming soon...
CHOPS tracks on over 50 TV shows including: Victoria Beckham (NBC,
Bravo, Overseas), Rob and Big (and over 20 other MTV shows), Unique
Whips (Speed Channel), and many more
CHOPS "National Anthem" aka "Sing Along" on the Platinum album by
Young Jeezy titled THE INSPIRATION on Def Jam/ CTE
CHOPS produced track on DJ Clue album feat Paul Wall, Mike Jones, and
Bun B titled "Grill and Woman" on Rocafella / Def Jam
Anyway, rap music is what it is in 2007, and it's good to see my man CHOPS finally reaping some benefits for being a real dude in this biz.
His track "We Breakin' Up" on the new Chamillionaire album is a banger, but it don't stop there. Read on to see what my boy from Philly is up to.
CHOPS with Michael Watts in New York
You were known years back for some of the work you did with underground artists, how does it feel to be working with the majors and what's different about it?
I like it, it feels like more gets done. I used to deal with cats that did music on the side, their main gig was something else. Nothing wrong with that, but I was doing music. And fools would come up short on loot for tracks or studio time, but they'd be dipped out, or have a new whip. If you don't invest time and money into yourself, nobody else will do it for you. That's why I still have this job today, and they still have their job doing
some other shit. The only ones who get to keep doing it, are the ones who keep working at it. That goes for underground or major.
Musically, it's equally tough making good "commercial" tracks as it is good "underground" tracks. I spent years at this, and I'm still learning and growing. You need to deliver what people are looking for, and be consistent. Some people get lucky once or twice, but without certain skills there's no repeat success. I'm after that repeat success.
Do you notice a different response from the listeners? Cuz even your early stuff was really musical, while a lot of the underground stuff at that time was really stiff.
Hell yeah! Way more people actually know who you are. You get a lot more love, and of course more hate too. You're guaranteed to get hate from somebody somewhere, no matter what you do. But I like reaching listeners, and finding people who dig my stuff. Ten years ago I had my first records out, and I felt proud because thousands of people heard the music. These days I work with artists who reach millions. A million is a big number man, it's a thousand thousand! So I feel like things are about a thousand times
better now, because more people know my music.
Not a lot of producers are able to work with both underground and major groups and have success. What do you feel is responsible for you being able to make that transition?
Mainly two things, one is my manager Mike Baxter who works hard as hell. Our situation is like Jerry McGuire, where the people we used to deal with, fell by the wayside. He believed in my music ability, and I believed in his talent for business. We joined up at a time when nobody else believed. There's people who supported or looked out here and there, and that's always appreciated. But I can honestly say the only person who really stuck their neck out for me like that, businesswise, was him.
The second thing is just getting the music right, which is a lot harder than it sounds. When I was doing just underground stuff - which I still do, and I actually got a licensing deal for up and coming artists on my myspace www.myspace.com/CHOPSmusicdotcom and I also got a deal for producers to buy my drum sounds for only $29, I was pretty well acclaimed for my tracks. So I thought, "I have the skills to go bigger than that." And that's actually true now, but it's taken tons of time and effort to get to this point. And it'll take a lot more to get where I'm going.
So yeah those are the two main things. Me and Mike are in this 100 percent, been at it for years. And things are starting to pan out the way we planned. Him as far as planting seeds and getting’ in people's ears, and me as far as getting the weight up musically.
You and Mike have been working on getting tracks done with all these Houston cats for some time now, and now you’ve finally got one with Chamillionaire. How does it feel? I mean real talk, a lot of people fronted, then kind of fell by the wayside a bit. You got with the biggest dude out here.
It's great man, I bought me a copy the day it came out. First CD I bought in a while. The joint I produced is "We Breakin Up." It sounds like a sad song about a girl, but if you know him and you know the concept behind the album, there's more to it than that. Explaining too much kind of spoils it so I'll just say it's a special joint. And Cham did the damn thing on the hook. Ever since I heard him go "Big Swangaaaas and Vogues" he's been one of my favorites as far as rappers who can sing, like really get down at both. He got to stretch out some on this one, which I was hoping he would do one day.
Here's something about the track itself though. When it was time to get all the pieces separated out for the engineer, I loaded up the session and looked at the date. I made that beat on New Years Day. That means when most everybody else was sleeping in, recovering from hangovers and whatnot, I was in the lab writing. Also it means you have to believe in your music, and have people with you that believe in it too, because the process of getting just one track on a CD can take months!
For people who don't know, let us know some of the people you've worked with so far.
So far my credits include anybody from Young Jeezy, Paul Wall, Bun B, Mike Jones, to The Game, Snoop, E-40, Ice Cube, to Kanye West, Talib Kweli, Fabolous, starting to put together a pretty good list, but I'm concentrating on the future. It feels like the doors are starting to open up a crack now.
What's your beatmaking process like?
A lot of times I wake up with an idea in my head, so I'll get up and jump right into it. Generally I'll lay down a basic drum pattern and a bass line near the beginning, but it could start with a horn line, a guitar riff or whatever. Finishing up the beat is just adding all the pieces around it, to make the puzzle. I play the music myself, it's like a mix of MIDI stuff and actual instruments. If you hear a guitar it's me on guitar, if you hear
singing vocals, it's me singing. Like on the Chamillionaire joint, that's me singing in the background.
One thing I will say, I'm not one of them dudes who brags about making a beat in 10 minutes. I can bang shit out real fast if I need to, but I like my tracks to sound full and finished. And correct. When you hear a classic record, one that lasts, usually some time was spent putting it together.
What's your typical day consist of?
Pretty much I make beats more than anything else. There's things like calls, emails, or listening through beats to pick out stuff for certain people. Sometimes take a trip to meet with people or go to a studio or whatever. In between there's some normal stuff like spending time with the woman, eating, taking a shit, going to the store and stuff like that.
Sometimes I'll take breaks to get other things done or to clear my head. Then it's back to the beats. Usually I get good ideas when I'm away for a minute.
But you can bet money on me making beats every single day. If I'm on travel I either have equipment with me or I'm working on music somehow, like writing hooks or something. Or I'll write down ideas for a beat on the pager that I can work on when I get back. If I'm doing something like watching TV or a movie, I'm probably not paying full attention because I have music in my head.
