Snow.

And this is what happened.

No liner notes or cover art. I’d say I was sorry, but we’ll keep this sincere. Like the mix.

iced coffee might be the worst fucking idea ever. you take a drink that is, unless you get really good coffee, palatable only because it is hot and then you get the brilliant idea to serve it cold. i mean, have you ever left a cup of coffee on your desk for too long and then take a drink of it? it tastes so bad, it makes you want to cut off your tongue. even jaeda knows that (after an incident friday afternoon). having said all that, i still buy, drink, and enjoy iced coffee.

so i might be back. i don’t know. i’m just sitting here, wearing (sometimes? too much info?) my clothes and drinking my coffee, doing my homework and fighting my crazies.

The only- absolutely THE ONLY- legitimate Michael Vick reality TV show would go like this:

Open to a cheesy remix of a mediocre pop song playing to crude animation of Michael Vick leaving prison and going to an animal shelter. Michael Vick narrates with some shockingly insightful commentary, like “I’m Michael Vick, and I just spent two years in prison for abusing dogs. I want to make amends.”

Followed by 42 min (plus commercials) of dogs biting Michael Vick in the nutsack.

Seriously, how awesome would that be? I would watch that. Every week.

In general, I really hate reality TV. Except for Flavor of Love. Ironically, I hate Rock of Love. It’s derivative, obnoxious, and I’m afraid I’m going to catch a venereal disease through the TV.

And, that’s all I have. Peace.

Go get Adobe Flash Player!

First, “From The Hips” by Cursive

and second, “Early Morning Tony” by Felt, a group composed of two of my favorite rappers, Slug (from Atmosphere) and Murs.

*that clause, “I’ve spent quite a bit of time in my wooden leg and eye patch”, is actually just a euphemism for “stealing the shit out of some music”. I’m way too proud of it. The euphemism, that is.

Here is my response from Google Reader:

I, for one, am shocked that an interviewee who is partially responsible for creating our current system of agriculture/food science denounces modern critiques of his creation. In a friendly interview. And his refutation of the health benefits of organic food is phenomenal. It does not seem at all biased, slanted, ignorant of current research, or evasive.

All sarcasm aside, most people I’ve talked to and/or read don’t claim that the Green Revolution was evil. Clearly this man saved millions of people from starvation and changed the way we see the future of humanity.

Similarly, I doubt many people would say that the Industrial Revolution shouldn’t have happened. But does that mean I still support 7-day weeks, 16 hour days, and child labor? Do I think that coal can be used with no regard for air quality?

I don’t think that the industrial food system needs to be eliminated. I don’t know that the benefits of eliminating the industrial food chain, or forcing the food system to transition into completely organic method, for that matter, would outweigh the problems it would cause.

But the fact is that there are serious problems caused by the modern food chain. Problems we never expected, problems that we never realized would be related to our agricultural philosophy, and problems that we still don’t totally understand in relation to mankind’s manipulation of genetics/nature.

Do these problems mean that society as a whole should reject the whole idea? No. But do these problems lead me to buy organic grocery products when possible (which addresses some of the problems of the industrial food chain but not all) and buy local whenever possible (which solves even more of the problems)? Yes. Do these problems mean that we need to take a closer look at an industry whose regulatory oversight is just as invested in maintaining the status quo as the industry itself? Yes. Does this mean that we need to ask hard questions about the ethical, as well as the pragmatic, dilemmas related to our food production? Yes.

All due respect to Mr. Borlaug. He deserves all the credit that he has gotten, and much more. But that doesn’t change the need for constant re-evaluation and improvement. Regardless of what a 95 year old man thinks is “foolish decisions”.

I may be naive. But, honestly, I’m don’t think that Whole Foods is going to save the world, although you would think that they could, for the prices they charge. I’m sure that my food buying habits won’t change the way that industrial meat processing works. I’m sure that many people shop ‘organic’ because it’s trendy, or it makes them feel warm and fuzzy without confronting any actual issues. I acknowledge that there are possibly more pressing pragmatic considerations than some of the ethical issues raised by bioethical philosophy. I agree that mass starvation is a more important ethical concern than whether the chickens were allowed to ‘freely’ range.

