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I think the downward spiral started around 2:00 PM on December 21, 2010. The details aren’t terribly important and everyone who knows me well is already familiar with the agonizing step-by-step minutiae of it all. For the sake of brevity, I’ll simply say that our 5 year-old iMac suffered some sort of catastrophic freak-out which rendered the hard drive inoperable…and – according to the place that serviced the machine – completely unsalvageable.
By Christmas Eve, I had the computer back, this time with a nearly empty 500 GB hard drive and an operating system that is a few years old. All of my third party applications, including hard-to-replace packages like PhotoShop and my OCR and HTML editing software are gone. Rebuilding the applications is tricky enough but then there’s the overall content of the old drive – photos, home movies, documents, songs, compositions, records…the list goes on and on – that’s one of the biggest blows from this whole affair. I should have learned my lesson years ago when I had abig scare with my OS upgradeand I did start backing up content from that point forward. But my backups just weren’t done regularly enough to save everything. Or even half of everything, for that matter.
Now, adding insult to injury, I’ve recently been notified by the folks who run the server for greeklish.org that they will shut the server down for good in the near future. Maybe even the very near future. They're running blogware that hasn't been updated in about two years. Someone from the company told me today that I am one of a handful of people still using it. Moreover, the tech support guy advised that if the server was to crash or something like that, they have no idea how, when or if they would try to restart it. So the website is running on outdated software and an old, unmaintained server.
Exactly when the shutdown will occur is unclear, but it will happen. So it’s final: greeklish.org – my home on the web since 2005 – is slated for imminent extinction. I had a feeling this would happen when the company that originally sold me the domain split its holdings in 2008 or so. I have issues with the way things were handled back then and I have a few resentments about how things have gone down recently. But I really don’t have time to waste grinding axes. Onward… It’s been a good run and it’s almost always been fun. We’ve used this space to share big and exciting news and a sad story or two. Overall, though, life continues to be overwhelmingly good. Losing some files and having to shift around content is an inconvenience that I certainly could do with out but then again, if this is the worst thing that happens to me today, tomorrow or the next day, I think I’m doing just fine. In the near future, I’ll carve out a new spot on the web and move some of the best content from greeklish.org over there along with the completeZoya Kosmodemyanskaya Archiveas well as some new and improved features and sections. It’ll be good. Really.
As a long-time mixtape enthusiast, I've always wanted to create a "soundtrack to my life" mix. Every time I've started down that path thus far, I run into a difficult time consolidating everything down to one 80-minute CD. Even a two-disc set -- which would likely run around 40 tracks or so -- just doesn't seem big enough to include all of the songs that are important to me in various and sundry ways. In the end, I decided that a big undertaking such as this needs to be done correctly, with proper attention to detail and a good mix of important tunes, obscure tracks and special features.
What I've decided, then, is to break things up into segments. For the first mix, I'm covering 1973 to 1980. This spans most of my time in eastern Kentucky. It's an eclectic collection, for sure. No heavy metal or punk music here, but there are a few country music songs, novelty tunes and a bit of Barry Manilow, too.
Sometimes, it's hard to say what exactly leads us in one direction or another, with respect to taste in music, politics, beliefs, and life in general. By the time I get to choosing tracks by Quiet Riot, Kiss and Venom for the later discs, it'll be a long and winding road, indeed.
The "cover art" for this mix CD features a snapshot from our 2007 visit to Kentucky and West Virginia. It's the view from I-64 on the way into Huntington.
Life In Music, 1973-1980
1. The Death of Elvis Presley, as reported by David Brinkley (August 16, 1977) The news of Elvis Presley's death is not only one of my earliest memories regarding music; it's one of the first things I remember at all. The news broke on August 16, 1977 and I was four years old at the time. I distinctly recall watching television with my brother and sister when a news bulletin interrupted our show. I had no idea who Elvis was and I went out to the kitchen where my folks were sitting and asked them. For weeks, I'd mimic the news bulletin, saying something like, "We interrupt this program to bring you this high-buckled news report. Elvis Presley is dead. We don't know why, but he's dead, dead, dead!" It's still kind of funny to me.
2. "Gotta Get to Your House" by David Seville (Original release: 1957) We had an old set of 45's that we'd listen to over and over again and this one by Alvin and the Chipmunks creator David Seville was a favorite. I remember listening to this with them one day and they had to explain to me why it was so funny. For the mix CD, I recorded this from our original 45. These days, our girls are fans of the Chipmunks and they think this song is hilarious.
3. "
David Seville
I Love" by Tom T. Hall (Original release: 1973) My folks had Tom T. Hall's Greatest Hits, Volume 2 on LP and I remember listening to cuts like "I Love" and I Like Beer" while we ate dinner.