Being that you're out of Philly, how is it that you've worked with so many artists from the South?
My manager is good at getting up with people! And musicwise, I listen to a whole lot of different music and I've lived at and been to a lot of places. For instance when I first started learning music growing up, that was in Texas. I've been all over the country and then some. Sometimes people hate on music from different areas, but I think that's closed-minded.
What's next for you?
Coming up I got a joint with E-40 and Paul Wall for 40's album. Normally I don't talk about stuff ahead of time but that one's got paperwork done and all. Plus it's a killer! Workin on some stuff for Paul too. Been working with Lil Weavah out of Atlanta, he got a bunch of labels looking at him. And the more these good placements happen, the more receptive people are to hearing the music. So things are getting ready to branch out for your boy. But right now, today, I'm gonna get back to working on this new beat, man.
Recent accomplishments –
CHOPS produced track "WE BREAKIN UP" on Chamillionaire album "Ultimate
Victory" on Chamillitary/ Universal Records (make sure to buy a copy
IN STORES NOW!)
E-40 "Rollin On Candy" featuring CHOPS and Paul Wall (produced by
CHOPS) on the forthcoming E-40 album "The Ball Street Journal" on
Warner Bros coming soon...
CHOPS tracks on over 50 TV shows including: Victoria Beckham (NBC,
Bravo, Overseas), Rob and Big (and over 20 other MTV shows), Unique
Whips (Speed Channel), and many more
CHOPS "National Anthem" aka "Sing Along" on the Platinum album by
Young Jeezy titled THE INSPIRATION on Def Jam/ CTE
CHOPS produced track on DJ Clue album feat Paul Wall, Mike Jones, and
Bun B titled "Grill and Woman" on Rocafella / Def Jam
making money making money
NYT has a story about a couple that was arrested following their attempted use of "Liberty Dollars" at a restaurant. The couple has a blog about their arrest. I've just now spent several minutes reading the website for Liberty Dollars, "America's second most popular currency." This guy is making his own money and selling it. The pitch is that the money is backed by actual silver, although the silver it is backed by is only about half what silver trades for on the open market. Since buying these dollars is a purchase that fundamentally makes no sense--other than the mirth of having a coin with Ron Paul's face on it--the guy has to come up with reasons why one should do it anyway, and he does it with gusto. Wrap your head around these consecutive sentences:
Just imagine, while your US Dollars are losing purchasing power, the Liberty Dollars are appreciating in value and rewarding everyone holding the new gold and silver currency that keeps pace with inflation.Anyway, I don't think much was gained by arresting the couple in the NYT story, but I might support keeping them in jail anyway just to keep them from breeding.
Plus the Liberty Dollar is easy for merchants and customers use because it functions dollar-for-dollar with the US dollar as its "unit of account" is exactly the same.
Thursday's first,
skipped school.
attended private dinner @ hotel @ night.
discussed events and all.
and so,
im going to be the emcee on that day.
supposedly for both English and Chinese.
THUS,
GLENYS SOH WANLING! i need your help,
for the chinese part.
Help me be the emcee for chinese(:(:(:(:.
AND i might get a one night stay in the hotel room/suite
for FREE!
and the best part,
i may celebrate my birthday in the hotel then.(:
HAHAHAHAHA(:
Friday:
FUCK HELL.
just reached the gate when bell rang.
They got me to unpick my skirt again.
2 times in a week.
GRRRRR,
waste my money on taxi to school.
TODAY:
FUNFAIR!
went to school at normal time.
left school @ 9 plus.
went home with sheevonne and shuen.
brought porsche down to play with him.
took photos(:
hahaha.
then left my hse at arnd 12.
wanted to take cab.
but obviously,
the can couldnt fit 6 pple.
so decided to bus back to school instead.
Nat and his 3 other friends came at arnd 1 plus.
cheryl, some butch and a guy.
The butch has like so many piercing.
AND, i didnt get to see their tatoo!
RAH.
OH&&&!
cheryl is damn sick.
Me: buy brownies.
cheryl: LOOKS at my chest and says,where's your brownie?
PERVOOOOOOOOOO.
sat arnd,
waited for weijie and gang to come.
they came at arnd 2.
after his dragon boating training.
weijie, chris, poon and i cant rmb, John or smth.
walked arnd.
deciding whether they wanted to play the gladator fight.
then my brother was tired and grumpy,
cos he wanted the fish.
So we went FISHING *.*.
caught 4 fishes.
poon, weijie and nat caught abt 3-4 each also.
and they gave all to my brother.(:
Walked arnd somemore,
then slacked at the canteen area,
infront of our stall.
asked them to buy brownies and all.
talked,
played with my brother and all.
AND he was still grumpy.*.*.
at 3,
i had to go to the stall.
And my brother refused to go with weijie and the rest.
Like he was scared of their muscles or smth.
OR
Because he kept asking my brother to drink his CHOC MILK.HAHAHA.
so went back to the canteen to sit.
After that Ethan and his gf, pearlyn came,
asked them to buy more.
like icecream and all.
HAHAHA.
weijie went to buy more tickets.
& bought 3 fighting fish for caleb.*.*
and they bought meesiam and all,
leaving only 1 buck for me to buy drink.
RAH.
after that they all left to watch balls of fury.
packed up and all,
counted money,
IF ONLY IT WAS REAL CASH $.$
HAHAHA.
GUESS WHAT.
I FOUND ANOTHER 7 BUCKS WORTH OF TICKETS IN MY WALLET.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR,
wasted mney buying more tickets.
ALL TGT I SOLD/BOUGHT 14 Tickets= 140 bucks.
and i still have 7 BUCKS LEFT.
RAHRAHRAH.
YUPX,
THANKS FOR COMING(:
FYRB♥
-------------
ITS ALL WITHIN YOUR MIND,
REMEMBER WHAT YOUR C ,TOLD YOU,
DO NOT LET YOUR FEELINGS n EMOTIONS CONTROL YOU.
SO AS NOT TO AFFECT YOU.
WHAT YOU THINK IS HOW YOU WILL REACT.
