Cheap by Cheapskate

So, its a little late on the SXSW tip, but that's mostly cuz I'm a cheapskate this year. Bought the wristband and everything last year, but in these economic times, I'm feeling a lot less willing to fork over that kinda dough again. To be honest, I haven't been real negatively impacted by this whole thing yet (knock on wood), but it still feels wrong to splurge like that. Maybe this whole economy is just psychological like they say. But if so, then we definitely need something new, cuz human psychology is f____d!

Anyway, I'm gonna rock the free stuff when I can. And thanks to folks like Matt Sonzala, there's even a ton of great free hip-hop. SXSW has a page dedicated to the free stuff. Austin Hip-Hop Scene also had a good rundown of the free shows, including links to RSVP when necessary. If you're broke or cheap too, I'll see you there.

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Chris Harris
Word on the Street
KOOP 91.7 FM Austin
Sunday 3-4pm (central)

"There's class warfare, all right, but it's my class, the rich class, that's making war, and we're winning." - Warren Buffett, 2006

Freedom Fries

Good Lord those French know how to do it! When their economy's in shambles, unemployment is skyrocketing, and inflation is making their hard-earned money worth less, they don't count on some politician, or worse still, some appointee of some politician (Geithner, I'm looking at you). They turn to the street. In MASS.

And when corporate cretins break every promise, steal their money and try to get away with it, they don't just call their representatives, or write in some stupid blog (like me). They take matters into their own hands.

Union resistance, too, seems to be hardening. Last week Serge Foucher, the boss of Sony France, was kidnapped and held overnight by workers angry about the closure of a factory. The boss of a Continental tyre factory was pelted with eggs by employees dismayed by its closure—despite a promise to keep the factory going after workers agreed, unFrench-like, to shift up to a 40-hour week.

Damn!

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Chris Harris
Word on the Street
KOOP 91.7 FM Austin
Sunday 3-4pm (central)

"There's class warfare, all right, but it's my class, the rich class, that's making war, and we're winning." - Warren Buffett, 2006

Gotta Be The Genes

A big shout out to my cousin Hope, whose a freshman at Spelman this year. She made a music video / short film for my uncle Glynn, and as you can see by the picture (with Spike Lee), she's already making moves.

Oh, and just kidding about genes. They aren't that important.

(Photo by Daryl Fortson)
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Chris Harris
Word on the Street
KOOP 91.7 FM Austin
Sunday 3-4pm (central)

"There's class warfare, all right, but it's my class, the rich class, that's making war, and we're winning." - Warren Buffett, 2006

Gangstas Make the World . . .

The Western media is making a big deal about Russian president Dmitri Medvedev's speech proposing major Russian rearmament starting in 2011. Lost in all the doomsday scenarios and scary rhetoric is one simple fact - the United States of America accounts for 45% of global "defense" spending, which is more than the next 14 biggest countries . . . COMBINED!

Let me just quickly propose a hypothetical situation. Say you run a corner or two. You're no gangsta, but you're not a chump either. One day you find out that the biggest gangsta in town is not only hoarding muscle, but running product in your backyard. They've even started muscling a few people in your backyard. What's your response in that circumstance?

A) Stand by and pray confrontation never comes
B) Negotiate from a position of utter weakness
C) Start hoarding muscle yourself

We are the gangsta of the world. Hoarding muscle like crazy and hassling people all over the globe. What do we expect the rest of the world to do?
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Chris Harris
Word on the Street
KOOP 91.7 FM Austin
Sunday 3-4pm (central)

"There's class warfare, all right, but it's my class, the rich class, that's making war, and we're winning." - Warren Buffett, 2006