4. "Annie's Song" by John Denver (Original release: 1974) My sister had this song on a 45. I was convinced that this song was actually about her and I was kind of disappointed when my parents told me that it was just a coincidence that my sister had the same name as John Denver's wife, Annie.
5. "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder (Original release: 1972) I wasn't even born when Stevie Wonder performed "Superstition" on Sesame Street, but the episode was still played regularly when I was 5 or 6 years old. PBS had some great stuff back then, including The Electric Company, Zoom and -- of course -- Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.
6. "The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers (Original release: 1978) "The Gambler" was absolutely huge when I was a kid. My folks bought Kenny Rogers: Greatest Hits for me on LP and I used to listen to the whole album, start to finish. One time, I asked my mom to explain the lyric, "The best that you can hope for is to die in your sleep" and told me it meant that no suffering is involved. The Gambler gets this kind of merciful ending when he "breaks even" towards the end of the song. It seems like morbid fare for a six year-old kid, but it beats the hell out of the crap that Disney is feeding to kids nowadays. My other favorites from that LP were "Coward of the County" (in which the main character's girlfriend is apparently raped by three brothers) and "The Long Arm of the Law" (where the protagonist knocks up his girlfriend and then has to hide from her father who is a crooked-ass judge). It wasn't until many years later that I fully understood the adult themes of these songs.
7. "The Long and Winding Road" by The Beatles (Original release: 1970) Someone recorded this on a tape that we had laying around the house and the cassette ended up in the room that my brother and I shared. We recorded all kinds of other shenanigans on the tape, and whenever I'd go back and listen to our crazy escapades, I'd listen to this song as well. I had no idea it was The Beatles until I was a good deal older. Also on the tape was the original version of Elmo & Patsy's "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer," which was far better than the re-make they did some years later.
8. "He is Your Brother" by ABBA (Original release: 1972) 9. "California Dreamin'" by The Seekers (Original release: 1966) My dad had Greatest Hits of Abba (volumes 1 and 2) on LP as well as a couple albums by The Seekers, Georgy Girl and Live at the Talk of the Town. The cover of ABBA: Greatest Hits featured a funny scene that I didn't quite understand when I was little. I still love the Seekers and I prefer their version of "California Dreamin'" to the original.
10. "MacArthur Park" by Maynard Ferguson (Original release: 1969) When my brother started playing the trumpet, someone recommended he listen to stuff by Maynard Ferguson and Chuck Mangione to get an idea of how the better contemporary players sounded. My folks got him the Mangione album Fun and Games and a few LPs by Ferguson, including the 1980 compilation, The Best of Maynard Ferguson. The Mangione album was nice, but Ferguson had some really unusual material, including interpretations of themes from Rocky, Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek. Ferguson's cover of "MacArthur Park" is a tremendous jam that runs almost ten minutes. This album was in heavy rotation at our house in Russell.
11. "Pilot of the Airwaves" by Charlie Dore (Original release: 1980) 12. "Any Way You Want It" by Journey (Original release: 1980) I got the K-Tel album Power Play for Christmas 1980 and was the first Rock LP I ever owned. Both "Pilot of the Airwaves" and "Any Way You Want it" were on there, but I originally wanted this record because it had "Call me" by Blondie on it (...and yeah, that song was totally about prostitution, too). In third grade, I had a teacher who was really fixated on backwards masking and one afternoon, I got the album out and tried to play it backwards. For a while, I was convinced that "Pilot of the Airwaves" contained backwards messages but it never made sense to me why any musician would choose such a bizarre, nonsensical method to communicate with listeners.
13. "You're Never Goin' to Tampa With Me" by Ray Stevens (Original release: 1980) My brother and sister had the 45 of "Shriner's Convention" by Ray Stevens and as I recall, my whole family thought the song was hilarious but I get most of the jokes. One day while I was alone, I turned the record over and listened to the long-overlooked B-side, "You're Never Goin' to Tampa With Me." I can't say that this song made much sense to me at the time, either, but I actually became really fond of it. It is an incredibly weird song. Recorded form our old 45.
14. "Flash's Theme" by Queen (Original release: 1980) My dad took me to see Flash Gordon in 1980 and I thought it was the best movie ever. After we got home that night, I grabbed a big stack of paper and crayons so I could document everything I had seen. Shortly thereafter, I got "Flash's Theme" (b/w "Football Fight") on 45 and played it all the time. I was in second grade at the time and I tried to write out the lyrics one day while I was at school. In hindsight, I must admit that my interpretations were waaay off.