LOVE,
___ ____.
skipped school.
attended private dinner @ hotel @ night.
discussed events and all.
and so,
im going to be the emcee on that day.
supposedly for both English and Chinese.
THUS,
GLENYS SOH WANLING! i need your help,
for the chinese part.
Help me be the emcee for chinese(:(:(:(:.
AND i might get a one night stay in the hotel room/suite
for FREE!
and the best part,
i may celebrate my birthday in the hotel then.(:
HAHAHAHAHA(:
Friday:
FUCK HELL.
just reached the gate when bell rang.
They got me to unpick my skirt again.
2 times in a week.
GRRRRR,
waste my money on taxi to school.
TODAY:
FUNFAIR!
went to school at normal time.
left school @ 9 plus.
went home with sheevonne and shuen.
brought porsche down to play with him.
took photos(:
hahaha.
then left my hse at arnd 12.
wanted to take cab.
but obviously,
the can couldnt fit 6 pple.
so decided to bus back to school instead.
Nat and his 3 other friends came at arnd 1 plus.
cheryl, some butch and a guy.
The butch has like so many piercing.
AND, i didnt get to see their tatoo!
RAH.
OH&&&!
cheryl is damn sick.
Me: buy brownies.
cheryl: LOOKS at my chest and says,where's your brownie?
PERVOOOOOOOOOO.
sat arnd,
waited for weijie and gang to come.
they came at arnd 2.
after his dragon boating training.
weijie, chris, poon and i cant rmb, John or smth.
walked arnd.
deciding whether they wanted to play the gladator fight.
then my brother was tired and grumpy,
cos he wanted the fish.
So we went FISHING *.*.
caught 4 fishes.
poon, weijie and nat caught abt 3-4 each also.
and they gave all to my brother.(:
Walked arnd somemore,
then slacked at the canteen area,
infront of our stall.
asked them to buy brownies and all.
talked,
played with my brother and all.
AND he was still grumpy.*.*.
at 3,
i had to go to the stall.
And my brother refused to go with weijie and the rest.
Like he was scared of their muscles or smth.
OR
Because he kept asking my brother to drink his CHOC MILK.HAHAHA.
so went back to the canteen to sit.
After that Ethan and his gf, pearlyn came,
asked them to buy more.
like icecream and all.
HAHAHA.
weijie went to buy more tickets.
& bought 3 fighting fish for caleb.*.*
and they bought meesiam and all,
leaving only 1 buck for me to buy drink.
RAH.
after that they all left to watch balls of fury.
packed up and all,
counted money,
IF ONLY IT WAS REAL CASH $.$
HAHAHA.
GUESS WHAT.
I FOUND ANOTHER 7 BUCKS WORTH OF TICKETS IN MY WALLET.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR,
wasted mney buying more tickets.
ALL TGT I SOLD/BOUGHT 14 Tickets= 140 bucks.
and i still have 7 BUCKS LEFT.
RAHRAHRAH.
YUPX,
THANKS FOR COMING(:
FYRB♥
-------------
ITS ALL WITHIN YOUR MIND,
REMEMBER WHAT YOUR C ,TOLD YOU,
DO NOT LET YOUR FEELINGS n EMOTIONS CONTROL YOU.
SO AS NOT TO AFFECT YOU.
WHAT YOU THINK IS HOW YOU WILL REACT.
LOVE,
___ ____.
Hi there!
Hi! I'm Dominika (you can call me Minia, like everybody ;) and I'm 15. I love reading books, watchnig tv (I'd like to become a film director) , walking with my best friend ;*. I hate when my dear brother wake me up in saturday morning, it's great ;/ Of course I love English like you. It's really interesting language and I'd like (someday) go to USA to mu aunt and work there in summer.
A lot of you know me, so I'll stop bore you to death ;) And I wish all success!Minia
28sep07 CHOMSKY interview
A Revolution is Just Below the Surface
September 28th 2007, by Eva Golinger
On September 21, 2007, I had the extraordinary opportunity to interview
Noam Chomsky in his office at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in
Cambridge, Massachusetts. The interview will be aired on Venezuelan and
Latin American television as part of the promotion for the III
International Book Fair in Venezuela, which this year focuses on the
theme: "United States: Is Revolution Possible?" The transcription of the
interview follows.
EVA: I read a quote of yours which said power is always illegitimate
unless it proves itself to be legitimate. So in Venezuela right now we are
in the process of Constitutional reform. And within that reform the
People's Power is going to gain Constitutional rank, above in fact all the
other state powers, the executive, legislative and judicial powers, and in
Venezuela we also have the electoral and the citizen's power. Would this
be an example of power becoming legitimate? A people's power? And could
this change the way power is viewed? And change the face of Latin America
considering that the Bolivarian Revolution is having such an influence
over other countries in the region?
CHOMSKY: Your word, the word "could", is the right word. Yes it "could" ,
but it depends how it is implemented. In principle it seems to be a very
powerful and persuasive conception, but everything always depends on
implementation. If there is really authentic popular participation in the
decision-making and the free association of communities, yeah, that could
be tremendously important. In fact that's essentially the traditional
anarchist ideal. That's what was realized the only time for about a year
in Spain in 1936 before it was crushed by outside forces, in fact all
outside forces, Stalinst Russia, Hitler in Germany, Mussilini's fascism
and the Western democracies cooperated in crushing it. They were all
afraid of it. But that was something like what you are describing, and if
it can function and survive and really disperse power down to participants
and their communities, it could be extremely important.
EVA: Do you think it's just an idealist illusion or can it really be
manifested?
CHOMSKY: I think it can. It's usually crushed by outside force because
it's considered so dangerous...
EVA: But in this case when it's the government who's promoting it? The
state who's promoting it?
CHOMSKY: That's what going to be the crucial question. Is it coming from
the State or is it coming from the people? Now, maybe it can be initiated
from the State, but unless the energy is really coming from the population
itself, it's very likely to fall into some sort of top-down directed
pattern, and that's the real question. In Spain in 1936, the reason for
the very substantial success is because it was popular - it's a quite
different situation from Venezuela. In Spain, the anarchist tradition was
very deeply rooted. There had been 50 years of education, experiments,
efforts which were crushed, I mean it was in people's minds. So when the
opportunity came they were developing what was already in their minds,
what they had tried to do many times, it wasn't spontaneous, it was the
result of decades of education, organizing and activism on the ground. Now
Venezuela is a different situation, it's being initiated from above, and
the question is can that lead to direct popular participation and
innovative and energy and so on. That's a real historical experiment, I
don't know the answer.