But I don’t think sweatshops are OK because people need coats, and I don’t think industrial cattle feedlots are OK because it means you can make cheaper hamburgers. I refuse to accept the false dichotomy of processed industrial food chains vs. starvation and skyrocketing food cost. I pay attention to what I buy because it makes me more aware of the world at large, not because I look hip walking out of Trader Joe’s.

And most of all, I don’t understand why it’s controversial to claim that an industry, in collaboration with their governmental ‘oversight’, is more concerned with self-preservation and profit margins than with the consequences or implications of their actions. Is that really that hard to believe? I’m not sure why ‘trusting the big industry’ is the default position. I mean, now, of all times, are we trusting industries to essentially regulate themselves? Really?

Who’s being naive now?

As if using the word “munchies” in your name didn’t already tell the story.

Yeah, it’s taken a while. Stop bitching.

ILE turned into a double album, but I couldn’t bring myself to cut (or add) anything else to this mix. The download includes liner notes, like last time, as well as album art. I modified all the id tags on the files so that you can just add it to your iTunes and play it in the correct order. You can download it here or here. Let me know what you think.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

Obama’s rejection, at least in some small way, of the false dichotomies of politics was the main reason that I supported (and voted for) him. My only hope for politics lies in that rejection. My favorite part of the festivities, however, was when some talking head lamented the fact that Dick Cheney was in a wheelchair because “Somebody will make some tasteless ‘Dr. Strangelove’ joke about it”. That tasteless someone is me, bitch. Thanks for the idea.

Today was also supposed to be my first day of classes. It turned out just to be the first day that I drive downtown to find out that one of my TAs hasn’t discovered the new-fangled communication technique called “email your students when you cancel class”. I have had a decent winter break, though, all things considered. I’m hoping to blog soon about some of my movie and reading selections over the past month or so.

Today is also the beginning of a vegetarian/psuedo-vegan* stage of my life. I’ve decided to forgo meat for a while. I don’t expect this to be a lasting life decision, but I’m planning avoiding meat and most dairy at least until summertime. I would say I’m doing this mostly for moral reasons, but partially for health reasons, and partially for self-discovery reasons. I really believe that if I still had a soul I would be vegan. I don’t think it is necessarily immoral to eat meat or dairy–I just think that factory farming is totally, indefensibly immoral. I really don’t think that any informed person has any way to defend the factory farming industry. Really, the only way around the problem is to apply those two greatest of American virtues, ignorance and apathy. Theoretically, I would love to only buy meat/dairy from humane farms. However, in today’s culture of green-washing and loose definitions of “humane”, I think it’s virtually impossible, especially on a budget.

But in reality, who are we kidding? Everyone knows I don’t have a soul. The more practical reason for me going pseudo-vegan is that I’m trying to become more aware of the karmic cost of my day to day practices, and how I am passing those tendencies on to Jaeda. To often, I (Americans in general?) get caught in this mindset of immediacy–”Where does your food come from?” “The refrigerator.” “No, before that.” “The grocery store?”–with no grasp of the far-reaching consequences of a single chicken McNugget. My goal is to pass on to Jaeda a sense of connectedness with the world– whether a sense of community with her peers, the neighborhood we live in, marginalized people across the world, or the environment itself. Inherent in that idea is to teach her the consequences of her actions to every other link in that chain. Going psuedo-vegan is just a way for me to explore these ideas and how to relate them to Jaeda.

Today is also Jaeda’s 368th day. We celebrated her first birthday on Saturday. It was pretty fun. Jessica has pictures on Facebook, and when I get around to it, I will post some as well.

And finally, today is the day when I drop the first (hopefully of many) mixtape** on your asses. Here is the link to download. It includes 16 songs I’ve been moderately obsessing about lately, and I have also included liner notes, for your reading pleasure.

And also, Watch this.

*By pseudo-vegan, I’m not eating meat, milk, or eggs. I make no promises about cheese, ice cream, or sour cream.

**mix-zip file?