15. "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me" by Billy Joel (Original release: 1980) I have the strangest recollection of watching this video with my entire family while we lived in Russell. Music videos were pretty new back then and we didn't have cable, so it must've been a night that Solid Gold was on TV. When he got to the lyric, "Don't waste your money on a new set of speakers/You get more mileage from a cheap pair of sneakers," my mom felt the need to point that specific lyric out to my brother and she asked if he understood it. To this day, every time I hear this song, that particular memory comes to mind.
16. "Like the Wind" by Christopher Cross (Original release: 1980) I don't love this song at all. Still, I have good memories of riding bikes in the garage with my sister while this was on the radio. Michael McDonald took a break from ruining the Doobie Brothers to sing back-up vocals on this song.
17. "(Just Like) Starting Over" by John Lennon (Original release: 1980) Like the death of Elvis Presley, John Lennon's murder was big news and I remember that event well. This song was released several weeks before his passing and it received a lot of airplay soon thereafter. Years later, this would become a "sing along song" for T. and me when we were dating.
18. "Mork's Mixed Emotions" from Mork & Mindy (Original release: 1979) Setting her tape recorder up next to our television, my mom recorded the audio from this episode of Mork & Mindy. Before we had a VCR or Nick at Night to watch old TV shows, I'd just play this tape again and again for entertainment on long, boring afternoons. The great thing about that particular recording is that it captured us all laughing at the jokes in the show. Unfortunately, I lost the tape a long time ago. These excerpts are from the DVD of the show's first season.
19. "
Retik, Ruler of the
Moon
A Very Strange Medley (V.S.M.)" by Barry Manilow (Original release: 1977) Much like the old ABBA and Seekers records, Barry Manilow Live was an early favorite. I especially loved Manilow's medley of old commercials but I also enjoyed his "Jump Shout Boogie Medley." Even after I discovered metal and punk, this record remained a guilty pleasure of mine. No sense in hiding my appreciation for Manilow any more though; talent is talent and a good song is a good song.
20. "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" by Napoleon XIV (Original release: 1966) At some point, one of the local radio stations started playing this song on their morning show. I used to picture the singer as Retik, Ruler of the Moon (one of the bad guys from the old Commando Cody series, Radar Men from the Moon).
The following note was penned by our friend in the weeks following the 2010 Pakistan floods. His words are presented here with his kind permission.
Lu Xun's story "Curbing the Flood" may be read as a comment on the recent flood in Pakistan. Various characters appear and Lu Xun upholds to ridicule their attitudes and ways of thinking. The rulers, ministers, intellectuals, all are closed in their own limited thinking and prejudices. He also depicts what may be called "Culture of Poverty."
The members of the upper and middle classes giving lessons of alms-giving, taking pity on the poor, sharing their grief performing the "holy act of Zakat." (Zakat is an Islamic concept: Allah the Almighty has created the poor and has given you plenty so you must give a little portion of your wealth to the poor. The amount given will be multiplied by 70 when you go to paradise. It proves that God does not like poverty, though he has created the poor.) On the Pakistani TV channels we see honest and upright ministers, tender-hearted players, reputable actors, beautiful actresses, and conscientious traders giving the lesson of charity and generosity. They have also learnt many verses from the Holy Quran and also how to bring tears into their eyes. I call it "Culture of Poverty" because it gives them a feeling of superiority, a feeling that they are above the scum of society. Above all, it is an effort to maintain these humiliating conditions where majority of the people live below human level.
Lu Xun was under the influence of the May Fourth Movement when he wanted to bring a change in the Chinese society. Like Goethe, he used the old Forms but these were modified and given a new meaning by the contemporary truths. It is the re-evaluation of China's mythology, in Old Tales Retold. The Chinese intellectuals, like the Pakistani ones, were alienated from political activity. Lu Xun praises Yu, the man who acts to bring a change society in "Curbing the Flood." In this way he encourages his readers to challenge the status-quo.
-- I.H., August 2010 Further Reading:Lu Xun Archive marxists.org
NEW!
Communards: The Story of the Paris Commune of 1871, As Told
by those Who Fought for It. Texts selected, edited, and
translated by Mitchell Abidor. Published by Marxists Internet Archive
Publications, 2010.
In this unique collection of texts translated into
English for the first time, we hear the genuine voices of the Paris
Commune of 1871. No history of the Commune may be written in the future
without reference to "Communards."
NEW! Karl Marx & Frederick
Engels. The Manifesto of the Communist Party and Its Genesis.
Published by the Marxists Internet Archive, 2010.
This collection provides the reader with a first-hand
account of the
genesis of the founding ideas of communism, and allows the reader to
see the relation between the development of the workers’
movement
itself and the theories which give voice to that movement.