EVA: I think it's a combination because the reason that the coup against
Chávez was overthrown was because of the people's power...
CHOMSKY: That's right
EVA: It's just been unstructured and very spontaneous, so the idea behind
this is to somehow structure that, and I question from that same anarchist
perspective, if you structure that power will it....
CHOMSKY: Take off...
EVA: or become corrupted or illegitimate? Or will it Take off?
CHOMSKY: Take off...That's why the comparison with Spain is so interesting
because there it was coming from below, nothing coming from above and it
was there because people had been committed to it for decades and had
tried it out, organized and so on. There was a live anarchist tradition,
actually there is a live anarchist tradition in Latin America but it's
been repeatedly crushed, in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, all over, actually I
have a book right over there on the desk on the history of Anarchism in
Chile which is not very well known, so it's been there, it's hidden, but I
don't think these ideas are very far below consciousness almost anywhere,
including the United States. If you talk to working class people they
understand the notions. If fact it's not too well known but in the United
States, there was never a powerful organized left, but in many ways it's
one of the most leftist societies in the world. In the mid-19th century
for example, right in the beginning of the industrialist revolution right
around here in Boston, there was a rich literature of working class
people, what were called factory girls, young women coming from the farms
to work in the mills, or Irish artesians, immigrants in Boston, very rich
literature, it was the period of the freest press ever in the country and
it was very radical. They had no connection with European radicalism, they
had never heard of Marx or anything else, and it was simply taken for
granted that wage labor is not much different from slavery, and if you
rent yourself to somebody that's not different from selling yourself.
Actually in the Civil War in the United States, a lot of the northern
workers actually fought under that banner, were against chattel slavery
and they were against wage slavery. And the standard slogan of the people
was "the people who work in the mills ought to own them and run them". It
took a long time to drive that out of people's heads. In the 1890s there
were cities, like Homestead, Pennsylvania, that were taken over by working
class people with these ideas, and they're still there. You know it's kind
of suppressed by lots of propaganda and repression and so on, but it's
just below the surface and I would imagine that may be the same in
Venezuela. These are natural beliefs and there's a possibility they might
spring into fruition given the right circumstances.
EVA: That's actually included in the constitutional reform as well, the
concept of creating communal cities, communes, that are worker-run, and
including the companies. It will be very interesting to see how it
develops.
CHOMSKY: It's very interesting
EVA: And how it then would change the force of power in the region
CHOMSKY: If it can carry out. In the past it has happened but it's been
crushed by force and even here in the United States it was crushed by
State violence.
EVA: On the notion of "crushed by force and state violence", thinking of
Latin America and the changes occurring, the influences of Venezuela,
right now President Chávez is mediating the peace process in Colombia.
One, how do you view his role as the mediator? And two, do you think that
the US is really going to allow for peace in Colombia when there has been
an expansion of Plan Colombia and Colombia remains the stronghold of the
United States and its military force in South America? Would they react in
a more sort of aggressive way?
CHOMSKY: I think the US will do what it can to make sure Colombia remains
more or less a client state. But I don't think the US has a commitment to
the internal war in Colombia. They do want to see FARC destroyed. The US
does not really want paramilitaries running the country and the drug
trade, I mean that's not optimal from the point of view of an imperial
power, you don't want to have para-powers carrying out State activities.
They were useful, and the US not only supported them but in fact, they
initiated them. If you go back to the early sixties in Venezuela, in fact
in 1962, President Kennedy sent a military mission to Colombia, headed by
a Special Forces General, General Yarborough, to advise Colombia on how to
deal with its internal problems and they recommended paramilitary terror.
That was their phrase: they recommend "paramilitary power against known
communist adherents." Well, in the Latin American context, "known
communist adherents" means human rights activists, labor organizers,
priests working with peasants, I don't have to explain to you, and yeah,
they recommended paramilitary terror. You can look back and say that
Colombia has a violent history, but that changed it, that's really the
initiation of the massive state and paramilitary terror that turned into a
total monstrosity in the last couple of decades. But although the United
States did implement it and support it right through Plan Colombia, it's
not really in US interests and the interests of US power systems for that
to continue. They'd rather have an orderly, obedient society, exporting
raw materials, a place where US manufacturers can have cheap labor and so
on and so forth, but without the internal violence. So I think there might
be toleration at least of mediation efforts that could curb the level of
internal violence and control the paramilitaries who will be and are in
fact being absorbed into the state.
EVA: But Chávez doing it?
