If you play cards, now there's a handy way to commit the images of our most wanted War Profiteers to memory. [via brian borrello]
Paul Treanor. Who is he? I don't know. But it's quite clear what he does and doesn't stand for:
Hard work and longer working hours are praised by politicians and business in many EU member states. The 'shining example' is the USA, which indeed has the longest workweek of any advanced economy. But hard work is morally wrong - with certain exceptions, such as the fire service or health care.
...
Every success story, of a hard-working British or German entrepreneur, means that others die of disease or hunger. It will always be like that - as long as the world economy is a market-place of aggressively competing nations. Economic competition means, by definition, harming the weakest party in each transaction. The loser can only compensate for this, by finding an even weaker party to compete against. In the last decade, some of the rich western countries, above all the United States, have become extremely competitive. All of that competitive power ultimately falls on the shoulders of the weakest inhabitants of this planet, and it kills them.
...
The poor are not our enemies. If neoliberals were good people, they would weaken their national economies, not strengthen them. They are not good people. But you are not powerless against the neoliberal ethic. You can do something. You can choose morality above market...
...
1. Don't work hard. Try to reduce your productivity.
2. Don't work long hours. Reduce your working week to the minimum necessary. A new media software developer, for instance, earns enough to live comfortably on 10 hours work per week.
3. If you work in 'industry' (i.e. production of transportable goods), ask your employer to relocate the activities to a poor country. Even with half the present production, EU countries will still be rich.
4. If the employer refuses, make high wage demands. That is the quickest way to undermine competitiveness, and force relocation of employment. High wage demands are the best form of development aid.
5. Inform potential foreign investors of your high wage demands. Ask them not to invest in your country, but in a poor country.
6. Best of all would be, to abolish the present world order, in which rich and powerful economies compete with poor and weak economies. But that would mean the end of 200 years of market liberalism - and that is unlikely to happen in the short term.
From Don't Work Hard!, via Alamut]
One last fun thing. Next is stuff about me.
I played a few shows. One short (like, 8 minutes) solo, one longer. The longer was in duo with Alfred and it was illuminating. I don't know what he was doing, but he was making fantastic sounds and he was also making people laugh. That's a good combination in this often dour music. Oh, I also did a duo with Alfred at Sarubia gallery in Insadong as Foto-scratch. Heart & Po$ter together in action. Surprisingly, there was a j. in the joint...(!?)
The other highlight of SCUM 5 was the dancer (or, as he puts it: Natural Physical Poet), Mushimaru Fujieda. What he does isn't Butoh according to him, but is clearly indebted to it. His intensity of focus and transformative ability bring a wow to my wower, whatever you call it. He sustained a sort of improvised development with his body for close to an hour, but I don't remember if I breathed once the whole time. Cool guy, too. Deep ass voice, chainsmoking old dude.
Choi Sun-Bae, Alfred, and I will be performing on June 29 at the Anseong Juksan International Arts Festival, which promises to be a fun time for all. Ostensibly we will be giving freedom music to an audience with many children. This is very good!
More recently, I bought a brand new trumpet yesterday. It sounds/feels good. Fast as hell and all the slides work, something I've never experienced before. I hope I don't ruin it anytime soon.
Today I was in the studio at the Seoul Institute for the Arts with composer Kevin Parks. We made source recordings for his new project. The recordings went well and apparently he's satisfied with the sound quality, so someday we'll get to hear what he chooses to do with my assortment of sounds. It is good to work and talk with Kevin. I think he gets it. I'll solicit other computer/tape composers to offer them the source files too and I hope it's fun for them.
I read Korea's Place In the Sun, by Bruce Cumings and it was outstanding. Very contemporary lefty history of modern Korea by an "old Korea hand." Recommended to anybody visiting this country.
Oh, you can order eShip Sum from DIW in Japan. It's an Alfred (23) Harth offering with (disembodied, sampled)me on one song and Choi Sun-Bae on several. You'll have to scroll down (and be able to read/pay in Japanese), but it's worth it. I'm sure it'll be gaining distribution in Germany soon, if not N. America (well...?)
posted by Brad Larcen 6/01/2003[edit]