Every so often, I open up one of Douglas Hofstadter's books and take a crack at reading it. I've never succeeded in polishing one off start to finish, though. Moreover, I'll admit that the material that does sink in might take me two or three passes to really get the gist of it. But what I appreciate most when it comes to Hofstadter's work is the fact that it consistently pushes me to approach things from an unconventional perspective. His material is "thought provoking" in the most basic sense of the phrase; not because it elicits a brief moment of insight or a fleeting emotional response but because the work compels the reader to ponder and reflect on concepts that are both simple and multifaceted.
Such was my experience as I recently reviewed Chapter 19 of Hofstadter's most popular book, Gödel, Escher, Bach. This chapter examines the prospect of artificial intelligence (AI), largely in the context of basic cognitive processes. Of particular interest to me was the portion of the chapter which deals with Bongard problems. At first, it was difficult for me to appreciate these "puzzles" as anything other than some kind of eclectic inside joke.1 However, after a good deal of subsequent reading in GEB and on the 'net, I got the general idea and before long, I decided to take a crack at drawing up a Bongard problem of my own.
Below is my original Bongard problem. As an added bonus, I've included a small batch of clues in verse form. I won't be upset if anyone labels this as "eclectic" or if folks say that it's just not very good, but I will be slightly pissed if someone nails it in under five minutes.
Saturn Devouring His Son by Francisco Goya
Across the Styx and Descending
Arguments and angry thoughts, Churlish chides in fights well fought; Undermining peaceful time, Telling tales of woe and crime. Eating beast and folk alike; Absalom…atop the pike… None dare stand against the storm! Godlings, flee—pray change your form! Leave this place; avert thine eyes, Emerge, great Saturn—claim thy prize!
1. I've long regarded the label of "eclecticism" as something of a pejorative, even well before I read Lenin's thoughts on eclecticism (I'll compile a list of examples someday). A high school English teacher once read one of my poems aloud to the class and when she finished, she folded her hands in her lap and said, "This is what we call an eclectic poem. That's because nobody understands it but the author." Feh.
As promised, here's the rundown of tracks from my entry in the CDP's CDP Worldwide Mix-Tape Trade 8. The title of my mix CD is "For Malachi Ritscher." You can read more about Ritscher here and you can read about the history and theme of the mix here.
1. "Ban the Game" by Men Without Hats (from the album Rhythm of Youth) Not many people would use the word "poignant" when referring to Men Without Hats. For most folks, the band's name evokes images of midgets at a Renaissance fair. But "Ban the Game," the first track on their 1982 debut album, is quite the poignant tune and I thought this was a good way to introduce the program.
2. "The Mob Rules" by Black Sabbath (from the soundtrack to the film Heavy Metal) Although Ozzy-era Sabbath is laden with political themes, this was seldom the case with their Dio-era material. "The Mob Rules" is something of an exception. The idea that "when you listen to fools, the mob rules" is a reminder that mass hysteria generally yields the worst of what the world has to offer. In the wake of 9/11, this kind of polarized groupthink brought our worst prejudices to light and ultimately led us to the invasion and occupation of two countries. (I used the Heavy Metal edit because on Mob Rules, there's about half a second of the song "E5150" that bleeds into the beginning of "The Mob Rules" and it's pretty much impossible to edit out. I wish the sound quality of this particular track was a little better.)
Allen Ginsberg
3. "The Sunflower Sutra" by Allen Ginsberg (from the album Howl and Other Poems) Both for his own time and well beyond, few voices of protest and activism are as thought-provoking and insightful as that of Allen Ginsberg. Laden with vivid imagery and ethereal symbolism, "The Sunflower Sutra" is a work that evaluates and celebrates self-awareness while chronicling his personal struggle to make the world a better place. (Had I not been going for the whole "three word title" pattern, I might've included "America," which is one of my favorite Ginsberg works.)
4. "No Fucking War" by 7 Year Bitch (from the album Sick 'Em) 7 Year Bitch was one of the most underrated punk bands of the 1990's. They were heavy as hell and something of a standout from the "riot grrrl" and grunge ensembles of their time. Selene Vigil belted out songs with the bulldozer-like ferocity of a female Cronos (and that, friends, is the highest of compliments from yours truly)."No Fucking War" was 7 Year Bitch's song of protest against Operation Desert Storm, but the lyrics became even more relevant during America's second foray into the Persian Gulf. With George W. Bush leading the new charge, the line "Bush, pull out like your father should have" (originally aimed at George HW Bush) turned a simple double entendre into an irony that was profoundly unfortunate.