CHOMSKY: Well, that's going to be interesting. In fact, it's rarely
discussed here. In fact right now there are also negotiations and
discussions going on between Brazil and Venezuela about joint projects,
the Orinoco River project, a gas pipeline, and so on. Try to find some
report about that here. People are afraid of it. The conception, or if you
like "party line" on Latin America, has had to shift. Latin America has
changed a lot, it's not what it was in the 1960s. For the first time since
the Spanish invasion the countries are beginning to face some of the
internal problems in Latin America. One of the problems is just
disintegration. The countries have very little relationship to one
another. They typically were related to the outside imperial power not to
each other. You can even see it in the transportation systems. But there
is also internal disintegration, tremendous inequality, the worst in the
world; small elites and huge massive impoverished people, and the elites
were Europe-oriented or US-oriented later - that's where their second
homes were, that's where their capital went to, that's where their
children went to school. They didn't have anything to do with the
population. The elites in Latin America had very little responsibility for
the countries. And these two forms of disintegration and slowly being
overcome. So there is more integration among the societies, and there are
several countries taking steps to deal with the horrible problem of elite
domination, which has a racial component to it also of course, there is a
pretty close correlation between wealth and whiteness all over the
continent. It's one of the reasons for the antagonism to Chávez, it's
because he doesn't look white. But steps are being taken towards that, and
that is significant. The US doctrinal system, and I don't mean the
government, I mean the press, the intellectuals and so on, have shifted
their description of Latin America. It's no longer the democrats versus
the communists - Pinochet the democrat versus.... It's shifted, now it's
conceded that there is a move to the left, but there are the good leftists
and the bad leftists. The bad leftists are Chávez and Morales, maybe
Kirchner, maybe Ecuador - they haven't decided yet, but those are the bad
leftists. The good ones are Brazil, maybe Chile and so on. In order to
maintain that picture it's been necessary to do some pretty careful
control of historical facts. For example, when Lula the good leftist was
reelected his first act was to go to Caracas where he and Chávez built a
joint bridge over the Orinoco...it wasn't even reported here, because you
can't report things like that, it contradicts the party line - the good
guys and the bad guys. And the same is true in this very moment with the
Brazil-Venezuela negotiations. I think they are very important. Colombia
is significant. If Chávez can carry it off that's great for Colombia, but
these other things are much broader in significance. If Brazil and
Venezuela can cooperate on major projects, joint projects, maybe
ultimately the gas pipeline through Latin America. That's a step towards
regional integration, which is a real prerequisite for defense against
outside intervention. You can't have defense against intervention if the
countries are separated from one another and if they are separated
internally from elites and general populations, so I think these are
extremely important developments. Colombia as well, if it can be done,
fine, reduce the level of violence, maybe take some steps forward for the
people of Colombia, but I think these other negotiations and discussions
proceeding at the same time have a deeper and longer term significance.
EVA: Right now Chávez is in Manaus, just yesterday and today...
CHOMSKY: Right
EVA: Well, one of the tactics of US aggression against Venezuela and
against the rise of a new leftism or socialism in Latin America is
precisely to divide and counteract what Venezuela under Chávez has been
leading throughout the region which is now resulting in sovereignty and
Latin American integration. I guess to focus that question on a media
angle, one of the other tactics of aggression against Venezuela and other
countries in the region is obviously psychological warfare, on an internal
level in Venezuela, but also internationally to prevent the people around
the world from knowing really what's happening. Within Venezuela under
Chávez hundreds of new community media outlets have been created. This has
helped us internally to combat media manipulation from corporate media in
Venezuela, but on an international level, we haven't had much advance
fighting the war against the media empire. How can we do that?
CHOMSKY: Well, the history of media in the west is interesting. I
mentioned that the period of the freest press in the US and England was
the mid-19th century, and it was rather like what you were describing.
There were hundreds of newspapers of all kinds, working class, ethnic,
communities of all kinds, with direct active participation, real
participation. People read in those days, working people. Like a
blacksmith in Boston would pay a 16 year old kid to read to him while he
was working. These factory girls coming from the farms had a high culture,
they were reading contemporary literature. And part of their bitter
condemnation of the industrial system was because it was taking their
culture away from them. They did run extremely interesting newspapers and
it was lively, exciting and a period of a really very free vibrant press,
and it was overcome slowly, most true in England and the United States,
which were then the freest countries in the world. In England they tried
censorship, it didn't work, there were too many ways around it. They tried
repressive taxation, again it didn't work very well, similarly in the US.
What did work finally was two things: concentration of capital and
advertiser reliance. First the concentration of capital is obvious then
you can do all kinds of things that smaller newspapers can't do. But
advertiser reliance means really the newspapers are being run by the
advertisers. If the source of income is advertising, the main source, well
that's of course going to have an inordenent influence. And by now it's
close to 100%. If you turn on television, CBS doesn't make any money from
the fact that you turned on the television set, they make money from the
advertisers. The advertisers are in effect, the corporation that owns it
is selling audiences to advertisers, so of course the news product
reflects overwhelming the interests of the corporation and the buyers and
the market, which is advertisers. So yeah, and that over time, along with
concentration of capital, has essentially eliminated or sharply reduced
the diverse, lively and independent locally based media. And that's pretty
serious. In the United States, which has had no really organized socialist
movement, nevertheless, as recently as the 1950s, there were about 800
labor newspapers which probably reached maybe 30 million people a week,
which by our standards were pretty radical, condemning corporate power,
condemning what they called the bought priesthood, mainly those who run
the media - the priesthood that was bought by the corporate system
offering a different picture to the world. In England, it lasted into the
1960s. In the 1960s the tabloids - which are now hideous if you look at
them - they were labor-based newspapers in the 1960s, pretty leftist in
their orientation. The major newspaper in England that had the largest
circulation, more than any other, was The Daily Herald, which was a kind
of social-democratic labor-based paper giving a very different picture of
the world. It collapsed, not because of lack of reader interest, in fact
it had probably the largest reader interest of any, but because it
couldn't get advertisers and couldn't bring in capital. So what you're
describing today is part of the history of the west, which has been
overcome slowly by the standard processes of concentration of capital and
of course advertiser reliance is another form of it. But it's beginning to
revive in the west as well through the Internet and through cheap
publishing techniques. Computers, desktop publishing is now much cheaper
than big publishing, and of course the internet. So the new technologies
are giving opportunities to overcome the effects of capital concentration,
which has a severe impact on the nature of media and the nature of schools
and everything else. So, there's revival, and actually the major battle
that's going on right now is crucial, as to who is going to control the
Internet. The Internet was developed in places like this, MIT, that's the
state sector of the economy, most of the new economy comes out of the
state sector, it's not a free market economy. The Internet is a case in
point; it was developed in the state sector like here, actually with
Pentagon funding, and it was in the state sector for about 30 years before
it was handed over to private corporations in 1995 under Clinton. And
right now there's a struggle going on as to whether it will be free or
not. So there's a major effort being made by the major corporate centers
to figure out some ways to control it, to prevent the wrong kinds of
things from their point of view from being accessible, and there are now
grassroots movements, significant ones struggling against it, so these are
ongoing live battles. There is nothing inherent in capitalist democracy to
the idea that the media have to be run by corporations. It would have
shocked the founding fathers of the United States. They believed that the
media had to be publicly run. If you go back to the...it's hard to believe
now…
EVA: Well, that's why the airwaves are public
CHOMSKY: That's right, that's why the airwaves are kept public and it's a
gift to the corporations to allow them to be used. But if you go back to
Jefferson, even Hamilton, Madison and the rest of them, they were in favor
of public subsidies to newspapers to enable them to survive as independent
sources of information. Postal rates were set by the government in such a
way as to give advantages to the newspapers so that the public would be
able to have access to the widest possible range of diverse information
and so on. The Bill of Rights, which technically established freedom of
press, we can talk about whether that works, but technically said nothing
about whether the government could intervene to support the media. In
fact, it's not only a possibility but it's what the framers of the
Constitution had in mind. Over the years, attitudes, the dominant culture,
the hegemonic culture as Gramsci would have called it, has changed so that
the idea of the corporatization of the media is sort of assumed kind of
like the air you breathe, but it's not, it's a creation of capitalist
concentration and the doctrinal system that goes with it...…It doesn't
have to exist
EVA: So, in that sense a couple of months ago the Venezuelan government
decided not to renew the concession of one of the corporate media outlets
for many reasons, tax violations, not paying social security for workers
as well as being involved in the coup. Do you think that is a
demonstration of the State assuring that those airwaves remain in the
public sphere? And that is something that could be replicated in other
countries or even in the United States, they didn't revoke the concession,
they just didn't renew it.
CHOMSKY: You're talking about the RCTV case. Well, my own view of that is
kind of mixed. Formally I think it was a tactical mistake, and for another
I think you need a heavy burden of proof to close down any form of media
so in that sense my attitude is critical...
EVA: But should corporations have a stronghold on the concessions?
CHOMSKY: Yeah, I know, that's the other side. The question is what
replaces it. However, let me say that I agree with the western criticism
in one crucial respect. When they say nothing like that could ever happen
here, that's correct. But the reason, which is not stated, is that if
there had been anything like RCTV in the United States or England or
Western Europe the owners and the managers would have been brought to
trial and executed – In the United States executed, in Europe sent to
prison permanently, right away, in 2002. You can't imagine the New York
Times or CBS News supporting a military coup that overthrew the government
even for a day. The reaction would be "send them to a firing squad" . So
yeah, it wouldn't have happened in the west because it would never have
gotten this far. It seems to me that there should be more focus on that.
But as to the removal of the license I think you just have to ask what's
replacing it. In Venezuela, you know better than I, my impression is that
it was not a popular move. And the population should have a voice in this,
big voice, major voice, so I think there are many sides to it. But it kind
of depends how it works itself out. Are you really going to get popular
media, for example?
EVA: Should the concessions be in the hands of the people to decide?
CHOMSKY: I think they should, yes, in fact in a technical sense they are,
even in the United States. Take the airwaves again, that's public
property. Corporations have no right to it, It's given to them as a gift
by the taxpayer and the taxpayer doesn't know it. The culture has reached
the point where the people assume that's the natural order of things. It's
not, it's a major gift from the public. In fact if you look at the history
of telecommunications, radio and television, it's quite interesting. Radio
came along in the 1920s and in most of the world, it just became public.
The United States is an interesting case, it's almost the only major case
in which radio was privatized. And there was a struggle about it. The
labor unions, the educational institutions, the churches, they wanted it
to be public, the corporations wanted it to be privatized. There was a big
battle, and the United States is very much a business-run society, and
uniquely, business won, and it was privatized. When television came along,
in most of the world it was public, without question. In the United states
it wasn't even an issue, it was just private because the
business-dominated culture by then had achieved a level of dominance so
that people didn't think of what was obvious, that this was public space
that we're giving away to them. Finally, public radio and public
television were permitted in the United States in a very small corner,
because there had been public pressure to compel the corporate media to
meet some level or public responsibility, like to run a few educational
programs for children and things like that. And the corporations didn't
like it, they didn't want to have any commitment to public responsibility,
so they were willing to allow a small public, side operation, so they
could then claim, well, we don't have to have any responsibility anymore
because they can do it, and they don't do much of, they are also
corporate-funded, but that's a striking difference between the United
States and even other similar societies. It's a very free country, the
United States, maybe the freest in the world, but it's also uniquely
business-run, and that has enormous effects on everything.
EVA: On that note, the theme of the Book Fair in Venezuela this year is
"United States: Is a Revolution Possible?" Is it?
CHOMSKY: I think it's just below the surface. I mean there is tremendous
discontent. A large majority of the population for years has felt that the
government doesn't represent them, that it represents special interests.
In the Reagan years this went up to about 80% of the population. If you
look at public attitudes and public policy, there is a huge gulf between
them. Both political parties are far to the right of the population on a
host of major issues. Just to take some examples; Read in this morning's
New York Times, September 21st, there's a column by Paul Krugmann, who's
sort of far left of the media, sort of a left, liberal commentator, a very
good economist, who's been talking for some time about the horrible health
system in the United States, it's a disaster, twice the per capita
expenses of any other country and some of the industrial companies and
some of the worst outcomes in the industrial world. And he has a column
this morning that starts out by saying, hopefully, well now it turns out
that maybe universal health care is becoming politically possible. Now
that's a very interesting comment, particularly when it's coming from the
left end of the media. What does it mean for it to become politically
possible? For decades it's been supported by an overwhelming majority of
the population but it was never politically possible. Now it's becoming
politically possible. Why? He doesn't say why, but the reason is that
manufacturing corporations are being severely harmed by the hopelessly
inefficient and costly healthcare system in the United States. It's like
how it costs a lot more to produce a car in Detroit than a couple of miles
north in Windsor Canada because they have an efficient, functioning
healthcare system. So by now there is corporate pressure from the
manufacturing sector to do something to fix up the outrageous healthcare
system. So it's becoming politically possible. When it's just the large
majority of the population, it's not politically possible. The assumptions
behind that should be obvious, but they're interesting. Politically
possible does not mean the population supports it. What politically
possible means is that some sectors of concentrated capital support it. So
if the pharmeceutical industries and the financial institutions are
against it, it's not politically possible. But if manufacturing industries
come out in favor of it, well then maybe it begins to become politically
possible. Those are the general assumptions, we're not talking about the
left liberal commentary. I'm not talking about the editorials in the Wall
Street Journal, that's the spectrum of opinion. Something is politically
possible if it's support by major concentrations of capital. It doesn't
matter what the public thinks, and you see this on international issues
too. Like take what may be the major international issue right now: Is the
United States going to invade Iran? That could be an utter monstrosity.