5. "Two-Sided Politics" by Suicidal Tendencies (from the album Suicidal Tendencies) Some Cold War-era musings on alienation and injustice going on here: I'm not anti-Reagan, Reagan's anti-me /And I'm not anti-government, government's anti-me/And I'm not anti-politics, politics is anti-me/And I'm not anti-anything, I just wanna be free. Well…It still rings true, doesn't it?
6. "Pen Cap Chew" by Nirvana (from the box set With the Lights Out or possibly from the Pay to Play bootleg) It's not so much of a pacifist's anthem, but there's definitely some political awareness in the line "Kill a politician and then wear his clothes." Part Robin Hood, part Bolshevik revolutionary….all Cobain. The spoken word lead-in is an outtake I pulled from side four of the LP version of From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah. It's not really relevant to the song, but it's funny because Bob Larson is a yutz. I originally spliced these tracks together for another mix CD many years ago.
7 Year Bitch
7. "Levi Stubbs' Tears" by Billy Bragg (from the album Talking with the Taxman About Poetry) So beautiful and so sad, all at the same time. This song is about trudging through life despite the worst kinds of trouble and tragedy: "When the world falls apart, some things stay in place."
8. "The Call Up" by The Clash (from the album Sandanista!) Sandanista! should make each and every list of the greatest rock albums of all time, now and forever. The unfortunate fact of the matter is that this album is still woefully underappreciated despite innovation, musicianship and content (both artistic and political content) of the highest caliber. Think of "The Call Up" as something like the punk equivalent of Phil Ochs' much-celebrated draft evasion anthem "Draft Dodger Rag."
9. "Canons of Christianity" by Phil Ochs (from the album Phil Ochs in Concert) Phil Ochs is not just one of my favorite artists; he is one of my favorite human beings. I think a lot of people believe Phil ultimately took his own life because he lost his sanity. I prefer to think that Phil stayed sane while the rest of the world went crazy. "Canons of Christianity" nicely sums up the problems wrought by religion's best of intentions.
10. "Over the Edge" by The Wipers (from the album Over the Edge) If you've never heard any stuff by The Wipers, do yourself a favor and buy the 3 CD box set that includes is This Real?, Youth of America, and Over the Edge. This is a great song for those days when you feel like everyone is pushing your damn buttons. (I had hoped to include the song "Youth of America" in this mix and then use the Hole cover of "over the Edge" but with "Youth" clocking in at almost 10 minutes, I wouldn't have been able to contain this collection in a single disc.)
11. "Cult of Personality" by Living Colour (from the album Vivid) My head almost exploded when I first saw Living Color perform on Saturday Night Live back in 1989. I still remember seeing how annoyed my mom was with the performance and pretty much deciding right then to go buy their album. She was less than thrilled when I brought it home. I think I missed the whole point of the song "Cult of Personality" back then but as I've grown older, I can appreciate it in a different context. Any way you look at it, this song is tremendous.
12. "Worried Man Blues" by Woody Guthrie (from the album Muleskinner Blues: The Asch Recordings Vol. 2) The quintessential poet and songwriter of the American Left, Woody fought for a better world and shared his vision far and wide. His voice and music remain the heart and soul of the continuing struggle against corruption and injustice. it was one of my favorite moments as a parent thus far when I heard baby Z. -- at about the age of 2 years old -- singling along with Woody's "Muleskinner Blues."
13. " Ένα το χελιδόνι" ("Ena to helidoni" or "A Solitary Swallow") by Mikis Theodorakis (from the YouTube video "ΝΟΕΜΒΡΗΣ 1973-ΠΟΛΥΤΕΧΝΕΙΟ") The YouTube video collage "November 1973 – Polytechnic" chronicles the 1973 uprising by students of the Athens Polytechnic in opposition to the fascist dictatorship of Greece's military junta. "Ena to Helidoni" was originally written during the Greek Civil War of 1946-1949 but it became symbolic of the struggle against the junta during the years of the dictatorship. The voice at the beginning of this track is Maria Damanaki, who was a leading voice of the students during the uprising (Damanaki has long since given up radical politics in favor of a career with ruling-class organizations and institutions). In the excerpt included in this track, Damanaki proclaims, "Everyone united in the struggle for democracy and national independence; Long live the people's struggle!" The gunshots immediately following the song are taken from audio of the junta's brutal suppression of the students on 17 November. My friend Anthony once described the juxtaposition of the song with the sound of gunfire as "chilling" (or words to that effect." I edited the audio a bit to bring these elements closer together. Thanks to Anthony for the translation help.