Every viable presidential candidate - not Dennis Kucinich, but the ones
that are really viable, has come out and said yeah, we have the right to
invade Iran. The way they say it is, "all options are on the table",
meaning, "we want to attack them, we can attack them." That's almost the
entire political spectrum, but what does the population think? Well, about
75% of the population is opposed to any threats against Iran and wants to
enter into diplomatic relations with them. But that's off the spectrum, in
fact, it isn't even reported. But it's not part of the discussion. It's
the same way with Cuba. Every since polls began in the 1970s, a
considerable amount of the population wants to enter into normal
diplomatic relations with Cuba and end the economic strangulation and the
terror, which they don't know about, but they would be against that too.
It's not an option, because state interests won't allow it. And that's
separate from the population, and it's not discussed. Do a search of media
and journals, including left journals and you just don't find it. Well,
it's a very free country but also very much business controlled.
EVA: But how could that change come about?
CHOMSKY: It can come about by the kind of organization that will take
public opinion - that will take the public and turn it into an organized
force. Which has happened...
EVA: So in the end you need media control?
CHOMSKY: Well, that's part of it, but media control is in part a
consequence of popular organization. So the media, take the Vietnam era,
the media did turn into moderate critics of the war, but that was the
result of popular mass movements. I could tell you explicit cases, one
case I know very well was one of the major newspapers in the country, the
editor happened to be a personal friend who was pretty conservative and
became the first newspaper in the United States to call for withdrawal. It
was largely under the influence of his son who was in the resistance, who
I knew through the resistance activities, and who influenced his father.
That's an individual case, but it was happening all over. The shift in the
popular movements and popular attitudes led to a shift in the media, not a
major shift, but a significant one. For one reason because the journalists
are human beings and they live in the culture, and if they're coming out
of a culture of criticism and questioning and challenging and so on, well,
that's going to affect them. So there has been a change in many respects.
Take say aggression. There is a lot of comparison now of the reaction to
the Iraq war with the reaction to the Vietnam war - it's almost all wrong,
there was almost no opposition to the Vietnam war. When the Vietnam war
was at the level of the Iraq war today there was almost no opposition.
Public protest of the Iraq war is far beyond that of the Vietnam war at
any comparable stage. People have just forgotten. There was protest
against the Vietnam war by 1968, lets say, but by that time there were
half a million troops in Vietnam. The US had invaded...and it was seven,
six or seven years after they had invaded South Vietnam and it had been
practically wiped out and the word spread to the rest of Indochina. It was
way beyond Iraq today - then there was protest. The first call for
withdrawal from Vietnam in the major media was fall of 1969. That's seven
years after the war began. Now you get it in the New York Times, they
don't mean it, but at least you get it. These are changes, and the same
changes have taken place in many other domains. Take say women's rights,
it's pretty important, it's half the population. Well, the circumstances
are very different now than the 1960s. You can see it right at this
institution. Take a walk down the halls and you'll see about half women,
about a third minorities, casual dress, easy interchanges among the people
and so on. When I got here 50 years ago it was totally different. White
males, well dressed, obedient - do your work and don't ask any questions.
And it's indicative of changes throughout the whole society. Well, those
are...the solidarity movements are the same. When you have popular
movements, they change the society. If they reach a sufficient scale I
think they can challenge fundamental matters of class domination and
economic control.
EVA: Do you think the revolution in Venezuela serves as an example for
people in the United States? That change is possible from the ground up?
CHOMSKY: It will if two things happen: One, if it's successful and two, if
you can break through the media distortion of what's happening. Two things
have to happen, ok? So, I mentioned that I was in Chile last October. The
picture of Venezuela that is presented by the media, say in El Mercurio is
about the same as it would have been in the old El Mercurio under
Pinochet. So as long as that's the picture, that's the prism through which
events are perceived, you can't have much of an effect. But if you can
change the prism so that things are reported more or less accurately, and
if what's happening in fact does constitute a possible model, if those two
achievements can be reached, then yes, it could be.
EVA: Would you give a message to the people of Venezuela? Anything?
CHOMSKY: Yeah, make it succeed. The task for the people of Venezuela or
for Latin America all together is to carry forth the programs of
integration, of overcoming repression, inequality, poverty. lack of
democracy, which is happening in various ways in different countries.
Carry it through to success, and in collaboration and solidarity with
people of the rich powers. Make it reach the point where it is understood
there as well, that requires both sides, and they interact. Take
liberation theology, it was mostly Latin America, and it had an influence
in the United States, a big influence in the church and in the society,
and the same can be true of other developments. There is a lot of
interaction possible. More so now than before because of the existence of
intercommunications and solidarity movements and so on.
Hi all!
My name is Piotr and I’m a new blogger like you. Who knows me, know I’m not in English class but I’m from 3d. It happened by huge mistake, because I missed with my interest going to journalistic class. English lessons are my favourite lessons and I really like not only learning this language but also writing and speaking in it. I like just doing everything what is in whatever way related to it. So, it’s obvious I’m here.
And maybe something about my others interests besides English, which is the first. So I don’t like reading books enough to it be my hobby or something like that, I like going to the cinema, listening to music, I couldn’t live without it such as I don’t imagine life without my bike. It’s my the best friend after English dictionary of course. I’m wondering what would it be when I’d give name my bike and celebrate its name-day. It’s short but that’s all about my others interests.
I’d like yet wish all you GOOD LUCK.
And maybe something about my others interests besides English, which is the first. So I don’t like reading books enough to it be my hobby or something like that, I like going to the cinema, listening to music, I couldn’t live without it such as I don’t imagine life without my bike. It’s my the best friend after English dictionary of course. I’m wondering what would it be when I’d give name my bike and celebrate its name-day. It’s short but that’s all about my others interests.
I’d like yet wish all you GOOD LUCK.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Grimy Styles Live in Houston Last Night
Mayne it inexplicably went DOWN!