14. "Commerce of Grief," an excerpt from a presentation by Arundhati Roy In her September 18, 2002 talk "Come September, writer and activist Arundhati Roy commented on the dangers of jingoism and militarism that flourished in the wake of the September 11 attacks. In this particular excerpt, she explores the hypocrisy of killing innocent people to avenge the deaths of other innocent people.
15. "Search and Destroy" by The Stooges (this version from the soundtrack to The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou) I wish I had a coherent explanation for including this song, but I have to settle on the explanation that it just felt right. All of this talk of death and destruction probably brought this tune to my mind.
16. "Gimme Some Truth" by John Lennon (taken from the soundtrack to The U.S. vs. John Lennon) John Lennon, much like the rest of us, wanted the one thing that's the hardest to get.
The great Phil
Ochs
17. "Ringing of Revolution" by The Weakerthans (from the album Return of the Read Menace) Somebody gave me a compilation of stuff by the Weakerthans some years ago and to be totally honest, I never got past this song, which was the first track. This is a dynamite cover of the epic tune by Phil Ochs (without Phil's cinematic, spoken-word prologue, mind you) and after hearing this, I figured the bar was set too high and that I wouldn't appreciate anything else by Yhe Weakerthans on the level that I loved this particular performance.
18. "Black Wind Blowing" by Billy Bragg and Wilco (from the album Mermaid Avenue, Volume 2) The Mermaid Avenue albums, collections of Woody Guthrie's heretofore unpublished lyrics, contain some of the best music ever recorded. The song "Black Wind Blowing" reminds me of something that I often say about the state of the world today: "Things have to get a whole lot worse before they ever get better."
19. "Power to the People" by Huey P. Newton (excerpted from a public address) Brother Huey, much like Paul Robeson, Phil Ochs and so many others like him, had a brilliant vision of a better world that was compromised and marginalized through sustained campaigns of repression and harassment from elitists and their proverbial "running dogs." He was the epitome of the doctrine of revolutionary suicide: "I, we, all of us are the one and the multitude."
20. "Until the End" by The Nightwatchman (from the album One Man Revolution) I used to refer to Phil Ochs as the last great songwriter of the American Left… Then I heard Tom Morello's material from his "The Nightwatchman" project.
21. "for Malachi Ritscher" (original composition) This is an original "sound collage," created using my Epiphone Les Paul, Karera bass guitar and the keyboard simulator from Apple GarageBand. The spoken content was performed by K. and Z. (Z.'s line took about 37 takes.)
It was complete serendipity that I ran across a fabulous blog while surfing the 'net a week or so ago. I am not sure what I was looking for the day that I happened on The Communist Dance Party (probably looking to get some more commie tchotchkes for my burgeoning collection, I'm sure), but the style and humor of The CDP really struck that proverbial chord for me. It's in a similar vein with Cold Bacon, which has been a favorite of mine for several years now. CDP features a great mix of pop culture and personal reflection, making it interesting, funny and insightful all at the same time. Really. Plus, there are mix tapes. I've said it here before, folks: I love mix tapes.
The CDP Worldwide Mix-Tape Trade is an opportunity for CDP readers (I think we're officially called "CDPeons") to exchange mixes (on cassette or CD) via mail. Ryan Zeinert, the brains and the brawn behind the whole CDP endeavor, matches up participants and sets the guidelines and deadlines for the event. Although I missed the first seven trades, I was able to get in on Worldwide Mix-Tape Trade 8. Life is good.
Of course, given the magnitude of a global initiative such as this, there's no way that it would be so easy as to just create a simple mix and send it on its way. Each trade event involves a theme of some sort and this time around, it's "Three Little Words." So, the overall theme of the mix tape needs to be a three word phrase. I took the guidelines a little further and made sure that every song in my mix has a three-word title. I know that may seem kind of obsessive but I really want to make a big splash instead of just coming across like a CDP greenhorn.
Malachi Ritscher (1954 - 2006)
It took me a day or so to come up with my three-word theme. I think I was just trying too hard at first. At some point, something led me to recall the story of Malachi Ritscher, the artist and activist who committed suicide in 2006 by self-immolation. Ritscher killed himself as a protest to the war in Iraq, choosing to exit life in the same manner as the Buddhist monks who died while protesting the conditions in South Vietnam during the war. Ritscher explained his actions through a note published shortly after his death. His epitaph stated in part: "if I am required to pay for your barbaric war, I choose not to live in your world." Recalling this story a week or so ago, I thought to myself, "I really hope people don't forget about this man." Somewhere along the way, I got the idea to make my CDP mix tape into a commemoration of Ritscher's life and death. So, the working title for my mix is "For Malachi Ritscher."
The mix is almost complete and at present it's somewhere around 20 tracks of music and spoken word. I am waiting on a CD that I acquired from eBay just the other day (bought for the very purpose of adding one specific track to this very collection, mind you). I am also thinking about including an original composition to the mix and I have already started laying down a basic track for that particular song. I'm not the greatest of musicians, so it'll likely be more of a sentimental effort than anything to crow about.
When it's all done, I'll post my track listing, notes and artwork (yes, artwork) here on greeklish.org. Expect stuff from the likes of 7 Year Bitch, Allen Ginsberg, Woody Guthrie, Mikis Theodorakis, Billy Bragg and others. I'm hoping that the subject matter isn't too heavy for those who will receive the mix because I feel like Ritscher's legacy merits contemplation and celebration. Related stuff Mixtape Mixdown: 25 Favorites
Would you believe that a simple item on our dinner menu could lead to an impromptu history lesson about a relatively obscure phase of China's Cultural Revolution? If you spent just a little time hanging around our house, well folks, you'd buy it.
A few weeks ago, Thomai prepared some fresh mangoes for dessert. She's always doing her best to make sure that the girls and I get as much healthy stuff as possible. On the night in question, I sat there at the table with the girls watching Thomai peel and cut the mangoes when a thought popped into my brain:
"Have I ever told you about China's 'Mango Worship' period?" I asked.
"Yes," Thomai groaned.
Then from across the table came the voice of our older daughter, K. "I haven't heard it!" she exclaimed. Our younger daughter Z followed up with a resounding, "Me neither!" Intelligent, inquisitive and enthusiastic; Yeah…those are my kids, for sure.
From that point on, I had the pleasure of recounting the story for our girls – now ages 10 and 6 – as we ate the mangoes together. I was working from memory only, so I started in the middle of the tale, explaining that Mao had sent a number of mangoes to factories and schools around China as a gesture of something or other. In turn the folks who received the mangoes, treated the fruits as venerated objects, preserving them and – in some cases – constructing intricately detailed replicas of the mangoes to commemorate the occasion on which they were received.
I was fortunate to have my BlackBerry nearby, so I used the web browser to visit Stefan Landsberger's outstanding online archive of Chinese Propaganda Posters to check my facts. I was happy to find a rather detailed summary of the entire "Mango Worship" period which allowed me to correct a few inaccuracies in my off-the-cuff version of the story. In addition to the narrative, a picture of one of the celebrated fruits is included on his "Chairman Mao's Mangoes" page. Additionally, Dr. Landsberger's page features a link to another site which has pictures of one of the handcrafted replica mangoes.
After listening to an updated version of the story (courtesy of the information from Dr. Landsberger's site), the girls gathered 'round to look at the pictures of the mangoes with me and I couldn't help feeling like they were just a little bit impressed with some of the stuff that their dad comes up with from time to time.
When it comes to sharing information, garnering awareness, and organizing campaigns there are few forms of media that can compete with the accessibility and reach of Internet-based "social networking" sites. For every "MySpace," "Twitter," and "LinkedIn," there are many dozens of smaller sites that are scraping and clawing for their own share of this burgeoning market.
In only 6 years, Facebook has evolved from a quaint and entertaining novelty to a bona fide brand unto itself, now boasting over 500 million users worldwide. It's become a billion-dollar enterprise, enjoying a far-reaching and profound influence upon social networking, the Internet and upon popular culture itself.
Of course, as individuals and groups see the power and appeal of Facebook, it is understandable and expected that such a user-friendly service might be harnessed to further all sorts of objectives and causes. Such was the vision shared by supporters of Colombian revolutionary Ricardo Palmera when they created a Facebook page aimed at publicizing the rather unusual twists and turns of Palmera's battles in the American legal system.
The Facebook group "Free Ricardo Palmera!" was created by three members of The National Committee to Free Ricardo Palmera. In its relatively short existence on the web, the group's membership grew to nearly 700 members before Facebook administrators deleted the page on June 30, acting without any sort of advance notice or legitimate justification. Josh Sykes, one of the co-founders of the "Free Ricardo Palmera!" Facebook group explained the situation in an interview with Fight Back! News:
Facebook's reason was that it violated the 'terms of use' so they shut it down on June 30. They said that it was obscene, that it attacked people, or was hateful. Nothing could be further from the truth. They also threatened the administrators of the group with having their profiles disabled if we continued to "abuse" facebook features - which we never did.