My favorite group, Grimy Styles hit the city on the tail end of their east coast tour and straight up turned the Proletariat out! Big ups to everyone else on the bill - DJ's Witnes, Dayta and Simiu and the lovely and talented songstress KAM! Man, for real, these were some of the nicest vibes I've felt in a club in a long time. Members of the SPC, KB da Kidnappa, Zin, Niq of the Grit Boys and a gang of artists and movers and shakers showed up and jammed down to the sound.
Real talk, a lot of people can't believe that four white dudes from Austin have taken dub reggae to such a new level. The boys are unfadable for real. And I have the pictures to prove it.
(DISCLAIMER - My good, good friend Queen Majesty was booked to DJ tonight, we bought flights and everything. She had a three date run in Dallas, Houston and Austin, but alas and alak, she works in the fashion industry and well, Fashion Week is coming up in NYC in a couple weeks, and they got overwhelmed with work and basically said she couldn't take off work. Damn the (wo)man. I'll never wear another Sound Girl shirt again.
But straight up, we will get the Queen down here soon, cuz Houston wants to see her. As do I.
Matt from Grimy Styles reading the new Public News
Mike Barre in the building
My wife Melissa and The Are
Super Photographer and Painter Turhan
Witnes
Zin got on with KB da Kidnappa and Grimy Styles and killed it. Photo towards end of post.
Tim Summers of Envy Magazine and Sara Winter from The Messina Group! MY PEOPLE!
Peekaboo Theory helped out with the intro to KAM, who opened the show and promoted the fuck out of it. YOu wanna promote a show in Houston, get with Kam, I sure do.
SHE KILLED IT! Check her out on MySpace.com/bamitskam
She's awesome, for real.
My wife Melissa
Christamonster and Kam are a serious team. HoustonSoReal Officials.
Maggie and Monica from Barstool Magazine
Kiara and Stacey in the placey!
Bobby Hinojosa
Christa, Cayn of Peekaboo Theory and Kam
Unique of the Grit Boys and Friend
This girl is on the VIP List for every party I ever throw ever. Might even put her on a flyer. She's everywhere.
And man, when these boys hit the stage, the crowd went insane. Danacing non-stop for an hour and a half.
Motherfucking rappers can't do 15 mins rapping over a CD without bitching about it, these dudes do 3 hour sets and shit. Come on man, learn yo lesson.
Martin is a genius. All four of them are. What a freakin' sound.
DANCE!
They opened the mic toward the end of their set and KB da Kidnappa grabbed hold and didn't let up. Freakin' killed it with the live band vibe. So Real!
Stars.
DJ 13-8 IN THE BUILDING!
Turhan once again in the crowd.
Zin killed it on stage alongside KB
This girl was playing a kazoo outside but wouldn't lemme get a shot of her in "action"
Kuwait of the SPC! Also in the house were Dope E, K-Rino, Murder 1, Justice Allah of the 144 Elite (Bro, I didn't know you are also DNJC! I love your song "Love!"), Lean Sippa, Domo, DJ Awol and more! I should have gotten more photos.
Just suffice it to say it went down. Lets do this again sometime soon. Proletariat 5 year anniversary is this weekend. Come down!
My favorite group, Grimy Styles hit the city on the tail end of their east coast tour and straight up turned the Proletariat out! Big ups to everyone else on the bill - DJ's Witnes, Dayta and Simiu and the lovely and talented songstress KAM! Man, for real, these were some of the nicest vibes I've felt in a club in a long time. Members of the SPC, KB da Kidnappa, Zin, Niq of the Grit Boys and a gang of artists and movers and shakers showed up and jammed down to the sound.
Real talk, a lot of people can't believe that four white dudes from Austin have taken dub reggae to such a new level. The boys are unfadable for real. And I have the pictures to prove it.
(DISCLAIMER - My good, good friend Queen Majesty was booked to DJ tonight, we bought flights and everything. She had a three date run in Dallas, Houston and Austin, but alas and alak, she works in the fashion industry and well, Fashion Week is coming up in NYC in a couple weeks, and they got overwhelmed with work and basically said she couldn't take off work. Damn the (wo)man. I'll never wear another Sound Girl shirt again.
But straight up, we will get the Queen down here soon, cuz Houston wants to see her. As do I.
Matt from Grimy Styles reading the new Public News
Mike Barre in the building
My wife Melissa and The Are
Super Photographer and Painter Turhan
Witnes
Zin got on with KB da Kidnappa and Grimy Styles and killed it. Photo towards end of post.
Tim Summers of Envy Magazine and Sara Winter from The Messina Group! MY PEOPLE!
Peekaboo Theory helped out with the intro to KAM, who opened the show and promoted the fuck out of it. YOu wanna promote a show in Houston, get with Kam, I sure do.
SHE KILLED IT! Check her out on MySpace.com/bamitskam
She's awesome, for real.
My wife Melissa
Christamonster and Kam are a serious team. HoustonSoReal Officials.
Maggie and Monica from Barstool Magazine
Kiara and Stacey in the placey!
Bobby Hinojosa
Christa, Cayn of Peekaboo Theory and Kam
Unique of the Grit Boys and Friend
This girl is on the VIP List for every party I ever throw ever. Might even put her on a flyer. She's everywhere.
And man, when these boys hit the stage, the crowd went insane. Danacing non-stop for an hour and a half.
Motherfucking rappers can't do 15 mins rapping over a CD without bitching about it, these dudes do 3 hour sets and shit. Come on man, learn yo lesson.
Martin is a genius. All four of them are. What a freakin' sound.
DANCE!
They opened the mic toward the end of their set and KB da Kidnappa grabbed hold and didn't let up. Freakin' killed it with the live band vibe. So Real!
Stars.
DJ 13-8 IN THE BUILDING!
Turhan once again in the crowd.
Zin killed it on stage alongside KB
This girl was playing a kazoo outside but wouldn't lemme get a shot of her in "action"
Kuwait of the SPC! Also in the house were Dope E, K-Rino, Murder 1, Justice Allah of the 144 Elite (Bro, I didn't know you are also DNJC! I love your song "Love!"), Lean Sippa, Domo, DJ Awol and more! I should have gotten more photos.
Just suffice it to say it went down. Lets do this again sometime soon. Proletariat 5 year anniversary is this weekend. Come down!
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