On July 7, the personal Facebook account of Josh Sykes and those of the group's co-founders, Angela Denio and Tom Burke, were also locked by Facebook, ostensibly as a penalty for organizing support for Palmera. A groundswell of support for Sykes, Denio and Burke followed on the web and beyond. Under pressure from individual users and sympathetic organizations and media groups, Facebook eventually reinstated the accounts of Sykes and Denio while still attempting to justify the deletion of the Palmera group with vague and disingenuous terminology:
After reviewing your situation, we have determined that your group violated our Statement of Rights and Responsibilities. One of Facebook's main priorities is the comfort and safety of our users. We do not allow credible threats to harm others, support for violent organizations, or exceedingly graphic content. Your violation of Facebook's standards has resulted in the permanent loss of your group. We will not be able to reactivate this group for any reason. This decision is final.
The Palmera group remains a virtual "third rail" along with a number of other causes that are unwelcome on Facebook. In the weeks and months leading up to the sacking of the Palmera group, Facebook also disabled a group calling for a boycott of BP as well as a page condemning Israeli oppression of Palestinians. The glaring inconsistency in Facebook's allegedly egalitarian motivations lies in the fact that plenty of other Facebook pages – including those created by groups who openly espouse racism, fascism, misogyny and even murder – remain unchallenged and unmolested despite a flagrant disregard for Facebook's terms of use. Some might view this as simple irony in that Facebook purports to support free speech, information sharing and democracy around the world. The sad reality is that their actions with regard to the Palmera group and other causes are demonstrative of calculated and intentional censorship; In a word, we're talking about hypocrisy.
It's not necessarily a matter of expecting wealthy, propertied interests to uphold apparently elusive concepts like "free speech" because for progressives who see the inherent repression in bourgeois society, we must surely have reasonable expectations based on what we see and experience from day to day and from year to year. There was a time when people might have legitimately expected Facebook to stand for something radically different. These expectations are now little more than illusions. In retrospect, perhaps it's not so surprising that Facebook—a business entity that has effectively redefined the elite ranks of global mass media—has slowly become yet another arm of ruling elites and the military-industrial-media complex. Facebook has indeed descended into the bowels of the corporate sewer and, to quote Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, "If you live in the toilet, you get used to shit and the smell no longer bothers you."
Tom Burke, co-founder of the "Free Ricardo Palmera!" group on Facebook remains in social networking limbo as Facebook administrators ponder his virtual fate. Meanwhile, individuals and groups continue to struggle against censorship on Facebook, mounting campaigns to reinstate Burke's account while creating new pages to shed light on the struggle of Ricardo Palmera.
Read more about the situation through Fight Back! News here and watch an interview with Josh Sykes and Angela Denio on YouTube.
I wrote an earlier draft of this short piece a couple of years ago for someone else’s blog. This conversation really happened and the memory of it makes me smile to this day.
One might accurately say I've always been something of an "enthusiast" when it comes to bugs and spiders. If I see something flying or crawling by, I might easily put any current business on hold to see what kind of excitement and intrigue the insect world has to offer. Such was the case one evening as I was enjoying some time in the back yard with our girls. I can't remember what exactly we were doing but at some point I became distracted by the site of a large group of anthills.
As I crouched down to inspect the teeming insect metropolis, our younger daughter (who was four years old at the time) walked over and joined me for a look. For a minute or so, we watched in silence as the ants scurried here and there. Eventually, my daughter asked in her soft, inquisitive kid voice: “Daddy, are those good ants?”
I was at something of a loss for a few seconds but after thinking on it, I eventually replied, "Well, they’re not Disney ants." Yeah...That was simply the best I could do at that particular moment. As luck would have it, she was relatively happy with my answer.
As a long-time mixtape enthusiast, I've always wanted to create a "soundtrack to my life" mix. Every time I've started down that path thus far, I run into a difficult time consolidating everything down to one 80-minute CD. Even a two-disc set -- which would likely run around 40 tracks or so -- just doesn't seem 
Pilot of the Airwaves" by Charlie Dore (Original release: 1980)
NEW!
Communards: The Story of the Paris Commune of 1871, As Told
by those Who Fought for It. Texts selected, edited, and
translated by Mitchell Abidor. Published by Marxists Internet Archive
Publications, 2010.
A few weeks ago, Thomai prepared some fresh mangoes for dessert. She's always doing her best to make sure that the girls and I get as much healthy stuff as possible. On the night in question, I sat there at the table with the girls watching Thomai peel and cut the mangoes when a thought popped into my brain:
I was fortunate to have my BlackBerry nearby, so I used the web browser to visit Stefan Landsberger's outstanding online archive of 
When it comes to sharing information, garnering awareness, and organizing campaigns there are few forms of media that can compete with the accessibility and reach of Internet-based "social networking" sites. For every "MySpace," "Twitter," and "LinkedIn," there are many dozens of smaller sites that are scraping and clawing for their own share of this burgeoning market.
